3. Jalama Beach County Park - Santa Barbara County
We morning-ed in Palmdale Walmart and decided to look into coastal lodging. We use a sweet little Free Ap called RV Parky; filters to fit your needs, and easily used on the fly.
The best thing we found in our jumping off spot for the Pacific Coast Highway 1 - that is to say Highway 1 north of Santa Barbara itself - which is a must see for Mission Santa Barbara and EL Presidio, but mostly the Santa Barbara County Courthouse! Wow!
But for us, that was the logical break in Highway 1 to switch from our TT method in February 2014 from San Diego to Santa Barbara, over to this little single vehicle long TC method, and why there's been a four year break in between the two.
We called Jalama Beach County Park (pronounced Ha-Lama) to see if they had any sites for the night. They did - only one night on the beach however, which is their Premium Sites at $50 a pop and no hookups and only like 12 sites of those - and the rest were full hookups $45, and no hookups $35, if my memory recalls correctly. But with fresh water fill and dump available, we were Golden with or without hookups! Off we went.
Leaving Highway 101 and getting onto HWY 1 near Lompoc, saw beautiful rolling green agricultural hills dressed in new Spring Green. The 15 miles from Highway 1 down to the beach was reminiscent of the Hana Highway in Maui!
By the time we arrived at the Park, the SpaceX launch (which would evacuate the whole park between 2:30 AM and 7:30 AM the morning of the launch) was postponed another day and there were TWO, count them TWO nights of beach premium site availability - so we took it!
So that was the dinette window for the next two nights.
That's Lil' Queeny above our heads.
Before we could even get parked, a neighbor camper-er was asking to see Lil' Queeny! She had a Lance on a Dodge dually 3500. A middle school science teacher with her kids on a nine-night Spring Break, booked EXACTLY six months ago - to the second. Reserved! Our deal was the result of a cancellation because of the Space launch at nearby Vandenberg AFB and the resulting Park evacuation.
I broke out the SLR and tried to re-familiarize with it. But man, these Smart Phone cameras are easy!
DW found herself easily falling back into a favorite past-time, Beach Combing. :)
Marvel Right.
Marvel Left.
Wait what!?
Cool.
Two types of gulls.
There was tar all over the place! Wait what!? Our new friend, the school teacher, explained this stuff was natural in the area. Just an oil rich area it seems.
The first day was a beautiful sunny day.
After two nights, and the one full day - included another nice drive up and down the Hana Highway, during which trip we shopped in Lompoc for groceries, gas and upcoming campsites for the upcoming week northbound - it was time to go. But no where definite to stay tonight. Just two or three options. Next time.
