Cambria has always been a place that was special to my family
…but I never got to experience Cambria Beach for myself until summer 2020. Ironically, during the year of basically no travel at all, we decided to finally take the ~4-hour drive to visit the town I’ve always dreamt of.
You see, there’s a reason why Cambria Beach holds a special place in my heart. I explain more in this Instagram post, but when my Grandfather passed away he had some of his ashes scattered on the shores there. In fact, he left a note with details of just what he wanted. He explained the exact spot, including a local hotel, a specific Cambria beach, and a low tide. So, after half of a year of anxiety and disconnection, I set out to visit that spot and connect with my roots.
The drive ended up taking us 6.5 hours with traffic and let me tell you – it was a brutal 6.5 hours. This was the first time we had taken an extended drive with our – at the time – 5-month-old. It was tough! (You can read my road trip tips for traveling with small kids here!) But we forged on, and I’m so glad we did.
My grandpa’s note mentioned the exact hotel where we should stay
…as his specified Cambria beach location was right in front of it. So with his direction, we stayed at the Fog Catcher Inn, right on Moonstone Beach Drive. This local Cambria hotel is adorable and felt very safe given the current climate. The sunset views were gorgeous, the beach was just a few steps away, and the boardwalk lining Moonstone was perfect for a stroller walk with stunning views.
On our first day, we spent some time just hanging out on Moonstone Beach in the spot my Grandpa had mentioned in his note. Christian thoroughly enjoyed playing with his beach buckets in the sand, and Arlo took a nice long nap on the beach towel. It was one of our first peaceful family outings just the four of us, given that we hadn’t been out much of 2020 up until that point. It was great! The sun was warm, the beach was empty, and the memories will stick with me.
The next day, we explored downtown Cambria
Downtown Cambria is the sweetest little sleepy town that reminds me so much of our hometown! Many of you suggested we stop by Linn’s for some pie, so we had to do that. We mainly strolled the street since we were trying to keep a distance from crowds, but we did end up stopping for some lunch at Madeline’s on the patio. We also grabbed a latte and some pastries from Cambria Coffee. Would highly recommend!
On our last morning in Cambria, we were gifted a low tide. The tide had been high the entire weekend, so it truly was special and in my mind, a sign from my Grandpa. I took the boys for a stroll barefoot in the sand. We snapped some family photos. And we stared out into the ocean, soaking in the peaceful views and quiet beach scenery.
One spot that was really special to me was this sweet bench lined with padlocks that we found along the Moonstone boardwalk.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to leave our family’s mark there
I had no idea the bench was there prior to spotting it, so we set out to grab a lock and some permanent marker from the local hardware store right before we left town to head home.
My messy handwriting was a result of hurrying to write our name on the padlock from inside the car. Having Christian place the lock beside the bench was so sweet. Arlo had fallen asleep in the car, so Jordan waited with him while Christian and I headed to the bench to make the padlock memory, just the two of us. It was just one of the many sentimental moments I take with me from our weekend in Cambria.
The trip was a short one, but it meant so much to me. It was more than just strolling the beach town. This weekend was about family, feeling connected to those we’ve lost, and slowing down to enjoy the smaller moments of life. The entire trip my Grandpa laid out had 2 additional stops, so when the boys are older we will go back and do the full trip. For now, our quiet weekend at Cambria beach was exactly what our new family of four needed.
Watch the vlog from our weekend away here:
