Pacific Coast 2012

March 30 - April 3, 2012

The new awning got a workout in Morro Bay State Park

...In Which Barbie Tows The Pickle Herself And Causes Only Minor Damage

This was a bit of a shakedown cruise and a chance for me to learn just how many details Bart keeps track of on any given trip.

The idea of trailering solo didn't cause too much trepidation - I've was exposed to trucks and tractors and horse trailers at an early age. But all the myriad steps of setting up and breaking camp have not yet gotten fixed in my head.


I headed south to Morro Bay with the Tin Pickle in tow and an Airstreamer friend in the passenger seat. We were headed for the Silver Sister's Rally. There were about a dozen of us, all told, coming and going, greeting and eating, sheltering from the rain in one trailer or another. The Pickle's front double bed served as a couch and folding chairs and dogs filled the hallway. The awning held up, though and kept things dry during occasional evening sprinkles.

All of this group were in the Pickle at the same time,
including the dogs

At least it was a gentle rain

The visiting kids were as entertaining as the exhibits

I slipped away before the potluck to explore the natural history museum overlooking Morro Rock and the bay. They had a fabulous collection of stuffed birds - the only raptors I saw on the whole trip, just about. The observation deck outside overlooks the water's edge where snowy and common egrets, herons, oystercatchers and curlews prowled for food.

In reality, it is much steeper than it looks.

The next part of the trip saw me driving all by myself up the Pacific Coast Highway. The weather was bright, there were plenty of turnouts for me to let the lines of cars pass me, I could meander without pressure, and the campsite #17 at Kirk Creek campground was level and easy to back into. Ideal.

The huge waves were visible even from the top of our cliff.

Unfortunately, we only had that site for one night and our other site was impossible: steep and short. Fortunately, there was a level site available for two nights, so we lived happily ever after in campsite 24.

Oh, that would be happily except for the bent rod that lowers the stabilizers. That took a hit on a low rock as I was squeezing around a tight bend into the second campsite.

I got the trailer positioned well enough to camp. When Bart arrived from the north on his motorcycle, he and I worked together to put the trailer up on leveling boards. Some things just work better with two people.

Home away from home

The hills drop right into the ocean.

Bart arrived in time for dinner and a walk down to the beach. He filmed his motorcycle ride both ways, so we can re-live the swoopy curves of coastal Highway 1.

A hike up the trail above the campground gave us extensive views of the coast and a bird's eye view of the Tin Pickle. Now I have pictures of the solar panels and I don't even need a sky hook!

The highway runs on the near side of the row of trees.
It's a steep drop off the side of the trail.

Bird's eye view

Road construction changed our plans a bit, but that's not the least bit unusual on this stretch of road. Night closures meant that Bart had to leave early in order to be at work on time on Tuesday. A previously unscheduled day closure meant that I had most of another day to enjoy the coast. An 8 am to 4 pm closure backs up a lot of cars. I counted 265 coming the other way when they first opened it up.

The three hours I spent in line at the roadblock gave me a chance to walk in the redwoods at Limekiln State Park and chat with other line denizens - from Sweden, Heidelberg, Montreal, Australia and various parts of the U.S. The Aussie and I shared cold carrots from the Tin Pickle's fridge and enjoyed the camaraderie of being stranded, completely out of touch with the world on the other side of the hill.

Kirk Creek campground is just above the white post
in the center of the picture.

The evening light gave an opalescent glow to the air and water.