We officially moved out of our home in Discovery Bay on October 12, 2021. We moved into the travel trailer and relocated to Sugar Barge Resort in Bethel Island. This would be our temporary home until we finally left for California. It was good. We set up camp and started figuring out how to do the full-time camping life while being local.
Right around this time, my parents contracted Covid and my dad was hospitalized. We were thankful we could head on up and stay a few days to help them out. We kept our spot at Sugar Barge but went to 49er Rv Ranch in Columbia for a few days. It was great to be there and help them. Quickly, our time in Northern California was coming to a close, so we headed back to Sugar Barge to get ready to officially hit the road.
On November 10, 2021 we said our final goodbye and hit the road. We left Sugar Barge at 2:37pm. I cried pretty much the entire drive! We arrived at Casa de Fruita exhausted.
On November 11th, we headed to the coast. We made a stop at Pinnacles National Forest for a quick break. Then headed to Hearst San Simeon State Park! Oh how I love the beach! Had a great night and the next morning went for an amazing solo run. It was a great time to recharge and remind myself of the “whys” of this journey. I spent time in deep in thought really rejoicing that we were able to be on this journey.
On the 12th, we first stopped at Cayucos Beach and had a great lunch. Then enjoyed a leash-free beach with the pups! We had planned to visit Solvang on our way to Cachuma Lake Campground but we found Solvang to be super crowded and not at all suitable to towing a travel trailer. We simply drove through and headed to Cachuma Lake Campground.
On the 13th, we traveled into the greater LA area to see our Jordan!!! We left early in the day so that we could see more of the coast and maybe visit some favorite spots. Sadly, we were disappointed. As we cruised through the beach cities, the filth, homelessness, and traffic overwhelmed us. As we neared Santa Monica, we figured we’d stop to see one of our favorite places. Oh my goodness! The sheer mass of humanity, the drug deals happening before our eyes, strung out individuals, and the filth was just too much. We quickly ordered corn dogs ($40!!!) and headed back to the truck.
At the truck, animal control was there getting ready to break our windows because the pups were inside! Ugh! We left and headed to our meeting place with Jordan and Luke. Well, let me tell you, having an oversized truck in the city really is lousy. We couldn’t find parking anywhere. We finally found a side street but realized one of us would have to stay with the pups as we didn’t want our windows broken. Jordan and Luke met up with us and the three of us headed to dinner. After dinner, we drove back to Cachuma Lake.
We were then scheduled to go to Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. This was one of our most favorite campsites to go with the girls years ago. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! It was under construction and there was a huge sand barrier blocking the view of the Ocean! Major thumbs down. Instead of wallowing in our disappointment, we took a trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley! What a fabulous place!! This is a must see!
Finally, time to head east! We stopped at Rosie’s beach in Long Beach to take the pups for a run along the beach, then we headed to Bonelli Bluffs in San Dimas. Another favorite campground of ours! Spent one night and headed to see Jordan and Luke one more time! The freeways with semi-trucks and road construction everywhere made for an extremely challenging drive! But we made it and spent some precious time with them.
Next stop was Joshua Tree! Checked into Black Rock Campground. Awesome campground but listening to the coyotes at night was a bit scary! This was our last night in California!
Leaving California was hard. Lots of tears as I said goodbye to all I have ever known. Yet, I know there are great things ahead of us. I have no idea where we’ll end up nor do I know when we’ll get there. I will always love California!
Simply Schricks- Destination Unknown Again 