Paul & Lily Go Places!

Lily and I spent a low-key week in Ventura at the vintage Airstream park. It was some good down time to get stocked up on groceries and collect some deliveries from Amazon. In case you were wondering how I get Amazon deliveries on the road, it’s really easy, you just select a location nearby that has an Amazon locker and the package is delivered to one of the lock boxes, then you show up and scan a barcode on your phone to unlock and retrieve your deliveries. In Ventura, there was a locker at the Rite-Aid down the street from the Airstream park.

San Buenaventura

Waypoint Ventura was fun place to park simply because it was so unique and everyone there appreciated Airstreams and either owned one or was renting one for a few nights. There were other types of vintage trailers allowed but Airstream seemed to be the star of the show. We had a lovely RV space tucked away at the end of the row facing the beach and pier. It was a quiet and relaxing six days.

Here are some of the other vintage trailers that are rented out as Airbnbs for the people that want the trailer experience but don’t own one.

At night, the park lights up and you get to make s’mores and drink hot apple cider. Since it was my birthday, I commandeered the fire pit all to myself and made a some s’mores to celebrate.

Being one block from the Ventura Pier was awesome. I walked down to the beach several times and took advantage of the eateries on the pier.

Oddly, I wasn’t able to find any local coffee or a coffee roaster in the near vicinity but I did indulge in some local brewery delights and fish tacos. And, pizza!!!

Ojai

We took a drive to the little new age town of Ojai located about 30 mins from Ventura. The village center is dotted with art galleries and cool looking restaurants. I journeyed thru downtown and up a hill to the Ojai Olive Oil Company and tasted the most delicious olive oils ever. I absolutely took some home with me!

And, of course, before leaving Ojai, I had to hit a local coffee place to fuel up for the drive back to Airstream heaven.

Fillmore

After six relaxing and productive days, we hitched up and pulled out of Ventura and spent one Harvest Host night at a unique French style winery in the town of Fillmore. It was a low-key fun wine tasting experience and I once again made a modest purchase of my favorites to enjoy later on down the road. Giessinger Winery was located in the smack center of town and it just so happened they were doing a Holiday evening market the night I was there.

Malibu

After a peaceful night in the winery parking lot, we rolled back onto US 101 and headed towards our next destination – the much anticipated Malibu Coast. The sun was shining and the waves were crashing as we pulled into the famous Malibu Beach RV Park located right on the Pacific Coast Highway. This place burned in 2018 but has sort of risen from the ashes. Evidence of the destruction is still present – charred palm trees, bare landscaping, and strict rules about where certain types of RV’s can park in case an emergency evacuation needs to occur. But anyway, we are here and it’s amazing.

The waves crashing all night were loud and soothing. This place is worth every dollar and I will certainly come back again and again. In the morning, we woke up to abundant sunshine and I just sat outside with my coffee soaking up the sunshine while watching the cars and people down below.

First stop for dinner was a local Cuban/Mexican spot in Malibu. I was joined by some local friends that had the hookup on the VIP experience – best table, tequila, and parking.

I was getting uncomfortably low on coffee beans so I took to the streets in search of a local business to patronize. Joules & Watts in Malibu was a decent choice.

We were thoroughly enjoying the Mediterranean weather of the Malibu coast until suddenly a rouge PNW type storm took over the Los Angeles area for one night and a whole day. Yup, it was rainy and blustery for about 24 hours. But, the storm cleared and all was well again. Here’s a video of the gorgeous post storm sunset.

Due to the sudden rain dump and wind blast, we are a bit delayed on exploring the area. So, I guess there will be a California Coast part 3 next week.

Stay tuned for more as we continue exploring and then wrap up our time on the beautiful Malibu coast just before heading to the desert for end of year festivities.