Travel: Pismo Beach, CA

Ocean breezes, clear skies, and a little wind, perfect in every way

Pismo Beach, Calif., is one of our favorite places to visit. Perhaps because we live so far inland we appreciate the ocean sounds and clean sands littered only with what the tides leave behind: sand dollars, broken shells and seaweed. 

We’ve traveled up and down the coast and like all the little towns along the way, but Pismo is special. We’ve been going there off and on since our boys were small, back when there were half as many houses and sixty percent less traffic. Our favorite place to stay is the first place we went to all those years ago, Kon Tiki Inn. You cannot get a bad room in this place. The structure is crescent shaped and every room faces the ocean. It has a lot of amenities, complimentary continental breakfast and a wonderful restaurant, Steamers, right next door. 

Getting to the beach was a snap when we were younger, but now it takes a little longer and a few rest stops along the way, but there is direct access from the Kon Tiki property to the beach down a stairway with, I think 128 steps. Going down is a breeze; going up is a wheeze.

Our favorite activity is walking on the beach and strolling out on the pier. This is not a commercialized pier like Monterey Bay or San Francisco, largely because this isn’t a place where boats dock and commercial fishermen are everywhere selling tickets for fishing excursions.

Pismo is very much a charming Oceanside town. It has shops and wonderful restaurants, and if you want to fish off the pier you can do so for free, no license necessary.

From the pier you get a panoramic view of magnificent and mystifying water. How does that massive cauldron of teeming life stay in place? The curvature of the horizon sometimes makes me dizzy and I look away because I feel like it might cut loose and wash over me if I don’t. The surge of the waves against the support pilings is thrilling, but only because I know the structure has stood the test of time. Below us surfers try to catch a wave. On the days we were there the waves weren’t all that challenging so we got to see some of the surfers actually ride out minor curls that took them onto the beach. It looked like great fun, and a lot of work.

Our time was mostly spent walking along the ocean. Every night we left the sliding glass door open so we could hear the sounds of the ocean and smell that unique tangy aroma found only where briny sea meets land.

Our one outing was to Oceanside for the Great American Melodrama. We never miss it when were there and while I was a little disappointed that it was a vaudeville show (I wanted to see a play), we enjoyed it immensely. If you plan to go with the idea of eating the fare, expect a limited menu of hot dogs, popcorn, beer and soda.

There are a lot of things to do if being busy is what you want. For us rest and relaxation was in order and we treasured every minute of it.

We always make it a point to eat at our favorite restaurants. Giuseppe’s, Chele’s Food and Spirits, Splash Café and Steamers have great atmosphere, wonderful food and exceptional service. There are many more, but with only five days to work with, we couldn’t get to them all! Besides, I didn’t really want to come back looking like blimp. Of course we found a Starbucks, which we managed to get to every day while we were there. 

We got to Pismo by train, by way of Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, and although there were a few “bumps” along the way, it was a great option for us. The pace was slower than I expected but the attendants and other Amtrak staff members were courteous and helpful. We were assisted in making our connections by cheerful station attendants who made sure we made it from one train to the next. The best part was that Bob didn’t have to drive all that way, I didn’t have to get on an airplane and we really did see the countryside. The food on the train was quite good and the breakfasts substantial.

It will probably be a while before we get out to Pismo again, but I’m already looking forward to it, and we will likely ride the rails to get there.

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Travel

Riding the Rails, the Challenges and Joys

Our First Vacation in Six Years: The Trip

Amtrak arrives at the Las Vegas, NM historic train depot

Amtrak is a great option for anyone who wants to get from here to there, hates airports and doesn’t want to drive. You can indeed see the country as it lurches by and if you are in a roomette or deluxe room, you get an unending number of meals. Well, not unending, but it seems one meal service is barely over before the steward starts taking reservations for the next one.

In our little corner of the world—Las Vegas, NM—we still have an Amtrak station. When we decided to take a trip to Pismo Beach, Calif., one of our favorite destinations, we decided the rail was the way to go. Realizing there would be challenges, like getting a rental car, we decided to go to AAA Travel in Santa Fe, NM, (thank you Teodora!) for help in planning the trip.

All Aboard!

I’ll say right up front AAA was most helpful. I highly recommend their services.

It had been at least 15 years since we took a train trip, also to Pismo Beach. For that trip we got off the train in Pasadena, boarded an Amtrak bus, and arrived in Bakersfield, where one of our sons was living. Knowing he would pick us up at the bus terminal took care of concerns about getting to the car rental agency located at the Bakersfield airport.

This time we didn’t have that advantage. We had to rely on AAA to make arrangements for us to get from the San Luis Obispo depot, where we got off the train, to the SLO airport car rental agency. On the return trip we had to get the car back and find transportation to the SLO train station before the Pacific Surfliner left at 6:45 a.m. for our connection at Union Station in Los Angeles. Thanks to AAA we got the car rented in advance (of course) and an agreement from Hertz to pick us up at the train station. To make life easier on our return date, AAA located the phone number of a 24-hour cab company that would pick us up at the airport and get us to the train station. Am I making this too complicated? Perhaps, but we are at a point in our lives when things like tight schedules and the possibility of missing our connections makes us nervous, VERY nervous.

The on-board portion of the trip went like clockwork (or as much as train travel can) and I’m pleased to say the trip was flawless. Well, maybe not the part where we had to wait for three hours for the coroner to release the track ahead because someone had been hit by a train coming the other way, but that’s another story.

Travel on the whole—moving down the track—was fine. Sleeping on the train? Yikes. We took a roomette (which we did the last time we went by train) believing this would be more comfortable than going by coach. We were on the train overnight going and coming and it made sense to have the privacy of a roomette and a bed to sleep on. Having a bathroom down the hall was a bit inconvenient (I’m being kind here) but we managed, sort of.

I can tell you my bones still ache. My husband is still recovering from a crack on the head and a fall from the top bunk. It happened when he tried to get up in the middle of the night, forgot there was no head room, and then missed the step on his way to floor level. Between knocking himself silly and a bruised and swollen leg he refused to get back on that precarious perch, and wouldn’t let me get up there either. We spent the rest of the night wedged like two sardines on the bottom bunk. That, my friends, is true love.

Even though there was a shower down the passageway, the idea of using it was pretty off putting when I thought about the jerky movement of the train and a slight discomfort (outright terror?) that the lock wouldn’t hold and someone would walk in on me. Grimy doesn’t begin to describe how both of us felt after getting off the train going and coming.

We had traveled this way before and didn’t remember it being so uncomfortable. It finally dawned on me that the real difference is that we’re both 15 years older and 15 to 20 pounds heavier. Those roomettes are not designed for anyone with any meat on them at all!

Using the toilet was a whole other adventure, and forget brushing your teeth, trying to freshen your makeup (this is where guys definitely have an advantage) and organizing your hair when you’ve been sleeping (more or less) on it all night.

There are options to the roomette of course. The coach cars do have quite comfortable seats that recline. We have friends who have traveled this way and found it perfectly acceptable. Others have said it’s fine as long as everyone in the car agrees to settle down and sleep, but that doesn’t always happen. One friend told us of a trip to Chicago. “At about midnight one family hauled out their sandwiches and wine and made a party of it.”

The other option is a “deluxe” room, which has a bathroom and a foldout bed at floor level that will accommodate two people so no one has to ride the rails suspended on something the size of a half-panel of a folding door.

Would we do it again? Yes. Does that surprise you? It’s an adventure. There is something wonderful about riding on a train, but only if you’re not in a hurry. Maybe that’s it. You are forced to relax and reset you internal mad rush to nice and easy, slow but sure.

What I liked:

• Train travel is affordable.
• You do get to see the country.
• The slower pace (if you’re ready for it).
• The attendants, conductors, red caps, and other staff members affiliated with the train are wonderful.  
• The food is okay and there is no lack of it. (Coach pays for meals; roomette and deluxe travelers meals are complimentary, except for alcohol).
• Seating in the dining car is family style so you get to meet interesting people.
• On the whole other passengers are courteous and respectful.
• The train depots are wonderful, harking back to another era.
• There is no hassle related to terrorist and security issues (ala airport TSA craziness)

What I didn’t like (or wasn’t prepared for)

• The “crossover” from one car to the next
• Beds
• Bathrooms

Overall the experience was enjoyable.

More about the journey next time.

Bob and Sharon's Big Adventure: A Mystery Tour

Glacial snow above Crested Butte

Several months ago my husband and I were discussing taking a trip but with no idea of where we wanted to go. The criteria went kind of like this: we didn’t want to drive or fly and it had to be reasonably priced. That cut out anything but taking a walk so I got on the Internet and did a little exploring. I ended up at www.suntoursus.com. I downloaded several flyers for various tours, among them a Mystery Tour. Hmmm. Intriguing. I never thought my husband would go for it, but he was as intrigued as I. So I sent off my $50 deposit and we were set to go.

When we told our friends and family what we were doing they thought we were crazy. First off we’d never been on a tour and had no clue what we were getting into, and second we didn’t have any idea where we were going! We are not the most adventurous of people so this leap of faith was new for us, and a surprise to those who know us well. For me it was not all that adventurous. We were only going to be gone for five days and we knew we would be staying at an elevation of around 9,000 feet. Considering the time we would be gone it seemed likely Colorado would be our destination. Where in Colorado was another matter entirely.

I believed we would be told when we arrived at the tour company where we were headed, but the tour guide kept us in suspense until the road we were on could only lead to our destination. I can say without reservation the trip was more than we expected and pleasurable from day one.

We arrived at Sun Tours to find several folks lining up to get on board, some of whom were wearing badges with pins attached. I later learned the pins represent the number of trips they had taken with Sun Tours. One lady has taken 43 trips with the company, some within the US, others internationally. "Okay," I thought. "That is a stellar recommendation for the company if ever there was one!"

It was apparent that, Clay, our tour guide was a favorite, as was Ray, the bus driver.

Our first day was a mixed bag of this and that with Clay providing running commentary, interesting facts and kicking off a contest to see who could guess our destination. He's worked for the company for a number of years and seemed well suited to the job, which consists of one part knowledge and three parts entertainment.

We were grateful to learn that the bus stops regularly. For reasons I won't go into, stopping regularly is not only a good thing it is a MUST. The stops are brief, no more than half an hour, but for some of us a welcome respite. There is a bathroom on the bus for convenience but most folks like to get out and stretch their legs, get a cup of coffee and chat.

As we left Albuquerque and headed north we could see the smoke from the fires burning near Santa Fe. The rolling landscape was taking us from hot dry New Mexico to cooler climes. The mountains in the distance held promise of a few days of rest. My husband—the primary driver when we go anywhere—was relaxed and happy to not be responsible for anything! Despite the dry weather in New Mexico landscapes as we headed through Espanola and Ojo Caliente were spectacular and varied.

Our lunch stop in Alamosa, a town I'd never been to, was delightful. We got there about noon and Ray stopped at different locations so we could pick where we wanted to eat. Clay had given us a run down of what we were likely to find and the kinds of food they served. Several of us went to the San Luis Brewing Company where my husband and I shared a huge club sandwich and fries. It was delicious and more than enough. The place was slammed with business and considering a third of a busload of people showed up right at noon, the service was efficient and friendly.

Back on the bus we continued on stopping mid-afternoon at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. What a spectacular formation! In the background the Sangre de Cristos still showed signs of snow while below was this wonder of undulating dunes formed by the whims of nature. Stone, sand and stream, the brochure states... “Unexpectedly awe-inspiring, this wild landscape pairs majestic scenery with intimate glimpses into the complexity of life and offers rich connections to our human history.”

As we boarded the bus and headed on down the road we saw clouds gathering. For many of us it was the first sign of rain we'd seen in weeks.

Our overnight stop was Salida, a mining era town that has taken back its identity and emerged as a vibrant tourist destination. I was delighted when we were told the next morning that we would be in Salida for part of the day. This is one busy little community. It has an active preservation effort going on, the benefits of the Arkansas River running through the valley, and aggressive tourism promotion focusing on the outdoors, visual and performing arts, boutique shops and antiques. Our guide for the historic tour told us Salida has something scheduled most weekends throughout the year. We just missed the annual brewers' event. Can't say that bothered me much. I don't like beer. We did get to see the beginning of a kayaking event. Watching competitors paddling through—or trying to—the gates while battling rapids was a highlight of the day. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the power of nature and how very small we are by comparison. We also went to the Salida museum where Clay displayed another of his talents. He played Amazing Grace on a beautiful antique organ. Appropriate for a Sunday morning in a historic town.

We satisfied our coffee craving in a sweet little coffee shop run by a couple of lovely girls who assured us that their coffee was better than Starbucks. It was equally as good and the coffee shop atmosphere was enhanced by the charm of the setting. Our lunch was at a little pub not far from the river. There was hardly anyone there but based on the quality of food, the place should have been packed! We very much enjoyed our lunch.

Colorado has a lot of water and it seems to be everywhere. No wonder everything is so green! The scenery is beyond description. By the time we stopped at our destination, Crested Butte, a sweet community in the high mountains, I was happy to have a place to lay my weary body. We've already done a lot of walking and there was more in store for us.

Our stay in Crested Butte was wonderful. It’s the kind of place that when you see it in all its summer glory you think, "I'd love to live here! This is like paradise!" It is indeed beautiful, but all that heavy-duty snow plow equipment parked all over the place is there for a reason. All the magnificent greenery and wildflowers come from somewhere, like the mountain snows that feed the rivers and streams. As a place to visit it is wonderful, but in a town where winter didn't end until June 1, all I could think was, “When did it start?”

Our hotel, The Grand Lodge at Crested Butte Mountain, was quite nice. Obviously the hotel caters to skiers. The lift is just across the courtyard. We were scheduled to go up for a scenic overview but it started to rain and neither of us was prepared for that.

Crested Butte is advertised as the Wildflower Capital of Colorado. We had an up close and personal opportunity to check that out on a couple of guided walks with terrific guides. One was a planned home gardens tour and the other was in the countryside.

On our last day we went up to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory at Gothic. Wow. Even though it was cold and damp I enjoyed the experience. The stories told by the guide were interesting and entertaining. We had a rustic lunch before returning to town where we were treated to a glowing history of the town by—who else—Glo (or was it Glow?). We also toured the museum. I admired the enthusiasm and knowledge of the docents.

The next day we took a different route back starting out at around 8 a.m. We saw more spectacular scenery and participated in a fun game about where we’d been, what we’d done and how far we had traveled.

Despite a few unpredicted road delays we were back in Albuquerque right on time.

As for our overall satisfaction with the trip the only thing I can say is, "We're looking forward to the next one!"

To see more photos go to vandermeerbooks.com

Good Grief!

Welcome to Gadabout. I expect to use this as another tool for selling my books, which can be purchased at vandermeerbooks.com, but I also expect this will be of interest to readers all on its own. I would like to have followers and I would like to have input, so make comments, they will be more than welcome. 

A gadabout is defined by dictionary.com as 1) a person who moves about restlessly or aimlessly, especially from one social activity to another, and 2) a person who travels often or to many different places, especially for pleasure. My definition is a person who cannot make up her mind. That would be me, which is why Gadabout will be about "a little of this and a little of that."  

This is my response to a free online course about marketing available through Sandi Krakowski, an online marketing guru. Yes, she is selling herself and she’s selling WordPress, another blogging and web development site, but that does not diminish the value of what she has to offer. Click on Sandi's name to access her FREE 30-day introduction to marketing on the web. I’ve found it to be informative and user-friendly

What am I marketing? Obviously myself as a writer, but along the way I’m expecting to provide you as a follower with worthwhile information. When deciding what to focus on in this blog I realized that gathering information and writing articles is what I do best. That's why the content type may change from day to day, but the themes will be consistent. For example:

• In Explore I’ll take you on journies local and far-flung. (Well, not too far-flung. I’m old and I live on a tight budget.) Nevertheless, the articles will be interesting and entertaining.
• Interested in living a healthier lifestyle? Follow my once-a-week column, Age is Only a Number, on getting in shape and eating healthier. It will be painfully personal but worth keeping up with because you will likely see yourself in my struggle.  
• Keep up with ways to improve your life and your community with my weekly Make a Difference column.
• Want to be inspired? Connecting the Dots will lift you up and make you smile.
• Down Home in Northern New Mexico will include home decor, food, entertaining, area personalities and more. 
• Book Blast will introduce you to characters from my books and reviews of books by other authors.

So there it is, a blogilicious smorgasbord of interesting reading, all of it right here.

Also check out my other blog Writers Bloc. That one is exclusively about writing.

Stay with me! Become a follower.

Books by FS (Sharon) Vander Meer

Tiger Lilly, contemporary fiction (ebook/pdf only) fastpencil.com

Not Just Another Day, inspiration

The Ballad of Bawdy McClure, science fiction

Future Imperfect, science fiction

These books are available at www.vandermeerbooks.com, and at online retailers. Print books also available at Tome on the Range in Las Vegas, NM.