Cambria

Ah, Cambria. My true starting point. It was to be dessert before the meal. So many memories were attached to it. In the past I had taken my mother there, twice, as a Mother’s Day treat. Now I was going for me. A well-deserved rest after purging belongings and moving out of my home and loading up my vehicle with what I thought I would need for two months of wandering and sojourning. Cambria is just below San Simeon (where Hearst Castle can be found). The town itself is just above the Moonstone Street row of motels, about 20, all seemingly in good shape considering the ocean breeze and salt sea air. For those who are interested, the town holds many curio shops, art galleries and restaurants. The people are friendly and, especially, dog-friendly. I had been there with Mom. That was enough for me. Now I was there for quiet and rest.

The young woman at the reception desk seemed very young, not just because of her looks but also because of her demeanor. When pressed on something she simply replied that she was just helping and did not usually work there. I would call her dead-pan-polite. She had obviously not taken the customer service class yet. She gave me a room facing the ocean on the bottom floor. I explained that I had reserved a room on the top floor, with a better view of the ocean. She looked down and stated that all of those rooms were taken. I could have raised a ruckus but her polite, wooden face would not have softened an inch. And I was there to relax. The soaker spa tubs were only on the top floors. Be still my burst-ready heart. I did have a view of the ocean from my room. The road has free parking during the day so I did have to share my view with parked cars but, by evening they were gone and sunset was still a couple of hours away. The same was true for early morning.

There was no cell service in town. I was not expecting that. But I did have internet so all was not lost and I got a couple of blogs out. A quiet phone was fine with me but I had a few friends who had been worried about my leaving on this trip and they were not happy that I was on silent mode for two days.

I walked twice a day. JoJo walked a little but mostly I walked, holding him. It turned out he was afraid of the beautiful wooden plank walkway parallel to the fairly quiet ocean. Still, quiet filled my heart and soul. It was good and I would do it again, if I were in that area. I doubt I will be that way again. That sounds sad but that is the way life is sometimes.

There was a restaurant right next door to me, with an outdoor seating patio, and a big sign that said NO PETS ALLOWED! In this pet-friendly town, that was a big surprise. On one of my walks, I found a breakfast-only place, The Cow Tipper. They welcomed pets and I decided that I would stop there on my way out of town and have breakfast. The following morning they enthusiastically welcomed JoJo (and me) and handed me a menu. At that moment, a circuit blew and the electricity went out. Pop! I waited about ten minutes and then decided to head on out. I left as silently as I had come in. Perhaps that is for the best, as I had been a little sad at leaving the Pacific, heading for the unknown Atlantic. It’s as if Cambria was saying, “Move on little doggies. You have places to go.”

Tomorrow is beautiful Barstow, CA. Until then, #ontheroadagain