Can’t leave soon enough…

I’m not sure how hot it actually got today but at least 107, I stopped looking after that!  It was 125 in our garden shed where there is no ventilation.  The low tonight will be 80…  We added an extra day to our existing reservation at Princess Campground just to soak up some cooler weather.  The highs there are predicted to be mid 80’s, so at least 20-30 degrees cooler than here in Clovis!  Anyway, Road Trip is July 2-9.  Hopefully DLP’s (Deb, Sam, and family) and possibly Jeff and Miranda will join us July 5-7, if we can secure a first come first served campsite for them.

Sequoia Weather Forecast: 

Postscript: Camping Trip

California State Campgrounds: Our state complains about how costly the parks are and is constantly threatening to close different ones. I know they have reduced hours in some parks but I don’t think any have actually closed, I’m not sure about that. I stopped my support to the state park system when they found “millions” in funds they didn’t know they had (hmmm). It’s not to say I would not support them again, because it is a fairly nice perk to have day passes and slightly reduced rates if you use it enough to warrant the cost.  Senior prices are less of course.  Anyway, I will be writing a letter when I get home. Our campsite was not clean when we got to it. There were at least 3 easily seen items of plastic nature on the ground by the fire pit. The fire pit itself was quite full of ashes and had foil wrapped around each rung of the grill. I figured we would not be using it anyway, so we left it. However, the next day when we were sitting at the table we watched a ranger and someone with an injured arm, in plain clothes, walking around policing campsites. I can say if they walked any slower they would be going backwards!  But walking didn’t last long and leaning on a table talking was the activity of the day. When they began to walk again, 20-30 minutes later, they didn’t go far and stood around talking again! Then it was back to leaning on the same table talking… At this point John went and said hello and told them about our fire pit being unusable. Come to find out the man in the plain clothes was a injured supervisor!  Neither had a name tag for me to include a name in my letter, big surprise! Their slow walk continued along the road north and back toward the ranger station area. Later the same female ranger came back and did walk a bit faster and policed a couple of empty campsites. Then another male ranger came and policed the very same site next to us. Neither managed to pick up the couple of pieces of debris between that campsite and ours! I do not see this as using our tax dollars wisely. Get workers who will work efficiently and quickly to do their appointed jobs. If I did my job in this manner, I would be let go immediately for a sloppy and slow work effort. Here is my next gripe: Restroom cleaning hours are not posted when this will be done.  Most days they came between 7:30 and 9am to do this task. In other campgrounds we have stayed in over the years they post the cleaning time outside, usually between 1pm-3pm, so you can plan your shower time, etc. Also with a cleaning time in the afternoon fewer people are in camp and fewer people are inconvenienced. There seems to be no real thought about the visitors they serve. There is a full campsite on weekends with lots of children. It is very inconsiderate to close the restrooms for cleaning when families need to use it the most. We have a trailer with a bathroom, but at least 50% to 75% of the people here on the weekend were in tents. Keep in mind, we now pay $35. per night for a site with no hookups whatsoever in this portion of the park. There is a bathroom with flush toilets and showers (.25 per 2 minute shower). In addition, water faucets are conveniently spaced throughout the area. You also have a fire pit, stationary picnic table, and some form of wooden pantry in each campsite. The parking areas for vehicles are blacktop and fairly level. You are allowed 8 people per campsite. While most of the campsites are fairly close together, there is ample room to set up a couple tents in each campsite if you should desire.  You can pay $5. for an extra vehicle in your campsite, such as car or truck, not a trailer. 

I feel that California is one of the most beautiful and diverse states in our nation. (I’ve seen 48 states with just two more to go) From the mountains, to deserts, to oceans, we seem to have it all. One can be at the beach in the morning and skiing in the mountains in the wintertime by afternoon. Majestic natural wonders like Yosemite, Death Valley, the volcanic nature of Lassen, the Giant Sequoias, the coastal Redwoods and so much more magnify the beauty of the state.  The history of the Gold country, the Barbary coast, our Mission history, the fishing industry and other history of our coast, then there is the central valley that feeds our country… the list goes on and on. It is sad that politics and the “nanny” state mentality is ruining it for so many of the people who have worked hard and contributed to our state to make it what it is… or should I say was. It is sad for me to see, I am a native Californian.

Last full day in Pismo (this trip)

June 8:  We planned to go into Downtown Pismo and have lunch at Splash Café but it was so very crowed even to get in the direction of downtown that we changed our plans.  We ate at the Rock & Roll Diner and it was good.  We had burgers and fries and then took a drive on the beach.  That was crowded too with lots of dune buggies and then in the other direction just people on the beach for the day.  Anyway it was a nice day with gloriously cool weather.  We had our own little farewell campfire on our last night. 

June 9:  We were up, packed up in about an hour, gave out last “trailer tour” and headed home.  There wasn’t much traffic.  I think people are staying in Pismo for the day enjoying the cool weather.  We went to the free dump station included with our camping fee.  There was another family there from Fresno with a big motorhome also headed home.  We were home around 3:30, unloaded, washed the trailer down, started the laundry, and collapsed for the rest of the evening. 

Still @ Pismo II

June 6: Today we headed toward Morro Bay.  We wanted to just see the area plus check out possible campsites for the future.  We enjoy Pismo but it is often full here and we know there is camping at Morro Bay, but not sure of the facilities.  The short drive was uneventful.  Coming from the south we took the exit for the state park camping area.  It is a large campground and has 30 sites with hookups (not sewer) for $50. The remainder of the 140 sites are “dry” camping at $35. per night.  Of those remaining sites, there is a handful of bike/hike camps as well.  Showers are free for campers.  There is a marina across the street from the campground but we didn’t see a place to launch a boat.  The area of water by the campground is not open ocean but bay/bog/wetlands.  It is a short drive or walk to an actual beach area, just over 1 mile toward town.  I’m not sure if there is a path or not.  Between the campground and the beach is a small museum, we didn’t go there.  After marking a few spots we liked the best on our map we made our way into town and out to Morro Rock for a walk around that area.  I didn’t realize Morro Rock was a plug volcano at one time. We drove back to the Embarcadero and easily found a place to park and searched out a place for lunch.  We had excellent fish and chips at the Dutchman.  After that we walked up and down the entire area.  There is a tiny park that is alive with squirrels.  I believe they feed them on purpose to keep them there and happy.  They are pretty brazen and though I like squirrels well enough, there were so many, it was almost creepy.  After our walk we headed out to check out Montana del Oro State Park.  It is south of Morro Bay and if one was just going there, they would exit at San Luis Obispo for a more direct route.  It was a rather drab drive with very few trees but a few groves of what appear to be eucalyptus trees, but some variety different from the usual seen around.  There are some great views back to Morro Rock and the jagged, stark, and brutal coastline.  We found the campground called Islay Creek Campground, the only campground within Montana de Oro State Park.  It is remote, vault toilets appear to be the only services for the 50 sites other than a “Ranch House” that was possibly a visitors center or small museum as well. Our cell phones worked at the entrance of the campground but lost service going back into the canyon just a little bit.  No maps were available since the “Ranch House” closed at 3pm.  We took a photo of the map and noted a few sites we might like.  Camping fee is $25. and $10. per extra vehicle, beginning with the second vehicle!  There is a lovely beach right nearby, though one must drive to it, at least I didn’t see a trail and it is a one lane road at this point (paved).  We continued south, but the road was gated after just a few miles.  Interesting drive… We headed back to home camp, had a snack for dinner, cards and reading completed our day.

June 7:  Today we spent the entire day in camp, it was restful and nice.  Lunch was simple, some Mango Habanero chicken wings and veggies from the Avila Valley Barn.  Talked to a ranger today, the blue and orange flags we see stuck in the ground will be new trees planted within a couple weeks, Alder and Oak.  They are supposed to be good sized trees as well, so that will improve the campground.  John asked him about the eucalyptus trees we saw along the drive to Montana de Oro.  He laughed and said they were planted for lumber purposes but it was soon discovered they were the wrong variety, so they remain where they are, and useless.  They also emit an oil that kills all vegetation underneath them. That was poor planning by someone!   Not much sun today, almost chilly.  We will enjoy it because we know what it will be like at home! I finished my third book (The Next Target by Nikki Arana) and it ended up being really good. I couldn’t put it down! Started the next book (A Time to Heal by Barbara Cameron) and read until after midnight! Some people are coming in for the weekend but surprisingly, the campground is not full, which we thought it would be.

Still @ Pismo

June 4:  We spent a restful day at the campground.  After breakfast we walked on the lagoon trail, which is short, maybe .5 mile, but interesting. John turned on the generator so fixing lunch was a snap in the microwave with very little clean up, what a convenience!  I finished my second book of the trip by early evening “Surrendered Hearts” by Carrie Turansky.  I enjoyed it, it was thoughtfully written and honestly (though lightly) dealt with human emotions in my opinion.  The first one I finished was “Always the Designer, Never the Bride” by Sandra Bricker. It is part of a series, I think I read them all now.  It is lighthearted and predictable but enjoyable reading as well.  I started a third book that hooked me instantly called “Next Target” by Nikki Arana.  I’m not sure I’ll finish it, I’ll see today.  I think one has to be very careful writing about Islam and not group all people into the fanatics we hear about in the biased new reports.  Enough of that.  Dinner was a BTL sandwich for John and a BLT salad for me.  It was another lovely day here but the wind picked up so we had to move the majority of our card playing inside so the cards wouldn’t blow away.  This made John start talking about wind protection… the real idea behind the small trailer is to “keep it simple” and not carry tons of gear with us.  I am absolutely fine with things they way they are! 

June 5:  I was  a little bit concerned the sun was out here before 10am, but it was a lovely and cool day just the same!  After lunch we decided to drive over to Avila Beach, just a short drive north 15-20 minutes.  Our first stop was Avila Valley Barn, a favorite place of ours, to look around and buy a delicious Boysenberry strudel. They have expanded their little “farm animal” place and it is a nice stop for kids.  I enjoyed looking at the jams, jellies, tapenades, and various specialty items.  We had an ice cream as well, but we did resist the multitude of fudge flavors and taffy they have to offer… Oh yes, John did not resist the peanut brittle!  We also bought some freshly picked squash to use with our next meals at camp.  From there we drove on the 3-4 miles to Port San Luis and Harford Pier.  What a delightful walk we had on the pier.  We saw fishermen cleaning their freshly caught ling cod, just past that it was barrels of crabs that were a feast to the eyes, then the most fun of all we spotted a couple of otters!  They were obviously enamored with each other and didn’t mind putting on a show of courtship.  They seemed as interested in us as we were in them in this photo.  We even saw one of them gather some sort of shellfish and eat it as we watched.  The pier was almost deserted except for a handful of fisherman and a few tourists.  We backtracked the short trip into Avila Beach  and walked along the pier there as well.  There were a few people fishing but not much going on there.  Even though it was windy, the water was quite calm and nice for children to play.  I’m sure it is crowded on weekends.  We decided to have a bowl of clam chowder and a glass of wine sitting outside watching she ocean waves and people walking by.  We are back at camp and after attempting to play cards outside, we moved inside.  It is not cold, but the cards keep blowing away! 

Pismo Beach

June 1: Our trip over was uneventful and probably the fastest trip we have made here.  We got to the park entrance at 1:59 pm (check in is 2pm) so just 3.25 hours to get here!  It’s a lovely 70 degrees with sun and fog lingering out to sea. We were all set up in under an hour and gave our first Casita tour as well.  People always want to see our trailer and hear about it.  This was a father son team of Navy veterans.  John spent some time chatting with them.  We had enough stuff to make a salad for dinner but we decided to splurge and go to Old Juan’s Cantina for dinner and a margarita.  Now we have another meal of leftovers plus tortillas to make some breakfast burritos.  Unfortunately for a short time we had radios on different sides of us, but one of the duelers went and got a ranger and then no radios at all, so that was nice.  Gone are the old days of “quiet” in the parks with everyone having “hot spots” and ways to make music now.  Anyway it was quiet after that.  We noticed a small drip around the bathroom sink.  In an attempt to fix it, it became a rather prominent gush so our water pump is off for the night and we will address it tomorrow morning.  There is an RV sales and repair toward town so we are not concerned.  Our evening ended with reading and we fell asleep before 10pm!   

June 2: We had a great night’s sleep.  This morning people around us are packing up and moving out long before the appointed check out time of noon.  Quiet and cool, not cold at all.  I’m not sure what the temperature was outside but it was nice in the trailer and we have the heater off.  There is some high fog, but not drippy like it can be.  John was eager to take that little sink apart so that was his morning project.  He took it all apart and put it back together and there is still the tiny, original drip.  We will be happy with that until we can call Casita and get some advice as there are no washers to replace or an apparent way to resolve it.  They always have great advice. 

After that piddled away our morning playing cards and had lunch.  We had cilantro chicken, which I brought from home.  I was glad we set up the camp stove, I prefer to cook outside and not spatter things up in the trailer when it is not necessary.  We also did dishes outside since we want to conserve as much water as possible since we will be here 9 days.  After lunch we went to Vons in Grover Beach, about a 10 minute drive, and got some groceries, and ice cream for John. We have enough food now for about 3 days and we will make another trip there after that.  I might add they have a new law here, if the business has more than 10,000 sq. ft. they can no longer give you a bag for your items.  You must bring your own bag or buy a paper bag from them for 10 cents.  You also have the option to just put the groceries back in your cart and take them to your vehicle that way.  After we got back to camp we read for a while then took a walk for a few hours, down to the beach and along the beach.  There are scads of small, dead sand fleas all over, actually piles of them!  We have never seen so many.  Plus there are areas of very damp sand that are simply bubbling with them.  We asked a ranger who came along, but he said he was a life guard and didn’t really know.  He thought this happened in cycles.  This was my thought that it was either mating, birthing, or dying of the beastly little things.  I know we have been here in June before and never noticed this.  On a more pleasant note we found a lot of smaller sand dollars.  There were again tons of broken ones, but these were whole and most had at least one barnacle stuck on them.  The water may look calm in the photo but it was really quite rough with crashing waves.  After we got back to camp we read and played cards, then had a snack.  There was enough breeze to disturb the cards but not enough to stop us from playing.  The sun was out by 2ish again today but it was somewhat high fog before that.  Very pleasant here, we see it is quite hot at home.

June 3, Solvang:  After breakfast for John we decided to head to Solvang for the day. It is about 1 hour drive south of Oceano, just off Highway 101.  I know I have been there before but I really could not recall when.  Since I have never been to Denmark I cannot compare it of course, but it seemed very much like the city Rothenburg that we visited in Germany in 2009!  We didn’t ride the little horse drawn trolley, but maybe next time. The ethnic children’s clothing in the windows looked just the same as it did there.  We had a decent and inexpensive Smorgasbord for lunch.  It was filling so we walked all over the quaint little town looking in unique little shops most of the afternoon.  I wouldn’t mind another trip back next time we are in Pismo to see what we missed seeing today.  We noticed they still have the staffs with the bells saying “El Camino Real” all along the highway.  It is nice to see most of them still have the signs attached.  On close inspection you can see “El Camino Real” on the bells with raised lettering.  Back to camp, playing cards, reading… this is the life.  John ran our generator for about 90 minutes to be sure we have plenty of power. During that time we charged tablet, Kindle, phones, laptops, etc.  No, there are no utilities in this portion of the camp we like to stay in.  I will add the weather was the same today as it was the last couple of days, just a little bit more fog early in the day.  Things we left out were damp.  Nonetheless, the sun was bright and nice all afternoon with temps in the 70’s.