it was one of the most pristine beaches we'd ever seen...
No sandflies, seaweed or dead animals! That's always a plus in my book! But seriously, after Avila Beach was rebuilt and the original toxic beach sand replaced by the sand from the Guadalupe Dunes...
Everything is shiny and new now since the rebuild.
We bought some snacks at the grocery store before we left (the prices were totally up there, yeesh). Below, more of the storefronts along the business district.
Bert and TC went off to swim while I hunkered down underneath our umbrella and read a book. I was probably the most covered up person on the beach, ha ha. I used a towel to cover my legs even though I was underneath an umbrella already. Skin cancer bad. Wrinkles bad. So far, so good.
I loved how empty this beach was! The sand was so clean, we couldn't believe it. It was nice sitting here and not having to be bothered with gross flies and gnats!
One of TC's "things to see" list was to visit any city with a pier. Avila Beach fit that category. The pier is 1,685 feet long and is open for fishing and is a popular view point for whale watching. There is also a bait and tackle shop on the pier.
To the north is the Cal Polytechnic University San Luis Obisp pier, used for research purposed. Beyond that, you could see the marine layer. Avila Beach was about ten degrees warmer (and sunnier) than Pismo Beach just a few miles to the north.
Bert and TC...
Hotel and hillside homes as seen from the foot of the pier:
Such a beautiful summer's day.
This pier was unique because there were stairs underneath which led to catwalks under the pier. It certainly made for a really cool vantage point.
It was kind of scary because at the bottom of that walkway, there are no railings. You could just fall into the ocean. As someone who can't swim, this is quite terrifying!
Hello there!
I read a recent article that the pier is indefinitely closed now (since June 2015) because wormlike Marine creatures have been boring holes in the wood, which makes it structurally unsound. Whoa....scary stuff there.
Don't fall in!
This is one of my favorite photos from this day:
Back to the beach...
The weather was quite pleasant - mid 70's and clear skies. I still can't get over how nice this beach was.
Articles:
"Recovery from an historic event" Progressive Engineer
Unocal to tear down toxic town and rebuild it" SF Gate, June 18, 1998
"In quaint Avila Beach, oil firm plans resort where crude once spilled" LA Times, Nov. 9, 2013
"Avila Beach remakes itself, from disaster to destination" The Sacramento Bee, July 6, 2014
Unfortunately, in researching the pier for this post, I read that the pier is indefinitely closed until engineers can determine if the pier can bear weight safely.
"Avila Beach Pier, weakened by wormlike critters, to remain closed indefinitely" San Luis Obispo news, June 24, 2015.
I'm so glad we were able to visit this pier before it was closed!
More info on the Avila Beach Pier:
History
A few short videos:
and a shorter one
Cool videos that you can do with drones now. If I saw one over my house though, I'd want it shot down though).
Avila Beach Pier
3950 Avila Beach Dr.
Avila Beach, CA 93405
We wanted to check out the town of Arroyo Grande before heading south for the next leg of our trip.
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