So we were two whole days and nights without cell or Internet. Tragedy for the Vance's. But good for the family trip. Off the grid! Shelter Cove was a true gem. A place I had discovered online and it was a crazy drive to get there from hwy 101. Twisty turny, up huge hills and down big ones too. We went up to 2000 feet and down again. 2 nights ago we stayed right in the Redwoods, unplanned, and woke up to amazing beauty. We also woke up to Neighbours in a motor home who had also pulled in at night when we did. They had 2 kids, Diego (6) and Helena (4) and of course the girls hit it off. We planned to head out of there early but 11am and we had great chats with the parents from Alberta and the kids had a blast playing and riding bikes.
The biggest joke of our conversation was whether it was "cool" in a state park to fire up the generator for a coffee maker. K, they even had a cappuccino machine! Anna's theory was if she got scowled at, she would offer up a latte! We had a group of hardcore biking/backpacking/campers at our doorstep but as soon as they got on their wheels, the generator when on for the java.
We told then about our next destination at shelter cove, and they were excited. Coming from Alberta they wanted to hit the beach & some warmth. Told them where it was and maybe see them there.

After 45 min of windy hilly roads, we were in "The cove". Well what a place. It's not big. Apparently about 600 houses now, although mostly holiday homes & rentals. It's on a rocky cliff, with one side a HUGE black sands beach, and the other a sandy surfin beach. When the tide is down and the surf is up, all the locals show up in thei trucks and drive right down on the beach with dogs, kids, boards. It's quite the scene.
So as we drove on the road to the Cove we noticed many times that there must be a lot of skunks in the area. Well after meetin James while watching the surfing beach for a whole, we found out that the area is QUITE well known for its greenery! Yup, the smokin Rollin kind. Hilarious. Like a different world. Everyone was so friendly, so laid back & easy going. When we blocked the road for a bit with our truck/trailer a couple of cars came along with interesting dudes inside. Here I am sitting in the foreign rig, with 2 little kids, being total dumb tourist. Instead of getting remotely upset, the first guy covered in tattoos and piercings not only gave me advice not to drive a certain road, directions to the black sands beach, but also said he would turn around and go the other way so we didn't have to move. Even told his buddy in car #2 to turn around and go the other way too. Everyone was the same way. They'd drive around you, stop and ask if you needed help, whatever. I think we were in the twilight zone.
So James told us that this was a very small fishing community, and an investor came around 20 years ago to put in a development, a golf course, and an airstrip. He wanted to build another "pebble beach". But flying out one day his pilot had a problem with he rudder and they crashed in the ocean. Oops. so the whole development stalled for a while but picked up again 10 years later. There's a few nice Inns, some small restaurants, a cafe, one surf shop, and a campground. There is also an amazing general store that had tonnes of organic & local goods. I'm thinking that people in this area are pretty good at growing local & organic ;-).
There's 2 elements here.... Either the pretty obvious surf/pot/organic crowd... Or the high end, wealthy/fly-In crowd. Weird!!
We loved it. Weather was awesome. Campground was sketchy looking at first. Not one other camper until our Alberta buddies from the redwoods also showed up. Reminded me of what people must think when they show up at Winter Harbour campground!!! but it turned out to be amazing. It was at the end of the airstrip so we got to watch a few small planes take off & land. We had the front row view of the california sunsets. We walked to the surf/fish beach. We walked to the rocky point with sea lions, pelicans, cormorants, seastars in tidal pools, and more. What else could we ask for?!
I could go on forever about shelter cove, but suffice to say it was our fave stop so far. Loved it

And now the big debate.... Start heading north? Or stay on the coast enjoying the sunshine? Stay tuned.