Morro Bay Visit With Nicholas

March 5, 2022 

 

A big reason for my trip this weekend was to visit with Nicholas. Obviously I wanted to see him, but I also purchased a microwave that I wanted to bring him. His apartment doesn't have one, and I thought it might help him to eat at home more often if he and his roommate had a microwave to help them out in the kitchen. Nicholas worked in the morning on Saturday, so I had a leisurely stroll through Cambria before heading his way to Morro Bay. Once there, he and I tried to visit some thrift shops to try to find him a dining room table, but we were unsuccessful. Most of the shops we tried to visit were already closed for the day. After that we went to the grocery store and restocked his kitchen a little, before heading back to his apartment. Once Treasa, his roommate, got back home from her shift at work, I treated them both to dinner. Nicholas suggested a little Poke place near his apartment, which ended up having very tasty food. The three of us had a lovely visit before ending the evening. I love that he lives to close and that it's so easy to head to the coast for a visit!

A Solo Trip to San Simeon

March 4, 2022

I booked a campsite at the San Simeon State Campground for this weekend, and set out on my first solo van-camping endeavor. The van that Danielle and I invested in is well set up for a solo or duo camping trip--quite roomy and comfortable for one, in fact. Lisa and I have used the van for an overnight trip before, and not long ago Danielle and I did, but this was my first time on my own. There were plenty of people around me who were properly tent-camping at the site, but my goodness I would have frozen my tail off if I had done that. Even cozied up with two sleeping bags and a giant sweater-blanket, shut inside my turned down bed in my van, I was a little chilly. That being said, it is lovely being able to gaze out the window and see all the crystal-clear, beautiful stars, and to hear the crashing of the surf just a little ways off in the distance. Not a bad way to fall asleep.

The Adventure Beast Rolls Again

February 6, 2022

This weekend, after visiting Nicholas, I continued up the coast to meet up with my sister and my youngest daughter in San Simeon.  We checked into the campsite (where we did 'van camping' instead of tent camping--an acceptable facsimile of camping for this bug-averse girl), and then headed into Cambria where we checked out the incredibly cool and strange Nitt Witt Ridge, pictured below. We ventured out to the ocean afterward to catch a beautiful sunset.  The next day we got up and hiked along Moonstone Drive, making sure we got our feet wet now and again along the way.  (Truth be told, I got more than just my feet wet, because I wanted to get a photo of me getting splashed by the incoming waves.) I was very impressed with how well the Adventure Beast stood up to the journey, and am looking forward to many more in our future.  It was a successful weekend--as is almost any weekend when I get to see the ocean and family members I love.

An Adventure, Indeed!

May 2, 2021

A couple of months ago, my youngest daughter and I decided to co-invest in what I like to call a 'project van'.  Danielle is really excited to design and create an ideal travel space to go out and do some exploring now that she's graduating from college; I am really excited to have a relatively comfortable and inexpensive way to hit the beach or chase waterfalls for a weekend here or there.  This weekend my sister Lisa and I decided to take my Adventure Beast traveling van out for her maiden voyage.  Even though the van still needs to have a little work done to shore it up (it's definitely seen its share of miles with its previous owner), I wanted to drive it and get a sense of what problems might present themselves so I could report back to my mechanic when I take it in.  

On the whole, the Adventure Beast did beautifully.  We picked a weekend when the weather couldn't have been better.  The van was a champion driving up to Sequoia and we set up camp Friday evening, cooking dinner on the firepit and then settling in the van to sleep for the night.  It was pretty convenient not to have to pitch a tent; the back seat lies flat for one bed, and the center chairs are taken out so that we can lay down a foam mattress for a second bed.  I will say that my sister and I fit perfectly, though I'm not sure anyone much taller than the two of us would fit quite as comfortably.

Saturday was our big hiking day.  We had intended to hike up to Morro rock, but the signage indicated that the hike would have been a much longer one than what we had seen when we looked it up online.  We still had a great hike and saw the rock from a distance before changing plans and turning around.  

Lisa knows that pretty much the only reason for me to hike is to find waterfalls or rivers, so our second hike was about finding a beautiful water source.  As we were heading up to our next scheduled destination, the Adventure Beast protested--the only time on the trip it did.  The elevation, combined with the air conditioning, got the best of the vehicle and it started to overheat.  We pulled over to the side of the road and decided to take a lunch break while we gave the van a chance to cool down.

We had just finished up our lunch and were idly relaxing--me sitting in the passenger seat with my feet dangling out the open door, and Lisa standing outside nearby.  Suddenly, nearly simultaneously, I heard an incredibly loud CRRRAAAACKKK!!!! and Lisa yelling "Look out!!!" and she dove toward me.  Just out in the near distance in the forest, a tree split about two-thirds of the way up its approximately 80-foot trunk and the top crashed thunderously and dramatically to the ground, just inches away from the back of the van.  The impact of the tree hitting the ground shattered the wood into sizable logs and shards of lumber that littered the area.  On the way down the tree hit a huge metal sign, which no doubt changed the trajectory of the falling tree just enough to avoid us and the van.  We were really very lucky, but it definitely got our adrenaline going! I don't know many people who have been up close and personal with a tree falling in the forest, but I can't say I recommend it.

After looking around incredulously and calming ourselves down a little, we decided to get back on the road and find the calming serenity of the waterfalls.  We actually decided to change courses and go back downhill instead of continuing up in elevation because of the Adventure Beast's seeming reluctance.  Fortunately, we happened on not just one but two beautiful spaces to hike to waterfalls.  Both were well worth the journey.

After heading back to camp, we set out to cook a delicious campfire meal, which we ate while gazing up at the multitude of stars in the sky.  It was a peaceful way to end quite an adventurous day.

All in all, despite the quite unexpected tree nearly crushing us, it was exactly the weekend we hoped for.  There are still some mechanical issues that need to be addressed with the van, but this trip showed me that it's going to serve exactly the purpose I had hoped for it.  I'm looking forward to many more adventures ahead.