Pismo Beach

Aaah Pismo Beach, it always feels like we are coming home.  Pismo is a classic beach community which always has something going on including the Classic Car Show in June, and the Clam Festival in October.  We have been camping at the North Beach Campground in Pismo Beach for over 20 years and it will always be one of our favorite spots (we have been there three times so far this year).  The campsites are huge. 

Our campsite

 The beach is just a short walk over the dunes.

 

The Monarch Butterfly Grove is right next to the campground and in the winter is the home to thousands and thousands of butterflies (October through February).  There were only about 5,000 butterflies still in the grove this trip, but they could be seen flying throughout the campground.

 

The town of Pismo Beach is less than a mile down the road and clam chowder in a bread bowl is a wonderful reward for making the walk. Plus the walk back to the campground helps work off the bread and chowder.

This trip proved to be just as wonderful as ever.  The first three nights we were joined by our friends Tom and Dorolyn with their son, Austin and his girlfriend, Kim.  We had a great time strolling the beach and the boardwalk, watching the wind surfers, exploring restaurants in town, and just hanging out by the campfire.

During this trip we also encountered some rain.  It was the first time that we camped in the rain in our motorhome.  We discovered that we need to pack a few things before we travel to the Pacific Northwest next week such as an inside doormat to wipe our feet, old towels to clean the dog's feet, rain gear, and hiking boots.

My 3 Fun Facts for today:

1. Over the last 5 years an average of 25,000 butterflies per year have wintered in the Pismo Monarch Grove.
2. The Pismo Monarchs live for 6 months as opposed to common monarch which live only 6 weeks.
3. Giuseppe's restaurant will deliver hot pizza right to your campsite.