Oceano Dunes SVRA July 4th Tips

We had an absolute blast Fourth of July 2009 in Pismo Beach...or where ever we were (Oceano, Grover Beach...). Let this be a guide for first timers who want to experience the 4th at this part of the beach. I'm specifically referring to the 1st beach entrance at Grand Ave, and camping out between Grand Ave. in Grover Beach and Pier Ave. in Oceano.

1. Set up your camp early. By 8am on July 4th (granted it was on a Saturday this year). Almost all of the spots to the left of the entrance, and along the hard pack sand of the beach were taken. Groups had gotten there early and used stakes and ribbon to block off huge areas. If you don't want to go early to stay, just block off your own area early in the morning. Just don't come back too late or you won't be able to drive to it.

2. Bring your own food and plan to stay all day and night. There is only one restaurant at the entrance, and I'm sure it is packed all day. bring all of your own food and drink.

3. We set up camp along the back side of the beach, where the dunes start. These spots didn't fill up quite as quickly.

4. Location, location, location. It doesn't really matter how far away from the Pismo pier that you park. On a clear night, the Pismo pier fireworks can be seen from miles away, and being half a mile closer to the pier wil not make a difference. Besides, all of the illegal fireworks along the beach will keep you well entertained.

5. Come with a positive attitude. There are tons of people around and lines to get into the beach. Relax and enjoy the waves. This old guy in the camp next to us was getting pissed off everytime someone's car got stuck near them. And this one lady in the camp next to us had to be restrained by her family because she was opposed to one person's driving. Don't have so many rules on this day.

6. Stay until the end. The Pismo fireworks didn't start until 9:30 because it was so bright out.

7. Don't be in a rush to leave. Depending on when you leave, there will be a huge line to get out.

8. Don't leave early. The rangers do not allow re-entry after 5pm.

9. Watch your kids. Keep them in site, there are trucks everywhere.

Lastly, have fun. This was one of the best fourth of July's I have ever experienced.

Finish Strong - Inspiration to keep going

Funny that I came across this today, because this morning I had read an article about late bloomers. A lot of the times I think that success should have happened to me already.

This little movie clip is an inspiration to believe that the best is ahead.

Click here to view : Finish Strong

The Easiest and Best Croissants

I just had these croissants from Trader Joes and they were absolutely delicious. Unlike most advertising, these really look exactly like the picture on the box when brushed with egg before cooking. I would highly recommened these for entertaining, a special breakfast or just with a coffee and paper.

Unfriendly Mini-Market workers/owners

Went for a fantastic jog in Shell Beach this morning. On the way back I was warming down on Shell Beach Rd. and the owner/employee was outside the door talking on his cell phone. After I passed, I said to my girlfriend, "That guy can't say Hello or thank you to save his life (I don't expect him to say hi as i walk by, but when i was a customer in there, he should show some appreciation for my business)." And she said, that's funny you say that because I was just telling my mom yesterday that we have been into the Cork-n-Bottle in San Luis Obipso 20 times, the owner must know us by now and he is so rude and can't even acknowledge us.

Needless to say, I don't shop at Shell Beach Liquor anymore, to do so would be submitting myself to abuse.

She must go to Cork-n-Bottle because her children like the burgers, but goes there reluctantly.

Starbucks is a great model of how a service/retain (funny, that was a missprint of retail, but how true!) business should operate. A person always has the certainty that they will have an uplifting experience there.

Pfeiffer vs. Pfeiffer

Being that there are a lot of trails closed in Big Sur...and when I say Big Sur I mean everything north of Rageed Point and South of Carmel, I want to clear up some confusion.

As of June 6th, 2009, the Ewoldsen trail and all trails starting at the east of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park are closed. The McWay Falls trail that is on the west side of Hiway 1 is open.

Since I was there in September 2008, there has been some progress heading to Ewoldsen trail. The trail at least extends 30 yards farther. But at the new railing where the closed sign is, there are huge stumps and trees piled up from what looked like a mudslide.

Now, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is open. This is the one with the camping that is located in the town of Big Sur. Also, surprisingly, I was able to get Verizon mobile phone bars here. I did not check if the trails are open. You may want to call first.

The reason I am posting this is that I did research online that I thought told me that the Ewoldsen trail was open, but I did not realize that there are two Pfeiffers in the area. I met a woman at the closed Ewoldsen trailhead that told me that she researched the same thing and was under the assumption that the trail was open.

Hope this helps. Happy Trails!

Kirk Creek Review

My girlfriend and I stayed at Kirk Creek Campground in Big Sur for the first time from June 6-9, 2009. A few notes and observations:

1. The campgrounds nearest highway 1 get freeway noise.

2. Not many of the campsites have trees for natural shade

3. The ocean views are absolutely awesome and striking from almost every campsite.

4. There is a possibility to have a camper trailer block your view when camped in front of you.

5. Wildlife - Squirrels come out first thing in the morning and will eat through your garbage or whatever is left out on the table.

At night, racoons, who have a tendency to steal, will walk off with any type of food that they can get their paws on. I caught one in the bed of my truck and it ran off with a loaf of bread. The same night, there were three of them trying to open my ice chest. That night I locked the food in the bed of my truck, and put the ice chest inside my vehicle and the problem was solved.

6. The bathrooms are not the most private. In the men's there was one stall and one toilet. If you need some privacy, best to go after 10pm or before 7am.

7. We always reserve our sites when we camp. But we seen many people be able to walk up and reserve a site. Even when the campground sign reads "Full" grab a permit and drive through and look to stake your claim. I even seen the camp host giveaway a reserved site because the people had not been there and the reservation ended the next morning.

8. Plenty of undrinkable water from faucets that provide for cleaning.

9. Where I live, in Pismo Beach, it can get very windy and make the beach miserable. But I noticed that even though there were onshore winds coming off of the ocean, (whitecaps), that Kirk Creek stayed pretty calm. It also sits in a bay and faces southwest. I noticed one day that a wind that came from the north completely missed Kirk Creek because of the mountains surrounding it.

10. The camprground is very quiet all day. The campers go to sleep at about 10:00pm, and wake around 8:00am. My girlfriend called me the camp partyer becasue I like to sit by the fire until 11pm and was the only one awake.

11. There was a camp host named Rick there. I very dapper and nice guy.

12. They also sell wood for $5 per bundle. It's enough to get you through a small fire for one night, but you will need kindling to start your fire.

13. Pack as much stuff as you can. There is a store in Lucia, and the prices arent cheap. In Lucia and Big Sur the prices were as follows: 8lb. bag of ice, $3.75. 8 oz. of cheese $6.99. Domestic beer six pack $11.99. Imported/Micro six pack $15.99. We bring block ice for our grocery ice chest and that lasted a full 4 days.

14. Plan to go during a full moon if you can. It's absolutely beautiful as the it shines through the trees and over the ocean.

15. Beacause it is next to the ocean, there is always a slight wind that can strip the heat off of you, as opposed to a Limekiln Campsite that is enclosed by trees and mountains. Limekiln and similar sites are more insulated.

My girlfriend would always got to bed early at Kirk Creek because it was cold, while at Limekiln, we were able to stay up and play cards because it was a little warmer.

These are the things that I think people should know when traveling to Kirk Creek. Obviously these are the negatives. I won't bother to list the positives because they are abundant and I could make 100 points. We were in love with Limekiln campground and thought there could not be one better. Now we're in love with Kirk Creek.

I hope this helps.

Limekiln Still Closed

Unfortunately, the Limekiln Campground is still closed as of June 9th, 2009. It seems difficult to get any real information about why it is closed. From the street view, it looks the same but empty. There are signs of brush burning on the top of the southside mountain above it, but beyond that everything looks to be in tact and lush as ever. I was very tempted to enter and get a closer look, but thought it would be silly to be caught by a park ranger when the signs in front obviously read "closed and do not enter. "

It also doesn't seem like the park staff is doing any activitites there to open it up. It's unfortunate because the campground and hikes are absolutely majestic. But you know what they say, "Don't mess with Mother Nature."