After a fun weekend visiting Hearst Castle (check out the tours we went on here, here, and here), my family drives back to Los Angeles… but not before making two stops along the coast.

First up is Pismo Beach, a stunning stretch of sand bustling with tourists. We get off the freeway one exit too soon and discover a lovely park on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Not too bad for a wrong exit! We continue south towards the main beach area. As we approach the pier, we’re greeted with these views:

Here’s my sister, Dad, and Mom. When you travel with me and my ever-present camera, there’s always a chance your backside will pop up in my photos.

We take a different route back to the car to see more of the downtown pier area. Pismo Beach is a funky little seaside town with lots of color, as evidenced by Tomasko’s Salt Water Taffy shop.

Onward to destination number two: the Danish-inspired town of Solvang, CA. Our family first visited this bucolic village during a West coast vacation back in… 1996? (My mom reminds me that I was also there as a six-month old in 1984. My memory of that trip is a little foggy.)

We stop at a little Danish diner for some Wiener Schnitzel (which is technically an Austrian dish, but let’s not think too hard about it).

After dinner we complete the final leg of the trip back to Los Angeles. Our stops in Pismo Beach and Solvang helped break up the drive, and it was nice to experience a new stretch of southern California coastline. Next time I’d like to stop at the Madonna Inn and Avila Beach.