We were very sad to have to leave Big Sur. We were all feeling very settled into this lifestyle and even though we had one more stop to make it did mean we were on our way home and this adventure was coming to an end. We made our way down the Pacific Coast Highway, more breathing views leaving Big Sur, quick stop to see the elephant seals in San Simeon, lunch at our favorite little beach city of Cambria and baby otters to entertain us at Morro Bay. There are really so many great vacation spots along the PCH, you could spend a lot more time exploring this area.
Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort in Oceano
Finally arriving at our destination of Oceano, we had the end of vacation blues. When we picked this spot to stay at, we didn’t have very high hopes for it. It just looked on Google Maps that the Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort had packed in RV’s like sardines, but we figured it was right next to the ocean so it would be okay, just a place to rest our heads for the night. Boy oh boy were we wrong! Yes, there were a lot of RV’s all close together, but we walked out onto the sand dunes thinking we’ll take a quick walk to the ocean and discovered that the dunes go on forever! Each sand dune we approached saying “I bet the sea is just over this dune” (as we could hear it), but alas there was yet another dune and another dune, in fact we didn’t even make it to the ocean as the sun was going down and we didn’t feel like navigating back in the dark. We barely saw any other people and found this to be a great place to sit and reflect upon our trip. We wish we could have spent more time here.
The Oceano Dunes are part of an extremely unique dune system called the Gaudalupe-Nipomo Dunes . It’s the largest remaining dune system south of San Francisco and the 2nd largest in California. It’s unique ecosystem is home to many endangered plants and animals. While we did not see a single off-road vehicle that day, we were sad to learn that Oceano is a Vehicular Recreation Area. We can only imagine the damage being done to the environment. Turns out there has been conflict for years over this between the conservationists and off-road vehicle enthusiasts. The coastal commission has recently rejected the latest proposal to restrict off-roading on the dunes, despite the fact that is proven to be a slow moving environmental disaster.
While we were sad that our trip was coming to an end, a little fire was lit inside us to make this dream of full-time travel a reality. Renting from RVshare for the week had given us an opportunity to feel out this lifestyle and help us make decisions on what kind of mobile home will work best for us. Now the real journey begins!
Up Next
The search for a bus begins to make our tiny home on wheels dream come true!
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RVshare
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Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort
Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort is the most unique RV resort in California's Pismo Beach region, with rolling sand dunes and rollicking waves in the beautiful Oceano Preserve. At Pacific Dunes Ranch, you'll enjoy an RV resort that highlights breathtaking vistas and trails to the beach. In California, we call this a winning combination - secluded and quiet but not remote.
Oceano Dunes
Formerly Pismo Dunes SVRA, this sand dune complex is geologically unique and also provides an impressive playground for off-highway enthusiasts from throughout the United States. One of several OHV areas administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Oceano Dunes also offers visitors other recreational activities such as swimming, surfing, surf fishing, camping, and hiking.
Fact Check
Coastal Commission rejects proposal to restrict off-roading at Oceano Dunes - LA Times
Gaudalupe-Nipomo Dunes - Wikipedia
