San Luis Obispo
2008 marks the return of the San Jose Earthquakes! After we lost our team to Houston in 2005 we feared we would never have a Major League Soccer team again. But the local fan community has worked hard during the interim period and found a new investor willing to take a chance on us. Lew Wolff, owner of the Oakland A’s baseball team, purchased the rights to the expansion franchise which began playing this past April.
However, before the season ever started, they played some pre-season games against other MLS teams in San Luis Obispo in February. We drove down to see the games and have a romantic weekend in the process. We spent two nights at the Embassy Suites, while going to the games, and after that two nights at Sycamore Springs, a mineral spa on the outskirts of SLO.
Both places were quite nice, but it was while we were at Sycamore Springs that we went into vacation mode and started taking pictures. Our room had its own mineral spa tub to soak in, and the resort had massages and other spa treatment available. While Holly was getting a massage, Bill hiked to the top of the hill behind the spa and took a bunch of pictures.
We explored the back roads around SLO. This farm picture was taken on the side of such a road. What you can’t tell from the photo is that it was windy and rainy, and I got wet taking the picture. But luckily the camera was unharmed and I could dry off in the car.
We also spent some time exploring the coastal area there: we went to Pismo Beach and Avila Beach, and had some lovely seafood dinners (thanks in part to a discount card we got from the Embassy Suites). The sunset was nice and the food was excellent everywhere we went. We really enjoyed the SLO area and plan to visit often.
You can see all the photos on Flickr.