Our first Syncro trip
Emma here. So after Ronnie was at the mechanic's for several weeks, she was FINALLY ready for our first trip. Needless to say, we were very excited.
We decided to head out Saturday morning and make our way up Highway 1, to Manny's dream destination of the Avenue of the Giants near Eureka.
We ran into our first setback the previous evening. Manny was late getting home from work. Emma was concerned, and then finally got a text from him and several phone calls indicating that Ronnie had broken down on the freeway! It was the night before our first trip, and already we were having issues. Luckily, the breakdown was a quick fix- Ronnie ran out of gas, due to her gas meter being broken and Manny having no idea how long the mechanics kept her running while she was in the shop. After filling her up, she was back on the road and ready to go.
Fast forward to the following morning. The van is packed (albeit poorly), and just as we are about to put Cal in the car, Manny tells Emma that one of the circuits popped! Manny goes to investigate and it ends up being a circuit that we can go without. We are back in business. Cal hops in the car and off we go!
Their first stop is a lookout point right before Dillon’s Beach.
They’ve driven through Petaluma, and seen the beautiful rustic farms along the way to Highway 1. They stop for a quick photo opp. and Emma scores a Modelo from a friendly couple that they meet. This gives Emma the extra liquid courage that she needs to take the ultimate photo of the Synchro at the edge of the cliff. Emma wonders, should she leave Cal in the car with Manny? It would be too great a loss to lose them both should anything happen… but alas, she needs both hands to hold the camera, so 1….2….3…. GOOOOOO!!!!!
They take the photo and then hop back into the van for their next stop- Dillon’s Beach.
They arrive shortly thereafter at Dillon’s Beach, a private (this means fee) beach that they are drawn to due to it’s rave reviews for dogs and dog lovers. The beach is breathtaking. They walk through the sand practicing training with Cal, running around, playing together. They watch the sunset. It’s a perfect first destination for their trip. After the sun goes down they hop back into the van, in search of a campsite.
Back on the road, they begin to head North towards Mendocino. They are hoping to reach a camping destination that Emma remembers near Manchester Beach, however, driving Ronny for the first time on a very windy Highway 1, means that they won’t make it to Manchester Beach for hours. They decide to pull over for some fried fish in a divey cliff side shack. Dinner is greasy but tasty (although they pay for it later).
They get back on the road and begin to search for a campsite…. only to find that they hadn’t considered that memorial day weekend there is NOTHING available. It also seems, that boon docking for free is not a California thing. There are signs on every turnout indicating that they can’t camp on the side of the road. And as they hit campsite after campsite, they see that they are not the only people who hadn’t planned ahead. Then to top it all off, they realize that they only have $1 in cash, having spent $10 at Dillon’s Beach. Emma is starting to feel stressed and tired. Reception is spotty. It’s windy, freezing, and they’re starting to feel hopeless. Finally, they see it, a group of cars parked, and the sign for Timber Cove. They pull in, desperate to find someplace to sleep.
They are in luck! A nice couple is sitting around their campsite and says that there is a site available right next to theirs (who would have known by the number of cars crammed in there!). The site consists of hookups and a parking space on the edge of a cliff, but for the night, it’s just right. Manny fills out the registration envelop, with a “will pay in the morning” and a smily face, and they head to bed.
Sunday morning, they wake up to a breathtaking view of the ocean (thank goodness the van didn’t go over the edge!).
Emma makes them a yummy breakfast, a la her childhood camping trips, and they sit looking out at the beautiful view.
They feed Cal treats, take pictures, and Manny goes to pay the manager, a quirky woman whose family has owned the campground since the or possible even ’60’s. Her living room is her office and there is an awesome resident cat as well. They chat and she suggests that Manny and Emma drive down to the private beach. So they pack up their campsite (easy to do when you have Ronnie) and Indianna-Jones-it down a steep road.
They park on the beach, and Manny brings out his awning for the first time. Emma plays with Cal, makes tea (proceeds to pour tea all over her body), and they meet a nice couple who are also from the East Bay. They are also weekending it in their van and having a fabulous trip. They tip Manny and Emma off to a beautiful little nearby trail. After chatting for awhile, they say their goodbyes.
Manny goes up the hill to take pictures of the van. It's starting to sprinkle, so Emma goes to roll up the window. She turns the key in the ignition and starts to roll up the windows only to find that the van is also rolling. Emma panics. The van has no parking brake and Emma can't drive a stick. The car is slowly but surely rolling into a massive rock face. Luckily, Emma puts on her thinking cap and remembers the brake. The car stops, unscathed.
They hop in the van to move it and Manny pulls off the concrete slab that they are on. It’s Ronnie’s first off-roading move and she gets stuck immediately. The sand boards are at home. The wheels are spinning, digging Ronnie deeper and deeper into the sand. They are stuck. Emma and Manny put their heads together. They dig out Ronnie’s tires with their bare hands and then Emma places large rocks underneath her tires for more traction. It works! They hop back in Ronnie (Phew! What a close one!) And head back up the steep narrow hill for safer parking.
Next stop is a beautiful little trail next to Timber Cove. They walk through a grove of trees, with the ocean back drop and then sit on a beautiful bench at the edge of a cliff. The ocean is mesmerizing. Emma slides along the bench to get closer to Manny and gets a dozen splinters in her bum. They laugh. They try to go on, until it’s clear that they need to back track for a change of clothes and some tweezers. Thirty minutes later, they are back on their walk. They explore the oceanside cliffs. Timber Cove seems to be next to a fancy resort which is beautiful and expensive looking. The wind is whipping so hard, Emma fears that they may all go flying off the cliff. They check out the local totem poles, appreciate the carved hearts that are on the side of one of the cliffs, and add one of their own. Then they head back to the van to start the trek back home.
The drive home is long and eventful. They pull over at a rest stop and make a camping meal-in-a-bag. Emma serenades Manny on her guitar and makes them tea.f
They get really excited when they see another van at a rest stop. They run into some of Manny’s old friends. They also have a van. They visit for awhile and Cal gets lots of love from his new friends. At one point they pull over to correctly re-roll the awning. Only to find that it’s windier than earlier in the day when they first attempted to roll it. They lose control of the awning to the wind, and Ronnie gets her first big post-purchase dent (at least it’s something to remember the trip by?)
They make it home in time for a relaxing evening. They unload the van, shower, and then climb into bed to watch “Expedition Happiness” and snuggle the kitties. The film is inspiring (how could it not be? It’s about bus life and a dog!!). It’s a great ending to a fantastic first trip with Ronnie.