Central California

May 1^st                mileage: 1,310

      

Carpinteria

 

On May 1^st we departed the Malibu RV park, savoring the morning and using up all of the amenities until the last minute of our check out time. We headed northbound into Central California, the official boundaries I’m not entirely sure of, but after you leave the Los Angeles area it all starts to seem very separate from Southern California. We came into Carpenteria Beach after passing about 55 miles of gorgeous coastline and nestled into a beachside parking space by the campground, which we preferred not to pay for.  There were no signs indicating no overnight parking or camping and the town itself seemed pretty sleepy. We grinned and settled in to some mighty fine real estate on the Pacific Ocean

We spent the afternoon enjoying the sunset on picnic benches and mulling around the sandy shoreline. Dolphins were swimming by close to the beach  and birds were playing in the sky. It was a clear afternoon giving us a shimmering round sunset. We slept undisturbed by law enforcement and woke up to yet another perfect day. Off to Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara

Penny had been limping a bit after chasing a critter in Joshua Tree. We were giving her a lot of down time and keeping an eye on it. After a week of little outdoor time and close watching for improvement, we saw she wasn’t getting any better and decided to take her in to get things checked out.

We made lunch plans with one of my mother’s dearest friends, Pamala, who lived in Santa Barbara, and were treated to a delicious meal of some of the best fish and chips I’ve had on the north side of the pier on a little marina strip by the yacht club. Pamala gave us the name of a clinic to see for Penny and we awaited the assessment.







The vet told us that the problem was definitely her knee and advised us to be settled before pursuing x-rays as a likely procedure could be an ordeal. We decided to get her x-rayed in Oakland where we knew we’d be familiar with the area and able to settle in if needed.

In the mean time Penny was to sit and stay to keep her from straining her leg. We initially made up the whole back seat of the car with tools and framed paintings stored in the back seat foot space that leveled out the back area. We put two dog beds in back, which transformed that area into the most plush and comfy resting zone a pup could ever hope for.

She embraced the lazy lifestyle with grace, even finding ways to get a sip of water without ever having to leave the couch.

We took the scenic route through the hills of Santa Barbara a bit and found a whole bunch of deer grazing around a campsite we were checking out.

After we left Santa Barbara we jumped back on the 1 north towards San Luis Obispo and watched the coast form bluffs along the water, rising higher and higher above the water. The 1 North took us inland a bit through Guadalupe, a funky little agricultural village with cheap giant pizzas and an old-timey downtown. Passing by the Pismo Dunes we checked out the scattered little lakes and started researching some potentials to settle in for the night.

Dinosaur Caves

I was kind of familiar with the County of San Luis Obispo but had only visited a few times and was excited to explore more of the area. When looking for a place to sleep on our map we found Dinosaur Caves Park and knew that was the place for us. We had no idea what beauty we were getting ourselves into. Dinosaur caves is nestled against a sleepy residential area on a side road that followed the 1 and accessed the little beach side surf shops and recreation rentals just north of the park. It is called Dinosaur Caves because dinosaur egg fossils were found in the caves. Along the 
brilliantly deep earth toned cliffs were little coves and caves with big rolling waves crashing against the rocks and bluffs. There was beachfront parking on the cliffs with yet again, no signs telling us we couldn’t stay there. We took the risk, though it seemed too good to be true, and settled into our evening of waves crashing just outside our door and sea critters floating by.

I painted the ocean rocks settled in the tidepools and Rob chatted with an older man who lived out of his van and grew a variety of sprouts in his vehicle as an educational venture on growing food in small places.  We spent the night at my favorite “boondocking” spot so far, undisturbed my law enforcement and rose the next day to clear skies, crashing waves, and a brilliant light hitting the caves and cliffs as we enjoyed the sights with a cup of joe.

 

Rob and I scored a bit of salmon and tuna from a fish market in Santa Barbara nearby where we had lunch and made a couple delectable Japanese-inspired dishes, starting with seared tuna, shaved cucumber, and crispy oyster mushrooms. After that we made some sushi tacos with furikake seasoned white rice, shaved cucumber, raw salmon and seaweed chips. Oh so good.

                      

Morro Bay

After our morning coffee at Dinosaur Caves Park we scoured the beach for cool rocks, finding some Agate and what I believe was some Jade. We got a tip from a woman we were chatting with while rock hunting to check out the Avila Beach area, just north a bit, as she spotted a pod of whales migrating north a couple days prior. We gathered our precious stones and packed up shop, bidding the Dinosaur Caves and all it’s beauty farewell. We took the advice of the woman we were talking to and scoped out Avila Beach. It was a beautiful little drive through the canyon that spat us out to the oceanfront. We didn’t see any whales but we did take advantage of the vast dog-friendly beach and brought our beach towels and mason jar cocktails along. Soaking up the sun and jumping in the mildly chilly ocean, we spent a few hours being lazy beach bunnies while Penny socialized with other pups and we soaked up the sun. We left the beach and headed towards Morro Bay.

We took our time (as the truck and camper always does) making our way up the 1 north again and came into Morro Bay mid-afternoon. We went straight for the water after driving through town and parked by their monumental giant rock on the ocean and snuck past the waterway fence to hang out with the squirrels and watch the water gently move back and forth against the rock. We saw signs for the annual car show while passing through town and wanted to check out the scene. The town was packed with mint-condition oldie cars that were preparing to show off their wheels. After freshening up a bit we walked up to the main strip and watched the cars loop around the town.

The cars slowly drove by, waving to their admirers. And then they did another loop, and another, and another. They must have circled that place 15 or 20 times! By the end they were hauling ass trying to get this show on the road. We got a little bored by the repetition and decided to get a drink instead. We went to one of the two bars in town and sat next to an older couple with 6 empty jello shot containers in front of them. Rob ordered a beer but I was way too fascinated by this jello shot action to think of beer. I asked the man what the deal was with the jello, and in a thick and wavering slur he tried to tell me about the 3 jello shots for $5 deal they had. Obviously they had indulged and found them quite tasty, and from the barely audible sentences the man was working out, I knew they must be good. We ordered up a couple rounds, I got the green and blue ones and Rob manned the red (I very much dislike red flavor) and the smiles were already planting themselves on our faces.

We headed outside for a smoke and, of course, attracted over the two obnoxious middle aged drunk guys; one rather overweight and able to attract dogs much more easily than women (his words, not mine) and his buddy with the blonde Mohawk (not the punk rock kind, more so the confused varietly). We tried to make conversation while slowly backing away, they tried to make plans for the next bar with us. We bolted for the shuffle board table on our first opportunity out of the budding friendship and got some pucks and another round of jello shots and hit the table. In all of Morro Bay’s quaintness and charm, the scene on the town wasn’t as wonderful and we decided to head back home after Rob’s victorious comeback and slaughtering of my pride in shuffleboard. We didn’t see any signs for "no overnight parking" by the water and thought we’d chance it and shoot for another picture perfect camping spot. We were wrong.

2:30 am we get a knock on the door and could see the red and blue lights flashing through our back curtain. Rob was sound asleep and oblivious to our bust. I hastily shook him awake and kicked him out of bed to address the situation. He opens the door in his wife beater and sleep shorts and tried to explain his way out of why we didn’t have our license plate up and that the barking dog inside was really quite friendly. I could hear the officer’s suspicion building outside and thought it best to introduce a female’s sense of reason before Rob was cuffed and taken away. I came down and Rob was taking a big stretch in his night duds in front of the officer, not really padding the situation or making him look any more legitimate. I scurried out and explained the situation, pleading innocent and uninformed. The tension released and the scene looked much less crack-lab and way more naive youngsters. I groveled and Rob yawned, and we were told that the whole town had restrictions of overnight camping anywhere, despite their lack of signage, and were pardoned under the agreement that we would kindly leave their town. Off we went, screw that place.

We pulled off about 15 minutes up the 1 in a little town Cayucos and parked behind a school in a neighborhood area. Hoping for the best we kind of fell back asleep, but the next day took a little adjusting to regain energy. I guess that’s the price you pay for trying to get out of paid camping. I still think it’s worth it.

Cambria

On the 4^th of May we had one more night at our disposal before we needed to be back In Oakland for Rob and Joel’s Dental School catering event. The coast was blanketed in a high fog, enough to see the ocean, and we oogled at the trucks packing kayaks and fishing gear, wishing we could float on Big Blue ourselves. We pulled off in the little town of Cambria for some coffee and fell in love. The town is nestled on one main strip, fully owning their slogan “Pines by the Sea.” It felt like a fairyland village with quaint little buildings and shops, big beautiful trees and the smell of salt in the air. Due to an unfortunate technical error is my camera memory card saving, my photographs from this point until Oakland have magically disappeared, so I will have to rely on the ethernets to provide visual examples.


We found a nice little coffee shop and resisted the temptation of the scrumptious sprinkle cupcakes and chatted with the woman behind the counter about some primo Big Sur spots we should check out. After flipping through some newspapers we explored the town and liked what we saw. With a mix of Victorian and barn-style buildings with picture-perfect manicured lawns and edible gardens, what was not to like about the place. While doing a little exploring we came across this big lavender historic house that was up for sale.

It was technically two separate buildings that in all amounted to about 6 different rooms with 4 bathrooms, two kitchens, a big garage and good sized back yard that would be ideal for a garden plot. I checked out the flyer for the sale outside and choked in shock at the price. It was listed for under $300,000. Obviously it was too good to be true but I didn’t care. So what if it was a fixer upper. We could fix almost anything. We left town and pulled over a few miles up the road at the parking lot for the Hearst Castle. We had settling on the mind and couldn’t shake that big lavender house that seemed close enough to our reach to almost be true. I called the real estate number and found out it was bank owned and nearing a closure but there was still time and a viewing appointment was made for an hour from the call. We fixed ourselves up to look like young professionals, made up our life’s story of Rob being a famous chef and looking for a place to raise a family. We met the agent at the house and stepped into an asphyxiating aroma of must and mold. After signing an agreement that with an existing mold problem they would not be responsible for liability of future respiratory issues, we warily stepped into an otherwise perfect arrangement of rooms and space. We lead the real estate man on with our story and patiently let him constantly gab about useless information, most of which having nothing to do with the property and more with his personal life. I was mournfully in love with the house and its assessable price range, but we could not deny the mysterious itch in our throats after leaving the house and new that one thing we could not refurbish is mold. Dirty dirty mold. With a sign and a half hearted hope to stay in the loop with the sale development, we moved on and let go of the idea of settling. It was not our time and that was not our place, but it was fun dreaming.

We still loved the town and wanted to spend a little more time there. After deciding to spend the night we hit up the candy store and poked around other buildings for sale that we were probably trespassing on.

Chatting with the woman at the expensive candy store (candy priced by weight seems to be a problem for us), we let her know we were interested in the town and were browsing property. She asked us if we were foodies because Cambria sure could use a hot dog shop. We quietly chuckled, refraining from elaborating on our actual foodie plans, instead relishing (pun intended) in conversation on the deliciousness of a good dog.

We checked out a bar that evening and had ourselves a hoot of a time! We met a man who moved to Cambria years ago with very little money and his, then, recent wife. He gave us inspiring advice on love, partnership, perseverance, and support. Hanging with the locals made friends with the liquor store man we had been served by earlier that day, and some cool youngsters who happily indulged in excessive drinking with us. There was a great band playing with an amazing female drummer whose skills I got transfixed on on my way to the restroom. She caught me drooling and during a song break came over and presented me with my first pair of drum sticks. She gave me a little lesson on how to hold them and what rhythm to start with on really anything I can bang on. Maybe my drumming dreams will become a reality one day.

The next morning we headed to the nearby sandy shoreline at Moonstone beach and spent hours sitting on the beach sifting through an endless supply of rainbow-colored rocks.

We walked along the boardwalk and around the beautiful beaches, reading factual nature information signs and marveling at the lack of fear in the local squirrel population. They were looking for food and they meant business. Collecting more rocks than my fanny pack could handle, they provided much entertainment for the duration of our stay.

On May 5th it was time to go home. we had Oakland on the brain, a rather fuzzy brain from a night of drinking, we set out Northbound to our old stomping grounds in Oak town. We took a slow and steady scenic tour through Big Sur on the 1 North, stopping here and there but aiming for the East Bay before nightfall. I was in need of some junk food with little restaurants on the way, so I hopped back for a crazy in-route cooking experience of macaroni and cheese cooked in the tea kettle that was strapped down with a dog collar and a bungee chord to survive the hectic windy and bumpy roads of Big Sur. It was a wild ride but the mac was obtained and I was able to survive the journey home.

Big Sur rocks my socks. Please don't take the lack of photographs as a hint to any other feelings towards it. We camped in the area for a couple days before we left the East Bay to begin our journey. We were out of time and simply passing through. I can cheat a little and give you some visual examples of the coast from our time there before we left. Since I'm already cheating I may as well tell you about our partial hot springs adventure. We are generally unprepared for most things and entering into this hike was just another one of those instances. Though we had backpacks and fairly reasonable means to do the entire hike, we chose to keep it to a day stroll. If you park at the "Big Sur Station" and head to the back parking lot, you can park overnight for $3 and embark on the 10 mile hike to the Sykes Hot Springs. Walking a couple thousand feet up in elevation just to drop back down another thousand along the ridge of the beautiful Big Sur mountains. Like I said, unprepared, so we did not make it to the hot springs after leaving only a few hours until sunset and having to turn back. Next time its on though, if you are there and want to do a 2 or 3 day hike to the hot springs, I hear they are spectacular.

Pulling into Rob's old apartment where his/our dear friend Joel was still living until the end of the month and Rob was scheduled to work a Dental Academy workshop with for the week. It felt so good to be back and despite our exhaustion work had caught wind of our arrival and a group was quickly forming at our old favorite bar, Prizefighter, for the evening. Coming back to all of your friends felt like seeing family after a long stint apart, though it was only two months. That night Rob and I realized that Oakland was our home. Despite our trip and our absence for a year or more, these were our people, and you just can't find that kind of love elsewhere. We realized that we left when we did to go explore, but that there was so much in Oakland and Berkeley that we wanted to be involved with, and we wanted to bring the future knowledge we will gain back to this community, and hopefully plant our roots after our wanderlust has subsided.

It was time to settle in to make some money, have Penny's knee looked at, and soak up as much friend time as possible. Our time in Oakland was well spent, and much needed. I'll pass the baton to Rob now so he can fill you in on our stay.