The Central Coast of California extends roughly from Santa Barbara to Monterey. It consists of beautiful coastline dotted with a few small cities. The area is primarily agricultural with no major airports…and no crowds or snowbirds.
Central Coast
The Central Coast is one of those serenity places on this planet that recharges the soul. We stayed in Paso Robles, which was a good location to explore from.
Pismo Beach
There was hardly anyone on the beach, maybe because of the series of winter storms hitting the coast during our stay. Jake found squirrels even at the beach!
It was the peak of the Monarch Butterfly migration. Every year, 20,000- 50,000 Monarch Butterflies migrate to Pismo Beach to escape the freezing winter in the north. Pismo Beach butterflies travel from Canada west of the Rocky Mountains. Those who live east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Mexico.
They form dense clusters protecting themselves from the elements. Pismo Beach has the largest number of Monarch butterflies wintering in one location. It’s a once in a lifetime trip since their lifespan is about 6 months. Unfortunately, their numbers have been steadily declining. Some of the reasons are diminishing open space and less food sources like milkweed plants.
Morro Bay
Morro Rock stands out along the coast. This was our second visit to the area.
San Simeon
The area is primarily known for the Hearst Castle which is a must see when in the area. We had seen it before so skipped it this time. The Elephant Seals on the other hand, are amazing.
The Piedras Blancas rookery provides easy access to view these extraordinary animals. When we were there, bulls were fighting for dominance. Even the females are extremely noisy.
It was also birthing time. There were pups everywhere and it’s amazing they weren’t crushed by all the the adults.
This one just gave birth and the seagulls were fighting over the after-birth.
Big Sur
The most scenic and dramatic undeveloped coastline in California. They were still working on road repairs resulting from the fires of 2017 but the road is open for travel.
Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles is a small uncrowded National Park with enormous pinecones.
We drove through miles of rolling hills covered with green grass and cattle. Jake loves cows so we had to stop and let him whine at them. They seem to like him also.
There were hawks, vultures and coyotes along the way.
Pinnacles became a National Monument in 1908 and a National Park in 2013. It provides habitat for the California condor. Pinnacles has rock spires, crags, ramparts, sheer walled canyons and caves formed by boulders. Between erosion and the effects of the nearby San Andres Fault, the unique topography was created.
