12-8-2024
H: 63ºF L: 46ºF
Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground, Oceano, California
We are exploring the area today. Our first stop was at Paso Market Walk in Paso Robles, CA where The Vreamery, a vegan cheese place, is located. It is definitely a cool location. It is a food court with local vendors and indoor and outdoor seating areas. We got a breakfast burrito to share and a few ounces of vegan cheese for later which we’ll pair with a vegan wine. Daniel got a Truffle Brie and I got a Pesto Parmesan. We bought some wine from Trader Joe’s – $3.49 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon. We are definitely not wine snobs!
We stopped at the Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel, CA which is a Franciscan mission built in 1797. It is a National and California Historic Landmark. You can pay to take a tour but we felt we saw enough just walking around the front courtyard.
We went to Parkfield, CA which is the Earthquake Capital of the World. It is on the San Andreas fault and we stopped at a bridge which connects the two tectonic plates. You can see the curve in the 1936 bridge where it has shifted over the years. The bridge was specially built with a sliding joint so it can shift without sustaining too much damage. It is a very pretty and peaceful area. We did not feel any temblors while we were there.
We drove through the town of Parkfield, CA. The town has a population of 18 but it had some cool stuff including a complex with a lodge and cafe which looked custom built with artistic flare. There are two cute tree houses with tree stump bases and fountains made of metal parts from old drilling equipment.
12-9-2024
H: 67°F L: 45°F
Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground, Oceano, California
Early this morning we heard a train go by and then the coyotes started howling. It was so neat to hear them!
We went to Pismo Preserve and hiked the High Road. It offered amazing views and free parking. We only hiked 1.5 miles but half of it was uphill so we felt like we got a good workout.
We enjoyed an evening with our recently purchased vegan cheese and vegan wine. The Rebel Cheese Truffle Brie was excellent. The Pesto Parmesan was a little too salty. The Charles Shaw wine never disappoints. So, overall it was an excellent evening of indulgence.
12-10-2024
H: 63ºF L: 42ºF
Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground, Oceano, California
We stayed home today. Daniel washed the cars and I did a lot of laundry.
The moon was really spectacular with a moon halo.
12-11-2024
H: 62ºF L: 44ºF
Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground, Oceano, California
It’s an adventure day! We started in Solvang, CA. It’s a Danish themed town and was really cute and bigger than we expected. Peter walked with us (Marcel is still on bed rest from hurting his knee) and he did really well and got a lot of attention. We’d recommend visiting this town if you are in the area.
On the way out of town we stopped at the Los Padres National Forest Headquarters to ask about boondocking. Ranger Patrick was very informative. Since good dispersed camping sites seem to be highly guarded secrets by the people who use them, we wanted to learn about the best ways to find them. Patrick told us all the good spots in the area. We will probably contact other National Forest offices in the future when we want to boondock.
Our next stop was the Whale House. This house, which doesn’t have any straight walls, was designed to blend in with the land. From the front, there is door which looks like a mouth and a small circular window for the eye – hence the whale moniker. We couldn’t get close enough to take good pictures but this house is cool! Records indicate it was sold in January 2024 and it looks like it is being renovated as there was a lot of scaffolding on the outside. Check out this rental listing for pictures of this cool place.
We went to the Wall of Frogs where hundreds of frog statues have been left. Apparently, an unknown person left a frog statue in 1989 and others have followed suit by leaving frog paraphernalia ever since.
Next on our list of stops was Franceschi Park. This small park is a community treasure with awesome views of the city and ocean. It offers free parking and a public restroom. This is the former estate of Francesco Franceschi. The house was built in 1893 by Mr. Franceschi who was a well known horticulturalist. Mr. Franceschi imported 900+ plants and trees to his 40 acre estate and, in doing so, altered Southern California’s landscape. The estate has been managed by the city since 1931 but has not been maintained so the gardens are overgrown and the house has been on the demolition list for years. We loved the views and the drive up to this park which winds through a very nice neighborhood. We found the Grass Tree to be unique.
The Moreton Bay Fig Tree in Santa Barbara, CA is believed to be the largest fig tree in the United States. This tree was planted around 1926 and is a historical landmark. It was massive and we wished we could have touched its trunk but it was fenced off to protect the roots.
Our last stop was Carpinteria State Beach to see the Carpinteria Tar Pit Park located on the beach in Carpinteria, CA. This is one of five tar pits in the world. Tar has been seeping out of the earth here since the Ice Age. The tar was used by Native Americans to waterproof their boats and then was used as asphalt for local roads. It was even used as a garbage dump. Well-preserved fossils can be found in tar pits although this particular tar pit has not been studied given its previous use as a garbage dump. We thought it was so cool. Daniel was especially geeked to see the tar seeping right onto the beach. We parked at the end of Calle Ocho in a residential area where the tar pits were just a short walk.
Located near the tar pits is the Harbor Seal Rookery. We walked down a pretty path to the beach overlook but we didn’t see any seals. We were however treated to a magical sunset.
On the way back to our car, we stopped to look at a little house decked out for Christmas.
12-12-2024
H: 61ºF L: 43ºF
Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon, Acton, California
It’s a travel day! We are staying about an hour and 20 minutes outside of Los Angeles. We had a nice drive but when we got to the campground we couldn’t get in because of a collision with two trucks, one of them pulling a fifth-wheel camper. We were told that no one was seriously hurt in the accident. We had to sit on the side of the road for 30 minutes as the accident site was cleaned up. Luckily, it’s a very pretty area.
12-13-2024
H: 60°F L: 35°F
Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon, Acton, California
We were not disappointed with our view of the mountains from our campsite – probably the best in this very large campground.
We spent the evening with Taylor and Charlotte and met their friends and fellow full-time RVers, Jen and Cindy. We talked for six hours and had so much fun! We are so grateful for the time we spent with these wonderful people and the great conversations we had. While we knew we had full-time traveling in common, it was great to find we had so many other things in common. I made the Cashew Cheese Dip for everyone and I think it was hit. Picture courtesy of Charlotte from Away We Go.
12-14-2024
H: 59ºF L: 41ºF
Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon, Acton, California
We had a completely lazy day hanging out at the camper. Nothing was accomplished. It’s good to have lazy days occasionally.
Stats
Expenses:
- Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $27.92
- Tesla Model X fuel: $0
- Campsite: $60
- Camping memberships: $38.26
- Food: $327.35
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 185 (154 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 613.7 (190.0 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
Subscribe
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
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 below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
