Seconds With Steff

This was the day that wasn’t originally planned… I slowed down the trip to lessen one day in LA so we could explore Cambria, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Santa Barbara.

Before leaving San Simeon, we went looking for zebras. We even found one! Yes, we did! As Travis Tritt said, “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!”

Seriously, San Simeon has zebras that populated the town after the zoo on the grounds of Hearst Castle was closed. Hunter was looking so hard. I saw this guy all by his lonesome and decided to give Hunter an early morning win — and honestly, it may be a zebra.

And then back to the elephant seal vista point. This two were starting to get I to it and the big one moved so fast to break it up!  

Down in the town of Cambria, we wandered around Moonstone Beach for a bit, found the now-closed NitWit Ridge, and grabbed breakfast at Linn’s Easy As Pie Café.

After a most delicious breakfast at Linn’s — where, sadly, I didn’t get to eat any olallieberry pie, though I did buy a jar to ship home — we moved on to The Brown Butter Cookie Company. Josh and Pops had raved about it on their YouTube channel (link here again — my absolute favourite channel). I get a ton of information from Josh, and he’s definitely a friend in my head.

The cookies? Ridiculous. I was greeted with a sample of the most absurdly delicious cookie I’ve ever eaten in my life. Hunter picked out a lemon sugar cookie and happily gobbled it up.

I had every intention of hiking around Morro Rock. That was the plan. But then I saw it. Not on a screen, not in a brochure — in real life. And let me tell you, that thing is a beast. My legs said nope, my brain said nope, and I listened. Hard pass. We admired it from a safe, snack-filled distance.

Hunter and I visited the Museum of Natural History and found the most wonderful, interactive, well-put-together small-town museum I’ve ever seen in my life! I genuinely cannot say enough about it. If you ever find yourself in Morro Bay, this is an absolute must on your itinerary — and not just for kids!

There’s a park ranger on hand to answer any questions, a lovely little gift shop, and even a hiking trail that leads up to a vista point where we got the most incredible pictures. I tried to have Hunter take a few shots of me… I don’t think it worked out all that well. You be the judge…lol

After lunch, we headed to San Luis Obispo to add our gum to Bubble Gum Alley. And yes — again — I had to chew the gum because Hunter doesn’t like it. The things we do for tradition! We also stumbled upon the coolest surf shop called Moondoggies. I was the biggest Gidget fan growing up, so of course we had to stop… and of course I bought Hunter a shirt.

We passed the local mission, strolled along the riverwalk, and on our way out of town, we even spotted the world’s oldest motel. A perfect mix of quirky, classic, and coastal charm.

Back in 2022, I stayed at The Madonna Inn — and it was worth every penny. But I didn’t get to eat at The Copper Café, so Hunter and I rectified that this afternoon.

And yes… I may have snuck into the men’s room. Why? Because their urinal is a literal waterfall. No, I’m not joking. It’s legendary, and I had to see it for myself.

At Pismo Beach, we walked the pier and met the most incredible women working at the information center — which, by the way, is an Airstream trailer right on the pier! These ladies won the lottery of great jobs in America. They were incredibly kind and super helpful.

We popped into a couple of shops, soaked up the coastal charm, and then began our drive to Santa Barbara.

Also… if you’re in Pismo Beach, you’re supposed to eat at Splash Café. But there was no way I was fitting more food into me at that moment — still, I took a picture for posterity!

At Pismo Beach, we walked the pier and met the most incredible women working at the information center — which, by the way, is an Airstream trailer right on the pier! These ladies won the lottery of great jobs in America. They were incredibly kind and super helpful. We popped into a couple of shops, soaked up the coastal charm, and then began our drive to Santa Barbara. Also… if you’re in Pismo Beach, you’re supposed to eat at Splash Café. But there was no way I was fitting more food into me at that moment — still, I took a picture for posterity!

Then we had a 40-minute drive to our hotel near the Channel Islands — a quiet end to a full, coastal day.

Vertullo Summary – The start of SoCal