We arrived at SLO (San Luis Obispo) at 3:45. Sunset on that day October 28 was 5:45pm with a short twilight. Traveling and camping we were very aware of our daylight limits. I studied the google map and ignored the bike route to Pismo Beach via the 101 highway. Instead I chose another route with easier elevation gain and hopefully less traffic. Such routes like this one, we found were loud and still busy. Carolyn set the pace of an amazing 12 miles an hour, thanks to the descent to sea level. We arrived by 5:15 with a small margin to set up our campsite.
After a long day of trains and a hard bike ride we were hungry. We grabbed our flashlights and chose to walk the Higway One to Grover Beach. There we found Spoon Trade Restaurant by accident. The menu was simple and fresh Farm to Table. If you are near Pismo Beach the extra miles are worth visiting. https://thespoontrade.com/. We had to ham it up as we closed the restaurant with a photo of entrance of spoons for Dee, David's Mom who collects spoons. The staff was extraordinarily pleasent.
Pismo Beach offers visitors one of the few Monarch groves in southern California. The photo here is better than our cameras could portray. This secluded small grove of trees only shelters these monarchs during October to November each year. These lovely subspecies utilize the millions of dill and milkweed found along all the highways and meadows we passed through.
North Beach offers broadwalks to the beach, restaurants, and through the Monarch Grove. We stayed two very cold nights. This photo was taken as we returned to the tent at sunset. We were literally dressed for sleeping. The daytime temperature was in the 60s and the night time one of our coldest at 43 degrees Farenheit.