Helen and I don’t consider RV travel a vacation. We view it as living our lives in a variety of locations. Some of those locations are amazing, but we have all the chores that are part of our everyday routine. There’s laundry, cleaning, cooking, trash disposal, and I could go on–you get my drift
In many of those delightful locations, we visit local attractions, treat ourselves to a nice meal at a local restaurant, or shop for fresh seafood and vegetables at local markets. Our most recent campground is in Seal Beach, CA, and we made the short drive to Long Beach, CA, for the Sunday Farmer’s Market at the Marina. The vegetable displays included fresh vegetables of every variety, which were impossible to pass up. We did pass on fresh eggs–they were too pricey for our food budget. (Click on the images to view)
After two weeks of camping at Seal Beach, we moved down the coast to San Onofre Recreational Beach, one of two oceanfront campgrounds on Marine Base Camp Pendelton. We camped at San Onofre for several days last summer and vowed to return. San Onofre is a beautiful campground, and the campsites are on the beach. The picture below illustrates how close we were to the waterfront. Our red truck is in the upper portion of the image.
Helen and I decided to make this stop as much of a vacation as possible. We ventured out rarely and let everything in front of us serve as our entertainment. It was a good call, but we had to endure two days of heavy rain before our vacation began.
Once the skies cleared, a company of Marines moved in for a heavy dose of exercise on the sandy beach. They began with sit-ups with arms interlocked, then started doing push-ups in a chain of men with legs extended over the shoulders of the Marines behind. They also ran sprints carrying another Marine on their backs. I was exhausted just watching the drill.
Another element of our daily entertainment included dozens of surfers riding the waves. They arrived before sunrise and remained long after the sun went down. Most of them were very skilled and fun to watch as they scooted through water tunnels to the shoreline.
We spent our days walking, reading, cooking some great seafood, and generally taking it easy until about 5:30 every afternoon when the real entertainment began. Our trailer sat on our campsite in a manner that afforded an unobstructed view of the sunset, and those sunsets were stunning. I attached a 70-200 mm zoom lens to my camera and captured the dazzling spectacle almost every evening. I have shared some of the more dramatic ones below.
By now, I’m confident I have lulled everyone to sleep with our semi-lazy lifestyle, but that captures much of our stay here—and we loved it. We did take one side trip to San Juan Capistrano, which I’ll share in the next post. For now, I’m off to my nap.
We’re Easin’ Along and loving it!
It sounds absolutely perfect!!
We were beach chair bums most of the time!
What gorgeous pictures. You got a perfect spot at the campground, and bonus that you got to watch the surfers. I could sit and watch the surf roll in for hours. It sooths the soul.
Hi, Marian,
Watching the surf roll in for hours…that nails it for our two weeks in San Onofre.
Sitting here with my morning coffee while reading your post. Looking out the kitchen window at yet another coating of fresh snow. The thermometer reads 33 degrees, so fingers crossed that temps will rise enough today to melt it. Looking at the photos in your post, noting the delightful campsite, amazing view and spectacular sunsets. It’s all about location, location, location – and I’m lusting after yours. Just. So. Envious. You and Helen can plan a “vacation” for us anytime, Joe. You sure know how to do it up right! Love the clouds in your header photo – they’re spectacular!
Good morning, Mary!
We’re blessed and we know it…and we’re grateful. San Onofre, Del Mar (current campground), and Coronado, are as good as it gets in the Military campground inventory. Our neighbors tell us we have had some extremely cold weather in Knoxville, and I’m so glad we avoided that. Hang in there, spring will arrive soon and you’ll be on the road again. BTW, you know more about trip planning than I’ll ever learn, and you have an Alaska trip to prove it. Glad you liked the pics. Have a delightful weekend, and please stay in touch! Joe
We have never been RV’s, but I imagine a big part of the appeal is ‘living’ while experiencing local culture. You guys have that all figured out. Curious about the price of eggs. We have been buying fewer than usual also.
Hey there!
You’re so right about the appeal of an RV lifestyle. We hook up and drag our tiny house to a new location and “live” there for awhile. I’ve never been attracted to owning a second home in a permanent spot, but I really enjoy taking our second home wherever we go. Due to the Bird Flue, egg prices in California average about $8.00 a dozen. I’ll pay that occasionally, but I can’t fork over the $14.00 at the Farmer’s Market. Great to hear from you–here’s hoping the move is going well. Have a great weekend! Joe
I love following your travels and adventures. I can assure you that you never lull your readers to sleep – quite the opposite.
Donna,
Helen and I love having you along. Have a wonderful weekend, and stay warm up there! Joe
Excellent decision, Joe. San Onofre Beach and the skies in your photos look amazing. Have a great week and safe travels.
Thanks, Natalie,
San Onofre was the perfect place to sit and relax. I did get in a one mile walk almost everyday tho’. Thanks for checking in. Have a delightful week! Joe
Joe, it’s good for the body and soul to plan those “vacation” days when traveling for extended periods of time. It’s always exciting to be someplace different and to try to do “all the things,” but every once in a while, we need to just kick back and relax! It looks like you found a splendid place for your vacation. :-))
Good morning, Laurel,
We needed that break, and, except for the first two very rainy days, we had great weather, heavy surf, and a surfer show to entertain us. It was wonderful. We’re in Coronado, CA now and we might venture out some, but this is my favorite campground, so I won’t venture far. Great of you to check in. Have a fabulous day, and please stay in touch. Joe
San Diego beaches are the best, Joe. I adore your sunset shots and even the line of marines working out! That campground looks amazing! I like your description of vacation. Ours is a perpetual vacation too. Hans and I joke that every day is Friday. You must be heading back soon. Safe travels!
Good morning, Terri
Thanks for the nice comments–it’s always great to hear from you. The two campgrounds on Camp Pendelton and the Navy campground in Coronado are the best in the Military inventory, and terrific places to wind up a trip to the West Coast. The Marines at San Onofre went through a workout that would humble us mere mortals, and I’m so proud that we have young people like that in uniform. You’re right about us heading back home–we start tomorrow (Saturday). Enjoy your weekend. Joe