SLO is just a stone's throw from Los Osas. Those of you who know Westfalias, will know that Los Osas, CA is the home of Go Westy, a mecca of sorts for Westy owners.
Getting to the coast is clearly a milestone for us. But let's talk a little about our trip here. We spent several days in the desert and canyons of Southern Utah enjoying great weather and unbeatable scenery.
We spent a night outside of Moab, on Potash Road for those of you who rock climb; then a night near Capital Reef NP, on Notam Road; and two nights in Kodachrome Basin.
Capital Reef NP
All of the sites were on BLM land. Gotta love the BLM for free, dog-friendly camping. Also gotta love the BLM offices for helpful, friendly employees.
Kodachrome Basin, UT
We left Kodachrome Basin and spent some time in Zion NP. Stunning scenery and relatively few visitors at this time of year. Most national parks are not super dog-friendly and Zion is no exception, so we didn't stay as long as we would have had Chettie not been with us.
Zion NP
Our not-so-well-conceived plan was to emerge from the desert and spend a night or two in St George, Utah: big city with all the conveniences. Ha. St George is a sprawling city that happened to be hosting several athletic competitions (including a swim meet at their impressive aquatic center) in addition to a marching band competition. Who knew? There was not a room to be found.
We retreated to some BLM land north of the city and found a little nook to park and camp for the night. Got up the next morning and headed on. Other than some provisions and gas, St George did not benefit from our tourist dollars.
Silver Cliff RA, North of St George, view out the back of the Westy
We crossed a little corner of Arizona, the tip of Nevada and then the California border. There are some who would say that just driving the Westy from Colorado to California is an adventure. For us, the adventure is just beginning.
That part of California is brown and desolate, not at all what you think of when you think of California. We made a stop at an independent convenience mart with lots of Ron Paul signs on the property and asked about a place to camp for the night. The owner gave us two options: one, a dry lake bed; the other in the Afton Canyon. We'd have headed to the canyon, but he told us there was a wedding going on there with 400-500 people. So we headed to the dry lake bed. It was like no other place we've ever been. Kinda cool in a really different sort of way. It was just us and the wind out there. Hard to describe, but very pleasant.
Dry lake bed camp spot in eastern California
Dry lake bed--Westy is in the lower right hand corner of the 'lake'.
And then on to San Luis Obispo and Los Osas. SLO is home to Cal Poly so it has that college town vibe we love. Tons of great restaurants, a happening bike shop, super walkable. Just an all around nice place.
First thing this morning we headed to the coast and let Chet dip her paws in the ocean. Timid at first, she got pretty frisky once she got the feel for it. The surf was pretty rough, and it was a leash-only beach, so we headed to a quieter cove and let her swim there. She still hasn't had the true wave experience.
Chettie at Montana de Oro SP, Los Osos CA
So far we are very happy with the Westy's performance, Chettie has really taken to life on the road and Mike and I are working out our systems and haven't had an argument yet. Right. Okay, maybe there have been a few words and, of course, there is always that tone of voice thing. But really, we're doing well. We're totally psyched for our adventure and feel fortunate to be able to pursue this endeavor. We're having fun and feel the burdens of the work-a-day world slipping away.
Chettie at the Wheel
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Love it!
ReplyDeleteYay! You're really doing it!!!!!
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