August 2018 - Big Sur California

We were originally planning (and booked) to go to Umpqua Lighthouse park on the central coast of Oregon.  But the 7.5 hour one way trip was weighing on us, so we opted to go to the central California coast instead.  We found a place east of Big Sur, Ponderosa Campground, which stated it had RV spots (with no hook-ups).  We were excited to "boon dock" for the first time.  We filled our water tank, topped off our propane, and headed out.  It was a 4.5 hour drive and we arrived around 7pm, passing through the Fort Leggett base.  We were in a very remote area of the mountains east of Big Sur.  The road in was narrow and winding.  Not for the faint of heart.  We had no cell signal, no host, no electric hookup, no sewer and no water hookup (there were a couple of water fountains in various spots throughout the campground.

We had selected site number 6 online.  It was clear that this campground was not intended for RV's but rather a smaller vehicle and tent camping.  Our site was nice (if we were going to pitch a tent), but the parking area for our RV was 100' from the camping area.  We were tired, made dinner, and went to bed.  One nice feature was the silence.  No sounds other than nature could be heard.  for a while it appeared we were the only ones in the campground (but there were reserved signs on all the spots for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend.  The stars were beautiful without any light pollution.

In the morning, we walked the dogs around the campground.  There was one car that had pulled in overnight (no tent), but other than that - nobody else.  As we walked, we found what seemed to be a more suitable spot for us (Number 13).  Since we had no cell signal, we attempted to call the forest service number with our satellite phone, but the phone tree took too long (didn't want to burn too many minutes).  Instead, we walked to the entrance and self-registered for spot 13 for the night ($25).  We wrote a note about our reservation on spot 6 and asked if they would credit one of the nights.  We will see.

Spot 13 was much better.  Closer to the camping area and better views of the area.  We setup our mat and chairs with the hope of relaxing outside.  But the bugs were a problem.  Unfortunately, we forgot our bug repellent.  The gnats, flies, and bees were relentless.  We ultimately were relegated to staying indoors.  There were also a lot of fox-tails and stickers so we had to limit where we walked our dogs.

After lunch, we decided that we would rather drive home that evening rather than stay cooped up in the RV avoiding the bugs.  So - we headed out and got home around 8pm.

Overall the campground was well-maintained and very suitable for tent camping.  Since returning, we have already stocked up on bug spray for future trips to avoid a similar problem.

Next month - we finally go to Yosemite!