Hikefest Day 5. We got a very late start to the day and didn’t leave Pismo until after 2pm. We wanted something easy since we were more than a little sore and didn’t think we had time for any sort of peak-bound hike, so we headed up Hwy 1 to the Estero Bluffs just north of Cayucos. Starting from a random turnout near a tall hill along the road, we walked along meandering trails westward to a pristine beach where the only footprints were ours (we’ve since run across information stating that this section of the area is closed to public access, but we never saw any signs indicating such). At the western end of the beach is the Villa Creek lagoon, a beautiful wetlands area that yielded a marvelous Planet Earth moment as a large flock of seabirds went aloft as one upon our approach. After retracing our steps, we climbed the large hill near the trailhead, discovering both a bizarre little shrine and wonderful views from the top. BlackBerry photos only.