We made it to Oceano Elks on Aug 23 to camp in the “RV Rest Area”. That’s what they call the area for RV’s to stay. It was nice that we were able to make a reservation in advance for our three night stay. Pulling in was quick and easy. Sites were pretty level with water and 50 amp electric. The sites were close, but they worked for our time here. There is a dump station on site that you may use as you exit.
This area of coastal towns had a nice vibe as we drove into it. And guess what I saw from the highway!?! Pickleball courts!!
These courts were actually a little further from where we were staying in Oceano, and since I found others much closer I did not play here.
Arroyo Grande was right next to Oceano. Within 10 minutes I was parked and ready to play.
There were four permanent pickleball courts here that have lights for evening play. The entire complex had both a pickleball courts and nice tennis courts. The tennis courts are actually used. In fact, these courts had the most players I’ve seen in years playing serious tennis. I was able to play pickleball 3 times at Arroyo Grande. It was fun. I appreciated being included with the group that plays here.
While I played pickleball, Barry went exploring on his bike.
During a drive one afternoon, we saw an interesting tree house–one created with a lone palm tree! Quite the corner statement. I ‘m sure the kids love it.
We enjoyed relaxing at the Pismo Beach pier and promenade area. The tiling of the main promenade was really cool. The unique, wavy tile design really felt like the pavement was moving whether you stood still looking at it or actually walking on it. They were totally flat. I can’t imagine anyone with any balance or serious seasick issues trying to walk on this area. Luckily there were some traditional rectangular brick paths they could use.
There was a nice play area for children.
But what caught my eye were the huge slides down to the beach. How cool is that!?! You could go down with others at the same time!
And maybe this for the older folks? Although it may be a challenge to get to the seat without falling. Will the table set tip?? Look at that wave action!
The pier here was really neat. It was recently renovated. It is over 1300 ft long. I think they did it right! It was huge–both in length and width, with many “bump outs” on both sides to accommodate sitting in your own little area, or for people to set up to fish without interfering with those just walking on the main middle section.
We returned to the Promenade area with plans to relax on the beach and watch the sunset after we checked out some of the local shops. I had the small cooler packed with some snacks and wine, but when we saw The Oyster Loft, a restaurant right by the pier and promenade, we decided to share an order of broiled oysters prior to heading to the beach. YUM!
CHARBROILED OYSTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
½ dozen chef’s choice oysters broiled with butter,
garlic, asiago cheese, Italian parsley, lemon.
We were going to have to walk a ways with our chairs and cooler to get to stairs down to the beach, so instead of setting up on the sand, we decided to settle into one of the bump-out sections of the pier. It was perfect for us to be comfy with our snack and beverage of choice. While the temperature dropped significant with the sunset, at least there was little to no wind!
Are you familiar with Pismo Clams? I wasn’t, but found this information fascinating.
Pismo does not permit driving on the beach. I wonder if it is to help protect the Pismo clams? But since Oceano does allow you to drive onto the beach and have campfires, we spent one late afternoon/evening on the beach in Oceano. The beach access was at most 1/4 mile from the Elks where we were staying. We did need to pay a day-use fee of $5.
Typically, when we build a fire on a beach, we take a small bundle of firewood that we purchase somewhere, but then we scour the beach near us for remnants from fires the day or so prior. This has always been an awesome way to get our fire started more easily as well as extend the duration of our fire. Since we almost always plan to cook something for dinner while there, using these coal chunks and partially burned logs helps achieve a hotter fire sooner with plenty of nice hot coals to cook over. Unfortunately, it was slim pickings here. 🙁 It was nice to be pretty much by ourselves! Tonight was a bit cooler and breezy.
Promenade & Pismo sign in the evening:
❤️