Parking at Rincon Parkway.

A stretch of frontage road right off of the 101 freeway just north of our house is a place called Rincon Parkway that we have wanted to check out for many years. Being so close to where we live, we often take it for granted. Every time we drive by, we are always looking to see if there is vacancy. Being a first-come-first-serve campground right by the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, it is a busy spot year round.

We decided that on this warm Wednesday morning, we are going to bring the Mish there while it is still early in the week so we can claim a spot for ourselves. That is the only way you can guarantee yourself a spot at this place during the summer months. Being that it is winter time, we could have waited but we didn’t want to leave it to chance.

Driving north on the 101, your best bet with a large trailer is to actually drive past the stretch of frontage road and exit at Seacliff. This way you are facing the right direction when you get to your spot and also you can take a look over the southbound traffic and get an idea of how crowded it is.

Being as beautiful of a December day as it was, no one was there. Probably less than 5 campers occupy the more than 100 spaces along the beach. We didn’t complain as the sun was shining and we had our pick of the litter. Since the spaces are 40 feet in length and we measure at a few feet over that while hitched, I picked a spot with a pay station and dumpster in front of me. That gives me some wiggle room to hitch and unhitch without having to worry about getting pinned in if the place gets crowded.

To one side, we are just a few rock hops away from the beach and the Pacific.

To the other side, we have a small 2-lane frontage road with the railroad tracks just on top of the berm. It is the route for the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner that takes passengers up and down the California coastline and they do come a few times a day. I think there even might be a train that comes late in the evening. We didn’t care though, we were proud owners of this beach front property for the next 4 days!

We couldn’t believe how nice of a day it was and we immediately made the best of it. Our friend Michelle brought her kids Grace and Cole to the beach for the afternoon and had a ball.

Being so close to our house, our plan was not to stay here the entire time. In fact, we planned on working as usual and taking the kids to school each morning while spending the nights in the Mish.

I guess you can look at it as us owning a ‘beach house’. Except it was not a house and we only have it for 4 days.

This stretch of beach is also known as the American Riviera. Its mild weather and beautiful coastline with easy access from a major city makes it a very popular destination for tourists. Today however we were not having to share the beach with hardly anyone.

Right down the south end of the beach is actually a county campground called Faria Beach. I didn’t even bother to check it for vacancy as its limited size makes getting a spot there nearly impossible. There are a few full hookup sites and some partial hookup sites along with the rest of dry camping spots perches right at a point of the coast. It is definitely quieter and more kid friendly without the train tracks and frontage road right next to you. We might just have to try our luck next time in getting a spot there for a few nights.

Can you tell Mila is happy about our winter beach excursion?

That smile was stuck on her face all day. If it doesn’t come off soon, we might have to call a doctor.

By the end of the day the weather started to look a little grim. That’ll wipe that smirk off of her face in the morning.

over and out,
dan