USA 2015 - morning of Day 7: Beach-hopping along the Pacific Coast Hway (Morro Bay and Pismo Beach)

Early morning of Day 7 and we geared up for our drive to Los Angeles (that's about 220 miles for the day's road trip). First challenge of the day was how to put all of our stuff (including items we shopped for along the way) inside our small car. We were only on our 7th day and we seemed to have problems trying to fit everything in! When we were finally done this was how our packed car looked like. Still had a little bit of wiggle room, we think.

Of course, we did not leave Morro Bay without viewing, what else but, Morro Rock. So we drove from our hotel to this 581-foot volcanic plug which was connected to the shore by a causeway. It was a short drive, less than 2.5 miles (about 10 minutes drive). One of the reasons why I chose Morro Shore Inns and Suites aside from its affordability and accessibility was its proximity to Morro Rock.

Going there early in the morning has its perks. Ample parking space. Less crowd to contend with. Calm waters. Blue skies. Oh, the blue skies....

We drove all the way to the end of Coleman Drive and parked closest to the end of the road. We had easy access to the beach and towering behind us was Morro Rock.

The rock is protected as Morro Rock State Preserve and climbing on the rock or disturbing bird wildlife in the area is prohibited. We opted for a walk along the beach and the little boy couldn't be any happier. The calm water looked so inviting. The blue skies mesmerizing. We could sit by the beach the whole day - from sunrise to sunset. But time was not on our side.

After a few minutes, other visitors started arriving, some with their whole families, others with their pets. This one specific pet was so playful that it wanted to run after the kids.

wondering if swimming was allowed and how cold it would be if we took a dip

After our morning stroll along the beach and some photos taken, we drove back out and stopped by Coleman Park (just a short vroom away).

view of Morro Rock from across the causeway

we were trying to capture the squirrel which was hiding between the rocks

What a refreshing morning it was. Just the right way to start our day. Morro Rock is not just a rock. It's a tranquil place where families can spend their morning walks to watch the sunrise, or stroll in the afternoon while waiting for sunset.

Our morning beach stroll was followed by another beach visit. We drove for about 40 minutes until we arrived at Pismo Beach (27 miles from Morro Bay).

PISMO BEACH is one of the beach towns located in California's central coast. This is one of the popular pit stops for those travelling from San Francisco to Los Angeles (or vice versa) along the Pacific Coast Highway.  

welcome to Pismo Beach!

Instead of taking a leisurely walk on its award-winning board walk, we decided to take a walk on the sand towards the beach.

must take the family photo before the boys go to their usual beach business

quite a long walk before we reached the shoreline

While the boys got busy with water play and catching waves, my husband and I had our couple shots. It was so tempting to get off my boots and walk on water.

while Kelvin tried to keep himself dry as he walked closer to the waves, Ira did not think twice about removing his shoes and socks and pulling his pants up to get the most from his water play.

nothing can stop our boy - catching the waves or running away from them

and then he asked, "did we bring my shorts?"

time to wash his sandy feet. Although it was hard for him to leave the beach behind,
he was happy to be able to bring home a sand dollar.

It was lunch time when we were finally able to convince the boys to leave the beach so we decided we'd grab a bit before continuing our drive to Solvang. We found Subway at 706 Dolliver St and bought our favorite sandwiches. Their foot-long cost about USD6.95, steak and cheese sub at USD4.95, and foot-long cold cut combo at USD5.50. Cookies were USD1.50 for 3 pieces. Not bad. Not bad at all for Subway sandwich lovers.

If you have more time in either of the beaches above, do check out these links for other attractions and activities:

For Morro Bay:

• http://www.morrobayca.gov
• http://www.morrobay.org
• http://www.morro-bay.net

For Pismo Beach

• http://pismobeach.org
• http://www.classiccalifornia.com
• http://www.californiabeaches.com/central/san-luis-obispo-county/pismo-beach