Our road trip to round off 2015 had its first stop at Pismo beach. We had lunch at the pier and let the kids play in the beach and in the swing sets on the beach!
At first they were complaining about the "cold", but warmed up to the place.
The beach was beautiful but the temperature at noon was a lot lower than what we were used to seeing along the coast for last week of December.
The last time we stopped at Pismo beach was 10 years ago!
after spending an hour there, we moved on towards Santa Barbara...
We did go visit the beach once during this trip and managed to spend a little under two hours. The added bonus was the presence of the cousins.
Previous beach post from same beach here and another beach here..
This trip in pictures and video..
It was a good place to practice panning shots of the kids on the "raatnams"!
What is a beach post without a video?
We had good fun the first few days in Chennai and this beach trip was a big part of it. We were also strongly discouraged by family from going to the Marina beach. Apparently it is in bad shape compared to our last trip in 2008. We will check it out on our next trip..
Talking of trips, my MIL told the girls
"daddy is thinking of selling everything here and going to Chennai. I am going to go live in Seattle.. You girls can come visit me for summer vacation here"
Jr. : So where will we be when daddy goes to Chennai?
MIL : he will take you all with him. he is not planning to go alone
Jr. : No way! I am not going..
LO : Jumps up and runs to me and says "I WILL GO!".. then gives me a hug and says "I will go with you but first you should make sure you kill all the mosquitoes in Madras and then I will come!"
All of us laughed out loud. So my going and living in Chennai is in the hands of the Madras Corporation who are incharge of eradicating mosquitoes and the rest of Chennaivasis who have to get rid of stagnant water!
Who knows? Maybe someone will invent an eradicator and I get to convince the little one?
Top ten items that are needed to convince <10 year old girls to relocate :
1- dry bathroom floors 2- western toilets 3- toilet paper 4- central air conditioning 5- inverters that keep fan running during powercuts 6- AC cars 7- no insects (ants, flies, mosquitoes, roaches etc.) 8- clean public restrooms 9- no stench (from roadside dumps, garbage trucks stuck in traffic etc.) 10-no street dogs
There are more items on the list but this is their priority list..
The water was cold but just right and the afternoon sun and breeze were perfect!
We let the kids play in the wet sand while adults played Frisbee. Did the usual "norukku theeni" (eat savories) and then came back. There is a "concrete ship" that was built in the early 1900's when steel was in short supply in the US. The ship is in a very bad state and we are not allowed on it anymore. Only the pelicans have visiting rights (you can go till the ship on the pier).
It was a day well spent.
We will strongly recommend this beach for a half day or day trip.
ps. Parking is 10 bucks and they accept checks or cash only. Don't forget to take sunscreen!
We spent Father's day on Route 1, with my in laws and the cousin family.
Just tired and sunburnt after a long day at state parks and beaches. The sunburn mostly happened while sitting in the van in very slow moving traffic on the freeway with no access to sunscreen. Should start carrying a "dupatta" like the ladies to cover my face in situations like this.
Here are some pictures from the trip (more follow if time permits later this week)
First, a portrait of a Seagull.
Manged to get up close and personal with a few of the gulls on Bird Island in Point Lobos State Park..
Two more gulls, got real close at Sunset Beach (which was off of Route 1 in Watsonville).
The trick to getting them close seems to be :
1. pick a nice spot 2. park your butt there 3. select gull 4. wait patiently for it to do something 5. (ignore cries of kids and wait for gull to cry instead) 6. keep gull constantly in focus 7. click, click, click..
Finally a photo of one of the chicks, from daddy's own little nest..
We had a great father's day, with every kid on every beach, trail, state park parking lot, wishing all the dads in our group, a happy father's day.
The girls made sure that every adult male on the path was wished. It was hilarious to see them wish a boy who just sprouted a mustache (possibly doing a summer job)"happy father's day!".
Steve jobs threw a small spanner in the works, but all said and done, today was a day well spent. Three dads enjoying the company of mothers and kids, especially mother nature! Hope all the dad's who read this had a nice father's day as well.
The Skunk Train which took us most of day two. Get on the train if you want, but make sure you take lunch with you, especially if you are a veggie desi! It is a good four hour ride on a train that was built in 1918 and is still being maintained and run. One of the oldest pieces of machinery owned by the US Railways that is working.
Just at the edge of Fort Bragg they have built this little tress over the river entry point into the ocean. It is a memorable walk, especially if the weather is nice.
The train ride in the open got back so many memories of the Varanasi Express going through the jungles of Madhya Pradesh for hours on end.. Betul to Itarsi Junction to Katni to .... Need to get back on that train sometime!
Fort Bragg, Mendocino coast, strongly recommended for a day or weekend trip.
Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 3:44PM ;)
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