Heading back to Bellevue

Sigh! The time has arrived to face the long trek back to Bellevue. We leave with a heavy heart, not ready to go back, wishing we could extend our travels. In fact, we wish we could just keep on traveling like so many of the full-timers we met and have chatted with. I guess we need to be patient a little longer for that to happen.
We have had a great time here in Pismo. We always seem to. 
While here, we have been busy doing "house" chores. A home on wheels requires cleaning and maintenance like one bolted to a foundation. Regular home living continues. It's just the scenery that changes as we bring our home along with us. 
The inside of the coach is now desert-dust free, the laundry washed and put away, and the larder re-stocked. Michael cleaned the outside and took care of another couple of items on his Alpine To-Do list. When Alpine is in storage, there isn't much room between sites to be able to work on things. Here at Pismo, with electricity and space to access the bins, it makes it a lot easier. The good weather helps too. 
It appears that the leak into the storage bay is still there. The day after we arrived in Pismo, there was a torrential downpour. He checked the following morning after the rains, and it appeared to be dry. It wasn't until he later pulled out the ladder and a couple of storage bins that Michael realized that it was wet under there. So perhaps the furnace vent with its deflector did not solve the issue and rain may be getting in at the refrigerator vent.  So he got a can of expanding foam sealant and sealed some suspect areas in the fridge vent. The problem solving continues until this is resolved. 
We also have another issue that developed on this trip with the room slide. When we were at Emerald Cove, for the first time ever, the room slide would not extend evenly. The first site we were assigned was quite sloped and the slide jammed along the top and would not go out. We moved to a more level site, but it took several helping hands to push the slide out from the inside while I operated the slide switch. The slide seems to retract OK but ever since then, it will not slide out without Michael pushing at the top. It's perplexing and there are multiple factors that could be contributing to the slide's behavior. He is trying to problem-solve that issue now too, one possible cause at a time. So far he has re-glued the strip of rubber seal along the inside top of the slide that had become detached. He has cleaned the exterior top & sides of the dust and grit from the desert stay, and lubricated the rubber seals in case that had dried out in the sun. Maybe that will solve the problem, maybe not, but they are all useful maintenance procedures anyway.
While this was a work week, doing chores and maintenance which are necessary to complete before returning Alpine back into storage, we did make time to do other things too. Every morning we have enjoyed our beach walks. We arrived here just ahead of full moon which has created extreme tides and also high surf warnings. Some mornings we have had to run to avoid incoming rogue waves, and once we had to scramble up a bank as the section under the pier filled up while we were walking under it. We have still not been able to walk beyond the large boulders at the north end of the beach. The beach remains eroded and there are even more rocks exposed now. 

we recognize these sour -fig succulents from South Africa, which are all in bloom now;
they grow along the banks of the dunes 

I have never yet seen a parrot going for a beach stroll - this one is an African Grey
with a pretty red tail

every other day we walked south towards the dunes; this is the section where
vehicles are allowed to drive on to the beach at not more than 15 MPH

We stopped at the monarch grove  a couple of times and by now the majority of the butterflies have moved on. Those that remain are still active though, and folks still come in droves to see them.

We explored further afield and took a drive to Avila Beach one day. We also drove to Oso Flaco Lake near Guadalupe. It's an area of dunes and riparian habitat with a long, pretty walk to the beach. From a pathway through a forested area, a bridge takes you across the lake and then along a boardwalk that crosses dune scrub. There is an overlook at the end that has a good view of the bay and beyond. We could see Avila Beach from there. We continued along the short stretch on to the beach where there were dozens of anglers lined up along the shore line. This seems to be a popular fishing spot as we passed many folks with fishing poles during our walk. There were many families here too enjoying an afternoon picnic in the dunes. Behind us and a fence, we could hear the ATV's buzzing about noisily across the Oceano Dunes Recreational Area.

Oso Flaco Lake with dunes in the distance

The meaning of Oso Flaco comes with a story attached. The story goes that in 1769, Spanish explorer Portola landed in the area. While hunting for meat, his men shot a bear at a fresh lake and named the lake Oso Flaco, which means 'skinny bear.' Thankfully we didn't come across any bears, skinny or otherwise.

Prior to the Spanish arriving, the Chumash lived here, making their huts out of willow branches, covered with tule reeds. In 1895 the Southern Pacific Railroad came through the area and over time it attracted more and more settlers.  

bridge across the lake

board walk across the dunes

the beach area, which was quite windy this day, but still a popular spot for fishermen
and families

farmland and dunes  - we crossed a valley of farmlands leading up to the dunes

In the late afternoons we returned to the beach for another walk and to watch the sun setting. Each sunset is different and pretty in its own way. Tonight was our last one, for a while, and tomorrow we begin the journey north along the I-5 corridor towards cool and rainy Washington. Wish we could stay longer... perhaps next year we will.