We have been Officially Houseless for one full week now. And it’s been a really great week! You can watch the related video on our YouTube channel here.
Wednesday we pulled out of our driveway in Kingsburg for the very last time then headed up to stay at my daughter’s house. Big shout out to the Barton’s for hosing us in their driveway! (Watch for an upcoming video on how we fit that thing through the gate)
Thursday and Friday we did nothing but enjoy the grandson. Tom got the trailer lights installed on the Jeep, and I made our first Instant Pot meal, but other than that it was visiting with my daughter and her hubby and taking care of their baby. Pure Heaven!
Saturday – we enjoyed a family outing to the Oakdale Rodeo Parade which ended just as it began raining. It was a great grandparent moment getting to watch baby’s first parade with him.
We didn’t want to overstay our welcome on the first visit, so right after the parade we headed out on our way to the Central Coast. We had thought about staying up in that area, in Gold Country, but I realized we hadn’t been to the coast in a while and it would be nice to commune with the ocean between our Tuscon trips.
Trying not to get too many travel hours in on one day (and since our reservations weren’t until Sunday), we took an overnight stop at Harris Ranch off of Interstate 5. It has a famous steakhouse, but we ate in our RV. Then got treated to an impromptu Fireworks display – right outside our front window! It must of had to do with a celebration going on there, but it literally looked like it was meant for us as we had the perfect view sitting inside our rig.
Sunday we took a very leisurely drive to the coast – something we’re not used to. Usually our traveling is about getting from point a to point b. So getting to say “Let’s stop here for a while”, or “What about taking this scenic route” is something I’m going to enjoy getting used to.
We took 198 over to 101, then cut over on 46 to Hwy 1. Which popped us out at Cayucos. It was a VERY pretty drive. All the rain has made everything so green and there were plenty of wildflowers. It’s a route we’ve enjoyed on the motorcycle before and Tom asked if it was a better view on the bike or in the motorhome. I think my vote was for motorhome. Because of the huge windows you could see everything, plus it’s climate controlled! As driver, Tom enjoyed it more on the bike of course, but we took it slow and it’s definitely doable in an RV. Although there were a lot of warning signs!
When we first left Harris Ranch, my mindset was get to the next spot. But check in wasn’t until two pm, so we had time to kill. Once I shifted gears into slowing down, I realized our only deadline was getting there to get set up before dark. So we walked around in Cayucos, cruised over to Morro Bay and had a superb late lunch.
Then we avoided the freeway and meandered over to Lopez Lake through farmland and Edna Valley where there are wineries popping up everywhere. We arrived at our campsite at five. Perfect.
Monday we drove into Pismo Beach and saw all the new construction going on since we’ve last been there. A huge new oceanfront motel, and they’re renovating the pier which means it’s closed for the next two years. My son and his fiancé were at the coast as well, so we met up with them for a bit and got ice cream, which was wonderful. (both the visit and the ice cream!) That’s them on the swings>
So far so good on my plan of seeing the kids more now that we’re mobile!
Unfortunately, being on the go has gotten our days jumbled. It’s hard to remember what day of the week or month it is, and we totally forgot older daughter Jenna’s birthday. Tom called her a day late and we felt horrible. But we’ll see her when we get back to the valley next week and Tom promised her a dinner out.
Lopez Lake Campground has been really nice. Colder than I’d prefer, but that seems to be the story of my life lately!
We have really great neighbors, Russell and Nancy, and they said we’re living their dream. They just have one more child to get through school and then their gone. Russell invited Tom to go fishing which was really nice. So Tom got his $50 fishing license (not in the budget!) and now it’s game on for him to get some expensive fish for dinner. So far nothing.
We haven’t been out hiking yet. I’m still getting things straightened up from the move, and trying to get caught up on video and photo editing. And I still have business/bills/banking to attend to, but without internet that will have to wait. There is no service at our campsite, but a little further up the hill or down in the parking lot and Tom has great reception. We’re SO happy we went with two different providers (Tom has T-Mobile) because we have to get halfway to town (Arroyo Grande) before my Verizon picks up signal.
Tuesday we wrapped up our first week on the go with a visit from friends staying nearby. Then we met them for a lovely dinner. Patio dining while watching the sun set on the Pacific. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Happy Travels!
Peace and Love, Joy