Days #387-393 of Our Epic Trip

11-22-2024
H: 62ºF L: 50ºF
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

It’s a travel day! We packed up in the pouring rain and headed southeast. We are hoping for less windy conditions since we are moving away from the coast. The new campground is pretty packed but we found a nice site where we can park both cars. After setting up, we had a nice mid-afternoon fire in our small fire pit. We use wood pellets and, while the fire pit is small, it does produce a good amount of heat.

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11-23-2024
H: 58°F L: 48°F
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

We drove down to Big Sur today all the way to the road closure on Highway 1 (it’s been closed for over a year due to a landslide). We stopped at Marina State Beach and watched the surfers. They also allow hang gliding and paragliding at this park.

We continued down the coast to Big Sur, CA. I took one of my favorite pictures along the way. We got to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and enjoyed the views but missed the 80-foot McWay waterfall because we were having too much fun racing each other on the trail. Like kids, we find ourselves frequently running. It’s fun, it’s good exercise, and it feels good to freely express ourselves.

We hiked on Boronda Trail which took us high above the ocean. The boys really enjoyed getting out to hike. We find a lot of areas do not allow dogs even though there are so many dogs on the west coast. So we try to take advantage of the trails where the boys are welcomed.

Big Sur Inn and Restaurant was so cozy with little nooks and lush vegetation. We wanted to stop for a drink here but the restaurant wasn’t open. I would have loved to explore this place some more for landscaping ideas.

We stopped at Henry Miller Memorial Library. Henry Miller was a local writer. This place has some serious hippy vibes and felt very peaceful. They have a cat who was very welcoming. A pathway filled with art leads to a small wooden building full of books for sale. There is an outdoor stage where they frequently have events. And, as we were leaving, the cat sat on my lap! I know what an honor it is to have a cat deem you worthy for attention. Whenever we see a stray cat, I ask Daniel if we can have a kitty. He says no but that doesn’t stop me from trying to catch a cat.

We stopped for a drink at a restaurant with great views from their patio but they were really expensive so we just enjoyed the view. We also got to pet a 3 month old Dachshund who we watched try to play with a husky but squealed and ran when the husky stood up.

First working telephone booth we have found! $1 for 4 minutes.

On the way home, we noticed a lot of people were watching the sunset. We stopped at Monastery Beach to rockhound and enjoy the last of the sunshine.

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11-24-2024
H: 60ºF L: 43ºF
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

We took the boys for a walk around the campground. It was really pretty with the fall colors of the trees and the surrounding hills.

When we got back to the camper, we were relaxing when we heard a knock on the door. A little boy and girl asked Daniel to see the Cybertruck. Teslas are definitely popular with kids and Daniel is always happy to spend some time showing them the cool features. My favorite Tesla feature is “Emissions” which makes a fart sound. You can use it like a Whoopee Cushion inside the car or select it for the sound of your blinker. You can even change the sound of the Cybertruck’s horn to a fart sound!

We talked to our friend, Rob, who told us this area is the garlic capital of the world. We love garlic!

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11-25-2024
H: 58ºF L: 48ºF
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

We explored the coastal village of Capitola, CA. It was a cute town and I was really happy to find some polished agate stones in a shop for 25¢ each.

Then we went to see the movie Wicked. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think much about it before going because Daniel really wanted to see it. So, like a good wife, I said, “Sure! Let’s go see it!” I didn’t know it was musical although I should’ve guessed as much. I like musicals on stage but not in the form of a movie typically. One of the positives about this movie is the animal rights theme. I also liked Glinda’s wardrobe.

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11-26-2024
H: 57ºF L: 46ºF
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

We went to Gilroy, CA as it is the garlic capital of the world. We stopped at a garlic store full of braided garlic and hot sauces. We didn’t buy anything at that store but we did buy 3 pounds of peeled garlic at Costco. I like to mince the garlic in our NutriBullet and freeze it in ice cube trays.

We also stopped to look at some campers for sale. We love our little camper but it’s fun to look at other options. The place we stopped at had mostly Grand Design units. Daniel and I both agree that it would be nice to have a couch which reclines.

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11-27-2024
H: 60°F L: 41°F
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

We explored more coastal towns today. We stopped at the Pacific Grove Butterfly House. The house has a beautiful story behind its loud colors. When a husband and wife moved into the house in 1977, the wife was losing her vision due to a genetic disease. One day the husband carved a butterfly and decorated it with bright colors and mirrors. Upon presenting it to his wife as a present, they realized she could still appreciate the bright colors. So began the husband’s 25 year process to adorn their house with color and butterflies. He wanted to make sure she could find their house after walks with her seeing eye dog. Both husband and wife have passed away but the new owners of the house intend to maintain the legacy of a husband’s love for his wife.

We stopped at Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary. The city of Pacific Grove purchased 2.4 acres in 1990 as a permanent home for the butterflies. Western Monarch butterflies travel to the coast of California during the winter. We enjoyed the scavenger hunt of looking in the trees to find clusters of the butterflies.

We drove along the coast toward Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. It was a very pretty drive on a beautiful day. We had planned on taking the 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach but they wanted $12 just to drive through neighborhoods and past golf courses.

Clint Eastwood was once the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is such a quaint little town with charming houses and magical courtyards. My favorite part of this town are the various alleyways which lead to stores.

We also saw a bicycle with a dog in the sidecar. A little later we found the bike for sale in a store. I’m sure it was really expensive but I think the boys would love it!

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11-28-2024
H: 63ºF L: 35ºF
Thousand Trails Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill, California

Happy Thanksgiving! We made a great meal of seitan, mashed potatoes, stuffing, whole wheat bread, roasted Brussels sprouts with vinaigrette glaze, and chocolate pudding.

Peter and Marcel enjoyed all the food we made except for the chocolate pudding, of course. While Peter was eating, he kept looking at me. I think it was the look of appreciation for good food I saw in his eyes.

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Stats

Expenses:

• Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
• Tesla Model X fuel: $0
• Campsite: $0
• Camping memberships: $38.26
• Food: $461.45

Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 76 (67 kWh)

Tesla Model X miles driven: 539.8 (168.8 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com