Santa Cruz Woodies A Chapter of the National Woodie Club
One of our favorite events each year is Woodies at the Rock in Morro Bay located on the beautiful Central California Coast. Those who attended will certainly agree that this year’s gathering was another wonderfully relaxing weekend. Our journey began when seven SCWC couples and their woodies met at McDonald’s in Morgan Hill.
Caravanning down Highway 101 on a brutally hot, sunny day, we stopped at the Salinas In-N-Out Burger to meet up with club members from the Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz area (who joined us sans woodies). We then pushed on to Paso Robles for lunch at a perennial club favorite, Su Casa Bar and Grill. After a hearty meal, we traveled over Highway 46 to Cambria and checked into our host hotel, the Bluebird Inn.
The staff at the Bluebird Inn rolled out the red—or should we say orange—carpet, welcoming every Woodie owner with a bag of Halloween candy at check-in.
Unfortunately, the drive ended in a major incident for one couple who was involved in an accident on the way to Cambria. Thankfully, the good karma gods were smiling down on the occupants; no one was seriously injured, though unfortunately the Woodie was damaged and left undriveable.
Later that afternoon, we enjoyed drinks and snacks on the Inn’s newly built, covered back patio. Since dinner this year was “on your own,” many of us split into small groups and booked reservations at local restaurants. We capped off the night by gathering around the Bluebird’s firepit, enjoying a beautiful end-of-summer evening.
Early Saturday morning, we drove down to Morro Bay. The coastal drive from Cambria was awe-inspiring, offering clear views of the Pacific Ocean for miles. While the Woodie turnout was a bit smaller than usual this year, the parking lot at Wavelengths Surf Shop was completely full. Wavelengths’ marketing theme is “three stacks and a rock,” a nod to Morro Bay Rock and the town’s three iconic smokestacks.
After parking, exchanging good mornings, and wiping down the cars, we headed to Carla’s Country Kitchen for a hearty breakfast. SCWC Co-VP Toni Wilkerson had recommended it, and we were thoroughly impressed by the excellent food and quick, attentive service. Afterward, we broke into small groups to relax, admire the cars, shop, and explore Morro Bay
By 2:30 PM, the show was winding down. We left Wavelengths to head back to the Bluebird Inn, with some of us stopping for ice cream at the Cayucos Candy Counter in the small town of Cayucos before getting ready for the annual Benson Family dinner.
Later that evening, we drove to the lovely home of SCWC Treasurer Kathryn Benson for a delicious lasagna dinner.
The highlight was dessert: a wonderful olallieberry cake from Linn’s Bakery.
It’s so good that my wife and I pack a cooler in our Woodie every year just to bring a pre-ordered cake home, since you can’t get it anywhere else. As the evening came to a close, we thanked Kathryn and drove back to the Bluebird Inn under a cloudless night sky, keeping an eye out for the deer that invariably dart across the darkened roads.
On Sunday, some of us stayed an extra night to explore Cambria’s many antique shops. A major highlight of visiting in October is the Christmas Market at the Cambria Pines Lodge, where you can stock up on imported goods like German nutcrackers, hand-blown glass ornaments, wool and cashmere clothing and holiday antiques. For a dose of history, Hearst Castle is located just 12 miles north in San Simeon and is open for tours year-round. The estate was designed by Julia Morgan— the first woman admitted to the architecture program at l’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first licensed female architect in California —who oversaw the 30-year project for publisher William Randolph Hearst starting in 1919.
We hope to see many of you at our next SCW Club event: the Santa Cruz Downtown Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM followed by a potluck Christmas Brunch and envelope stuffing party at the Hilton’s. Also don’t forget to mark your calendars for the first event of the New Year, SCWC’s installation dinner along with silent and live auctions to be held on Saturday January 16, 2027 (more detailed information will be sent out in early December).
Until then… see you down the road.