Pacific Coast Highway

Santa Cruz

Surfing's holy grail! We're here, and we're stuck here. The reason: the lock on our gas cap has jammed. So we can no longer fill up... Very handy!

We end up "ripping off" that darn cap ourselves and finding a replacement. I can still hear the guy at the store shouting "Oh my God!" when I tell him, after a fourth try, that the one he gave me actually fits our KIFONS!

We take advantage of this pit stop to get our home on wheels a full service at Comprehensive Mechanics, a small independent garage that has no problem with our European engine, unknown on this side of the Atlantic! Engine and axle oil change, all filters replaced at 60,000 miles, which means 11,200 miles driven since France.

Here we discover the power of the Pacific Ocean and the bond between surfers and these enormous waves. You tame them... or you die.
You catch the wave or you get smashed on the rocks. Right here, more than 100 surfers have been smashed on the rocks.

On Highway 1

A crazy road between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Highway 1, billed as one of the most beautiful in the United States.
One lane each way. On the left, the mountains. On the right, the cliff. At the bottom of the cliff, the Pacific Ocean.

Our forced stop in Santa Cruz means we hit this road on a Saturday. There are people. Lots of people. For the night, we try to find a spot in one of the few campgrounds that share the American RV business.
And we're in luck! There are a few spots left in one of them. Price: $70 a night. It's 6 p.m. It's almost dark, but still... We're not Americans, folks.

$70 just to sleep in OUR KIFONS? That's a little hard to swallow.
So we hit the road again and find a superb pullout (much better than that darn campground), free, with a 180° view of the ocean. One of the rare spots where the authorities haven't yet gotten around to putting up a "no overnight parking" sign!
The law is the law! No sign. So we can sleep there!
We stay 2 nights. One whole day enjoying the sun, the ocean and the happiness of being together as a family!

Morro Bay

On the road. We stop by chance in Morro Bay and park for the night (after a good restaurant, of course!) by chance... right next to Julien and Iseult's van.
They're from Toulouse. They're young. They've been on the road for 2 years already. They're enjoying life and radiate good cheer. We spend the evening together in their van, with their dog Kamtar.
Safe travels to them: they know South America very well and have been discovering the States for a month already. We part ways too soon, the next morning, after swapping a few addresses. We promise to meet up again in the Yucatán in December.

We feel really good in Morro Bay, so we stay 4 days. 4 days just for us. Time to ride a four-wheel surrey bike, go swimming fully dressed (it's so much better!), laugh our heads off in the costume shops, and enjoy the playground less than 30 feet from KIFONS.
Life is good. It's a really nice place. Here we discover the boat wash-down stations that let us fill up on water for less than $1. Thanks to Julien and Iseult for the tip. We'll use them all the time during our stay in California.