March 14th 2016 - Prewitt Ridge/ Our most beautiful campsite yet

A good night sleep in a real bed and hot showers had us feeling refreshed and the sun was shining. We decided to go searching one more time for the promised seals. This time we got lucky and did spot one.

Our plan for the day was to head north on the Pacific Coast Highway toward Big Sur. Shortly into our drive, we stopped at a seal sanctuary. There were so many seals swimming in the ocean and sunbathing on the beach. They move surprisingly fast across the sand.

The Pacific Coast Highway is without a doubt the most scenic road I have ever traveled on. The ocean, the waves crashing against the rocky shore, just beautiful.

We were heading to a campsite I had found on the internet called PreWitt Ridge. The camper reviewing it had raved about how beautiful it was. As often happens to us, the road to the site was long, twisty, and challenging in spots. It was all worth it when we finally arrived. The view from our campsite was spectacular. We set up our chairs on top of a hill and were looking out over the Pacific Ocean. The pictures do not really do it justice. You really had to be there.

March 13th 2016 - Morro Bay

Sunrise at the beach was gorgeous but the weather was cool and rain was threatening. We made coffee and a quick breakfast while enjoying the view.

Driving on the sand was much easier in the daylight and we were soon on our way to Morro Bay. Nate and Leon ( fellow campers we met at the Salton Sea)  had suggested it as a good place to see seals and sea otters as well as find a reasonably priced motel for the night. 

The weather stayed cloudy and cool so we started looking for a motel shortly after we arrived in Morro Bay. We found a good deal with a check in time of 1 o'clock so we snapped it up. We had some time to kill so we went searching for the promised animal sightings. We did not see any seals but we did see a group of sea otters playing together.

The motel room was small but clean and comfortable. We had not showered since the cold water showers at the Salton Sea days before so a hot shower was very welcome. The motel owner recommended an Asian buffet in town so we took her suggestion and headed there for an early dinner. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching a movie. As much as we love camping, the occasional return to civilization is nice for a change. 

Sunrise over the Pacific Ocean

Sea otters are so cute

March 12th 2016 - Oceana Dunes

We were pleasantly surprised when we woke up and saw how beautiful the campground we had spent the night in was. It was late and pitch dark when we got there the night before. We were a little less happy when we got out of the truck and realized how cold it was! We ate a quick breakfast and got back on the road heading to Ventura.

It was a beautiful drive and our first look at the Pacific Ocean was breathtaking. We had considered not going all the way to the coast because of the time constraint but we were so glad we did.

As always, there was the question of where to spend the night. We had put out a request on Couchsurfing but had had not heard anything back so we needed a new plan. Thank goodness for the internet. We found a campground nearby and went to check it out. Unfortunately, when we got there the entrance was blocked off. We saw a truck and could hear shooting nearby so we decided to wait around for a bit and hopefully get some information.

Eventually the family of hunters came out of the woods and stopped to speak with us. It was a dad with 3 or 4 kids and a couple dogs. Turns out the road was blocked off because of rain damage so camping there for the night was out. Fortunately, they told us about a place nearby we could camp right on the beach for only $10, Oceana Dunes.

That sounded good to us and as usual it was getting late in the day so we headed that way. After a few wrong turns thanks to the GPS, we made it there. We got lots of instructions for how to drive on the sand at the entrance station including what to do if we got stuck. I was definitely hoping that would not happen as it was completely dark by now.

We hit a few scary spots and it was hard to see in some areas but we found a good spot for the night. There were a lot of other campers on the beach with us so we had to drive pretty far to find a place that was not too crowded. 

We went to bed excited about waking up right on the beach.

California is beautiful.

Wow! The Pacific Ocean is beautiful.

Nighttime on the beach

March 11th 2016 - Joshua Tree Day 2

We were not sad to leave our less than scenic home for the night as we headed back toward Joshua Tree. We needed wifi so we found a nearby coffee shop. The coffee was awesome and the outdoor space was lovely. We spent about an hour there getting some work done.

Before heading back to Joshua Tree, we ordered a couple huge California burritos from a restaurant near the coffee shop. They were so good.

Back at Joshua Tree, we took a look at the aptly named Skull Rock and took a hike on the 49 Palm Oasis Trail. It was a pretty easy 2 and a half mile hike with a beautiful grove of palm trees at the end.

There was much more to see but time was running short so we got back in the truck and headed for the coast. We were both looking forward to our first look at the Pacific Ocean.

The sunrise was pretty

Skull Rock

49 Palms Oasis

Double rainbow