Day 2 - Cambria

Today we are heading the short distance up the coast to Cambria, but not until we enjoyed a really yummy Danish breakfast.  John had asked the AAA driver for a recommendation, and he told us about a place right up the street from our motel, Ellen's Danish Pancake House.

Ellen's Danish Pancake House

I love these little places that unless someone recommends them, you probably would drive right by.  The front of the menu gave some history about the place . . .

A Little History About Ellen's

We asked the waitress what she would recommend, and she said they were famous for their pancakes (duh!).  And so Danish Pancakes it was . . . .   Danish pancakes are HUGE, very thin, and utterly delicious.  My breakfast consisted of two pancakes, which had to be folded in half to fit on the plate, and 3 strips of thick and delectable bacon . . .

SO Good!  Next time we're in the Solvang area, we're eating here again!

And in case you are in the area, Ellen's is in Buellton on Avenue of the Flags, right across the street from the Anderson's Split Pea Soup place.  You gotta try it!

Also on Avenue of the Flags was this really cool sculpture . . .

From the Back

And from the Front

And a little further down, all the military flags, also very cool!

After breakfast we headed up US-101 towards Cambria, enjoying the beautiful green vineyards that lined both sides of the highway and covering the low rolling hills . . .

Gorgeous Vineyards

Further up the highway, the clouds were kissing the top of the hills . . .

Clouds sitting on the hilltops

When we reached Morro Bay, we stopped to enjoy the coastline . . .

Morro Rock

A Closer Look

The backside of Morro Rock

Zooming in on the birds sitting on the rock (loving this zoom lens!)

The coastline at Morro Rock

And some of America's Finest

This guy was walking along just begging to have his picture snapped . . .

Mr. Pelican

We left Morro Bay and headed up Hwy 1 to . . .

Beautiful Cambria

First stop, Moonstone Beach . . . I was told to look for moonstones, but I have no idea what one would look like.  I did find a nice flat, smooth rock that I liked, but a moonstone?  I have no idea.  It was just fun to walk along the beach . . . 

Here we are on the boardwalk above the beach - and it was C - O - L - D !

Views of the gorgeous shoreline

There was a Sea Gull convention in town

And the Pelicans were keeping watch from the air to be sure none of the sea gulls got out of control

We walked down onto the beach and strolled along the sand which was covered in  . . . 

Driftwood

And Kelp

Here we are on Moonstone Beach

I am forever fascinated by the power of the ocean and what it can do to cliffs, sand formations, etc.  And I'm also fascinated by Mother Nature who can make beautiful things grow any where . . . 

The Ocean and Mother Nature at Work

I took a gazillion shots and finally caught the water crashing on the rocks

The Sea Gull session for the day finally ended . . .

Reluctantly, we left the beach and drove to our Hotel, which was located just up from the main road in town, away from the beach but in a really pretty wooded area.  Our room was very spacious and comfortable and even had a private patio.  And the hotel grounds had several beautiful flower gardens that we strolled through (of course, I didn't have my camera with me at the time.) 

Cambria Pines Lodge

I'm very excited for tomorrow - we're going to drive up to San Simeon to see the Elephant Seals!