
Always a great place to come
Hooooweeee that was one hot week in the west. We suffered triple digits, peaking around 110º, pretty much the entire week, and it didn’t break until late Friday afternoon. The cool temperatures on the coast were most welcome at that point. I have been trying to get back in the habit of walking to work, since it is only about a mile, but that was definitely off the table.
Healing dose of coastal sunset

We unhitched, and Richard hopped over to ‘our place,’ La Bodeguita, to get dinner to take over to catch the sunset. There was a nice robust orangey glow before the sun sank behind a sunset blocking cloud bank. It was chilly enough for our fuzzies, which we welcomed with enthusiasm.

Perfect weather
Saturday we got in a hike over the dunes to catch me up on weekly steps. Weather reports called for cloudy skies all day, but the sun peeked out right as we arrived at the beach. It was nice to open the weather app without being greeted by another Extreme Heat Alert.
Nice chilly wet sand between the toes

There were lots of people on the beach, but not as many as I would have thought, given the collective melting we’d all just endured. Coming back through the campground, we spotted a coordinated group of flamingo enthusiasts, spread across five different campsites. Chatting with one of the campers, we learned that the group happened upon the theme, and it has become something of a competition. We nodded to the site that is clearly winning, and the camper noted how that couple was “late to the party,” but had taken it on full throttle, like they do “everything in life.” We found that funny, and the underlying tone of scorn was not lost on us. What would that be like, I wonder, to be out flamingoed by the newbies? And at what point would you draw the line on competitive pink purchases? When does it cross over into flipping the pink fluffy bird? So many questions…
At my school, we use flamingos to represent the character trait of optimism, so I took note of some items I may need to purchase for us. It will be impossible to top my principal’s stuffed flamingo hat, however. Good thing I’m not in a competition.

Impressive commitment to a theme
In the afternoon, we welcomed a local Altoistes couple for a tour. It has been a long time since we’ve given an Alto tour. It felt good, and very post-pandemic. I don’t know what my stance is anymore on anything Covid related. Shrugged shoulders and keep on keeping on. But it’s nice to discuss Altos with interested people because it always reminds me how lucky we are, and how much life we have gotten from our little camper(s).
We love this campground, but we sure do wish the dump were more reliable. This is not the first time it has been closed, due to backing up. We now know that going just down the road to the private place, Bodega Bay RV, is a good option for $20.
Everyone needs a little rainbow colored flock of optimism now and then

Lovely weekend after a grueling week. I’ll channel the flamingo of optimism and choose to believe it will be a while before we get another heat dome like that.
Total miles: 80.9, 14.6 mpg (I was driving too fast), 2 hours 39 min. Site 66, nice and set apart from others. Dump out of service. Dumped at Bodega Bay RV for $20; worth it. No hookups, shady site. Great cell for both.
















