Happier Camper on California's Central Coast

[Dbybe]

I made a quick trip down to Avila Beach California from Sacramento this last week. My wife is a landscape painter and rented an apartment down there for a month to do some painting in a different area. (A trip planned and reserved before we had the trailer.) I put in about 650 miles over 6 days, camping at Morro Bay State Park on the central Coast, Morro Strand State Beach, and later for one night at Veteran's Memorial Park in Monterey. Of the 6 days my wife stayed with me overnight for 2 nights and we had three full days together. I had a little rain, but mostly sunny as you can see from the pics. I even drove the trailer from Morro Bay to Monterey along California's Highway 1, one of the most beautiful drives you can make. I posted a few pictures here, and there are a few more in my album of this trip.

[Gail H]

How were the restrooms at Morro Bay SP? The photos posted by folks on YELP look disgusting and I'm wondering if it is typical or not. What a shame for a beautiful campground! Love your camper. It's very, very cute!

[Peg Davis]

Originally Posted by Gail H

How were the restrooms at Morro Bay SP? The photos posted by folks on YELP look disgusting and I'm wondering if it is typical or not. What a shame for a beautiful campground! Love your camper. It's very, very cute!

They were ok last year, but basic. Don't remember them ever being that filthy.

[Dbybe]

Originally Posted by Gail H

How were the restrooms at Morro Bay SP? The photos posted by folks on YELP look disgusting and I'm wondering if it is typical or not. What a shame for a beautiful campground! Love your camper. It's very, very cute!

I did not find the bathrooms especially dirty. They all seemed to work, though they flushed a bit slow. I was there mid week but the sites were pretty full. I took a look at the yelp reviews and other than that they seem pretty accurate. The middle part of the campground is pretty open and the sites are fairly close together. (I think a lot of trees have been removed since we camped there in the 70's) I did not notice much traffic noise. The water is potable but it did have a bad taste. Not a problem for us as we had some sweet Sacramento water in our tank. As an aside, I was an Architect with California State Parks and just as I retired one of my staff was redesigning the shower/restroom buildings in the park. The buildings there now are about 5-6 years old.

[Dbybe]

One other thing I thought might have generated the comments now that I think about it. I mentioned that there was a problem flushing the toilets. I think they must have had water pressure issues as it was the same at all the toilet buildings. The toilets were flush valve type, (not tanks.) The problem seemed to be inconsistent. I can see that in a high use time perhaps some users did not take the time to be sure the flushing was complete.

[Peg Davis]

Our favorite area. We lived there for years while the hubby petroleum engineered the platforms, and our son graduated CPSLO. Returned home to St. Louis after hubby started rotating in and out of Yemen, But last year we winterbirded Jan-Mar at the red necky Le Sage Riviera, just south of Pismo. Great fellow winter birders there. We had a 17' Casita then, but changed out for a 19' Scamp, to enable sewing inside and out. It's a guilty pleasure to watch the St. Louis weather...... Also love both your camper and trike. Next time stop and at seal beach. Plenty of parking, free, right off the road, and an amazing spectacle.

[LindaandPat]

Originally Posted by Dbybe

I made a quick trip down to Avila Beach California from Sacramento this last week. My wife is a landscape painter and rented an apartment down there for a month to do some painting in a different area. (A trip planned and reserved before we had the trailer.) I put in about 650 miles over 6 days, camping at Morro Bay State Park on the central Coast, Morro Strand State Beach, and later for one night at Veteran's Memorial Park in Monterey. Of the 6 days my wife stayed with me overnight for 2 nights and we had three full days together. I had a little rain, but mostly sunny as you can see from the pics. I even drove the trailer from Morro Bay to Monterey along California's Highway 1, one of the most beautiful drives you can make. I posted a few pictures here, and there are a few more in my album of this trip.

Hi . Can you tell us in your opinion could we tow our 19 ft Escape pulled by a Ford F-250 8 ft bed truck on highway 1 ? They tell us not too . This same truck with a camper and our 20 ft class C made this trip fine . Never pulled trailer there though . We did the Oregon coast fine . Your thoughts wold be appreciated. Thankyou . Pat

[Dbybe]

Originally Posted by LindaandPat

Hi . Can you tell us in your opinion could we tow our 19 ft Escape pulled by a Ford F-250 8 ft bed truck on highway 1 ? They tell us not too . This same truck with a camper and our 20 ft class C made this trip fine . Never pulled trailer there though . We did the Oregon coast fine . Your thoughts wold be appreciated. Thankyou . Pat

I cannot say for sure if you should try it but I can explain my own experiences. This section of Highway 1 is much tighter than the sections of the Oregon Coast I have seen. I am not sure what a Class C is, but I think the problem is when you are towing a trailer. The Happier Camper is much shorter, and possibly narrower, than your trailer so it tracked pretty closely to the wheel track of the car in the corners. I have a little experience towing a longer trailer on Highway 1. It was a 22' C-Dory on a tandem axle trailer. For the 10 miles I spent on 1, near Nick's Cove on Tomales Bay, the trailer wheels probably spent more time on the shoulder or across the line, than in my lane. You had to constantly position the truck based on where the trailer wheels were ending up. I would not want to do this for over 100 miles. I did not really see any "large" trailers on the section between San Simeon and Big Sur.

[LindaandPat]

Originally Posted by Dbybe

I cannot say for sure if you should try it but I can explain my own experiences. This section of Highway 1 is much tighter than the sections of the Oregon Coast I have seen. I am not sure what a Class C is, but I think the problem is when you are towing a trailer. The Happier Camper is much shorter, and possibly narrower, than your trailer so it tracked pretty closely to the wheel track of the car in the corners. I have a little experience towing a longer trailer on Highway 1. It was a 22' C-Dory on a tandem axle trailer. For the 10 miles I spent on 1, near Nick's Cove on Tomales Bay, the trailer wheels probably spent more time on the shoulder or across the line, than in my lane. You had to constantly position the truck based on where the trailer wheels were ending up. I would not want to do this for over 100 miles. I did not really see any "large" trailers on the section between San Simeon and Big Sur.

Thankyou for yout response . Was going to do a day trip because I can't remember . The class c is a small motor home which is really almost half the length of trailer at 23 ft . 19 1/2 total for trailer plus truck almost 20 . Pretty long . I get what your saying the turns . I saw your thread and was hoping . Pat