Sunflowers are such happy flowers. They always make me smile. Photo: Bob Cooney
Day two found me looking for some surf at Carpenteria, but it was small and the tide was drained. I met a fellow camper that morning who gave me some tips on a few surf spots north of SF (I’ll let you know later how they work out). He’s a SUP’er but I didn’t hold that against him. I checked out Santa Claus beach in Carpinteria hoping for something to surf, but the beach was full of surf schools and the waves were knee high, at best.
My rationalization was that I really scored at Leo Carillo the day before, so I decided just to move on. I stopped and picked up some fresh veggies for dinner: a giant portobello, heirloom tomato, fresh spinach, and some fruit for the day along with a bunch of sunflowers for the van. Sunflowers are such happy flowers. They always make me smile.
I was hoping that was my last stop at a traditional grocery store, because I passed dozens of roadside family owned stands along the way and was bummed that I’d already committed.
I wrote some messages on the bus windows: VANcouver or BUSt and Surf Tofino. I also promoted my blog and my instagram account. It was really encouraging to hear the honks, and see the thumbs-up and shakas from people passing me by. It was a wonderful mix of kids (if you’re under 30, your a kid to me now, I guess) and old guys. My guess is the middle-aged guys were too pissed off that it wasn’t them behind the wheel. Or, they were too rushed trying to get to their next meeting, dinner, date, AA meeting… whatever. I even picked up a couple of new followers on Instagram from SLO (which I assume was from the drive).
With the exception of a quick coffee stop I pushed all the way through to Morro Bay State Park. I had a campsite reserved (the only one on the trip so far). It was really nice to get in early and get settled. It’s really a gorgeous setting, and the weather was clear, which is pretty unusual for this area in the summer. In fact as I wrote this at 10:00 AM it was downright warm, and it was going to stay that way until the inevitable onshore winds started in the afternoon.
After settling into the site, I used my new EcoZoom wood stove to cook dinner. With only a few sticks you can cook a full meal. It’s pretty cool. I am loosely committed to a vegetarian diet on this trip. Grilled portobello with sauteed spinach and onion (in grass-fed butter) with tomato and avocado. Delicious.
Then, the big decision: build a campfire, or check out the classic drive-in movie theater in SLO. I can build a campfire anywhere (pretty much), so the double-feature of Minions and Inside Out it was. This place is a treasure. The only modern amenity is they stream the stereo soundtrack over FM radio. It sounded great on those new Rockford Fosgates. And since popcorn is technically a vegetable (and beer is too) well, it was a great night. A little chilly, but nothing three blankets and my Uggs couldn’t fix.
Back at the campsite by 1:30am, tomorrow will definitely be a good day to sleep in. Hoping to get some great pics from Black Hill. Until tomorrow… be awesome.
Get caught up at Only the Road Knows.
