We began our departure from the LA area and southern California on Friday, June 11. Our destination was a mere 3-hour drive from our host's home in Orange County, hugging the Pacific Ocean and offering us beautiful views of beaches along the way.
About 10 minutes from our campground, we noticed sustained winds picking up, with strong gusts accompanying them. Initially, we thought it was just due to the terrain funnelling the winds and once we got to our spot (which was just 20 yards from the ocean), things would be calmer.
How wrong we were!
The winds only picked up in intensity and there was no respite - it was just windy. We live in North Dakota and we are not strangers to wind but HOLY BUCKETS (as we say up there) this was intense.
We attempted to position the camper so that it was in line with the direction the wind was blowing, and then popped it up, but we were so concerned that the wind would bend the frame and we wouldn't be able to put it back down. The thought also crossed my mind that we could turn into Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and not know where we would wake up!
Our camper neighbor John came over to introduce himself, "Welcome to California. I'm sorry!" and offer to help, but we thought it would be best to button the camper back up and head for calmer lands. His lovely wife Lisa sent us off with some freshly made guac and chips though, so it made for a nice welcoming/parting gift.
We made it to Lompoc and got a hotel room for the night - which was admittedly better than sleeping in a windstorm, but not by much (not a room or hotel of great quality - I'll leave it at that).
The next morning was a great first day into this part of our vacation outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. Ben got a barbershop haircut and beard trim from a man named Carlos who had tattoos on every square inch of his face (and most of the rest of his body) while the girls and I walked down an historic street flanked by nearly 100-year old Italian pine trees which created a lovely canopy over the homes. After his haircut, we met up for a very relaxed morning in a local coffee shop where the girls sat on an old van bench as their seats at the table and buckled up to drink their hot chocolate.
Onward to our next stop: Cambria!
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