SLO RIDE

INSTEAD OF BOMBING UP THE CALI COAST FROM L.A. TO BIG SUR, THIS ROAD-TRIPPER TAPPED THE BRAKES AND DISCOVERED 80 MILES OF BIG BEACHES, QUIRKY SURF TOWNS, AND GREAT WINERIES

- MEG LUKENS NOONAN 

Sure, I could have sped through San Luis Obispo County, arrived in Big Sur in time for a late lunch. Lots of people do that-heavy-foot it north from L.A., hell-bent on the operatic drama of that famous ragged coastline. But I would have missed the morning light on Moonstone Beach, and the seals in the breakers, and the hula-sway of rockbound kelp. I would have missed the easygoing surf towns, small-lot wineries, and fog-veiled fishing villages and the people who instill them with heart. Look: The San Luis Obispo area's serendipitous acronym couldn't be more explicit about how best to roll through this glorious, underrated, 80-mile stretch of California's Central Coast: SLO. I'm glad I got the message.

Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, SLO Cal, as it's known, forms a kind of land bridge between Southern and Northern California. South coast towns, including Pismo Beach and Avila Beach, have broad, sandy shorelines, (relatively) warmer water, and playful Surf City vibes. Head north on Pacific-hugging Highway 1 through Morro Bay, Cayucos, and Cambria and things skew rockier, cooler, and more meditative. Much of the coastline is bordered by ranchland that gives way in ascending grassy waves to the summits of the Santa Lucia Range. Beyond them is the Paso Robles wine region-a compelling reason to make the short drive inland. Spend a few days connecting some of SLO Cal's most appealing dots, as I did, and you start to understand: It's a gift to live a little off the pace.

Robbie Domingues grew up riding the shapely waves next to the Pismo Beach pier. Even as a kid, he was aware that his beloved hometown was "not L.A. and not the Bay." (That line became a proud mantra for Esteem Surf Co, the board shop he opened in Pismo in 2002.) Being in the middle, he says, meant being largely overlooked.