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Need to get out of the "city" for a moment of zen? Want to take a walk amongst the oaks, but don't have much time? The trail network along James way in Arroyo Grande is the perfect spot. Simply pull over to the side of the road, and you're instantly transported to a time when Oaks dominated the landscape. Their are several options for the size of loop you do, and how much is actually amongst the oaks. This wooded area is one of the most underrated "secret spots" on the central coast. El Chorro Regional Park has many wonderful areas to explore. This park offers a little something for everyone. Botanical gardens, areas to play sports (volleyball, golf, baseball), a garden area, and the thing that attracted me today...hiking. This space was once used by Camp San Luis, as a practice area. Prior to the military taking control, this was pasture/grazing land for cattle. In 1972, the government returned this portion of the land, back to San Luis Obispo County. This park is a wonderful place for kids, with this hike only adding to the adventure. This trail increases in elevation fast enough to provide a spectacular view, but gradually enough that you'll be able to enjoy the summit without fighting to catch your breath. It's a bit over a mile to the top, so expect to set aside a little over an hour (depending on how long it takes you spend at the top) to make the entire loop.
Once you exit Highway 1, follow Dairy Creek Road about a half-mile. You will need to park in the designated parking area, and walk to the trail head about .2 miles north of the parking lot. You will see the pedestrian gate, along with some brochures to help you learn about the surrounding area. These are a wonderful addition for those looking to slow down and "smell the roses", and are meant to be returned once you have completed your trek to Eagle Rock. With this information you will learn about the different ecology, plants and wildlife, that make this area special. Just over a half-mile up the trail, you will need to bear right to reach the Eagle Rock Viewpoint. The stunning view, which opens up before you, will reveal the nine morros. From Morro Bay in the north, to Islay Hill in the south, the vista is breathtaking. In my opinion, this is the perfect hike to show people what the "outdoor lifestyle" in San Luis Obispo County is all about. Whether you have friends who have an aversion to the word "hike", or know someone curious about what makes SLO the "happiest town", this is the perfect hike. After soaking in the panoramas (and posting them to Instagram), head back down the path to the junction. Just as before, keep to the right. You will complete the loop by walking through the Elfin Woods. You're not going to spot Legolas, but you will have plenty of shade as you walk beside Dairy Creek (which until the drought, ran all year) to the sound of water (when nature blesses us with more rain). Easy to hike so you're not wiped out by the end. Amazing views of the dormant volcanoes that define our landscape. Self-guided tours to educate you on the area. You really can't ask for much more out of a short hike. Head to El Chorro Regional Park the first chance you get, and I'm sure you'll agree. One of the "hidden" gems of the Central Coast, is Oso Flaco Lake. With a boardwalk that crosses over the top of Oso Flaco, on it's way to the shoreline, this is the perfect spot to experience nature. Handicapped accessible (due to this being an ecologiccally sensitive area, leave your dog at home), and the low-impact walk, make it suprising how few visitors this area receives each year. When you arrive at the parking lot, you will come upon a pay-station. I recommend paying, as this is what keeps this path kept up (as well as expanded regularly), but don't be detoured by the $5 parking fee. You will notice several cars (unless you're the first to arrive) parked just outside the entrance. Parking along side the fields to walk the trail, will keep you from paying the $5 parking fee. Once again, support this park, but most importantly come fall in love with this hike. I know you will see the value, and pay next time.
When was the last time you went to the drive-in to see the latest movie?I was driving for Uber the other night, when I took a group of 20-something passengers Northbound on 101. As we passed The Sunset Drive in, the guy asked his 2 female friends, "have you been to the drive-in?". When their answer was "no", this sparked a friendly debate over the merits of experiencing movies at the drive-in as opposed to the fancy modern movie houses. By the time we reached the destination, the girls had come to the conclusion that their next outing would be to the drive-in. This got me to thinking, when was the last time I had supported this local establishment. The answer was July of last year, for "Inside Out". We had a great time.
The experience is much better, especially for the kids, in my opinion. But I grew up with going to the drive-in. Back then, the experience wasn't the best....but let's be honest, I wasn't necessarily going to the drive-in for the movies as a teenager! Back then, you had to hang a scratchy-sounding, heavy, metal speaker in your window. If you were lucky, no one would park next to you, so you could almost hear the movie in stereo. Long gone are those days. The modern Sunset Drive-in uses your car stereo to broadcast the movie's sound track. This makes for an amazing audio experience, depending on your car's system. I haven't even mentioned the best part of the drive in, the double-feature. In an era of $15+ per adult movie tickets, which only allows you to watch a single movie, Sunset charges $7 per adult ($2 for a kid!!). This makes the drive-in such an incredible value, you'll actually be able to afford snacks. Most people love hitting Sunset's snack bar at intermission. Nachos, popcorn, pizza, pretzels, the usual snack bar fair. This is the one time our child gets to eat in the car, he loves it! Between the minuscule cost, and the fact that they can get outside and watch a movie, this is the perfect way to take the kids to the movies. Get out and support the Sunset Drive-in soon, or it will just be another business we say "goodbye" to as SLO evolves into the modern city it's becoming.
For those who enjoy the outdoors with your dogs or those living in homes backed up to hillsides and in rural areas, rattlesnakes can be a great risk to your dog requiring emergency medical care and the cost involved can rise quickly. Rattlesnake avoidance training will teach your dog to avoid the sight, sound and the smell of a rattlesnake once they become aware of one to give you peace of mind and potentially save both you and your dogs' life by alerting you to the presence of a rattlesnake. So, if you have not had your dog trained yet, it's not too late!
Rattlesnake Avoidance Training for Dogs
MARK YOUR CALENDARS... NEW DATES & LOCATIONS! San Luis Obispo Oct 17th Ojai Nov. 7th (Address will be provided with registration confirmation) Cost: $95 per dog Pre-Registration Required Space is Limited - Sign up now to Reserve Your Time! To register or for more info go to MANPAW.com or call 805.523.3432  Parking on Cal Poly Campus costs money, so make sure you buy a parking permit at the entrance, or simply bring enough quarters to feed a meter for up to () hours at () per hour.I park in the Poly Canyon parking structure, which is only about 250 yards from the trail-head (take a left along the walkway as you exit the structure).
Once you head out along the trail, you will come to a fork after about a quarter mile. It doesn't matter which way you take, but I recommend that you cross the creek here. The trail is much easier on the other side. If you want to feel like you are on a "real hike", stay to the left on the narrow trail. Hike about 1/3 of a mile, and you will approach a stone arch. This is the entrance to the architectural graveyard. As you walk up the path, you will step into another world. Soon you wil start to see an almost post-apocalyptic landscape (thanks to the drought, as well as the student projects) open up before you. 35 years of student-design projects (in all states of ruin, so be careful exploring) lend themselves to creating this unique hiking experience. You will see structures that exhibit the cutting edge thinking that Cal Poly promotes. There are homes that resemble Shrek's head, a bridge-to-nowhere, a stick house, and a shell house, plus many more I'l leave for you to discover. The trail loops around to guide you throughout the grounds, but it was hard to stay on the trail due to the curiosity driving my legs. This is a dog, kid, and bicycle friendly hike. One note, some of the graffiti that tends to raze the structures can be vulgar. Other than this blight, this hike is one of the great "hidden" gems of SLO county. Low impact, and extremely unique, this trek is well-worth the parking fee. By Lindsey Rapone
We have teamed up with financial professionals to bring the “Money Talks” program to teens and young adults in SLO county. The “Money Talks” program was started by the University of California Cooperative Extension. It was created to improve the economic well-being of youth in America. The program is usually 5 class sessions, but this summer Mr. Ryan Caldwell from Wacker Wealth Partners will be teaching Personal Finance 101, a condensed two hour version of the material.
This fun, interactive class will focus on the most critical aspects of financial literacy for young adults: the emotion behind financial decisions, the mechanics of building and maintaining a good credit score, various forms of debt and how to stay out of trouble, basics of taxes, goal setting, saving, and investing. Teaching young adults about their money personality - the set of ideas that govern spending, giving, and investment decisions - is a pivotal step in securing a strong financial future. Knowing their money personalities early on helps young adults understand what motivates their financial behavior, and allows them to make meaningful and lasting changes to create the financial future they want. The teens and young adults will also learn about the importance of setting realistic and attainable money goals. One helpful strategy they will learn is to pay themselves first, establishing the habit of setting aside money into savings before paying bills or buying groceries. We will illustrate how starting a savings plan early has a profound impact on one's ability to save towards long-term goals because time and compounding do some of the work for you! The class will also focus on the basics of using credit cards, bank accounts, investing, debt management, and credit reports. Understanding these basic financial concepts from a young age will allow the young adults to make wise financial decisions now and in the future. There will be two Personal Finance 101 classes this summer: July 27 and August 21, both from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. The workshops are free and lunch will be provided. Registration is required. For more information or to register, visit our website, or call Rachel Cementina at (805) 541-1234. These workshops will be an invaluable experience for young adults ages 16-22.
Bees are wonderful little workers. They hold up nearly our entire food supply. They provide us with wonderful, sweet, honey in more flavors than you can even fathom (go honey tasting if you ever get the chance, it's mind-blowing). Eating local raw honey, can help with allergies, especially when in a new histamine area. Bees are underrated, and the worst part.....they're inexplicably disappearing I recently had a swarm take up residence in our oven vent, and they started to come into the house. We were about 3 hours from having a houseful of company for a wedding. I love bees, but not in my kitchen. I proceeded to seal up the vent, and then FREAK OUT! I didn't want to kill any of the bees, and being directly above our stove I could't spray any poison down the tube, even if I wanted to. After calming down, I turned to Google for answers. The all-wise "cloud of knowledge" suggested that I give a call to an apiarist (beekeeper), and ask if they'll remove the hive for free. The first person I called, said they'd "come take a look" for $100 minimum. Being on a fixed income, we didn't have that. Thankfully, the second number I called was to raineMaker. Richard, the owner, explained that time was of the essence. He said he'd immediately stop what he was doing around his property, and drive the 45 minutes to our house. When we let him know our budget was shot for the month, and asked if he would simply bill us, Richard said "we'll work it out".
These are not your run-of-the-mill commercial beehives. According to Richard, these boxes are one of the possible contributing factors to bee colony collapse. RaineMaker boxes use the Warre' Top Bar design. This style is made to be easy to maintain, and produce with, while better replicating a bee's natural environment. Sometimes these are referred to as "the people's hive". They require little to no maintenance. They allow the bees to function as they have for millenniums, naturally. The separate boxes are stacked for vertical expansion. Each box has a row of 8 top-bars, making things easy for the bees....and the keeper. The Central Coast needs bees. You need honey. The solution, are bee-boxes. To purchase beekeeping products, or if you need additional information on bees or beehives, contact Richard Soundy (owner). Phone: 805-539-5027. Email: [email protected] www.rainemaker.com  By: Sarah Simon Ah Thai food. My all-time favorite treat! This week I had every intention of writing about my weekend adventure to Santa Barbara and how I have this ever-longing love/hate relationship with the city and the people and the restaurants, but instead, I stumbled upon an unexpected adventure while out to lunch on Monday that I felt was much more compelling to share.
I happened to be in Los Osos on business and was determined to dine at Noi’s Little Thai Kitchen. I attempted to feast there last Wednesday (which happened to be my 25th birthday!) and the experience left me feeling sour. The gal at the counter showed a sincere lack of interest and when I asked to add broccoli to my order she stated they could not because everything was pre-mixed. Seriously though? You can’t add broccoli, or put it on the side? I found this VERY hard to believe but let it go because of the overwhelmingly delicious reviews I’d gathered about the restaurant. I then handed over my credit card and was told the only accepted forms of payment were cash or check. Totally my bad, but with it being my birthday I thought, forget it, and stuck to my original plan of treating myself to a Eureka! burger. So now there I was, back in Los Osos for another attempt at food glory. I came prepared with cash and placed my order with a friendlier face. I then started to think about using the restroom and just as the thought crossed my mind a hippie chick walked in and asked for the restroom key. I mentioned I’d like to use the key when she was finished and she invited me to follow her. We clicked immediately as we talked about the funky and beautiful town of Los Osos and Noi’s best menu items. We headed to the back building and crossed a tiny bridge into a Thai style courtyard with different patio tables, elephant statues and succulents. The back building had two doors, but there were also two other buildings near the back of the restaurant. We were directed to enter the red building (which was very ironic as all the buildings were red) and together we embarked on a serious journey to find the restroom. In this little Thailand oasis and could not for the life of us get the doors to open. We decided to go to each door individually, just to make sure we weren’t crazy, which ended up driving us into a deeper maze of confusion. Twenty minutes later we headed back up to the front in search of a solution. We knew there was a key to open the restroom, because two customers told us so, but for some reason we were totally and completely baffled by the situation. Sure enough they had given us the wrong key. What are the odds! I just spent twenty minutes exploring with a total stranger and had the best time. We were talking and laughing and completely perplexed only to find the cutest indoor setting complete with large glass windows, intricately gold framed Ganesha portraits and a teeny tiny restroom in the corner only recognizable by a small male/female sign and ornate tapestry. I started eating on the patio and as my companion exited she invited me to check out the Farmer’s Market later that day. The moral of the story? Sometimes simple tasks can become adventures and strangers turn out to be friends you haven’t met yet. I was happy. I went to the Bay, ate my Pad Thai and created my own Sarah oasis; all thanks to Noi’s Little Thai Kitchen. Want more? Feast for yourself. Noi’s Little Thai Kitchen 1288 2nd St, Los Osos, CA 93402 (805) 528-6647 |
San Luis Obispo BlogRegular WritersSarah Simon AboutWe look to provide ideas to get folks away from the couch, and out exploring California. We aim to provide day-trips. We want to provide suggestions of things to do, in a single day. Whether you're from out-of-town, or looking to get to know the our magnificent section of California (and beyond) a little better....we want to inspire you to explore. Categories
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