Wrights Beach (11)

Second weekend in a row at Wrights Beach. Life is good and there are long breaks on the near horizon as well. Glad we pushed through the launch, because it was confusing. We are so used to coming out to Bodega Bay that we don’t need navigation anymore. It’s a habit though, and Richard likes looking ahead for traffic slow downs. For reasons we didn’t understand at the time, Google Maps would not show him our normal route across highway 37. But that didn’t sound any alarms, so we proceeded on our normal way, letting Google attempt to reroute us while we simply ignored and took the usual backroads. We figured Google was just trying to get us back on the highways. After we’d crossed the Benicia Bridge and started heading over toward Vallejo, I finally turned on car navigation, just to get an ETA. This time, we were alerted that we were being rerouted due to a road closure and there were big red lines and all kinds of NO around 37. The alternate route was quite a bit out of the way, so I found a spot to pull over so we could regroup. Upon investigation, it looked like a major accident on 37 had closed it down completely and messed up traffic on all the surrounding roads in the direction we were heading. So, in fact, the path that both Google and Honda were suggesting to us was the best option, but added about an hour to travel time. It also meant we had to cross back over the Delta on the Carquinez/Zampa Bridge, and then cross the Bay, a third time, on the Richmond Bridge. That’s three bridges, two $15 tolls, and an arrival after dark.

This was the weekend of the time change and we knew we’d be coming into dark arrivals soon, but this was sooner than expected. We realized Dory1 had a great mod, which is an led light strip mounted at the front of the bike rack. This facilitated unhitching in the dark, and we haven’t done that on Dory2. I think Lola mostly missed out on the darkness of winter camping because of the COVID shut down. So I believe it’s been more than a year since I’ve backed into a site in the dark. As soon as we got home, I went straight to Add to Cart to get some collapsible cones with led lights. I figure we can use them to guide me into a site, and should we ever again be waiting on the side of the road for a flatbed tow truck, we can put them out for safety. That’s always been one item I felt was lacking in my arsenal of ‘just in case’ emergency supplies. I have bottle jacks, extra bearings, and jumper cables. Now I have reflective cones.

Friday and Saturday were drizzly with periods of light rain, so we chilled. Site 4 at Wrights Beach is a premium site, but until recently, is has been deprived of a premium view due to a wall of tall bushes. At some point, perhaps due to complaints to the management, someone gave the hedges a haircut and made a perfect little view window. When we pulled in at night, neither of us could tell whether you could see the ocean, and it was drizzling, and we were tired, so we just unhitched. In the light of the day we realized there was a premium view to be had, so I spun her. I mean, if you’re going to be in a premium site at Wrights Beach, come on. You have to commit. I will also note that someone at some point decided the wood grain on the food locker looked a lot like either Alf, or ManBearPig. And you definitely need to view that as much as possible.

We were periodically entertained by kite acrobatics all weekend. There was one couple who had a fancy blue kite that, by the looks of their flight patterns, seemed very hard to pilot. We were impressed by their perseverance as they each took turns trying to maneuver the dual control lines. But just as soon as they got it aloft, it would go into a crazy spin and slam, nose first, into the sand, mostly not into people. Later on, another couple, with a rainbow colored kite of exactly the same shape, came out and proved that it could be done. One of them must have been a professional kite pilot because it only stayed up for any duration when he was manipulating the strings. As soon as he passed to someone else, it would speed swoop into death circles and crash again.

By Sunday, the two couples had joined forces, and the skilled one gave tips and lessons to the others. Slowly, the air time got longer with each attempt, until both kites could stay airborne for many minutes. It was pretty cool to watch. There is a kite store in Bodega Bay and we are wondering whether the one in the mentor role might work there. I had passing notions of becoming a person who crashes kites, but it looked like that hobby would mostly consist of running and untangling string. I think I’ll watch instead.

We noticed the premium row was filled with mostly cute little trailers. There was a Scamp, a Casita, our Alto, and a Happier Camper. All that was missing was a T@B to complete the small trailer straight flush. We chatted with the Happier Camper owner for a while and she let me peek inside. Man, those are super cute! She had the whole color matching thing going in green and laughed at herself when I mentioned it, calling herself a “dork.” I did not invite her into Dory to witness the blueness, but Richard laughed, maybe a little too hard, as if to say, “Yeah, she’s right there with you.” Or, “You have no idea.”

We got to stay extra long on Sunday because I had forgotten to modify the reservation. This was one of the ones I had reserved for three nights, six months ago, thinking maybe I’ll take a Monday off. No such luck. Too many meetings and assessments to get on the calendar. But we did enjoy not only sleeping in an extra hour, but lazily hitching up after lunch, since no one was going to come kick us out. It’s a shame to leave a premium site unoccupied. But maybe someone will get an unexpected surprise. Or as nice a sunset as we got Saturday.

Still my favorite place and glad to see site 4 get a proper premium view.

Total miles: 108.7 (with big detour), 16.5 mpg Site 4, no hookups. Pretty good solar, though with winter coming, the sun is low in the sky. Battery stayed happy face even with 2 caravan mover maneuvers. Dumped at Bodega Dunes.