Venice Beach

June 20th

 

 

A few childhood dreams came true today.  We paid $9 to park our camper in the Venice Beach parking lot and made it our home base for the day.  I kept expecting the parking attendant to come and order us out, but it never happened!  It must have been at least 90 degrees today, but somehow the ocean breeze coming through our camper screens made it feel like 70 degrees all day.  Welcome to California as they say.  And I do have to say…that if you are looking for that classic California feeling…Venice Beach is a place you want to pop in.  The weather is perfect.  Bikini clad masses are skating and biking down the boardwalk.  Weirdness abounds.   Classic California. 

 

 

 

Curiously, …we passed a tall black man, wearing only a thong and some headphones, balancing on a basketball, holding a snake in each hand.  (Later, as we were walking  back, we discovered that the snakes were fakes, though.  Well played thong man....well played). Olive watched with amazement as another little old man crushed a large sheet full of liquor bottles on the ground and proceeded to sit on it while an audience member stood on his legs.  But the highlight of Ivy’s day was watching the acrobatic act of the Calypso Tumblers.  She watched with only mild amusement as they breakdanced and flipped across the concrete.  But when they asked for a cute little girl to volunteer for the next act, she raised her hand high and jumped like a spring till they chose her.  Her assignment was to follow the choreography for the benefit of hundreds of spectators.   That would have been enough.  Her biggest dream came true when the leader rewarded her with a $20 bill for her participation.  She couldn’t take her eyes off that money till I finally stashed it in her spending wallet for her.  She couldn’t believe she had danced in front of people and got paid for it.  I doubt she will forget that!  I have to commend the Calypso Tumblers for their ingenious method of insuring that an audience of hundreds of people are  sure to pay up.  With twenties instead of ones.  And it worked beautifully. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we played in the playground, Tom took off to skate inside Venice’s infamous skatepark.  It was the one thing he had wanted to do since he was a little kid. 

Tom:  Funnest park I ever skated. 

Sara:  [Smile.] 

By days end, we agreed that Venice Beach was exactly our speed.  I slept in the sun.  Tom skated and surfed.  The kids played in the sand and at the playground.  We will definitely come back here if we can concoct some inexpensive way to spend the nights.  Unfortunately, as we would see over the next few days, California is very camper family UNFRIENDLY.    Sleeping on the side of the road is illegal, and lodging is very expensive.   There was no space in any of the beachside campgrounds, so we headed north and discovered the perfectly free and  legal method of “en route camping”.  Essentially, there are some campgrounds that let you park in their parking lot if the campground is full.   We slept next to the ocean in the El Carpinteria campground parking lot for 75 cents, which was the cost of a hot 2 minute shower.     With an incredible beach day under our feet, we decided to make our way to the forest.   Sequoia National Park is where we would  go next.  Or at least that is what I thought.  Up next would actually turn out to be my big route blunder.  More on that next time.   In the meantime...

Our Trip Summed Up: 

Miles Driven:  3,274

Days Remaining:   22

Currently in:  El Carpinteria, CA

Total Spending so far:    Gas:       $947.02 out $1,500 goal

                                                Sleep:  $75 out of a $500 goal

                                                Eat:        $395.08 out of a $600 goal

                                                Other:  $126 out of a $400 goal

                                                Grand Total:  $1,543.10 out of a $3,000 goal

                                                 EEK!  This is not looking good!!!