Castellon's Kitchen: Slice of Life- SLO (Day 3)

Day three, our last day, got us up early to go for a hike. Although we had two busy days walking around and sightseeing, we didn't really get any real exercise so I was bound and determined to get the heart rate up. Plus, one of the things I miss most about living in this area is that I can very easily get away from people and have a little breathing room in the country.

So we got up, showered, dressed, and ate our free breakfast at the hotel and then set out on foot. Luckily, Laguna Lake was just down the street from our hotel so we walked the nature trails until they took us to the worn paths that led toward the hills. There were so many wild flowers blooming, I tried to get some decent shots but came up empty with mostly blurry photos. Anyway, here's the best of my blurry ones just so you can get a look-see.

This is a picture of an old barbed wire fence as we entered private land. The land owners allow walkers, hikers and joggers entrance with just a few simple rules. I love the look of this old rustic fence.

Once beyond the fence, we started up the path where we were quickly greeted by a mare and her colt. I'll admit I was a little afraid to see her coming for us so quickly, I wasn't sure what she would do with her little one in tow. She was so friendly and just wanted a little attention so she let us pet her. The colt however wanted none of it and took cover behind it's mother. So awesome!

And then they continued on their way...Bye!
We came across many more horses with their colts, with the colts darting for safety near their mothers who continued to graze, completely unaffected by our presence.

After our little hike, it was time to pack up the car and head home. But like all good road trips, we took our time and stopped in Avila Beach.
Avila Beach had been completely rebuilt since I lived in SLO. Literally, it was leveled and rebuilt. There was a very large oil spill underneath the small, sleepy beach town and I remember the prolonged, embattled issue over how to clean it up. It took many years to decide and apparently they decided to completely unearth the town, removed the sand on the beaches and cleaned up the spill. Avila now is very tourist friendly with cool restaurants and bars, and wine tasting along the shoreline. Lots of things to look at and do. I like the improvements, but it was nice to see that some of the old restaurants and businesses were still there, only improved.

Here's some shots of one of Avila's two piers. (We didn't make our way over to the other pier on this trip)

The pier was cool because it was all wood with nearly two inches of space between the boards. Enough for you to lose, say a cell phone while taking selfies. It didn't happen, but I was worried that I might drop my phone and lose all my photos from this awesome trip.

I got a little vertigo looking down as I walked with water moving beneath me. It was very disorienting. :)

We had an early lunch at the Old Custom House Restaurant. A great restaurant that had great food, affordable prices and friendly service. I was glad to see that this restaurant remained after the city's reconstruction, especially when I saw this veggie sandwich on the menu. Why?
Because this sandwich was loaded with none other than, sunflower sprouts! I love Sunflower Sprouts! I grow my own at home and add them to my salads and sandwiches. Here's my Sunflower Sprout Salad from last year. They are not commonly used in restaurants so I was happy to see them as one of the main ingredients.
The sandwich was so delicious. It had sundried tomato hummus, avocado, tomato, onion, cucumber and sunflower sprouts! I'm going to try my own version of this for the blog in the very near future. :)