Tripometer – 9569 mi
Gas Gauge – 737.398 gal
Location – Soledad Canyon RV & Camping Resort, Acton, CA
Lodging – $50
Cans of OFF – 4
Starting fairly early on Saturday morning we parked our car in between the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach in L.A. There is a beautiful bike and walking trail that travels between these two locations and provides us with the perfect place for a nice Saturday afternoon stroll.
Santa Monica Pier was exactly as we’d expected, being more amusement park than anything else. The wandering performers of every type and skill level kept us simultaneously entertained and horrified. You’d think some of these folks would practice in a mirror or on a recording before coming out in public to demonstrate their skills (or lack thereof.)
The walk from Santa Monica to Venice Beach was beautiful. A constant stream of bikes and electric scooters plied back and forth beside us as we walked enjoying the beach air and sunshine, our cold bones finally thawing in the California sun. It is readily apparent why this boardwalk is so often featured in pictures and movies.
Venice Beach was by far the most interesting destination for the day. Known as a magnet for local artists and street vendors we had pictured an art festival type atmosphere to the boardwalk on Venice Beach. What we found was somewhat different. There is a striking wealth gap amongst the people on Venice beach, the haves and the have nots. The artisans spanned the range from the truly gifted to the truly mentally disturbed, many of whom were living and sleeping mere feet from their art on the sidewalk. The smell of marijuana was so strong that we both felt a little lightheaded before we began the walk back to the car in the evening. What we found to be most disturbing were the number of people sorting through garbage cans for their next meal. Our assumption is that the warm and consistent weather attracts the homeless to the area.
One of the things we have been looking forward to the most during our visit to the SW US is the food. We are both big fans of Mexican food and this is probably one of the best parts of the US to experience really top notch Mexican grub. Tonight was our first foray into local Mexican at the Cabana restaurant near the campground. We were richly rewarded with a fantastic dinner of chicken mole and cheese enchiladas. We went to bed tonight with warm round bellies and lots of leftovers.