Paul & Lily Go Places!

We arrived back at the Pacific Ocean to continue our adventure down the west coast. The drive from the Sacramento Valley to the Coast was a long one – lots of holiday travelers returning home from Thanksgiving gatherings and a few accidents on I-5 kept us inside the truck for almost 5.5 hours. I was exhausted when we finally arrived. One really great thing about California is that it’s December and the weather has been sunny and perfect so far.

Avila Beach

This was home base for a week while exploring the central coast of California. It’s been about 20 years since I was here and I was honestly shocked how nice the place had become. It’s really quite a destination now. We parked for 5 nights on the side of a hill with a view of the ocean and the Port of San Luis. It was awesome!

Happy hours were the best with the gas fire pit at sunset and the sounds of the harbor seals roaring and honking in the bay.

Fun fact: this location and this view over the fire is front row seating for SpaceX rocket launches at Vandenberg SFB in Lompoc. I didn’t get to see anything blast off but what a cool unique experience that would be.

Pismo Beach

Ahhh, Pismo. Lots of memories here from my early twenties when I would drive over from Fresno just for the day to see the ocean and was too poor to afford a motel room. Everything about this place takes me back in time – the pier, the smell of the ocean, the kelp washed up on the beach, the little town … it all reminds me of my younger days.

And you know, I must absolutely patronize local business, so here were my two indulgences.

Pacific Coast Highway – State Route 1

Lily and I took a drive north on the PCH to check out the coastal towns and see if we could get into Hearst Castle. Unfortunately, it was closed but we got to see the elephant seals beached near San Simeon and enjoyed a stop in Cambria for a Mexican Mocha and homemade cinnamon bun.

Paso Robles

There is really only one reason to visit Paso Robles – wine! But, I was a bit wined out from my previous stops. So, I came to Paso to see the Bruce Munro Light at Sensorio. And it was stunning! A half mile walk along the trail through the light fields revealed this.

Arroyo Grande

We left our perch in Avila Beach and drove a short distance to stay overnight at Murphy’s Oak Hills Ranch. I had a great time visiting/catching up with everyone and also enjoying the amazingly delicious Mexican food that is everywhere in California. In case you didn’t know, California is literally Mexican Food Heaven. My freezer is now stocked full of homemade tamales!!!

Ventura

We pulled out of the pasture and headed south to our next destination where we will park for another week to collect some Amazon packages and take care of some business. This place is a cool little spot near the Ventura Pier that only hosts Airstreams, vintage and new. More to come in the next blog, but here’s a sneak peak at Waypoint Ventura.

Today, December 5, is the one-month mark since we left Seattle to start this adventure. It’s also my birthday 🥳 but I’m more happy to celebrate the Airstream life and living this dream. We are having such a good time and I wake up every morning in awe that we are actually going places and thriving. Everywhere we stop people come up and ask about my Airstream and I usually give at least one tour a day. It’s really really cool and I still feel blessed.

See you soon for the next adventure update!