Trying to Make It Look Easy (First Days on the Central Coast)

Back in Raleigh I used to watch Deadliest Catch. I was always amazed how some of the captains managed to catch their quota and get off the water quickly, while others had to “grind it out”. Now, until this point all of our moves have gone well. We packed the trailer, we drove to the new location, we got to see cool things along the way, housing was ready, and we moved in. Boom! Done! This move was not like that. We were going to have to “grind it out” and make the best of things.

The trip from Vegas was a tough drive. Our route took us right through central California. The drive itself was hot, sunny, and bleak.  There isn’t much between Vegas and the California coast. We plugged along until Bakersfield, where we were going to spend a couple nights. We had a day to kill since our housing wasn’t going to be ready for an additional day. We planned to make a side trip to a national park and see the sights. Unfortunately, our side trip wasn’t in the cards. Wildfires stopped us cold in Bakersfield.

Chrysa and I holed up at the La Quinta and monitored the pet situation. The room was small and the pets really needed some time to adjust. One or both of them had been kenneled since Park City and we all needed to learn to live together again. We spent two nights blogging, going through pics, and eating in the room. It was fine, but not ideal. It would have been better to get out and see the park.

We got some bad news while we were in Bakersfield. Our housing had fallen through! We didn’t get any other details other than that. We had no place to live, Chrysa was going to have to start work, and we were being put up in a room at the Santa Maria Inn. Needless to say we were crestfallen as we left Bakersfield. We were going to continue the La Quinta lifestyle instead of having a place to spread out.

The Santa Maria Inn is a beautiful hotel with a lot of history and plenty of things to do. They have a couple restaurants, a tap room, a coffee bar, and a pool and workout facilities. All this is great if you are staying for a few nights on a wine tour. We were booked for 2 weeks, or until an apartment could be found. The main issue we had was the room. Don’t get me wrong, it was real nice, just small. As soon as we walked in we could tell we were going to be on top of each other. We made the decision pretty much as soon as we walked in the door to board the dog.

Given the less than ideal living arrangements, it was clear that a division of resources was in order. Chrysa would go to work and earn the big bucks, while I partnered with the housing lady to find us a place to live. We figured that two heads were better than one in this situation and neither Chrysa nor I relished the idea of living in the hotel for the foreseeable future.

Apartment hunting can be fun, if you have a prospective move in date a month or two out. Our move in date was RIGHT NOW. I got laughed off the phone more than once. I was also growing frustrated with the corporate housing lady. I wasn’t getting replies to the emails I sent her and it seemed we weren’t a priority. Days passed as I struck out again and again while getting nothing back from corporate. Frustration was a constant companion. I relieved my frustration with creativity and physical activity.

Living in one room with no kitchen isn’t the most fun thing in the world. Chrysa and I would go broke eating out every night, so I had to make use of what we had, and we didn’t have much. What we had was a hotel coffee maker (the packet kind, not the drip kind), a microwave, a mini fridge, and a Trader Joe’s up the street. I found out you can do a lot with that. I stocked us up with paper plates, cups, napkins, and plastic flatware. I got us some passable instant coffee that worked with our machine, and I got us 2 Buck Chuck wine to make the situation livable. The meals I prepared were actually pretty good! Deli sandwiches, cheese plates and salads were on the menu a couple nights. I also nuked some lasagna and we had pulled pork one night. Overall, meals went pretty well. Chrysa would come home from work, I would “cook”, we would have some wine, and I would send her off the next morning with lunch.

In between house hunting I would explore the area looking for places to hike and run. While checking out the town of Guadalupe (house hunting actually) I stumbled across Guadalupe Dunes State Park. On a whim I decided to do a beach run and I was not disappointed. After a few miles I got to a cliff area that I scrambled up to find a secluded cove. It was amazing. I took Chrysa back over the weekend for a hike. I also made use of the hotel facilities. The little gym at the inn was nice. They had free weights and some cardio equipment.

On the weekend we just had to get out of the hotel. We checked out the town of Pismo Beach and made our way farther north to Avila. The area is stunning. Pismo is your classic beach town. A big, wide open stretch of sand. Along the streets there are shops and restaurants and bars. Avila is smaller and a little more elegant. We tossed around the idea in living in one of these two towns. How great would it be to live right on the shore? I did some internet searching for a rental house in Pismo and Avila. Unfortunately nothing was open for our time frame. The weather here on the central coast is perfect most of the year. As a result the bungalows are booked year round.

I also took Chrysa back to Guadalupe Dunes for a hike, or as Chrysa would later call it, “the death march”.  We started by running, but we ended up doing a walk/run.  The trek to the cliffs, and the secluded cove, was a lot longer than I first realized.  Once we reached the cliffs, we had to scramble up a loose sand wall, and then hike along some narrow ledges with shear drops to one side.  Chrysa was a trooper for the first half of the cliff segment, but she bailed on the final section.  Even I have to admit it was a treacherous walk.  Plus, if anything happened, it was a long way back. Eventually we did make it back though and treated ourselves to a great meal in Pismo.

The following day we went back to Avila for the true beachside meal Chrysa was craving.  We ate some fantastic food while watching the sun go down over the Pacific.  It was a great way to wrap up the weekend.  It also seemed like an omen for things to come.  I, for one, felt reinvigorated and was ready to really start living the California Coast life.

After more searching I finally had a breakthrough on the apartment hunt. The town of Lompoc had an immediate availability. I emailed the link to the corporate lady and told her to get them on the phone immediately. Persistence (and a demanding attitude) won the day and we had a place.

When we move to a new place people often ask what I do for a living. We have business cards that list me as “Minister of Transport.” Usually that entails packing up the house, setting up the new place, loading the trailer, planning routes and so forth. This time I get to add house hunter to my skills list.

We have gotten lucky on our moves. This one was tough, but we are settled now. With a little bit of persistence, patience, creativity, and will power you can get anything done. Part of me is glad that this one was a challenge. It gave me a chance to put my full skill set to use. That being said…I hope things go smoother next time.

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