Central Coast Part II

We stayed two nights in Cayucos, and on Tuesday morning, after checking out, we had to make a stop at the Brown Butter Cookie Company, a local favorite.

We then went to San Luis Obispo, where we got to watch a free nature show in a parking lot. We were pulling in when we noticed a hawk flying low overhead, holding something, that then fell from its talons onto the street. 

Here's the hawk, after it fell, waiting to figure out how to recover what he had dropped.

Then, we saw it fly, and swoop and pick it up, and fly back over the parking lot into a grouping of trees. We then could see that it was a rat, judging by the tail.

Other hawks were nearby, and one flew close, causing the hawk to fly off, and DROP THE RAT again, this time onto a car just a few feet from where I stood. I screamed, naturally!

The drama continued, with three hawks flying around overhead, yelling, but none attempting to fly down and pick up the rat.

Stace and I eventually left to look around the stores...

...and returned an hour later to find the rat on the ground, and the car it had landed on, gone. We could still hear hawks calling. We assumed that they couldn't pick up the rat because of where it was, that they didn't have enough room to "swoop" back upwards with the added weight of the rodent.

So, wanting to help, I got a napkin and picked up the rat by the tail and placed it on a fence post.

We then needed a drink, so we found a brewery and ordered a flight of beer tasters and watched a bit of one of the Euro cup games.

When we returned, the rat was still on the post. Sadly, I don't have an end to report to this story! I hope that a hungry hawk was able to have its meal.

We then went to a sandwich shop for lunch, an old place with sweet old signs for decor.

Later, we returned to Avila Beach. Stace took a quick dip, and we both had coffees from the Kraken Coffee Co., a local gem. I even splurged on a new sweatshirt for myself - I loved the design, and it was nice and thin, perfect for a beach day when it starts cooling off in the evening.
 

Then, we made our way home, a gorgeous drive through hills and oak trees with the ocean visible for a good deal of the way. So thankful for these days away together!