Things to Do When the Surf is Lame
By Paul and Katie Finley
Actually, the title of this article should be "Things to do on Mother's day when Mom doesn't surf."
My family gave me a wonderful Mother's Day this year. While looking through the many photos I took on that day, it made me think of all the amazing things we are blessed to be able to do because we live on the Central Coast and our backyard is the Pacific Ocean.
I have written before that my husband is a surfer. A surfer who loves the ocean, loves to surf, loves everything about surfing. I however, do not surf. As a family though we have found ways to enjoy this beautiful area together without me putting on a wetsuit (just yet at least!).
One fun activity is to go to the beach as a family, wear old clothes, and find a way to get dirty! There is a lot of ways to do this by the ocean. Go make lots of sand castles and dig deep. Find a creek and get a little wet and muddy. Go sand sledding. This last one is very fun for all ages. Montana de Oro has some great sand hills. Grab a boogie board, or better yet, a cheap snow sled, and find a big hill!
Another amazing thing to do with your kids is to go look for tide pools. This is one thing that we are so blessed to have on the Central Coast. We have made it into science lessons for the whole family. Montana de Oro, again, is a fabulous spot for this. Check to make sure its low tide, wear some pants you can roll up, and bring a camera. The life that your kids and you will see in a two foot area is amazing. From star fish, to sea anemones, to hundreds of little crabs, even the most non-nature person will find it interesting. You can also find some nice tide pools south of the Rock on a good low tide.
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One more fun family thing we do is to drive north, park, and hike to a beach. Find a new spot we have never gone to. If you think your kids are a little too young for hiking, there are plenty of spots just north of Cayucos that kids as little as our youngest can go to, walk on sand, pick up rocks, touch some water, and be safe. Yes they might get dirty, but we think its important to teach our kids at a young age to appreciate the area we live in, and part of that is getting out there and experiencing it. We even like going north of San Simeon and finding fun areas to explore. We have a child who is a rock collector and these are great places to do that. All without putting on a wetsuit!
We want our children to understand how great it is to live here, by the Pacific. We want them to see and feel the beauty of the coast, but we also understand that they might just not be surfers one day. Even though my husband is an avid surfer, he puts our family first. I want to respect that and also show him respect by finding ways for all of us to enjoy the surf. Even though our kids roll their eyes when we tell them we are going for a hike by the beach, by the time we get there, they are all excited! Just remember to leave the beach as beautiful as you found it, and bring your sun screen!
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