January 30-Feb 1. Halfway point

Jan. 28th
Our choice to stay warm guided us to the coast of California.  The drive through the desert continued to be windy.  In fact, once we had gotten over the Los Padres Mts., we drove directly into a sandstorm.  This was harrowing for Mark trying to control the van and see where were headed.  Fortunately, we were able to pass through it in about 10 minutes.  We chose the highways to get around Los Angeles as quickly as possibly.  We heard that Highway 101 had recently been reopened due to horrific fires followed by rain and deadly mud slides.
   There is a village north of Ventura, Carpinteria, that is located directly on the beach.  The town of Carpinteria is charming, with a seaside feel but not too beachy with the smell of Eucalyptus Trees.  We walked to town for dinner through a lovely park and charming side streets.   It was a treat to have Thai food after our camping time in Joshua Tree.  .Unfortunately, what used to be a beautiful beach was now littered with piles of debris from the fires and mud slides.  There is a poisonous bacteria in the ocean, so no swimming.  The once green hills that frame the town to the east were bare from the burn. Some of the side streets were still coated with a layer of mud.  There is still much work to be done in the cleanup department in several of these coastal towns. This was a horrific and damaging and deadly series of storm events.
   Because the beach was not accessible, we moved north to Refugio State Park.  We were able to secure one of the last spaces for the RV.  The State Parks are much more spacious for camping so we decided to stay an extra night.  The beach here was clean and we witnessed a gorgeous sunset.

 Jan. 30th
   We are slowly making our way up the California coast and enjoying the beaches and small farming towns along the way.  We are in Pismo Beach at the moment and waiting for one more visit with Mike before he heads back to Jackson.  He had spent some time in San Diego and then with a friend in LA.