Carpinteria, California (finished in Goleta, California)
February 26, 2021
It is hard to make much progress when I am driving by the beach.
Headed out yesterday morning around 8:30 after some meditation and a walk -- first stop was Ventura. Checked out the possibility of a boat trip to the Channel Islands National Park. I could make up a story, but the bottom line is I’m not fond of small boats on big oceans.
So I parked near the beach with the sole intent of scoring a surf shop t shirt. A walk, a t shirt, some pizza and sitting on the boardwalk and three and a half hours later I rolled out of Ventura.
Photos from Ventura:
I attempted to score a tent site at Emma Wood State Park but they only allow RVs. First time I’ve been turned away because I wanted to tent camp. At Emma Wood they allow RV camping along the side of the PCH. There were at least 100 RVs taking advantage of the opportunity to be right by the beach. Sorry — no photo.
The folks at Emma Wood suggested I might have luck at Carpinteria State Park in Santa Barbara County which they indicated was 15 miles away.
Next stop — Mussel Shoals. I swear that’s the name of a town — although I did not get a photo. But from Wikipedia:
Mussel Shoals is a coastal unincorporated community in Ventura County, California, between Ventura and the Santa Barbara County city of Carpinteria. The community lies along U.S. Route 101 southeast of La Conchita and northwest of Faria. A one-lane causeway links the community with artificial Rincon Island.
I did however come across Ricon Beach where the parking lot was full of surfers. Walked down to the beach and got some photos.
Thiught it was great that these ladies were joining a bunch of guys riding their surf boards.
Finally, around 3:30 pm I arrived at Carpinteria State Park.— a bit anxious about finding a tent site. This is a huge camping area right next to the beach. I scored a tent site for the night — unfortunately they are sold out for Friday and Saturday nights. I thought they might be — this is an awesome park and the weather is great. Caught a decent sunset and a nearly full moon rising (thanks, Jack!).
This is a panorama of the sky on one end you see the sunset and on the other the almost full moon.
For the record books, I haven’t set up my tent in a while. It is so convenient to just jump in the back of the truck. I have my nest back there. It’s not like sleeping on a nice mattress (thanks Cindy and Ken!) but it’s not bad either. I listen to some podcasts (Fresh Air and the Ezra Klein Show - no more Rachel Maddow — she spins me up). I might also listen to an audiobook. Adams by David McCullough and Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin are go to’s. I’m looking forward to listening to baseball games soon. Jon Miller of the Giants is my favorite. I like the Dodgers announcers, too. The Nats announcers are so-so. I can’t listen to the Red Sox because I can’t relax. The Yankees announcers are pretty good, but I find them a little to formulaic. Just in case you care about my opinion. I miss Skip Carey.
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