Cambria, CA… Here we come!

I picked up my friend and fellow photographer Jenna Dosch in downtown Los Angeles.  She had just taken the bus in from Las Vegas, and we were more than ready to be on our way to Cambria, CA!  We had a 222 mile road trip ahead of us, and expected to arrive early evening just in time for a nice dinner and some wine.  That was the plan anyway… Instead, we ended up severely stuck in LA traffic for hours!  Our new ETA was 9:00 pm!

We called our hotel to let them know we were running late, and were told to get something to eat along the way if we weren’t going to make it by 9:00.  We should have listened… Cambria is not a late night party town!  We arrived just as all the restaurants were shutting down!

We checked into the FogCatcher Inn which is right on the coast, across from Moonstone Beach.  It’s a perfect place for a weekend getaway, and the location can’t be beat.  The rooms are cozy, and equipped with fireplaces for chillier nights.

Still determined to find something that was open, we headed into the Village.  The downtown area was adorable, but pretty much shut down too.  We finally came across the Cambria Pines Lodge, which was not only open, but had live music as well! We went inside to the Fireside Lounge and found a very lively crowd and wine. Finally! Success!

The next morning we headed down to Moonstone Beach. We were in Cambria to photograph California Coastal Clean-Up Day along CA’s Highway 1 Discovery Route, and wanted to get some photos before the volunteers starting showing up.

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Moonstone Beach is such a lovely, serene beach. The coastline is absolutely gorgeous with all the cliffs and pine trees. Make sure to look for the shiny Moonstones while strolling on the beach. They are the very reason why the beach is called Moonstone.

If you like fishing and solitude, you will find it here. The uncrowded beach is a fisherman’s dream. I only counted three all morning.

If surfing’s your thing, you’ll appreciate this area too! The waves were good and there weren’t any crowds to speak of!

If you’ve ever been out on a surfboard in the ocean, you know what a zen-like experience it is while you wait for the next wave. There’s nothing quite like it, and something I think everyone should try at least once in their lifetime.

Coastal Clean-Up Time!
Coastal Clean-Up Day is held annually, and is one of the state’s largest volunteer events. The Volunteers will be collecting over 700,000 pounds of trash! That’s right… 700,000 pounds of trash! So, think about that the next time you are visiting your favorite beach or enjoying yourself while vacationing. You would be surprised to see what people leave behind!

I appreciate all the volunteers that came out for this event! They are an amazing bunch of people who really care about our beautiful coastline. If you would like to participate in
eco-tourism while vacationing along CA’s Highway 1 Discovery Route check out some Stewardship Travel opportunities. You can make a difference to the environment while you explore some wonderful nature preserves.

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