A Visit to the Elfin Forest

Dave is up on the roof of our motorhome installing a part for the satellite to keep it from moving around in the wind.  I have to stay put in one spot while he's up there in order to not shake the RV.  So I'll take this time to catch up on my blog.

The other night was a clear, warm evening, so Dave and I drove out to the beach to look at the night sky away from the city lights.  The city lights along the beach are pretty, too, but there's nothing like looking at the stars and planets on a clear evening.  We had a great view of the Milky Way as well as some of the constellations and planets.  As we were looking up, we both happened to see a meteor.  I usually am looking in a different spot and miss such sights, but I was glad to see this one.  There's no replay button for something like that!

We are leaving Pismo Beach a week from today and will travel home by way of Monterey (Pebble Beach!), Pleasanton (Livermore), and Sacramento.  We will be staying at the fairgrounds in all three cities. 

We will have been here for two months--twice as long as we stayed last year.  We've seen many RVs come and go, and some  that plan to stay a lot longer than we were here.

One of my favorite walks we took was the Elfin Forest in Baywood, a small town located near Morro Bay.  This was the first time we went on this walk, but it will be an annual event for us from now on.

The Elfin Forest was built with the donations from a family who lost both parents and a school-aged daughter in a car accident.  The trail is boardwalk most of the way and is marked with signs identifying plants and birds along the way.  Every so often is a larger marker, like this one at the beginning of the trail, telling a story about a Chumash Indian girl who lived here many years ago. 

The Pygmy Oak Forest was one of my favorite stops along the boardwalk path.

The Fuchia Flowering Gooseberry was one of the more colorful plants blooming in February. 

One of the most common plants we saw was the Coast Silver Lupine.

Halfway through the loop walk, we had a good view of the mud flats of Morro Bay...

and iconic Morro Rock looming behind Morro Bay State Campground.

Even in the Elfin Forest, Dave was able to take the time to read an email on his smartphone.

After our walk through the Elfin Forest we drove into Morro Bay and had lunch at one of our favorite casual outdoor food stands, Lil' Hut.  As usual, I had clam chowder and Dave had a hamburger and fries.

While eating our lunch, Dave and I saw what looked to us like the world's smallest boat!