Our rustic room at the historic Squibb House has no fridge, no microwave, and nary a screen to be seen! We wander in the colorful garden and imagine slipping off into the mystic.

Cambria’s venerable Squibb House, a mellow and relaxing bed-and-breakfast, deliberately boasts few frills while neatly meeting all of the needs of a coastal traveling pair seeking solace.

In the hurly burly of postmodern American life, as tariffs make the markets roil and Kyiv burns, slowing down in the simple quiet can help one reset. We all need a reset.

A tragedy in my life-partner’s family has caused deep sorrow, and fleeing 130 miles up the coast to the mellow sea-coast village at historic Cambria eases some of the heaviness.

During the past 25 years, we have motored up the coast to inhale the fragrant terpenes and scents of the dominant Monterey pines (pinus radiata) and have found several moderate walks there. This gorgeous smaller conifer has a limited natural range along the California coast today with only three main stands of this tree left; the largest is right here in Cambria Pines. What we have in California today are relics of the Pleistocene coniferous forest that once stretched from Riverside County to Marin County north of San Francisco.

In earlier times, we would save money and spend even more time outdoors by car-camping at San Simeon State Park’s Creek Campground (4.1.1.).

Paul Squibb was an American educator who founded Midland School at the height of the Great Depression in 1932. Located at the base of Figueroa Mountain near Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley, Midland is an elite private college preparatory high school. One drives by it on the way to view the wildflowers on Soxtonocmu (aka Figueroa Mountain). The approximately 100 resident students live close to nature on the Midland ranch and famously have to chop their own wood to heat water in order to take hot showers. At one time I thought I wanted to teach at Midland and have toured the rustic property several times.

Paul and Louise Squibb’s rugged American philosophy of balancing “needs and wants” formed part of the school’s core mission and reflects its origins in the Depression. The focus on out-of-doors living and appreciation of raw nature makes the Squibbs’ vision absolutely compelling in 2025. They saw true education as a mutual endeavor that can transform students and teachers. As humans, we survive socially, and understanding that balance between what we want (like to have) and what the individual honestly needs is a primary goal of education.

After he retired from Midland, Paul and Louise Squibb moved to the yellow Victorian house in quaint Cambria, which is seen in the first photograph. This structure is in the original, or east, Cambria. For years, I would drive by Cambria on Highway 1 (past Morro Bay and Cayucos) en route to hikes off Highway 1, including the steep Salmon Creek Trail.

The beds and nine rooms at Squibb House are fine, and yes, they certainly do have electricity and excellent small bath/showers and the amenities — but the major theme remains simple quietude, unpainted wood, and attractive gardens surrounding the two structures.

In 2016, the owners added “the Black Barn” next door with four enticing rooms done in all wood with furniture in the Amish style. In the second photo you can see the gardens and part of the Black Barn structure, which is also where a luscious full breakfast is served.

From Squibb House, there are pleasant rambles right there in eastern Cambria, and The French Corner Bakery 200 yards away opens at 6:30 a.m., while Linn’s up the street offers excellent meals. Hopping in your car (or cycling) from Squibb House, one drives about 10 minutes to reach one of two easy short walks.

At Moonstone Beach (with scores of ocean-facing rentals), drive to the far end and park at San Simeon State Park.

Walking on the pleasant and wide boardwalk from your car, you can ramble about 40 minutes starting back on the concrete bridge and begin the long boardwalk, and then return as you choose.

The remodeled boardwalk allows closer proximity to the rugged beach without damaging the fragile ecosystem right at the shore. You cannot go down to the beach here, and it’s extremely rugged in any case.

Another leisurely hiking opportunity arises at the enchanting 430-acre Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, about which I’ve written earlier. The leisurely stroll above the jagged cliffs occurs on another boardwalk placed to protect the fragile bluff-top ecology.

Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash at all times. This walk goes on for more than a mile, and then one returns the same way with the sea always in view as well as some artistic wooden benches for elderly travelers and the inform.

There are more than a dozen trails in the preserve that explore other scenic sections.

I’ve always felt that the sea can help us control our errant thoughts and the tendency to obsess on matters we cannot change or “fix.” Whether in joy or experiencing sorrows, the massive ocean offers a sort of solace, and at least makes us realize how very small we truly are.

Van Morrison crooned these lines in 1970 when Paul Squibb was still alive:

“Hark, now hear the sailors cry,
Smell the sea, and feel the sky,
Let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic.”

Stroll around placid east Cambria village and enjoy walks on either boardwalk any time of day. My partner and I pondered the Earth’s fate and the short span of a single human life as we tried to float into the mystic ourselves, and I recalled Morrison’s last plaintive lines:

“Come on girl, too late to stop now.”

4.1.1.

Squibb House Bed & Breakfast, built in 1877, can be reached at 805.927.9600. Additionally, there’s a living room as a common area, and breakfast is served family-style in the spacious Black Barn dining room.

Paul Squibb died in 1984; click here for more information.

The San Simeon Creek Campground within the state park has 134 campsites for tent camping or recreational vehicles (and two hike-and-bike campsites), usually for $35 a night. The maximum RV length is 35 feet. Each campsite has a fire ring and a picnic table.  Click here for more information.