Another Amazing Day at the Beach

 

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.

Friday was an amazing day .. just an amazing day. 

It started off being busy.  After all we did have chores to do.  First on the list was laundry.  Our laundry had been accumulating for the week we had been on the road.  Wow … have we only been on the road a week.  I could have sworn it had been longer than that.  So much has happened in that week.  There have been so many problems and stresses.  However, we know those are behind us and only the fun times ahead.  That is right … isn’t it?

Anyway, first things first as we were on our way to the laundry.  We did find the laundromat fairly cheap.  That was a nice surprise.  For $3.00 we could have a load of laundry washed and dried.  That’s not so bad.  We’ve certainly paid more.

Our next stop was the locksmith.  We had been to Home Depot, to Ace Hardware, to an ATV shop and now to a locksmith trying to get spare keys made for the RZR.  No one seemed to be able to duplicate the key and only having one key for anything isn’t real smart.  The locksmith wasn’t sure he’d be able to help but he did and it even worked!!

Next. stop …. lunch at Fin’s.  Fin’s is a little restaurant that almost sits on the beach.  It’s about as close as one could get without actually being in the sand.  I had read a review about the clam chowder.  One indicated it was buttery and super.  Well, after having it I would certainly disagree as there was no buttery taste or clam flavor whatsoever.  It tasted more like a thick flour base with lots of salt ... awful! .  I guess that goes to show you good clam chowder isn't necessarily at the beach.  The part we like best though is trying out new restaurants.  Sometimes we’re really pleased and other times not so much.  This time it was not so much.

After lunch it was time for the best part of the day.  It was beach time and that’s where we went.  We really went the whole block and a half to the beach …. except we didn’t walk.  We drove the Jeep.  We drove south on the beach all the way to the dunes and then we drove north on the beach.  Eventually, we found a perfect spot.  It was perfect.  The chairs came out and there we stayed for just about three hours.  Well, we didn’t actually stay in one spot the whole time.  We walked one way in the sand and waves and then walked the other way.  It was amazing.  Even Duchess had a fantastic time.

By the time we got back to the Elks RV park we discovered even more RVs had squeezed into those spots.  There just isn't room for all the RVs and the vehicles that are with them.  Several trucks are parked right across the road and getting out of some of the sites would not be possible.  We'd love to come back to this area again but I doubt we would ever stay here again.  The location is fantastic but being this crammed in is not fun.  We're thinking it's pretty dangerous too.

There are definitely pros and cons with places in California.  The cost of just about everything around here is expensive .... but you know what?  We'll still come back.  The beach alone and the view makes it all worth it.  I think we've definitely found our favorite route south.  This is it. Sometimes we just have to make choices.   We loved Monterey .... loved, loved, loved it.  We love Pismo Beach .... love, love, love it.  We also loved San Diego when we stayed there for several weeks a couple years ago.  I'm guessing the California beaches we like the best.  Well .... we also liked the Florida beaches when we were there too.

The Elks had a steak feed in the evening.  Having a steak dinner for $10 is one heck of a bargain around here.  I must admit the routine was a little confusing but we got through it by following others.  First off we started by selecting the raw steak, seasoning it and taking it to the chefs.  Next we helped ourselves to a fantastic salad.  When the steak arrived we loaded our plates with the rest of the fixings.

That’s it.  It was a great day and we’re expecting more of the same tomorrow.  The Santa Ana winds are forecast to die down Saturday afternoon and we plan to be on the road again Sunday.

‘Tis life on the road.

Pismo Beach Bound

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

The weather forecast is something we normally look at just before we head for someplace else down the road.  Wednesday morning was no exception.  The weather had also been checked the night before.  Then, it looked great with no warnings or questionable conditions.  However, overnight there was a change.  Santa Ana winds were predicted in the direction we were heading.  There was a possibility of gusts as high as 60 mph.  With a new weather report we thought it best to get on the road before the winds hit.  Instead of going all the way to the coast it might even be better to hope to arrive in Atascadero before early afternoon.  That was the plan.

As we pulled out of the Salinas Elks the winds were blowing but they were something we could handle.  It was the extra strong gusts we wanted no part of.  We figured we’d just be prepared to stop if we needed too.   These winds didn’t last long and before long it was smooth sailing. 

There are many sections to California’s 101.  Some folks think of it as the area north from San Francisco through the Redwoods.  Others may look at the area from Santa Barbara to San Diego.  Our trip down the 101 was from Salinas south towards Santa Barbara.  Much of the drive as you leave from Salinas is inland with very little view of the Pacific but eventually the ocean peaks into view and the drive is gorgeous.  To begin with it looked as though we were driving through a salad bowl.  There were lots of farms, lots of greenery and even more fields of grapes and wineries.  It was definitely a nice trip and an uneventful drive.  Remember …. we like uneventful best. 

I have no pictures thanks to a road construction crew digging.  With a lot of mud and a good wind gust, we ended up covered in the gunk.  My windshield was obviously not picture proof.  Thus, my little mounted GoPro camera was not put in use.

Winds still had not arrived as we got closer to Atascadero so on we went towards Oceano and the Pismo Beach area.  Isn’t it great to be able to be flexible?  Anyway, that was where our new inverter had been shipped and according to the delivery information I received, it should have been sitting there, waiting for us and easy to find.  It wasn’t.

As we pulled into the Elks Lodge we noticed a sign in front of the RV park.  The sign said “FULL” due to a weekend jazz festival.  Oh, oh …….  without a working inverter we knew we couldn’t go across the road and stay at the state park as there are no hookups in that park.  Regardless of the sign, the super friendly camp host found us a site.  This park is packed!!  It’s like being in a can of sardines!  However, we’re still happy to be here.

Setting up for market

The RV park is about one long block from the ocean.  It’s in the most perfect location ever.    Once we had arrived and got into our site, we took Duchess for a stroll on the beach.  The winds were blowing.  The winds were really blowing then but we still loved just being in the sand and listening to the waves.  To say this place is gorgeous would be an under-statement.

We would not be without our TriMetic Battery System Monitor. It is what clued us in that our house batteries were not charging and the inverter was not working.  Please **NOTE**  our batteries are now back up to 100%. 

It was a challenge to find where our new inverter had been delivered.  No one seemed to know where it was.  Eventually, it was found but that was several hours later and only after the driver made a return trip to help locate it.  It seems he dropped the package at the bar door and had a construction worker sign for it …. oops!  Once found Terry had it installed in about five minutes.  Then ….. it was time for the test …… nothing.  You can tell the inverter is working just by plugging something into an outlet.  It’s not so easy to tell if the batteries are charging if you don’t have a battery monitor.  In this case the inverter was working fine but the batteries were still not charging.  It seems we had two problems.  One was the inverter and the other was wiring to the remote switch.  A quick bypass was created and our batteries are now being charged.   Hallelujah!

For dinner we went to a cute little diner built in converted train cars.  It’s called Rock’n Roll Diner.  We loved it.  Food was excellent and so was the service.  It was fun, fun, fun.  The picture makes it look like no else goes there but we arrived early.  By the time we left this place was hoping.

‘Tis life on the road.