CAMBRIA, CALIFORNIA, USA -- It's a cold, wet day in the City of Angels and I'm thinking "do I really want to drive four hours in this mess?" The weather reports are telling me this winter storm is all but over, but we all know meteorologists are about as accurate as exit polls. And we Angelinos are notorious wimps when it comes to the weather. Common sense takes over and I decide it can't be all that bad, as the drive north up the coast from Los Angeles is one of the top ten road trips on every travel writer's list. I pack up my truck and head north on PCH -- that's the Pacific Coast Highway to the uninitiated. (I once had a friend from the midwest visit and he thought it meant Pan Cake House - no kidding.)

After about 45 minutes of wet, stop and go traffic I pass through the star studded town of Malibu and like a miracle (or a movie script) the traffic and the clouds melt away to reveal a stunning sunny day and clear roads ahead. The coastline brilliantly reflects the sun and I take back everything I ever said about weathermen.

The Pacific Coast Highway is home to a string of towns that shine like jewels on the California coast, Oxnard, Ventura, Pismo Beach and Morro Bay. All great travel destinations in and of themselves. But today my journey will end in a little gem -- or "Moonstone" as the beach there is known-- called Cambia.

Located about midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and just north of San Luis Obispo, I drive straight through to arrive at the Cambria Pines Lodge before the sun sets and my Paso Robles wine tasting dinner begins.

Cambria is one of those towns that if you blink you could easily miss it. This relative isolation makes it a perfect romantic weekend getaway and everything you'd expect from a small town. In a day of reality TV where truth is stranger then fiction, Cambria's reality is pulled straight from a Frank Capra movie. This town is charming, quaint and friendly, and because of its breathtaking location on California's picturesque Central Coast, it's a great location to use as a home base while visiting the numerous area attractions.

You'll find the historic side of town on the east side, with buildings still standing since Cambria's late 19th century beginnings. Scattered within these structure are art galleries, restaurants and gift shops --not the tacky kind you find near theme parks and corporate built mega destinations, but rather stores filled with unique treasures you'll keep forever.

Passionate People

The shop owners, innkeepers, restaurateurs and even the residents of Cambria are creative people with a passion for what they do. This passion comes through loud and clear in the quality of their businesses. For instance Dirk Winter, owner of The Cambria Pines Lodge, is so into gardening that he purchased the nursery across the street to feed this passion. The lodge, nestled in a Monterey Pine grove in the foothills just above the rugged California coast, has numerous beautifully kept gardens that showcase Dirk's love of gardening. Dirk's certified organic herbs and produce even supply the hotel's restaurant with building blocks of their delicious meals.

The passion of the area's most famous former resident, William Randolph Hearst, is on display at nearby Hearst Castle, a monument to art and architecture. Then there's Art Beal. I'm not sure if he was passionate or just plain crazy. Using any scraps he could scavenge, Art built a home in the Cambria hills now named Nitt Witt Ridge. The locals call it the poor man's Hearst Castle and it has to be seen to be believed.

Food and wine are also passions for many in Cambria. It's no wonder, the Paso Robles wine region is in close proximity and Cambria makes a great base to explore from as you get the benefits of staying near the ocean while you drive a few miles inland for the wineries. You'll also find wine tasting rooms in town, a fabulous gourmet shop and several fine restaurant.

Each winter guests flock to the area for the annual elephant seal migration. The enormous animals - a male elephant seal can weigh as much as 5,000 pounds and measure up to 16 feet long - regularly congregate in a small cove about 7 miles north of San Simeon. Elephant seal season, which not coincidentally is mating season, begins with the return of the males in late November and continues until March when the adult seals leave and the pups learn to swim. All the goings on, including violent fights between battling males and the adorable cuteness of their young offspring can be safely viewed from the vantage point of a viewing area adjacent to Highway 1, just south of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. Visitors are asked to keep a safe distance and are reminded that the seals are protected by federal law.

The appearance of this elephant seal colony began in 1990, when two dozen animals were counted in the small cove. Today, the colony's elephant seal population has ballooned to over 10,000.

Year Round Destination

Summer, winter, spring or fall, there's always something to see and do in the Cambria area, from the beach to the wineries to the historical attractions, not to mention a charming little town where people on the street still say hello and greet you with a friendly smile.