first trip

we just got back from our first trip. we left at 4:30 friday morning and headed up the coast. we stopped on the way to check out el capitan and refugio state beaches to see what the campgrounds were like. very nice... pretty... and booked. this is all new to us - these people make their reservations up to 4 months in advance... point: you need to call reserve america to make reservations - unless you want to take a chance for a cancellation. we finally made it up to oceana dunes around 8:00. another point: there is a speed limit on the beach. 15 miles per hour - which we did see the sign posted later the next day. so daniel gets pulled over for a speeding ticket. the cop guy was nice (not - he was an ass) and did not give us a speeding ticket - but - another point: he did give him a fix it ticket for tinted windows. we go out a bit and find a spot. next point: if your trailer is to heavy and you don't have a truck with big enough engine, you will get stuck in the sand. which we did. we had to dig ourselves out of the dirt - unhook the trailer - turn the trailer around and haul out of there. park closer to the water where the dirt is compacted from the water a bit. we finally get ourselves set up.

the first thing we notice is the hugest flock of seagulls i have ever seen. found out this was the time of day the whales feed.

i made my first meal - chicken sandwiches. glad that i had taken the time to think through what i might need stocked in the trailer. a well stocked kitchen is a big help.


by then, k.c. was so pooped out she didn't even seem to notice that we buried her in the sand !










we took the jeep out on the dunes and went riding around for a bit. oceana dunes is not calm and quiet ! the sound of quads, dirt bikes, dune buggies, sand rails everything all around constantly. but once you get out on the dunes - its amazing - vast. fun ! we settled in for the night - bbq'd burgers and made a fire. we were camping !





the next morning we headed out to avila beach - about 10 miles north of pismo beach. really calm quiet beautiful little beach town. and then just north of avila - this little harbor town - can't remember it's name :( where would be the perfect place to go if you had a boat and wanted to hang out on the beach and go fishing.

we got back to oceana dunes and were more than happy to pack up - get out of the noise and sand - and get to our next destination oceana rv campground. it was really pretty - quiet. we took a hike along the lagoon at sunset... looked at plants and birds, flowers and trees. got settled in really easy - after daniel had to turn the trailer around by hand because we realized we set up facing away from our fire pit and table !

the next morning we got up and took a hike around - happy to find out that the trail led right to the beach - we turned around and got the jeep and took a ride along the beach.

the campground had clean showers and bathrooms. it had an amazing array of native plants and herbs. there is even a native garden with a ton of plants labeled.

all in all... it was a great trip for our first try. a few bumps in the road and growing pains for both of us... but it seemed all my 'lists' were great. i'm glad we took the time to think about what we might need. the propane tank and electricity didn't work - daniel will have to figure that stuff out - but he came prepared with a generator so we were set. water, food, toiletries, kitchen stuff... perfect. we had driven through town at one point and i got the most amazing vintage enamelware tea kettle at a second hand store... something i didn't have on my 'list' for boiling water for tea :)

i had to put this picture in... we got into a fight over this stupid thing... don't ask :P