PISMO & AVILA BEACH

You feel like a kid again! That’s the consensus from people who have gone ATVing. I whole-kid-heartedly agree. The beauty of coasting over the seemingly undisturbed dunes of Pismo Beach, while looking ahead into the cascading ocean, overrode the hum of the powerful motor that catapulted (in the case of Marc) off his ATV.

My man, doing manly things, like pulling my overturned ATV out of the sand.

Thank you Anthony Bourdain. Having seen the episode where his ATV rolls over him, I knew exactly what to do when mine started to tip, which was to jump ship and take a flying leap to safety while my five-tons of gas and metal toppled down the dune like a kid’s Tonka Truck.  Thank YOU adrenaline.

Despite taking a header, ATVing was awesome. And it only got better as we wrapped it up with a quiet snow-cone moment, followed by a scenic drive to nearby Avila Beach where we chilled out over deliciousness at Custom House while people watching the farmer’s market and listening to a live band.

This was the most amazing fish sandwich. I’m so glad we got to have lunch with some locals the day before who pointed us to Custom House.

The R&R continued with a hot springs stop at Sycamore, where the mineral tubs were nestled on the hillside.

An hour there left us feeling like new people, ready for the next stop on our road trip…

SOME ATV TIPS:  Yelp reviews have great background info on what to expect, but if you want to cut to the chase…

1. We rented ours  from Arnie’s.
2. Go in the morning! (Take our guide’s word for it.) It gets windier as the day goes on and can kick up a bit of sand lowering visibility (which also means the afternoon is free for lunch and mineral springs!)
3. Gloves?  Eh. We did ok without them for two hours. Slight blisters, but nothing major. Man up.
4. Goggles? Again, eh. Sturdy sunglasses are fine. Goggles fog up (so said our guide.) Just like skiing.
5. Ladies, sports bras…(read that on Yelp!!!)
6. Long pants! Not optional. Your leg lays flat on the side of the bike, so protect them.  Socks, optional. No sandals, duh.
7. Drive safe. Don’t pull a Marc. The dunes look innocent enough but you can’t see the drop-offs until you’re flying (in or out-of-control) over them.
8. Have fun. xoxo