Ventura Rincon Parkway (120)

February is a great time to visit Southern California.

Rincon Parkway RV Park

One of our favorite destinations is the Rincon Parkway just north of Ventura. It is a section of the Pacific Coast Highway with RVs stretched nose to tail for a mile and a half.

Every site has a full ocean view! You get used to the sound of the ocean as the tides roll in and out.

When the tide is out, there is a really nice beach to stroll on.

When the tide is in, we love just sitting in a chair and watching the waves, surfers, dolphins and birds. At high tide you may hear the sound of the waves crash on the rocks just outside your RV!

Are we in a motorhome or a cruise ship! 🙂

Also note how the color of the ocean changes as the weather changes. The blue water here reminds me of Hawaii. That’s a paddle boarder riding the waves in front of our site.

The sites feel so private because of the ocean. You never hear your neighbors and feel you have the place to yourselves. Here Lucy is looking at the birds outside from a comfy spot.

Rincon Bike Trail

Just on the other side of your RV is the Rincon Bike Trail that connects Ventura with Carpinteria to the north. From your campsite you can hop on your bike and peddle along beautiful coastline.

A favorite destination in Carpinteria is Lucky Llama Coffee. Great coffee and espresso, but we love the açaí bowls. Try a moon bowl, or even better, share one. The staff is friendly and the grounds are inviting. The large tree in the park next to Lucky Llama is the largest known Torrey Pine tree in existence, standing 126 feet tall.

The ride back looking south is just as beautiful.

As is my lovely wife.

After a day walking the beach and biking the trail, the sunset seems even better. seriously, this is why we love RVing.

Ventura Botanical Gardens

We visited Ventura Botanical Gardens on this trip. It covers 109 acres and features plants of Mediterranean climates around the world.

It includes spectacular views of Ventura and the coast. After walking a series of switchbacks up the steep ravine, you can enjoy the view from your perch on the mountain.

There are many places to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, along the way, and they have placed several rocks with inspirational quotes carved into them. That’s good, because it’s a long hike to the top! Rest and inspiration required. 🙂

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Ojai Valley Trail

I also biked the Ojai Valley Trail, a former railway that runs from Ventura to Ojai. The path up to Ojai is a little more challenging as it is mostly uphill, though the slope is gentle most of the way. Deb dropped me off and drove to Ojai for some shopping while I sweated it out.

This is a multi-use trail so you may see a few horses along the way.

It’s good to have a reward at the end of a long ride, and this time it was Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta located on the outskirts of the beautiful Ojai Valley. An added bonus are the beautiful citrus groves all around.

Great pizza, but they are known for their strawberry shortcake, which we shared.

And at the end of each day, we were greeted with this!

We had a great time on the Rincon Parkway, but the trip almost didn’t happen. It was cancelled by Ventura County because of the statewide lockdown due to the virus. However, days before we were to go the county emailed us that they were reopening AND we could get our reservations back! We were very happy to oblige and were glad we did. There is nothing like a trip to Rincon Parkway to lift our spirits.

Al & Deb