South Carlsbad State Beach

I took my first trip in the van to check everything out. Valentino was still not the best at getting in and out of the van, so I went alone. It turned out to really be a testing trip more than anything else, which was perfect for the first trip out! I was there during the storms that were causing lots of flooding and mudslides throughout California. One of the days it was not only downpouring but also raining sideways so I spent the entire day inside the van and did ok with it. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure how I would feel about spending time cooped up inside the van. so I was pleasantly surprised when I handled it well. I had a leak on the side door which just turned out to be that the door didn’t close properly since I had my bug screens rolled up, that was an easy fix! I still need to check out a couple of things to make sure they are good as well. One is my solar, but it’s hard to tell how well it works when it’s overcast and stormy. The other is my sink was having issues draining, I still need to check on that now that I’m back. Overall, the trip was great and since it was quite cold I actually got to check out how well the heater works!

They don’t have many spots that have hookups, but it’s a great place to stay. I loved that I could back up or park sideways and look out over the ocean any time of day! The locals walk through the campground and a lot of them love to chat if you are outside. The beach is quite rocky, so not the best place to walk right next to the water but the campground has nice paved roads that you can walk along. They have quite a few staircases down to the beach so it’s easy to get down there if you want to hang out or surf. There were quite a few of these super cool trees throughout the campground as well. I included a couple of them in the video below, but I could spend an entire day photographing and/or videoing them. I could see myself having a picnic in the middle of the round one. They intrigued me! They also offer live music some nights, mostly weekends which is a nice option if you want to socialize with other campers.