Ventura

The Woman’s draw to the ocean brought us here. Our only plans was to park right next to the ocean, hope for decent weather so we could hike and bike and have a nightly campfire, and then let the thunder of the crashing waves lull us to sleep. We got lucky on the weather front and had several days doing exactly that.

Ventura County runs a long stretch of beach about 6 miles north of Ventura. Two small county parks, Hobson Beach and Faria Beach, each have day use parking and a limited number of camping spots, along with a small food shack. But what attracts us is what is between Hobson and Faria. The original Pacific Coast Highway runs between them, still just yards from the surf. The County has marked 127 45 foot long parking spaces where you can park a trailer or a motorhome – no services but you are so close to the ocean that when the surf is really active you can hear occasional spray hitting Colectiva!
 

The routine was pretty much the same daily but we absolutely loved it! Walk the length of the beach stopping at each of the small parks. Then bike along the Pacific Coast Bike Trail that runs along the water all the way from Ventura to Carpentaria.

On the bike path in Seacliff we found a small budget type inn that we had always ignored in the past. This time we noticed that they claimed to have a restaurant and we decided to stop and check it out. What a find! While the hotel was very modest, they were located on a point that jutted out into the Pacific. They used a good portion of that point as outdoor seating, and had a very nice menu, and a very nice selection of local wines. Except for having to keep an eye on your food due to the always aware and occasionally aggressive gulls, this was an absolute gem of a find. Bike in, dine outdoors on the ocean, and bike out!

The crashing waves this morning have been washing both Colectiva and the Equinox with blankets of waves. When locals see our Nevada plates many have said to us “don’t ever turn your back on the ocean!” I thought it just a clever phrase, like just a common greeting between folks on the coast. Having to change my wet clothes from being drenched as I was putting away some chairs – yes, with my back to the ocean – I decided it wasn’t just a casual greeting.

Talk to you soon!