Traveling with the Munschs: Malibu, CA

After Bryce Canyon we had a long drive to Malibu California. We got up before dawn, which was a mistake because backing the camper out in the dark proved much more difficult than when I practiced backing up the evening before. There was quite a bit of yell whispering going on trying to not wake up the whole campground. I’m sure we woke up our entire area but with everyone’s help we finally got it out and on the road. The drive was pretty uneventful until the end before we got on the pacific coast highway we careened down some hills and kept reading signs about no trailers allowed. Surely just a recommendation and not a rule. We gave the white knight a workout going down the hills and winging into tunnels. But then it opened up and we turned onto the PCH, we could see the ocean and all was right with the world. We pulled into our campground at Leo Carrillo State Park and found out not everything was right, thier dump station was still closed so had to go down the road 5 miles to another campground to fill water. Not a big deal the 17 year old attendant told use to circle around their hut and go out the way we came. I swear all of California is built for tiny trailers I go to swing around and got us jammed up and stuck because we couldn’t make the turn. I just assumed the kid knew what he was talking about and I went for it without much thought. I was able to back up just enough without hitting anything to swing into the day use lot and get turned around. Anyway we got to our spot #114 and got setup, it was a odd site with the picnic table and fire pit were quite a ways from the trailer parking though some lush vegetation and up a hill. At first I thought it was dumb but had a morning fire up there and it was pretty nice and secluded, Would have been a really nice tent site.

We had to get to bed early the first night as Marcus and I had to get up early for our 30k trail race in the morning. We were both nervous wrecks all day but it was finally go time and we really had to do this. The race was just up the road about 15 miles at Point Mugu.

Saturday morning we got up early and got our gear squared away and headed out with our number one fan driving us and hanging out until we are done. Samus and Lucas stayed asleep at the camper. Once parked we met up with Marcus’s friend Cami and her parents. Her Dad, Shane had been talking about the run with Marcus and decided to join him and run it. Pretty sure there was a challenge and claims about running vs biking involved as he’s an avid mountain biker. Anyway he started training and here he was with us questioning our life choices.

Meeting up with Marcus’s penpal Cami from Cali was a main reason for picking this location. We first met Cami and her parents in 2018 at June Lake just outside the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. They played a bit riding bike and scooters around and he just wanted to play out there all the time so when it was time to go we suggested asking her to be pen pals like we did with some other friends he made earlier in the trip. Those other friends never wrote but there was a letter from Cami when we got home that year and the rest is history, they’ve kept in touch and are friends with their friends it’s interesting and pretty amazing 6 years later that they are still a part of each others lives.

So another reason for picking this location is we wanted to spend time at the beach but sadly that never happened it was cold and overcast every day and we kept putting it off until it was too late and we were leaving.

Cami’s family showed us around taking us to Ventura downtown to shop at the antique stores and shops. The kids had fun. Then our last day there they invited us over for supper. The kids had a blast and the food was amazing. And it’s always fun to get a little taste of local life.

We had so much fun we didn't leave their place until late, almost 11 and had forgotten (until it was too late) that campgrounds gate locks at 10. We were hoping maybe they didn’t really lock it up but yep it was padlocked and you could get out over spike strips but no entry was available. There was no lot or place to park in front of the gate so we moved the car to the closet place to the gate on the PCH parking was allowed and hoofed it a ways to the camper. When we got to the camper I couldn’t calm down our car was out there on the highway and we really needed it to get out of there in the morning. I’m sure it would have been fine but I decided I was going to go sleep in the car to make sure it and all our stuff jammed in it stayed safe. The farther we’re away from home the more on high alert and nervous I get about stuff like that. We’ve traveled a lot on these crazy adventures and really people are pretty much the same everywhere it seems some good and bad but mostly good but still couldn’t shake the anxiety and so I hoofed it back alone to the car and found a better parking spot up the road a ways that I could get all the way off the road and shut it down and tried to sleep. Worst night of sleep ever, I dosed in and out with the seat laid back but sleep was fleeting. My Fitbit didn’t register any sleep time that night. At first light I drove to a Starbucks and got a coffee and parked close to our campgrounds beach and waited for 8:00 for the gate to open. Becky meet me down there and we watch some surfers and checked out the tide pools. It was a lovely morning but the drive that day on little sleep was terrible.

That was about it for this stop it was super fun even though we didn’t get in the water. I guess I also got the oil changed, did laundry, and stopped at some liquor stores to buy some bourbon for a early fathers day present (they have stuff you never see in SD just sitting on the shelves).

Here are my pictures from this stop the farthest away from home we’ll be on this years trip.

Marcus and I pre-race.

Shane, Marcus, and I before the race. Two South Dakotans and a Californian walk into a trail race… the joke was on us!

Marcus and Cami seeing each other in person again after 6 years.

Shot of the trail we climbed into the clouds.

Me running, I didn’t get many shots from the trail after a bit I was soaked in sweat and my phone was so damp it stopped responding to my touch commands.

Marcus and Becky after he finished. He finally got a medal! He’s wanted to win something from a race for a long time, everyone who finished got one and we all deserved it.

Me coming across the finish line. I stopped about two feet past it and was done… totally spent.

Shane, Marcus, and I after the race. Marcus finished in 3 hours, Shane in 4 hours, and I brought up the rear in 5 hours. Really stoked with the times we killed it!

We had a bit of an ant problem this stop. Tons made it into the camper and they were everywhere. They didn’t have any traps or anything at the camp store but the guy there told us to buy some Ajax and sprinkle it around the camper. Becky said she felt like a witch spreading it around the camper. It maybe slowed them down a bit but didn’t really work. We had to go to Lowe’s and bought spray, traps.and poison we were going scorched earth on this colony. So many ants.

Dreary day but walked down to our beach to check it out.

Lots of rocks and some sea caves.

Large sea cave

Window in the cave

We all went into the cave to check it out, low bridge

Wadded through the water to get to a cool secludied cove

Samus getting some pictures

Luke and I took a different route out which took us up high over the rocks, everyone else took the sea back. Good picture of them walking the beach

Next we drove down to the beach by the trail race, Becky watched Dolphins playing there while killing time waiting for us to finish. No dolphins today until right before we left we saw a few but they were a ways out.

Marcus on the beach

Just chillin on a malibu beach in California

Becky and I at the beach

Rocky shore

If you look closely you can see the dolphin cresting out of the water. They finally showed up.

Becky pointing them out to the kids and telling us how much better it was yesterday.

Boys ran a head and are on one side of the pacific coast highway.

White knight on the PCH

Marcus and his friends Emma and Cami at lunch in Ventura.

Waiting outside patiently as the girls shopped

Shot of our campsite looking at the malibu hills

Me hanging out having a morning fire. It was cool and humid which made it switch from feeling cold and hot often.

Marcus and his pop gun he had to have. He used to always play with a wall drug pop gun when he was younger. Last time we were there they didn’t sell them, had to go to California to find one, Come on South Dakota you can do better.