Pismo Preserve RV Trip Report

[macnut]

We're so happy to be back on the road for an RV trip to Pismo Beach. We visited the Pismo Preserve, the Monarch Butterfly Grove, and the Pismo Beach Pier. We hope you enjoy reading about our RV adventure!
Al & Deb

https://mobilemosers.com/2020/02/29/...ve-rv-trip-95/

[Eagle5]

Hi Al & Deb,
Another wonderful trip report! It actually hailed pretty hard here today, so seeing somewhere nice & warm looks enticing. I believe my dog Grace would really enjoy that trail.
Thanks; Eagle5

[imnprsd]

If you like Pismo, you should check out Jalama State Beach (with RV parking) outside of Lompoc.

[macnut]

Originally Posted by Eagle5

Hi Al & Deb,
Another wonderful trip report! It actually hailed pretty hard here today, so seeing somewhere nice & warm looks enticing. I believe my dog Grace would really enjoy that trail.
Thanks; Eagle5

Thanks, Eagle5! Yes, dogs are welcome on the trail! She’d love it!

[macnut]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

If you like Pismo, you should check out Jalama State Beach (with RV parking) outside of Lompoc.

I’ve heard of that and will check it out. We are also looking forward to the new state beach being built on land from Fort Ord. The plans look great, though I imagine it will be tough to get a reservation!

[gurroz]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

If you like Pismo, you should check out Jalama State Beach (with RV parking) outside of Lompoc.

imnrpsd, Thanks for the tip. I thought I knew all the state beach campgrounds along the central coast. i think this is a county beach. Reservations are made through Santa Barbara County website. It looks very nice. How long is the sandy beach? DW requires the ability to walk the beach.

[imnprsd]

Jalama has a smaller tent and RV park real close to the beach, which is very large. ...not Oregon beach large, but large for Northern California beaches.

There is an upper RV campgrounds with view over the ocean so some people prefer that.

Most certainly you can walk the beach. And to the left you may find hillsides (100' cliffs) that have eroded away and you can find jem stones. (Google it.)

About 3/4 of a mile to the left of the camping area is where I use to surf as a teenager. And when the wind is not blowing (which is rare) and when the swells are up... "Tarantulas" is big and awesome!

https://www.travelgrom.com/surf-spot...ra/tarantulas/

It's hard to know when Surf is up so that would just be a plus. Note: Jalama is about 20 miles off the main highway and on a twisting road, but worth the effort. However, I would not go if the wind is more than 15-20MPH.

Farther south on HWY-101 are more State Parks like El Capitan... and their surf spot is about 1/4 mile to the left of the park. On the point and it breaks regularly.

... I just googled El Capitan and see they can also handle 42' RVs. And I find that's amazing, because I remember this as a mostly tent camping spot.

El Capitan is alway booked in the summer, but I also think they have first-come, first-serve reservations. Just be prepared for a long line. Or make reservations in advance.

El Capitán SB

Don't forget to visit Solvang! ...and you can probably park your RV at the San Ynez Casino and tour wine country in your tow car.

[macnut]

Thanks for the great info about Jalama! Makes me want to go!

[greyeagleb]

Great report. We might have been there about the same time that you were there, Feb 2020. We also travel to Pismo Beach at least annually and really enjoyed the Preserves. I hiked it on a Tuesday while parking can be a problem most anytime right now, they did close the parking area for equestrian riders only this particular Tuesday. The small hike from the roadside was no problem, but it was very crowded on the weekend.

As a side note, we found the restaurant across the street from The Preserve to be a great find for happy hour / dinner. It is called Ventana Grill and we took our wives there to enjoy sunset, sitting outside on their deck during happy hour and then moved inside for dinner. The food was excellent and they were very accommodating allowing us to move around freely.

Also if you are a steak lover, the short drive to Jocko's for a steak dinner in well worth it. They are located in Nipomo. You can easily share a meal here, but reservations are strongly recommended, and even then, expect a wait.

[gurroz]

We will be returning to Pismo State Beach campground for one week in August before moving on the Morro Bay Strand Beach for another week. We are hoping to grab a spot in Avila Beach as well but it's not open to reservations, drive up only. Greyeagleb, Jocko's has been around for decades. There was another another great steak house in Nipomo called the Frontier, not sure if it is still there. Thanks for the tip on Ventana Grill.

[jbarry130]

We've been to Jalama a couple of times. The 15-20 mile road into the campground is a bit of an ordeal. You just have to take it SLOW!.
Both times we've been there, it was really windy. My son and his family were there about 6 weeks ago, and he said it was really windy, too! If you go, just be prepared for it.
We had a site in both the lower and the upper area. We preferred the lower because of the separation between sites. The upper level where you get the best view is really tight with other RVs.

[Smittty54]

Just wanted to thank you for all of your post. I love seeing a lot of the places you visit. We have stayed in a lot of the same places along the Ca coast. I was looking through your page and notice the one about Grants Pass. Another great spot to stay is Indian Mary just a few miles north of Grants Pass if your ever in the area. It's beautiful. I am interested in the suspension upgrades you did in Grants Pass. I have a 2017 F53 31' If you had any other information please share with me by email if possible. Thanks, Greg, [email protected]

[macnut]

Thanks, Greg! I was pretty detailed in the post, so let me know what other info you would like and I’ll try to get it to you. I’ve driven it about 6,000 miles since then and I can say I am happy with the changes, overall. It helped a lot with sway and porpoising. It smooths small ruts and cracks. It hasn’t helped much with large jarring ruts and cracks. CA roads can be bad, much worse then OR, so I am glad I made the changes as we plan to keep our RV for several more years. If I was ordering a new RV I would definitely get it with Liquid Springs. The owner let me drive his with Liquid Springs and the difference was noticeable.
Take care and best of luck with your mods!

[Smittty54]

So you would recommend the changes. Do you mind me asking about the price range for all of the suspension mods that you did? Thanks again

[macnut]

I am glad we made the changes and would do it again, especially the Road Performance Assessment (RPA). However, if possible, I would make one change at a time, drive it awhile to note the difference, and then make the next change.

Because of the distance to Henderson’s, I made all the changes at once, so I really don’t know which of the changes really made the most difference in the ride.

The RPA will list the recommended changes in priority order. With the RPA in hand and plenty of time, you could just go down the list one at a time and stop when you feel the ride improvement is what you want.

I would start with changing the tire pressure to what they recommend based on your weight at each corner. It’s possible that’s what may have made the biggest difference!

The RPA was $299. Everything we added, the sway bar, track bar, and steering stabilizer were about a thousand dollars each (give or take a few hundred). The quad Koni FSD shocks were about 2 thousand (8 shocks and extensions).

I hope that helps!

[Smittty54]

Thanks so much for your reply. We will be in that area this summer if the Covid issue ends. Hope so We have reservations for 8 weeks starting July 19th. Again thanks.