Just one week ago Southern California was getting hit with temps in the 40's and 50's, and this weekend we were frolicking under sunny skies and temps in the 70's and 80's. Sometimes you just get lucky!
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| Our beautiful ocean view bluff site at Malibu RV Park. The outdoor furniture is all laid down along the edges of our patio rug to prevent it from being blown away by the strong winds that arrived each afternoon. |
This stretch of California coastline is so ridiculously beautiful, you'd be justified to just pull up a chair and spend the whole weekend looking at the ocean.
We did do an awful lot of that for sure, seeing lots of dolphin and even two whale in the process (which was very exciting!), but we also spent a good amount of time hiking in the adjacent Santa Monica mountains. The nice part about hiking here is that the ocean is rarely out of sight, making it a very different hiking experience from what we normally encounter. Both hikes below were done right out of camp, without having to get into our car and drive anywhere. I love being able to do that . . . it eliminates any concerns about how early we need to leave to make sure there will be room to park when we arrive at the trailhead, and it eliminates any day use fees from having to be paid.
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| Our lunch time resting spot with ocean views on day one, when we did an 8.5 mile loop hike from the RV park up to Mesa Point and back. |
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| A shaded portion of the trail in Solstice Canyon, ocean views temporarily hidden by the trees, where we hiked to on day three. |
In addition to having access to miles of trails right from the RV park, we also had foot access to what I think is the best fish and chips stand in L.A. County; Malibu Seafood. We walked down a short dirt trail from the RV park, and had dinner there with our friends on Friday night, where we sat for hours talking and enjoying the ocean views and gorgeous weather, before walking about 500 feet along Pacific Coast Highway back to the RV park. (It was too dark by then to navigate the uphill trail back, so we took the road instead.)
We visited the historic and beautiful Adamson House one day, and although we did have to drive a few miles to get there, parking along Pacific Coast Highway once we arrived was plentiful and free.
The Adamson House is perched along the ocean, just south of a row of ocean front homes in a gated community called The Colony. Many movie stars have called The Colony home over the years, including Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sting, and they value their privacy, so getting to the public beach fronting these homes can be a bit of a feat.
First you have to find public beach access, which nicely enough, the Adamson House was alongside. Then you have to pass under this forbidding sign to get to the beginning of the public beach pathway through The Colony, ideally at low tide so you can walk along the wet sand rather than in the water. Apparently walking on the dry sand above the high tide mark is a no-no here!
Initially we were hoping to give the impression that we were locals as we walked along the beach, but the cameras in our hands were a pretty dead give away that we weren't, so eventually we gave up trying to look cool, and just started taking photos like the tourists that we clearly were.
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| Look , mom - we're in front of famous peoples houses! |
In spite of the RV park fees being a bit on the high side, we easily came in under our target spending goal of $100 or less per RV day:
- Malibu RV Park, Full hookup, WiFi, Full Ocean View site for 4 nights/5 days: $257.60
- Gas: $31
- Groceries: No change from what we'd spend if at home
- Ice for our portable cooler (where we keep our produce and beverages): $6.50
- Adamson House Tour: $14
- Dinner at Malibu Seafood: $19.33
- Lunch at John's Garden: $12.47
- Two days of hiking in the Santa Monica mountains, walking along the beach, visiting The Colony, dolphin and whale watching, sunset viewing, reading by the ocean, Malibu Farmers Market - Free!
- TOTAL FOR 4 NIGHTS/5 DAYS: $340.90
It is hard to imagine that we had this great trip so shortly after the fantastic time we had in Palm Springs. The fun times just keep rolling! I really appreciate all that planning and hard work that goes into these trips! And in a week or so, we will be off to Thailand! Thanks, honey - you're awesome!
ReplyDeleteI think I found my calling . . . pro bono travel agent!
DeleteI'm so enjoying seeing parts of California through your eyes especially since we have a very similar way of deciding what to do and planning. Thanks for taking the time to write such interesting and informative posts. I love the starfish picture!
ReplyDeleteI love detailing our trips because I can refer back to the post if/when we return. I also enjoy the challenge of finding interesting things to do that are either well known, but truly worth doing, or slightly off the beaten path, but still terrific. And Yelp, with it's "Great, Cheap Eats" look up feature has become my new best friend!
DeleteWe usually stop for a walk on the Malibu Pier on our way from the airport to my FILs in Thousand Oaks. Last time we sat outside at the little cafe on the pier and drank wine and ate the best hummus and pita while we watched the waves roll in! Wish we still lived in S CA. Instead I am enjoying your adventures vicariously.
ReplyDeleteOur first home as newlyweds was near Thousand Oaks, in nearby Newbury Park. We love the Conejo Valley!
DeleteThank you for the tip about the little cafe on Malibu Pier. I've added it to my list of things to explore when we visit again next year. :-)
Tamara,
ReplyDeleteI think you need to change the name of your Blog to Retirement Done Right! Wonderful photos. Did Mike say something about Thailand?
It takes a little time to hit one's stride, but I think we're there. Honestly, the more we are on the road, the more I want to be on the road. Not full time necessarily, but we're definitely moving toward longer periods than when we started.
DeleteLuAnn, from Paint Your Landscape below, is a full time RV'er, along with her husband Terry. They pull a beautiful 5th wheel, which is as large and comfy as a small apartment. We don't have the technical skills to do something like they do, so we'll continue to live small in our manageable tow trailer (blog coming on just how cozy our petite trailer is.)
Yes, you did see reference to Thailand. We leave in a few days, and I'll be posting something here just before we go. Another fairly frugal trip though, believe it or not. Asia continues to be a travel bargain. :-)
This looks like a fabulous spot to camp Tamara. We would never think of Malibu for camping, always thought it would be way too expensive. Glad you had some a great time.
ReplyDeleteMidweek, winter stays are not too bad. The S-Th rate is $55 ($62 after tax) for an Ocean View, less if you are willing to be inland. That's about the same as San Elijo hook up site at this point. There's a lot to do in the area that costs $0. Even the Adamson House tour, which lasted a full 90 minutes, was only $7 a person.
DeleteNext time we will tour the Getty Villa, which is free to tour, but $15 for parking. Split by two or four people though, so still a very reasonable outing.
We're in dry dock now until the beginning of March, as we prepare to leave for Thailand next week. Always makes me sad to put out little trailer away for more than a few weeks, regardless of the reason.
We are off to Ajo, AZ in the morning. Why? We've never been there, the weather is decent, the RV park rates are low, and it is only 3 hours from home. So, why not!
DeleteOrgan Pipe National Monument and a huge open pit copper mine are just a few minutes south of town. It will be good to spend a few days away from home. The RV needs a good stretch of the legs and so do we!
I love it! And remember that I predicted you and Betty would far exceed your original 2013 RV outing days estimate!
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