Cambria, California has an eclectic art scene. An example can be found at the Painted Lily Gallery. Artist Sara Blair-Field takes the imagination to a new place with her sock monkey’s. To learn more about the Painted Lily Gallery and Sara’s work check out
http://www.thepaintedlily.net/Home.html
Special thanks to Ginna Mueller for her assistance.
Guests at HI-Cambria Bridge Street Inn will find the sights, smells, and sounds of Cambria inspiring. If you are a creative writer Cambria will keep the ink flowing.
The Old Stone Station became a place of refuge for John
At John’s funeral, friends and family dropped fresh cut flowers into the grave. Willy walked to the edge where the casket lay. He tightly squeezed a David Bowie t-shirt before relaxing his hands. Willy let the Ziggy Startdust t-shirt fall into the grave.
Clyde asked perplexed, “What are you doing?”
Willie replied, “John loved David Bowie. Remember how many times he went to the men’s restroom at the Old Stone Station Restaurant?”
A year ago, Willie, Clyde, and John met on a sunny day on the deck of the Old Stone Station. They each planned on enjoying the best Mexican food served on Friday. Ironically, they all wore Mike Watt yellow cat t-shirts and ordered veggie burritos. The three of them quickly realized this serendipitous moment. Conversations began and three tables became one. A Friday veggie burrito tradition began.
Like a digital clock with a strong battery, Willie, Clyde, and John showed up at the same time every Friday and ordered the same veggie burrito. The tradition changed when John’s wife left him for a young stud and the L.A. city life. Depressed, John began to eat 1.5 burritos, than 2 burritos in one sitting. Willie and Clyde were amazed by John’s overwhelming burrito consumption.
John developed deadly feelings for black beans
John replied in a condescending snarky voice, “How can a person not eat two of a these remarkable creations! The flavors of the beans, sauces, fresh ingredients, veggie burger and cheese make me forget myself. I am no longer John who gave 20 years of my life to a woman who didn’t appreciate it. At the Old Stone Station I am simply a tongue who doesn’t need love – only a burrito.”
The guys noticed John use the bathroom more frequently and lose weight.
One day when John left to the restroom, Clyde asked Willie, “Do you think it’s weird John’s bladder has gotten smaller since his divorce?”
The last known photo of John
Willie, “I don’t think his bladder has gotten smaller. He frequently uses the restroom because the carnival fees to enjoy a circus mirror in private is ridiculous. At the Old Stone Station the price of the mirror is included in the price of the meal. He can laugh and laugh as long as he purchases something. John’s a huge David Bowie fan. He told the restaurant owner he wants first dibs on the David Bowie shirt in the bathroom. Notice how he looks at the burritos and mutters the lyric, “Oh you pretty thing your driving your mamas and papas insane.” I’m a huge Paul McCartney fan. I would pretend to pee a lot more if a Paul McCartney t-shirt hung in the bathroom.”
John heard most of their conversation and paused before returning. He could not let his friends know of his burrito addiction. He decided to mask his bulimia by becoming a David Bowie fan.
The madness turned John into a David Bowie burrito eater.
A month of Fridays passed. John looked more skinny and unhealthy.
Clyde finely addressed the elephant in the room, “John, what’s wrong with you. You have grown into the body of 17 year old girl who wants to be a model.”
John snapped, “I look like David Bowie on heroine.”
John went to the bathroom muttering a David Bowie song.
Clyde said, “Willie I have a crazy thought. Did you see how fast John ferociously devoured his burrito? He reminds me of my cat, Henrietta. She can eat a can of canned cat food like John can scarf down a burrito. When she can’t eat anymore she sneaks off and pukes up her food. Do you notice how John eats and eats then leaves to go to the bathroom? Does John remind you of my cat?”
Willie, “I’ve never met Henrietta but I do know John reminds me of David Bowie on heroine.”
The End.
John’s now in Happy Burrito heaven.
Old Stone Station
713 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428
1-805-927-4229
Special thanks to Gillian Rowley’s edits. Check out her blog Allergy Bites
When a Bridge Street Inn guest asks about the local kite scene I tell them to plan an afternoon trip to Morro Bay. The community of Morro Bay is serious about kites. They throw the biggest kite party on the Central Coast.
Here’s a link to learn more about the Morro Bay Kite Festival held the last weekend in April. http://www.morrobaykitefestival.org
Stay at the BSI. Make a reservation for 2014. http://www.bridgestreetinncambria.com
OOOOOH limited addition kite t-shirt
Morro Rock, the perfect back drop for a kite party.
harnessing energy
If you didn’t get to the Cambria Ale House before 8PM you had better hoped you didn’t hike all day in Big Sur. Soon as the show started there was no place to rest a weary body. Standing room only on this special occasion.
This Ale House show was the first time opening band, Veronica and the Mental Foreplays, played with guitarist Brian Mueller. Veronica performed a short set consisting of older songs from the Run Run Pig Run Run album and several new songs like Bacteria Lovin. Brian’s guitar playing and Brandon’s vocal style reminded folks of a raw uninhibited Violent Femmes.
Headlining band, Given the Circumstances, bring to the stage “electric homeless melodies.” A sound developed in Prague that relies heavily on Suchi’s graceful vocal style and Eze’s guitar looping soundscapes. Given the Circumstances held the audience attention throughout the hour set. Their new fans didn’t give up their seats until Suchi put down the microphone.
Cambria Cemetery is just a 15 minute walk from the Bridge Street Inn and one of the many hikes that can be done in the area.
This short film was created by Ezequiel Gomez Davel with the assistance of Brandon Follett. All music and images by Ezequiel Gomez Davel. Shot in Cambria, California in February 2013.
Posted in Cambria
Tagged Bridge Street Inn, Hosteling International, cambria, video, Brandon Follett, stop motion, cemetery, zequiel Gomez Davel
Congratulations to Brian and Ginna. Thank you for choosing to make the Bridge Street Inn the starting point for a long happy marriage adventure.
The Harmony Headlands walk to the ocean.
Bridge Street Inn host and wedding officiator with the bride and groom.
The happy bride and groom.
The happy Mueller and Bainbridge family
Keep being remarkable!
Unable to function as plants, we must serve as manure.
-Edward Conze
When I read this quote I thought about how healthy soil requires lots of different types of manure.
This got me thinking of Brian and Ginna. I began to see one as a worm and the other as a chicken and us as the plants.
If we were plants and Ginna was a yoga chicken we still will be a little droopy with only yoga manure.
If we were plants and Brian was a guitar playing earthworm we still will be a little discolored with only music manure.
When Brian and Ginna come together their synergy and creativity form a remarkable soil that will make you laugh, ponder life’s questions, make the mundane interesting, inspire a person to use their body, make you strive to become a better steward to the planet, your neighbors, and self. These are the kinds of manure we need in our life. The type of manure that builds the soil in an old growth forest. Brian and Ginna you make us grow.
Posted in Cambria
Tagged Bridge Street Inn, california, cambria, ceremony, harmony headlands, Hosteling International, officiate, wedding
Despite the nonexistence of casinos, big box stores, fast food, a red light district, theme park, or Saturday night cruz, there’s plenty of fun to be had in Cambria. If you are an artist, nature lover, musician, foodie, adventurer, animal lover, or outdoor person, you’ll love the Cambria walking and bicycle scene.
Cambria, is a socialist walking utopia. Cambrian’s believe everyone deserves universal walking benefits. Cambria adheres to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Walking Needs, i.e. plenty of public bathrooms, public drinking fountains, public space and public benches. If you believe these public items create a welfare state don’t worry there are plenty of shops, a gym, and hotels where a person can pay to poop, drink water, walk and pay to rest their weary body. Click here for the WELFARE WALKING THE STORY.
The author has explored all the following recommend attractions by foot or bicycle. His home base is the Bridge Street Inn located on Bridge Street in the East Village.
Many Cambria restaurants serve dishes made with local ingredients. Here’s a list of restaurants that pride themselves on serving up a local eating experience.
-Robin’s Restaurant
Creative meets local. International inspiration collides with the season’s bounty.
-Indigo Moon Cafe
Serving delicious house-made meals, extravagant wines, and eclectic cheeses.
-Black Cat Bistro
The Black Cat is known for serving Innovative Farm Fresh Fare.
-Wild Ginger
Asian, Pacific Rim & Global Cuisine
-Linn’s Restaurant
Simple fare, built around fresh fruits and vegetables from area farms.
-The Sea Chest Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Serving fresh seafood for over thirty years.
-Cambria Pines Lodge
Enjoy home grown garden salads, live music, a lounge and food served till 11PM.
Click here to learn about the local black bean scene.
Harold Black Bean Vacations at The Bridge Street Inn
Cambria is located between 2 amazing music cities: San Francisco and Los Angles. It’s no surprise then that Cambria too has a music scene.
-Cambria Ale House frequently show cases singer song writers and has open mic every 3rd Sunday.
-Mozzi’s Saloon offers a live dancing band every Saturday night.
-Cambria Pine Lodge has live entertainment 7 nights a week.
-Los Cambritas’s dishes up huge burritos and has a dancing band on Sundays.
You would think with a population of 6,000 Cambria’s public space would consist of a dirt lot with a squat toilet and some hand sanitizer. Not so, Cambria has amazing hiking areas. Some trails are developed with benches, boardwalks, and handicap accessibility. Other trails are dirt paths that take you to places in Cambria where you are completely alone and isolated even during tourist season. A hiker need not worry about bladder infections or dehydration. Strategically placed through out Cambria are 5 public restrooms with water fountains.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve: Catch the West Fiscalini Ranch Preserve trail system 3 blocks from the BSI.
Moonstone Beach: 30 acres, includes Leffingwell Landing, Moonstone Beach Drive, and Santa Rosa Creek.
Shamel Park: On Windsor Boulevard North, Park Hill, in Cambria is a 6-acre County Park with a playing field, swimming pool (open in season), barbeques, picnic tables and a children’s play area.
The Bridge Street Inn Cemetery is a mile walk along forested Bridge Street road. The living feel welcomed with amenities like guests restrooms, picnic tables, water, and plenty of art. Guests leave the cemetery feeling even more alive.
Greenspace Creekside Reserve: This property was once Cambria ’s historical “Chinese Center,” the social focus for workers who harvested seaweed and abalone for shipment back to China, or worked in local quicksilver (mercury) mines in the mountains.
San Simeon State Beach: In 1994, a 3.3 mile trail was constructed encircling portions of the San Simeon Natural Preserve and the Washburn Campground. The trail includes scenic overlooks, rest-stop benches and interpretive panels with information on wildlife and habitat. A portion of the trail along the seasonal wetland is wheelchair accessible. Free summer trolley and bus service from Cambria.
Click here for more info about parks and hikes in Cambria.
GymOne
Raw Curry Yoga
The BSI offers Tuesday and Wednesday morning summer seasonal Yoga with Ginna.
Surfline Magazine has this to say about surfing in Cambria, “A reliable source for finding something ridable if the Cayucos Pier sucks, or if the San Simeon area is too funky.”
Moonstone surf
Santa Rosa Creek surf
Those of us who need a surf lesson Good Clean Fun and Cayucos Surf Company located 13 miles south of Cambria offer private and group lessons.
For the bicycle rider who loves leisurely rides that involve world class scenery and local culture Cambria’s location will amaze.
Santa Rosa Creek starts in Cambria and meanders through the farm and ranch land of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The one lane windy road ends near the top of the highway 46 pass. Old Creek Road picks up on the other side of 46. Follow the road into Cayucos then take Highway 1 back to Cambria. This 42.2 mile loop is not for the laid back beach cruiser cyclist. Click here for loop details.
The carefree Santa Rosa Creek adventure does not involve walking your bicycle or wearing padded shorts. The first 5 miles of Santa Rose Creek Road takes a cyclist through rolling farm/ranch land along a tree lined single lane road. Besides the beautiful natural landscape there’s plenty of cows, goats, sheep, pigs, raptors, horses, old farm houses, and barns to look at. Be careful a good looking pig can prove as distracting as texting.
Linn’s Original Farmstore is 5 miles up the road. Linn’s offers individual fruit pies and drinks. Linn’s will only serve their pies on disposable wear. This problem is easily solved by bringing a small camping plate and fork. The farmstore provides shade trees and tables. A perfect place to play cribbage.
On the way back into town stop by Stolo Family Winery and Tasting Room. This is the last stop before Cambria. It’s located only a couple miles out of town. Despite not having bike racks I felt comfortable leaning my bicycle against the building. A tasting costs $5. The tasting room has a wonderful open feel. There are several chairs and tables outside near the entrance door facing west. An ideal spot to soak up some sun rays, write a poem and watch the sunset. The Stolo family is a nontraditional family. No, two women are not the head of the family, two members of the Stolo family are goats. Chet and Betty are fun to pet while drinking wine.
Many parts of Highway 1 from Carmel to Big Sur are shoulderless, steep and narrow. A bicycle rider should not pedal through Big Sur if they pedal erratically, curse god when they break a sweat or do not have the mental capacity to handle near death scrapes with inexperienced RV renters. However the 7 mile stretch of Highway 1 between Cambria and the Hearst Castle is the section of PCH pavement for you.
The one small hill allows the inexperienced bicycle rider to enjoy the couch up till the day of their adventure. A bicycle rider with one hand on the handlebar and the other on their smart phone can update their Facebook and text while navigating the wide PCH shoulder. What a cyclist missed because of digital distractions, they can recapture with a scenic postcard, purchased at the Hearst Castle gift shop.
On a serious note no matter what type of bicycle rider you are Sebastian’s General Store will amaze you with their large Hearst beef sandwiches piled with delicious veggies. Also located in the general store is the Hearst Wine tasting room.
Digest your food and sleep off the wine at the W.R. Hearst Memorial State Beach.
The wind blows North to South along the PCH. Cambria is the second to last stop for the RTA bus heading North. A bicycle rider can pedal the 45.7 miles from Cambria to Pismo Beach with the wind at their back. If a bicycle rider doesn’t want to pedal back to Cambria against the wind he or she can put their bicycle on the bus. RTA BUS SCHEDULE
-Linn’s Restaurant
People say, “LOCATION, LOCATION.” Linn’s is on the corner of Main St and Bridge Street. Their outdoor tables are the first to get direct sun in the morning.
-Lilly’s Coffee House
Modern coffee meets old style conversation at Lilly’s. Virginia can serve up all of the latest coffee drinks. However you can’t drink your fancy mocha with your internet friends. At Lilly’s there’s no internet and when Virginia asks, “how’s your day?” She means it.
-Cambria Coffee Roasting Company
Cambria Coffee serves up one of the best Americano’s on the central coast. They have a cozy upstairs with leather sofas and internet. A good environment to work on travel writing and upload photos.
Posted in Cambria, food, hiking, music
Tagged bicycle, bicycle riding, Bridge Street Inn, california, cambria, coffee, hiking, Hosteling International, music, nature, restaurants, surfing, tourist attractions, walking, Yoga
