Ep. 311: Sonoma Coast, California | RV travel camping hiking
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- It's going to be tough to beat this campsite in 2023, and equally difficult to leave! In this week's Grand Adventure we're camped at Ocean Cove right at the edge of the bluffs overlooking the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean below. Join us as we explore the beautiful Sonoma Coast, from Bodega Bay all the way north to the Mendocino County line. We'll go hiking at Stillwater Cove Regional Park, and visit the site of an unexpected Russian encampment right in California at Fort Ross State Historic Park. En route from our last campsite in Nevada, though, we'll first stop for the night to rest up at the Dixon May Fair in agrarian Dixon, California.
Filmed: May 29-June 2, 2023
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:59 Dixon, California and Dixon May Fair Campground
2:38 Ocean Cove Store & Campground
7:34 History of Ocean Cove
9:17 RVing along the Pacific Coast Highway California Route 1
10:31 The Sonoma Coast
11:48 Jenner, California
12:39 Goat Rock State Beach
15:18 Bodega Bay, California
17:22 Hiking Stillwater Cove Regional Park
22:20 Gale Warning
24:26 Fort Ross State Historic Park
32:39 Wrap-up and what's next
FOR MORE INFORMATION
* Our Campsite goo.gl/maps/qFncnhHeRiPv9y3p7
* Ocean Cove Store & Campground www.oceancove.org/
* Goat Rock State Beach - Sonoma Coast State Park www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=451
* Sonoma County Tourism www.sonomacounty.com/
* Sonoma County Regional Parks parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/
* Fort Ross State Historic Park www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=449
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We're based in Salt Lake City, Utah during the winter months, and invite you to come along as we travel all around the U.S. My wife Patricia and I, and dog Zoe are avid boondockers, so while you'll occasionally find us in RV parks or even dry campgrounds, we're usually camped in some of the most remote and beautiful spots that you could ever pull a travel trailer into. We've now transitioned from "long-timing" for six months a year, to living and traveling in our RV full-time.
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#rv #travel #camping #grandadventure #sonomacoast #sonomacountycalifornia #oceancovecalifornia #rvlife #rvliving #fortross #rvlifestyle #recreationalvehicle #hiking
Fantastic history and documentary right here in my neighborhood 🙂
Thank you Clint! We genuinely enjoyed your section of the Pacific Coast.
Wow, that's a dream come true campsite. So much history has come and gone along the California Coast, thanks for exposing some of it.
Our pleasure, Doug! Happy that you enjoyed this one. We've got a couple of more California episodes upcoming before we move out of state.
You scored the best site at ocean cove . Great job 😃👍👏👏👏
Thank you! We got really, really lucky. Part of the plan was arriving the Memorial Day Monday afternoon as most folks were leaving. The folks in that site, though, didn't leave until Tuesday morning, but the moment they did we knew immediately that it was worth moving.
Well Mark, you as always did a fantastic job, this video is one of if not the most beautiful and your productions are so professional.
I so look forward to seeing more from you. Thanks again, Mark, sincerely, THOMAS.
Wow, thank you Thomas!
Stunning!
Thank you Mike!
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful videos. My wife and I are scheduled to go full time in 2025, and your channel helps us both plan and daydream. God Bless!
That's fantastic to hear, Walter. Wishing you the best of success in your upcoming transition to full time RV life!
Knocked it out of the park with this one Marc. Now you know why the call it Blowdega.
Lol! Thank you very much, appreciate your kind words.
WOW ❤ ...........WOW That is an amazing spot.
Thank you Eugene! It truly was incredible.
what can you say? beautiful!
Thank you! It certainly was.
Hi Marc, very interesting, beautiful video as always. Thanks for sharing! Safe travels!
Thank you as always Joyce, and same to you!
Mark, a wonderful Grand Adventure! My wife and I lived in western Sonoma County for twenty years! We were married a few miles up the Russian River at Armstrong Woods Redwood Reserve and could bicycle to the coast. This area is truly magical, and you certainly showed what a special place it is. Fort Ross and Goat Rock are not to be missed and watch for rogue waves near the mouth of the Russian River. You nailed it all!
Thank you so very much! You lived in a gorgeous area.
AWESOME!!!!
Thank you Barbara!
What a beautiful perfect place.
It sure was, Jesi. Thanks for watching!
Wow Marc that camping spot was amazing, it has to be one of your top three places, another great video, travel safe
Thanks Gary! It's going to be tough to beat, that's for sure.
Yes that is a fairly ok campsite. Not sure where you will find one any more ok 🙂 Another great episode. thanks Marc, and as always, safe travels.
LOL! Thank you Shawn, and same to you!
Looks like you’re heading to my neck of the woods… Central Coast? Lots to see and do… Yes, CA is expensive….and we have a ton of great places to visit, hike, kayak, explore, and sip great vino🍷.
We are actually northbound, Lori. The Central Coast is a big blank spot on our map, and we need to rectify that ASAP.
I LOVE Ocean Cove! 😃❤️
And well you should. It is one terrific spot!
Thank you for another beautiful and informative production. You are quite correct that Highway 1 is a drivable but challenging RV route. During the high season, it is also quite a bit more congested. It's safe to calculate an average speed below 30 mph. 101 to the east is significantly easier for north south travel with predominantly devided highway with a few narrow sections threading through the ancient redwoods. Another link to the coast is the highway between Willits and Fort Bragg, which is yet another fabulous hidden gem of the Northern California Coast with extensive services and great attractions.
Thank you! Yep, that's a good description of route 1. Our strategy for CA-1 has been to escape as quickly as possible to the 101.
We loved the Fort Bragg area, too. Years ago we stayed just north of there at Westport-Union Landing State Beach: ruclips.net/video/soBlsXhiZII/видео.html
Welcome to our County of Sonoma!!
We’ve done tent camping at Ocean Cove, but had to move to the back area. It can be pretty windy there, but I have been there in November with no wind and in the 70’s!
You were very fortunate to have gotten that spot! The last couple times we have been there, there were empty campers parked along the cliff.
Coastal Highway 1 is not for the faint of heart, especially with a trailer. It is worse with a long Class C, which I have done, and I can’t imagine driving it with a long class A.
Russian River has some canoe rentals further up the river at Healdsburg and also at Guerneville.
We’ve seen the waves come over that parking lot at Goat Rock.
Doran Beach is our spot for day use and our annual camping in February - no cold fog in the winter. However, it can get pretty windy there as well. The sites at the end are usually busy with crab fishermen and the sites on the bay side are quieter. Dogs have to be on a leash; there are bobcats lurking.
They have had Russian festivals at Fort Ross.
Sorry for the lengthy comment.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Ram and Kuuipo
👍🏼👍🏾
Don't ever apologize, we love the insight from you both! There were a bunch of empty campers at Ocean Cove while we were there, apparently from weekenders who leave them there throughout the week. However, they're now all tucked into one area back in the trees. None of them were near the cliff.
That peninsula spot was occupied when we arrived on Monday afternoon, Memorial Day. We nevertheless got a spot along the cliff about halfway between there and the boat launch/fish cleaning station as most folks left on Monday. However, that peninsula spot vacated on Tuesday morning, so we hurriedly packed up and moved into it before anyone else could snag it.
The Sonoma Coast will surely be one of the highlights of our 2023 season.
Super score on that spot!! Thanks for another great video!!
Thank you very much, and thanks for watching!
Primo camerawork!!
Thank you Sarge!
You stayed in the exact same site we had when we went there more than ten years ago. I agree the site was amazing! That being said, I'm also glad that you did talk about the drive. My husband is a seasoned driver with lots of towing experience, and our rig is similar in size to yours (maybe even a little smaller). He vowed, never again on Hwy 1. Even for such a beautiful site, we decided the stress getting there pretty much ruined it for us. But that's us, and everyone needs to find their own comfort level.
We agree completely, Victoria. That's why we shared our towing experience and showed a few snippets, so folks can decide for themselves whether it's within their own comfort level. It's not for the faint of heart, for sure!
Good to see Zoe!!
Great to share her with you.
Great Video, I live in the next city over from Dixon in Vacaville. If I only knew. Well for your viewers, the best way to get to Ocean Cove in a RV is use 101N then left on River Road, which turns into 116. Following the Russian River all the way to Jenner. Then you only have 17 miles of white Kunkle driving. Thanks Don
We completely agree, Don. That's the route we followed when we left.
great campsite. and video
Many thanks!
Wow! Beautiful views. Great camping spot. Nice Russian fort 👍. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Glad you enjoyed it, Thanks so much as always for watching!
Awesome, always wanted to go there, the roads look like some of the roads here in the Ozarks lol. Beautiful, thanks Mark.
Thank you, Dave! We did comment while driving CA-1 that it felt like towing in WV.
Thanks, Marc. Really enjoyed this episode! Can’t wait to see which lake you visit next week.
Glad you enjoyed it, Steve We've got a couple of more California episodes upcoming before we move out of state, including the next one from the mystery lake.
Great places in California. Amazing campsite you have..Detailed information is appreciated... I have been to Bodega ,Muir woods and Stinson beach now I'll have to go a little further north... Thanks GA
You're most welcome J! You have to endure 20-something miles of white-knuckle towing on CA-1 north of Bodega Bay, but it's oh-so-worth-it!
love the drone shots.
Thank you Joe!
One of the best sites you’ve found! Kudos to the owners for keeping it affordable. Now that I know of a decent place for Cod, I can venture further west. But 18% grades?? Glad I’m in the minivan.
Thanks bud! Great to hear from you as always. We absolutely loved this stop.
Great video :) Thanks so much
Glad you liked it Michael, thank you very much
Another fantastic video, Mark! You always do a wonderful job showcasing such beauty. Another spot to add to our bucket list. Thank you so much. Continued safe travels to you.
Thank you Tony & Cathy, and same from us to you.
Awesome Video👍👍
Thank you!!
Man, what a spot. So beautiful
Yes it was, Lori! Thanks as always for watching.
I enjoy the drone shots , maybe some time you could do video on the drone and watch outs where to fly.
Great idea, thank you Rick.
I live just a few miles north of here in Fort Bragg. We do love the ocean ( been here since 1976 ) but go inland to get warm every chance we get. That cold wind and fog can be too much sometimes. We just got back from a 3 week trip to the Cascade mountain range in Oregon and their fantastic snow capped volcanoes, and the Columbia River Gorge...We loved the Sisters area most of all.
Nice, Sueann! We came to the coast to not worry about hot weather. 😄 We always want what we don't have. Years ago we stayed just north of Fort Bragg at Westport - Union Landing State Beach.
Hey Marc,
Looking forward to it...👀
Yeah, the tops of bluffs seem very relieving to the heart and mind.
Very nice...
Gord
sometimes a porta potty truck will come around and empty your tanks for a small fee.
Given all of the seasonals at Ocean Cove, that's not surprising.
😃👍
Thank you Florence!
Talk about million dollar campsite view, especially out of that thin window with waves crashing. Daaang
Also, interesting look at the Russian settlement. Most folk here in USA do not know that Russians have had a significant stronghold on the west coast for several hundred years now. In fact there are close to 1.5 million direct descendants on the west coast from original colonies. There are places where towns are 80% Russian in some places. Really cool part of our history.
It's a bit of North American history about which we had no clue whatsoever prior to this stop. We found that fascinating.
Whoa, what a campsite! Beautiful views, bet it was easy to fall asleep with the pounding waves.
It sure was, Wayne. Thanks so much for watching!
Marc, what an incredible spot.... You know we hate paying for camping but that spot is an exception. Thanks for sharing. - Kyle
Yep, a great exception. We also hate to pay and would rather boondock for the freedom it affords, but as we're now working our way up the PNW coast, if you want to be remotely near the water you really have little to no option.
Another great video. Wife and I were down there in our van a few weeks ago.
Thank you! I'm sure you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
Marc,
That was definitely a very beautiful location along the ocean. I really enjoyed seeing the extended scenes and charge in weather.
Seems like allot of wildflowers this year along the westcoast...
Gord
Thanks Gord! The wildflowers were positively insane, both in their coverage and in their variety.
@@GrandAdventure Marc,
I guess it's been that way throughout the west and southwest this year. Colorado should also be great, but you will likely miss it, based upon your general location.
Where are you now?
Gord
@@gorrdd in the Redwoods area of NorCal.
@@GrandAdventure I love that area. Will that be next Wednesdays episode?
@@gorrdd two weeks.
That was great Marc! Thank you for sharing. So is next week Lake Shasta? It's full now.
Thank you Frank! Not Lake Shasta, but another one in the northern Sacramento Valley. And this one was full, too. We will have details for you next week.
That Ocean Cove campsite is pretty Spectacular, wow!
We had high expectations, and it didn't disappoint.
We’re right behind you, doing Sonoma cost in July can’t wait.
You're going to love it there, Isaac. It's gorgeous.
Thanks Bro
This Friday I'll be exactly 6 months away from my last day at work. The area in this video is one of the areas where I've dreamed about going. This will be another flag on my google map for our Grand adventure starting in January 2024. Thanks for your awesome scouting ahead videos!
Thank you, Aaron. Happy to be your scout! I'm sure those 6 months can't pass quickly enough.
Few people in CALIFORNIA travel past San Francisco.....after Santa Rosa, hardly anyone from CALIFORNIA knows life exist beyond there.... it's the unknown part kf CALIFORNIA
Perhaps that's why we enjoyed it so much.
Dayuuuuum Mark, what a simply stunning spot you got!!!!!! Great video!!!
👍😃🍻
Thank you Mike!
Sonoma coast, beautiful area. Thanks.
Thank you for watching, Ernie!
Yeah, I have to hand it to you, you sure do find the great locations to camp!!! 👍
Thank you Scott! This place was a true winner.
Hi Marc! Oh wow…thank you for sharing this one with us! Holy smokes! You may have peaked and the rest of the season could be ho-hum. Safe travels!
We sure hope not! But admittedly Alan, this place will be tough to be.
The NorCali Coast is stunning!!!! Looking forward to your Oregon Coast stays👍👍👍
Thank you Scott, we look forward to bringing them to you!
What a camping spot!! amazing and it on ocean in CA.... just wow!!!
Thanks as always Dian!
This could encourage me to consider traveling in California. Thank you!
😄 We get it completely, Bill. While I won't get into politics here as a matter of policy, the cost of everything (and particularly fuel), congestion, etc. will discourage many from traveling through the state. However, California is also a state of incredibly diverse natural beauty that has a lot to offer the RV traveler.
You are always blessed with beautiful campsites! Great tour and info on the area,thank you!
Our pleasure, Connie! Thanks as always for watching.
I have a reasonably priced bridge in Brooklyn you may be interested in. Ah ha ha ha. At $45 a night, that is just $16,425 dollars a year to stay there.
In California, we don't find their rates to be high. The Central Coast can cost $150/night FHU, not that we would ever consider that.
Have tent camped at Ocean Cove a couple times while friends abalone dived Never taken the RV there....All those tables are fairly new, it used to be just a field with a port o potty.......Not a fan of the place....Seen very nasty weather there to the point you really dont want to be there....Looks like ya'll didnt have that problem....Have made several day trips to Bodega Bay to get Dungeness Crab when in season and of course some chowder....Have also stayed at the Jetti campground there....Looking forward when you get to the Oregon coast, am a much bigger fan of that area...Have have done the Hwy 101 ride several times...Travel safe, be well....
Thank you! It would have been pretty miserable in the tent when that gale came through. But an RV is a different story. We absolutely adored our time there. See you in a few weeks on the Oregon coast!
Another wonderful and very informative video! Thanks so much...
Thank you so very much Kenton!
Love that coastal camping spot! Thanks Marc.
Thanks as always for watching, Gerald!
Mark, magnificent videos. Thank you . Safe travels.
Thank you Dennis, and same to you!
A great show now that I went back and looking at what I had missed
Thank you Norm! Cheers to you.
LOVE all your videos!!!! We miss our California coastline. St. George just isn't the same so thank you for posting!!! Left Caliornia in 2018........
Thank you Denise! Of course it's not a long trip from St George to the coast.
I meant Marc. :-)
😄 I answer to far worse 😉
I actually lived in CA before moving to Idaho. I was an officer in the USN stationed in Lemoore. I traveled all over the state. Should also mention I was there when I was in the 5th grade, my uncle and aunt took me camping , I fell in love with the outdoor life....
That's fantastic Dian! Those are memories you will always have.
Phenomenal scenery!! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Pete!
Curious to find out what lake is next. Awesome video. Love the history you add in each one
The suspense is building! Thank you so much for watching.
Thank Marc, beautiful and informative. Appreciate the information regarding dog friendliness as California can be a challenge.. BTW if you’re heading to Trinity Lake checkout the Trinity Alps wilderness area for spectacular hiking.
Thank you Suzanne! We actually drove through the Trinity Alps to get to our current location from the location of next week's video. It's a beautiful area.
I hope you had time to eat at cattlemen restaurant in Dixon; they serve a great steak dinner! You went through my city of Vallejo on your way to the coast. Love Goat rock beach : if we take the dogs it's the south beach,no dogs it's the north beach. I hate hwy 1: great motorcycle ride,sucks for towing a RV! Stay safe.
Thanks Kurt! And we will remember your recommendation of the Cattlemen for next time. Regrettably, our big night in Dixon was spent doing laundry.
I was really inspired by this video. I live near Bodega Bay so I drove up to assess the road for my trailer. My guess is 50/50 that I'd sideswipe the hillside or another vehicle. How did you manage it?
White knuckles all the way, Jim! On some of those blind right curves I had to venture a little across the double yellow on faith. 😄
hey realy like your vid but PLEASE turn down your music VOLUME!
Thanks for the feedback, John.
I see you must not have brakes on your rig seems you ran the red light
Nope, completely across the stop line on yellow. 😉
Did you do the hellacious drive along route 1 with or without the trailer? If so, would you recommend it for an experienced 35 foot Class A?
There's no choice but to do it with the RV, for there's no other way to get there. 35 ft is pushing it, but I'm not saying you can't. It would just require being very slow and very careful.
Thank you, I would really visit that whole area.
Why didn't you present this in chronological order?
I live in the Sea Ranch; yes Hwy 1 is treacherous,but only be tourists who don't know the rules.
I'm not clear on what you're referring to about being out of chronological order, Marcela, as everything was filmed within a six-day period. Nevertheless, we present segments in an order that will provide the most compelling content for our viewers. As for CA-1, it's a treacherous road with a 54-foot vehicle no matter what, but oncoming vehicles crossing the double yellow on blind curves makes it even more so.
P.S. The reason there is no dispersed camping spots anymore is because the coast had too many people (from all places inland) abuse and trash every single turn out. Ugg...Now the Oregon Coast is the same way unfortunately. No more boondocking on the immediate coastline.
Sad, but true in many areas.
Realitively inexpensive for the affluent. Unattainable for the rest. 40.00 a night for a piece of dirt that taxpayers already foot the bill for.
How do taxpayers foot the bill for private property? It's the other way around.
Nice spot, I avoid California, I don’t want to give them any of my money.
Without going into too much detail, Bob, I get that. But going on principle alone misses some of the stunning beauty across that state. It really does have a lot to show an RV traveler, even someone who disagrees with the state's policies.
@@GrandAdventure I do understand, it is a beautiful state, lived there 68 to 84, only went back to take the grand kids to Disney.
Really nice video of your trip. What type of camera setup are you using? The zoom on those seals was pretty great!
Thank you! That clip was shot with a Sony Alpha a6500, with the Sony G-Series 18-105 mm lens.
Nice setup, and great stuff!@@GrandAdventure