A Trial Run at Home
As we pulled into the campground at Carpinteria State Beach a jovial volunteer stuck his head out of the registration booth and said, “Welcome to Seattle, if you squint hard in that direction you may see the Space Needle!” A good laugh ensued but it was actually sort of true; grey drizzle enveloped the costal cypress and we couldn’t see the waves a scant fifty yards away. No matter though, we were simply grateful to be there.
In spite of the rain and clouds, Carp State Beach is a fun place to camp with the crashing waves and croaking frogs lulling us to sleep each night. Come morning, the seagulls awakened us by crash landing on the roof of the Minnie to squawk and screech and peck at the skylights.
Though we’ve known since December that we would be moving here in July, it still felt a bit surreal. Lisa had some work to do at Cate this past week, so we had a trial run at being in Carpinteria, our new home.
The couple of times I’ve visited Carp previously it’s been picture perfect SoCal weather but dry as a bone. As we rolled west, introducing the Minnie to LA’s terrifying six-lane freeways for the first time, the hills were a neon green that we haven't seen for years in California and orange poppies dotted the hillsides.
Despite the drizzle that first afternoon, the ocean lured us out for a walk amongst the debris washed up from the recent storms. Heermann’s gulls and royal terns squawked and squabbled over choice morsels in the debris. The next morning a pod of dolphins and several flocks of brown pelicans followed me as I strolled through the natural tarpits that line the beach near the campground.
There is a harbor seal rookery in town near the bluffs, and when I reached it on my walk, I was excited to learn that in the last week, the mamas had begun to give birth. As I stood atop the bluffs looking down at these tiny pups, some just a few hours old, I felt fortunate that wildness is a big part of our new town. It’s fair to say that I’ll be spending a fair bit time on this beach whether running or walking or just sitting and soaking in the power and beauty of the Pacific.
While Lisa was working, I spent time checking out the town and restocking our bookshelves at the Friends of the Carpinteria Public Library store, where all the books are just two dollars! Carp has a quilt shop, something SF sadly lacked. When I dropped in to pick up some thread I needed for a project, I was warmly welcomed and was excited to learn that one of the local quilt guilds meets there. These two spots will certainly be regular stops for me once we get settled.
After I picked Lisa up from work on Friday, we took our chairs and blankets down to the sand to watch the sunset. Sunset here is an event, and despite the cold weather, hundreds of people still congregated on the beach to stroll or sit and watch the day draw to its close. It was the perfect, contemplative way to close the day.
We rented a car this time to spare me the terror of driving the Minnie up and down the steep road to campus. Plus, we knew it would give us a bit more freedom to explore beyond Carpinteria. On Saturday, we headed to the highly recommended Santa Barbara farmer’s market. We stocked up on citrus and Lisa couldn’t help but purchase purple carrots the size of her arm! No purple carrots on the road thus far, needless to say.
The people we’ve met here have been incredibly welcoming. Friends from the school invited us to several dinners over the course of the week, and it was wonderful to share good food and laughter with them. We are looking forward to exploring the restaurant scene more on our arrival as well as hosting dinners in our home once again.
Our week here also presented us with a new RV challenge. The Minnie needed the bleeder valve replaced on her propane tank because someone who filled our tank a while back broke the valve—totally annoying. What that meant for us was a delicate dance with the amount of propane we used because we needed an empty tank when we turned up for our appointment on Wednesday. Running the fridge became our priority as we didn’t want to have to resort to ice and coolers, so that meant we couldn’t use hot water or the heater for the better part of the week. Not the worst thing out in the backcountry, but more difficult in civilization where people expect you to have bathed recently, so we resorted to chilly showers in the campground’s facilities. On our way out of town, we made a quick stop in Ventura for the replacement valve. Man are we grateful to have a full propane tank and our heater back!
We are officially back out for our last few months on the road. First stop: Joshua Tree National Park. We scooted through here twice already but haven’t explored as it was still freezing cold. Much as we hoped to like it, JTNP isn’t our favorite park. Finding camping was frustrating, as it’s a bit of a free-for-all and not nearly as well run as in other busy parks we visited, but the rocks and Joshua trees were interesting.
Presently we in Las Vegas to see our friends here one last time on this epic adventure. The last time we were here we saw that Momofuku had opened a Vegas outpost, but we couldn't get reservations. Last night the four of us went there for an incredible dinner. It was a such treat, the food was brilliant, and we certainly haven't had a meal like that since we left SF. And, the people-watching on the strip on a Friday night was entertaining. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will start to warm on the Colorado Plateau, because the red rocks are calling.
