Cool breeze, check.
Ocean view, check.
Hearing the waves crash, double-check.
Growing up in Southern California, Orange County specifically, I was lucky to spend many days at the beach. My dad and I spent many Sunday afternoons at Newport Beach after church. My Aunt Nancy lived on Balboa Island when I was little and I remember playing in the sand at the water’s edge with her. As a girl scout, we camped at Newport Dunes more times than I can count. In high school, we took the city bus to Huntington where we boogie boarded all day then fell asleep on the bus ride back to Anaheim. We moved to Chino and the Chino kids went to Newport & Balboa where Mark body surfed at the Wedge. After high school graduation we spent a week at beach house on 31st street. Man was that fun!
After the boys were born we’d drive down for the day to ride bikes and play at the beach. At Balboa that always meant a stop at the Orange Julius. Sadly, it’s not there anymore. Corona del Mar was also a favorite spot to play. We had so much fun building sand castles and giant holes. Jeff and Kevin got so excited when water flooded our hole.
The beach has always held a special place in my heart and the biggest thing I miss now that we live in Arizona. Thankfully Mark misses it as much as I do so we try to get back to the waves often.
The City of Huntington Beach opens up a beach parking lot for camping from October through May. It’s nestled close to the pier and within easy walking distance to Main Street. While not fancy camping at all, you are at the beach! It’s water and electric with a dump station on site if you need it. There are no picnic tables at your site or a fancy clubhouse but again, you’re at the beach! Along the boardwalk, beachfront if you want to call it that, there is a size limit of under 30 feet and are back-in spaces. Anything longer and you are in the middle of the parking lot in a pull through space. Each of the pull through sites are the size of six regular parking spaces and we’ve never felt crowded in.
All reservations are done online at http://sunsetvistacamping.huntingtonbeachca.gov/index.asp. You can reserve a spot up to three months ahead of time beginning on the 1st of the month. We’ve found the weekends book up quickly. We’ve not had an issue getting a spot during the week, though. Cost is $70 per night. Since all parking between PCH and the beach is pay-for-use, there is a manned gate where you check in. This keeps car traffic to a minimum inside the designated RV Park as only registered vehicles can park within the RV park boundaries. Day use parking must use an adjacent lot, but your visitors can park near you.
It’s so nice to knock out a run along the boardwalk in the morning. I must brag, I have a much better per mile pace here at the beach. I think I should get to run here more often. You can also use the boardwalk/PCH for a nice long bike ride. We’ve ridden north through Bolsa Chica and Sunset Beach as well as south down through Newport and Balboa all the way to the Wedge.
This week we’ve had great weather. We’ve seen Catalina everyday so far, although I wouldn’t mind some fog; another thing I miss. It’s been so clear that Long Beach looks so very close. The oil derricks look like Christmas trees on the water at night.
When you come, and you really should, be sure be outside as much as possible. This beautiful setting is not the time to spend your days sitting inside the RV. My workstation this week was perched outside the RV with the radio playing.
Plan to walk along Main Street on Tuesday night for their Farmers Market. Locals farmers, artists and vendors line both sides for a few blocks. You can snack your way through and purchase photos and paintings of the famous pier. After we stroll through the market, we walk out to the end of the pier and around Ruby’s, the famous burger place with the red roof. Standing on land and looking out at the ocean is so pretty but so is standing at the end of the pier looking back toward the shore at night. There are fisherman day and night. This year we saw a man with a glow stick tied to the end of his pole. Local musicians play so you hear the drum beat along with the waves while walking on the pier. It’s such a soothing sound to me. When the breeze is right you can hear if from the campsite.
Another must stop is Duke’s at the foot of the pier. Their fish tacos are to die for. I can’t tell you about any other item on the menu because that’s all I’ve had. I found what I loved and never looked back. Duke’s is a Hawaiian restaurant with locations on the mainland. We discovered it the first time in Maui at Kaanapali beach where it’s called the Hula Grill. Also, get a drink with a face on it. We have these amazing friends, Roger and Mim who got us hooked on it. Mai Tai’s come in a tiki glass, complete with a face. It’s become “our thing” to send a picture of our drink with a face every time we have one. I assure you it’s not too often, if you get what I mean. It’s fun to open the phone and get a picture of her drink from Hawaii or Huntington Beach. We stopped at Duke’s Monday night and of course I sent her a picture of my drink with a face.
I could sit here all day and night looking out at the ocean listening to the waves. I wonder if anyone would notice if I NEVER left.
