Pismo Beach, California

 We made it! We are back at the Pismo Coast RV Resort after our 20-month, 20,000-mile trip covering 42 states. So now, we have been to all 49 states with our motorhome. And, we will be the first to go to Hawaii when they build the bridge to that place. 

Because we will be settling in for months at a time here in California, we will not be updating this blog on a regular basis until we travel again. From time to time, however, we will continue to post pictures because that is what we love to do.

This posting will vary slightly from our other ones because we want to briefly relay our thoughts and feelings about where we went and what we saw in those 20 months. 

First of all, there is a palpable difference between the East Coast and the West Coast. The high energy on the East Coast far surpasses that of the West Coast. California people say “hi” or “have a nice day.” Eastern folks study you when you say those things. In the South, we were “Mr. Jerry” and “Miss Mary.”

In California, road kill consists of raccoons, squirrels, and deer. In Florida, it is alligators. East Coast and the Central State rest areas are first class, with food courts, shops, and fuel. In California, you hope the next one isn’t closed when you get to it.

 

If you are ever looking for places to visit (by RVing or otherwise), we would recommend these places for their beauty and historical significance: the Florida Keys, Baton Rouge, LA, Charlotte, NC, Charlestown, SC, St. Louis, MO, Lexington, KY, Savannah, GA, Yorktown, Jamestown and Williamsburg, VA, and the States of Pennsylvania, Vermont and Maine – to name a few.

We spent time watching small town television newscasters in the various areas that we visited. Let’s just say – we knew that we were in small town USA when the big news story was a bicycle missing from the local library.

Since we have been back to Pismo Beach, we have seen our friends, Marlene and Paul, a couple of times, first in Cambria on Tuesday and then for an early dinner at Steamers in Pismo Beach on Thursday.

 We had a stranger take this picture of us.

Sorry that it isn't more clear.

Marlene and Paul

Sun going down in Shell Beach, California

Shell Beach, California coastline as sun was going down

Pismo Beach Pier

Sun going down at the Pismo Coast RV Resort

earlier in the week.

Cambria, California coastline (picture

taken at the bottom of our hill)

We are glad we took the time to see America. It was a great trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Now we are going to enjoy our time in California in the coming months. We will post more entries and photos sporadically going forward.

Continue to enjoy the life you love;

and love the life you live!

Ventura, California

Driving back into California from Las Vegas, we couldn't believe what we saw. Smog -- like we haven't seen in many years! At least it was white smog instead of yellow smog. The closer we got to the beach cities, however, the less smog we saw until it seemed to disappear.

Driving into Los Angeles and seeing smog.

We spent a week in Long Beach, California, at the Golden Shore RV Resort. We like that place, partly because it is within reasonable driving distance to our kids and grandchildren. Yes -- the week entailed seeing everyone (family) whom we haven't seen in 15 months (saw the group last time when we were in Fargo, North Dakota, in July 2012 and saw Tom when I recently went to Georgia with him for Stu's memorial).

Fun times together again. We are not posting family pictures on this blog, except on occasion, and the one below. Actually, we didn't take that many family pictures this time around for some reason. Suffice it to say, we missed all of them and were happy to see them again.

 Samantha (granddaughter on left) and friend

talking to each other.

Then, on Tuesday (October 29), we traveled to our favorite RVing spot yet. Having traveled to every state and seen a lot, we still feel that parking 25 feet from the Pacific Ocean on Rincon Beach near Ventura, California, is our favorite place. We are ocean people, and we love hearing the waves crash against the shore all night and all day long. Of course, we have to dry camp, which is doable. But, if one needs more water or the tanks dumped, they provide that service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays ($40 to dump, $20 for water).  Since we have been coming here over the last 7 years, we have seen the daily fees raised from $15 a night to currently $28 a night. Plus, they now have added a new fee of $1 a night for a pet. Needless to say, it is worth it.

While here, we have taken excursions into Santa Barbara for a day and yesterday to Ojai where we enjoyed a delicious sushi lunch.

We leave here on Monday and head back up the coast to what we consider our RV home, the Pismo Coast RV Resort, where we will stay until the holidays in December.

Here are just a few pictures we have taken this time at this beach.

Parked on Rincon Beach near Ventura, California

 That is our coach up there behind the rocks.

Chanti loves running loose on the sand.

 We watch the sun go down over the

ocean every night.

On Monday we will travel the rest of the way to Pismo Beach. On Tuesday, we will drive with the car to Cambria to get our mail, check out our house, have mochas from the Cambria Coffee Company, the business we used to own and run, and spend time with Marlene and Paul, friends from Charlotte, North Carolina, who are out here. Looking forward to seeing them again. 

While in Pismo Beach, we will summarize our trip with statistics for anyone interested in that information and for ourselves.

Continue to enjoy the life you love!