The Newest Dunite
On Thursday, BigTea and I went off on a long overdue expedition to the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. Wiki says they are . . .
I'd heard of the dunes because during the 1930s and 1940s a group of mystics, nudists, artists, writers, and hermits inhabited the Dunes. They believed that the Dunes were a center of creative energy. They became known as the Dunites.
On Thursday, I joined their ranks when I discovered I love the dunes.
The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, it was largely deserted and wild. The clouds were gray and ominous and delightfully atmospheric. The rolling hills of sand had bits of vegetation growing out of them, creating nesting opportunities for the local wildlife.
The whole place felt lush and primitive. The DH and I cavorted up and down dunes and enjoyed Mother Nature's artwork.
We climbed and slid and oohed and ahhed until we were hungry and windblown and stinging from the airborne sand. So, we drove into Guadalupe and had lunch at the Far Western Tavern, in a huge room that featured . . .
. . . high ceilings and walls decorated with mounted animal heads. I suspect I've spent too much of my life at Disneyland because I kept expecting them to start moving around and singing. Unfortunately, they didn't.
The food was good. I had an excellent cup of french onion soup and a satisfactory steak sandwich that's been on the menu since 1958 (next time I'd just get a bigger soup if it's available). I was not particularly impressed with the signature pinquito beans and salsa. Still, I'd go back in a heartbeat.
And, since I am now a confirmed Dunite, I will have lots of opportunities for that.
. . . the largest remaining dune system south of San Francisco and the second largest in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses an 18-mile (29 km) stretch of coastline on the Central Coast of California and extends from southern San Luis Obispo County to northern Santa Barbara County. The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is home to a unique dunes ecosystem as well as several endangered and threatened species of plants and animals.They are also where Cecil B. DeMille filmed his production of "The Ten Commandments." At the end of production they dismantled the massive sets and buried them there, where they still are today. The DH thought he saw some of the styrofoam and wood as we drove in. Apparently they come up like shrapnel periodically.
I'd heard of the dunes because during the 1930s and 1940s a group of mystics, nudists, artists, writers, and hermits inhabited the Dunes. They believed that the Dunes were a center of creative energy. They became known as the Dunites.
On Thursday, I joined their ranks when I discovered I love the dunes.
The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, it was largely deserted and wild. The clouds were gray and ominous and delightfully atmospheric. The rolling hills of sand had bits of vegetation growing out of them, creating nesting opportunities for the local wildlife.
The whole place felt lush and primitive. The DH and I cavorted up and down dunes and enjoyed Mother Nature's artwork.
We climbed and slid and oohed and ahhed until we were hungry and windblown and stinging from the airborne sand. So, we drove into Guadalupe and had lunch at the Far Western Tavern, in a huge room that featured . . .
. . . high ceilings and walls decorated with mounted animal heads. I suspect I've spent too much of my life at Disneyland because I kept expecting them to start moving around and singing. Unfortunately, they didn't.
The food was good. I had an excellent cup of french onion soup and a satisfactory steak sandwich that's been on the menu since 1958 (next time I'd just get a bigger soup if it's available). I was not particularly impressed with the signature pinquito beans and salsa. Still, I'd go back in a heartbeat.
And, since I am now a confirmed Dunite, I will have lots of opportunities for that.
posted by Gina Black at 3:15 PM
Subscribe to The Gina Channel 
2 Comments:
Rugged beauty. I wonder if that was the dunes system used in the movie - Bonneville?
You always write interesting posts. Have you considered travel writing? :-)
I've never seen Bonneville, but from the writeup on the IMDB, I think I should. It would give me an excuse to look for the answer to your question. ;)
Thanks for the compliment. I've never considered travel writing. Maybe I should. I *do* love to go places.
Post a Comment
<< Home