Doc in California !!

Doctorbass

Doctorbass

100 GW
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
7,501
Location
Quebec, Canada East
8) The Doc go to California! 8)


Hi guys,

Guess what!! ? Doc need warmer weather!!!

YES ! I prepare to quit for some days our actual really poor spring cold weather and meet CALIFORNIA warmer weather!!

I'm impatent and really happy, !!

in fact My wife and I are planning a trip to California 8) and we need some help from you guys.

We are planning to rent a small Class C 19-22fts RV to travel between San Francisco and Los
Angeles.

During our trip we might need to stop at some places over#night and apparently we cannot park the RV anywhere because apparently some area are restricted.

I am asking you guys if some of you could know some great places where we could park our RV for the night. We will stop at differents locations between SF and LA mayve San Diego too.

It would be great to meet some of you guys :) As well this is not an ebike party trip and i will be with my wife so please understand if we dont talk ebikes late late in the night :lol: My wife like ebikes but i dont want her to hate ebikes after that :lol:
 
We used to boondock in/around LA/San Diego CA in a camper van but that was several years ago and the homeless situation wasn't what it is now. There's plenty places to enjoy beach and camp, even if just for the day, between Tijuana and Carlsbad.
Silver Strand state park on Cornonado Island where you can overnight right on the beach.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=654

Here's another good hang off the I5 in San Diego:

http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/missionbay/

Although Mission Bay park doesn't allow overnight parking it does have a free holding tank dump station and there's a couple commercial RV parks nearby for overnight.

De Anza is a commercial RV park which is expensive but there's a little known, harder to find RV park called Morena Coastal Villa which can be an affordable place to park for a night or two in the Bay Park area.

North from San Diego up the I-5 you'll find Solana Beach and Carlsbad state parks with full hookup campsites, if that's your thing?

Post up when you get some details and logistics sorted out. I'm in/out of San Diego frequently and happy to help survey and/or advance anything of interest to you. Enjoy!
 
You're always welcome to visit my pad my friend. :)
 
If you happen to cruise through San Bernardino you might see me out riding which is an almost everyday occurrence for me. I'll be the only guy in the whole city on an e-bike lol.
 
Yep. Park at the walmart around here. California may be different. I remember in Mission Bay years ago, the rule was you could park your hippie bus all day at the public beaches. But 12 pm to 2 am, you had to leave. Odd sleeping schedule results, but you could park at the beach at 2, if you drove there in the night. Get up at the walmart at 2, drive to the beach and park, then go back to sleep? That way, you wake up the second time at the beach.

I live where it's warm all winter, and I'm still jealous of your trip. I want to ride the coast someday, bike, motorcycle, I don't care.
 
You can park in front of our house, except on street sweeper days- first and third Tuesdays of the month. Back in the day you could stop anywhere. Now, even roadside rest areas get rousted every few hours at night to prevent crime. I-5 (even US-101) should have roadside rest areas every hundred miles or so between cities. Gaviota is one of my favorites. :mrgreen:
 
WalMart for sure. you can use their bathrooms and even buy soda pop and food.

park away from the entrance, over on the side so you don't get bothered by traffic overnight. lotsa times they are close to the cheap gas too.
 
Very few Walmarts in Southern CA allow overnight parking or "boondocking".

Here's one of many sites where users report Walmart store location boondock policies:

http://www.allstays.com/c/walmart-california-locations-map.htm

Some stores may tolerate a small camper van occupying one parking stall but anything large will be asked to leave.

It's easy enough to find out-of-the-way curb parking in some light Industrial areas though. Keep interior lights blacked out and the popo will probably leave you alone.

Silver Strand link in my 1st post is a "bargain" price beachfront overnight campground. Well worth a couple nights - best to arrive on Sunday eve though as the locals frequent this location over the weekend and spaces can open up late Sun afternoon.
 
I drifted across the USA in a class C camper twice and can tell you their is many places to park, if you want to be stealthful...but, there are no Walmarts in this area. We don't like them around Los Angeles.

You are very welcome to park in front of my house. We are not far from Venice Beach. No street restrictions here. We will just tell our neighbors you may be here for a few days.

If you come to Los Angeles, you will be traveling during the beginning of the "peak" season....around here it lasts a long time....May through September, expect rates to be high. Also, we are moving into the "June Gloom" season of the beaches around here. It has to do with the air temperatures heating up and causing a heavy marine layer of clouds to cover the beach's until mid summer. The inland areas are bright and sunny though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Gloom

RV parking in Los Angeles is a problem because the closest facility for draining your black water tank could be many miles away...(20 to 100) depending on where you are. I highly recommend you dump your black water tank before you come to Los Angeles for that reason. If you tank is empty when you get to LA, then you can use your shower and such without worrying about the tank filling.

You might call the Malibu RV park (think expensive) and see what they can provide. They are on Highway 1 (the coast highway) and may have a place you can dump. https://www.maliburv.com/reservations.asp

You might also check into Dockweiler RV Park but that place is always crowded and is under the flight path of LAX so the noise of the jets taking off is ever present. On the other hand it is right on the beach and next to the bicycle path that will lead both north and south and east.

http://beaches.lacounty.gov/wps/por...h+site/home/beaches/rv+park/rv+park+main+page

https://www.google.com/maps/place/D...21,13z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xf74cb0aee0c7bc71

North will take you to Marina del Rey yacht harbor. Further north will take you to Venice and Santa Monica Beaches. Finding a place to pulg in your bikes to charge around Venice and Santa Monica can be a bit tricky though. The best places to look are in front of Supermarkets because they have vending machines in front of the markets and usually don't mind if you plug in for a little while. Just go inside and purchase something.

South will take you to Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan beaches. The beaches in the south have plenty of places to plug your bikes into for a charge.

East will take you along the Ballona Creek bicycle path. It is not a pretty sight, because it is really a concrete culvert storm drain now, but it will get you deep enough into Los Angeles for you to catch the "Expo line" light rail. Bikes are ok on the light rail lines around Los Angeles, but you will have to stand at the end of the train car and hold them upright the whole ride. Bikes above 55lbs are not allowed on the city bus bike racks that most of the city buses have around here.

http://www.metro.net/bikes/

Leo Carrillo Beach north of Los Angeles is an option.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=616

Camping near the beach is easier in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles County.
http://www.ventura-usa.com/hotels/camping/

Anyway, if you have any questions contact me.

:D

Edit:
PS, this can be filed under the heading of "Why I Ride an E-bike."

Average Price of gasoline in Los Angeles:
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EMM_EPMPR_PTE_Y05LA_DPG&f=W
 
:shock: 8) 8)

Hey Guys.. That's so much help! I appreciate a lot all your recommendations! These will certainly be usefull ! Thanks for taking time to detail everything for those who does it.!

Now the most difficult for us is to find the 2 Berth RV we want !!

We was searching for a 2 Berth Class B wich is easier to ravel with and easier to park and to be accepted in the parking.. but we learned that we should have reserved them 6 month ago! there is NO class B available so we will ned to reserve a Class C and we hope to find a 19-22 fts MAX.

The Alpollo Euro tourer was the one we wanted to rent but no Appollo are available until June-July ! !! It is difficult to find a similar one too

Here is what we are looking for but that we might have to forget and find an alternative with a class C...

apollo_2berthst.jpg


us24re16.jpg


We searched on many California RV rental website but are still searching for one and so no are reserved yet :(

We are looking for :

Class B is BEST or the alternative Class C (19-22fts MAX)
-Pickup at San Francisco on May 2014 ( best would be between 1 to 3 pm)
> -Drop off at Los Angels on May 2014 between
> - Toilet and shower
> - 800-1000 miles block ( we plan to travel between S-F to L-A and visit different National park and explore on the highway 1)
> - Air conditioning and generator if required
> - No smoking

Doc
 
Hey Doc,

Did you win at lottery and did you planning to buy a Tesla at the same time or what? I’m just kidding you it will be a nice trip for sure, I hope you have fun for both of you, take care!

Bruno
 
If you are down my way, near Marina del Rey (just north of LAX), I would like to meet up!

There's a park by my house where RVs park along the street and "camp out" with a small restroom and water. And although my place is about as big as your RV, I have a full set of tools and charging equipment should you need something. :D

Good luck Doc!
 
Have you looked for an RV in places somewhat further from LA? Phoenix, Vegas, etc. Just a thought, in the desert, the "season" just ended. Likely they just move em to the coast, where they are booked. But who knows, if you are willing to move one, maybe you can get one.
 
If you really want warmer, come thru Phoenix, AZ while you're out and about. :)

I have an empty master bedroom you could stay in while here, if you like.

Tiny won't really eat you, even if she sounds like it sometimes.


And you KNOW you wanna try riding CrazyBike2, right? :p
 
Another reason to look into an RV pickup from Phoenix.
 
Apollo has a rental pick up/return location at South Bay Ford Fleet Service Center on Hawthorne Blvd. just North of Rosecrans Ave. not far from LAX. They also have the Juicy minivan motorhomes. Best hot links in town. :)
 
The fingers said:
Apollo has a rental pick up/return location at South Bay Ford Fleet Service Center on Hawthorne Blvd. just North of Rosecrans Ave. not far from LAX. They also have the Juicy minivan motorhomes. Best hot links in town. :)
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info. We already check with Apollo and they have NOTHING available until June-July ! :x

We might finally abandon the idea of the RV due to too much complication and availability and price going high due to the low availability. The standard car rental and hotel-motel-friends might be our best new solution.

We don't want also to have a limiting factor for the destinations we want. in fact RV are not recommended in Death Valley because of overheating motor etc... and even if we want to visit the Grand Canyon and Vegas, the motorhome might cost a lot for the extra 700-800 miles.

I think FIRST we have to examine witch destinations we would like to visit during our trip and then choosing the most appropriate transport. in fact it is not recommended to use any car or RV in some big city and RV become more complicate to manage everytime...

Opinion?

Doc
 
Having driven my 19ft Okanagan RV from California to Florida and back one summer, and then from California to Florida and then up to New York City before returning to California two summers later, I can say that there is always a way to manage a 19 foot RV. Even in a big city like Los Angeles or New York City. (I even slept in my van for 4 nights in NYC by sneaking into the parking lot at night and not making any noise. Not the best option, but it saved me $600-$700 dollars in hotel fees.) So, don't be afraid of driving a class C camper around here. In the city's, the simple answer is to park the big van and use public transportation to get around. The big expense with a Class C van is the price of gasoline.

Car camping is a popular option around here....or maybe rent a regular van. Something big enough to hold your camp gear plus a couple of e-bikes if they are bringing them. A tent, sleeping bags, a cooler big enough to keep food and drinks and don't forget some pads to lay your sleeping bags on top of (to save your back from the bumps). These things do not take much space in a car. You can then visit places that have suitable camping nearby and then go a friends house or to motel's in a city if you have to. A small car with a good bike rack on the rear of the car is a good option for a swing through the west coast. Plenty of places to car camp between San Fransisco and Los Angeles. Or perhaps, from a desert city like Phenox to Los Angeles and then to San Fransisco.

Death Vally might be a bit out of the way, but if you could do something like this...... Fly to San Fransisco and rent a car. Go to Yosemite National Park - Death Vally - Grand Canyon - Phoenix (Check out the Sonoran Desert) - swing down to Joshua Tree National Park in California - Los Angeles then up Highway 1 along the coast to Santa Cruz California then back to San Francisco. It would be a lot of driving, but it would be an incredible trip with truly stunning beauty and diversity.

There is also plenty of car camping spots along that route, and some friends along the way!

:D

Edit: Something like this perhaps....(if google maps will work properly)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Yos...b2ad7f985!2m2!1d-122.0307963!2d36.9741171!3e0
 
I'd skip the RV and rent a nice econo car. Bring a good GPS and have your wife shop for the nights room while you drive.

Don't miss Highway 1 from SF to San Luis Obispo. From there it's pretty much a straight shot east to Yosemite then across the cool pass over the mountains to Las Vegas. I'd book the Vegas room before leaving so as to get the best rate. From LV it's not too far to the Grand Canyon. (I'd take the Heli tour there from Vegas as it's not all that expensive). Hoover Dam is a short day trip from vegas and is worth the stop and tour. LV is about a 4 hour trip from LA.

You'll be seeing some of the best scenery in the world.

If you come all the way down Hwy 1 to Lompoc, I'd love to buy you lunch.

Nick
 
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