You can't fully appreciate the gritty,
sandy experience of a dunes environment till
you visit one and stick around a while.
Neat
freaks best not visit California's dunes,
and particularly the Oceano Dunes State
Vehicular Recreation Area. Why? It is dusty,
windy, gritty, noisy and the wind nearly
always blows in this unique pocket of the
coast. Sand dunes exist everywhere in the
world--and the largest is not even near the
ocean, but lies in the Sahara Desert. In
California, there are dune formations in
Death Valley as well as on the coast. On the
coast, the pounding surf and constantly
shifting edge of the sea can contribute to
the size of a the dunes region.
First
off, we don't know of another beach region
in California where you can take cars,
trucks and ATV's onto the beach to visit and
stay. But beyond the dust and noise
the vehicles can create, there's a natural
environment that is sometimes chilly,
usually windy and nearly always dusty on its
own. On any given day you can drive up into
the hills of Pismo and look down on the blue
ocean scene that glistens, then so many
times fades into the hazy looking dunes
coastal stretch.
Not
owning a truck or SUV, I stayed at a hotel
half a block from the beach. Staying that
far away was enough of a wind break and
barrier to create a more quiet experience.
But looking at my car parked in the lot, or
the dust that tends to cling to everything,
it's easy to see the beach homes nested near
the shoreline where cars drive constantly,
would drive neat-freak owners crazy, and
forced them to shell out sums of money
constantly for cleaning expenses. White
carpet...I think not.
I have
gone to this beach many times. The wildness
of the breeze, the way the waves whip off
shore, and the old-fashioned concept of
letting people drive on beaches kind of
flies in the face of politically and
ecologically correct California. For
me, it is a novel experience, like watching
trains or trucks when you were little and
being fascinated by the motion. I never tire
of it.
Do you
want a bonfire? No problem...drive
your truck onto the beach and dump your wood
on the sand, then light it up. Wow!
None of that strategy stuff like Southern
California where you sometimes go in the
early morning to stake out a pit till night.
For
all our friends who grew up on the Central
Coast, and our family that lives there now,
they tell us these images and experiences
will fade, much like they did in SoCal as
the explosive population boom forced people
into queue for nearly everything and aspect
of living.
But
for now, it's easy to see why this region of
California is especially appealing as a
weekend getaway for Southern Californians,
Northern Californians, and Europeans who
take drive trips across California.
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