Marina, CA
This is hands down my favorite park and location we have visited so far.
While traveling I have come to discover that I love a nice suburb, I am not an off-grid girly. When it comes to day to day life while working full time I like the convivence of having easy access to the stores I frequent, restaurants, and vet care for my two senior pets. Marina was the perfect place for this. It was just outside the city of Monterey and had all of my go to stores including Trader Joe’s and a Banfield within a 10 minute drive.
While in Marina we did not visit as many places as originally planned but that was because I was still recovering from San Francisco. If the opportunity presents and I make it back to the west coast with the 5th wheel, I would definitely plan an extended stay at this park. It is the perfect location for the day to day grind but has a lot of options for day trips on the weekends.
One of the only things I did not like about this location was the weather. I know not everyone will agree with me but this is truly one of those CA locations that is 65 degrees all year. It is also really windy so that adds a little more chill to the air, especially when the sun goes down. That is great for the winter, but when it comes to summer that means I am still in pants and a sweater. I much prefer summers warmer than 65, even if it means 100 degree days.
The park was on a dead end road with very light traffic and was right across from the ocean. There was access to a trail that went over the dunes to the water so it was very easy to get to the beach.
Cannery Row – Monterey, CA
We spent an afternoon wandering around Cannery Row in Monterey. We had a nice time browsing the shops and then ate lunch at the Fish Hopper. I tried sand dabs (a type of fish that looks like a flounder) for the first time. I had never seen them on a menu and they are most commonly from the central to southern CA coast. It is a white fish that was served in a lemon caper sauce. They were good but I do not know if I would go out of my way to try them again.
Point Pinos Lighthouse
We also visited the Point Pinos lighthouse, which was much shorter than I expected. It was within a golf course that had some really great costal views. There were deer out on the course and in the surrounding area of the lighthouse.
Tide Pools
After the lighthouse we went over to The Great Tide Pool to see if we could find anything during low tide. We climbed around on the rocks for a while and looked at some tide pools but it was mostly crabs and sea anemones.
The stars of this trip were the rock and ground squirrels. They had obviously been fed by humans and ran right up to you. It was a little unnerving at first but once they realize you didn’t have an offering they moved right along. There were tons of them and all their little burrows had great oceanfront views.
Maintenance Completed
The bathroom fan motor went out a few weeks ago and I finally got a new motor and completed the replacement.
I had to remove the outer shell from the ceiling to access the wiring and since this was a new motor, I had to cut the existing wires to connect the new motor. I also needed to drill some new holes into the metal since the new motor sat a little differently than the old one.
It of course took longer than expected but was not as bad as some other jobs I have tackled.
Here are some photos showing what the replacement looked like. It is hard to see but the motor sits on top of the metal, you can see it on the first photo. The pink and blue heat shrink butt-connectors are my handy work.
This one is not really maintenance, more of a craft, but I am going to include it here anyway.
I found this small sign in the Target dollar section months ago with the intention to paint it colors that matched better with the interior. I finally got around to it and am happy with how it came out.
Before
After
We went to Trader Joe’s for the first time in months, since we were finally near one, so of course I had to get some fresh flowers.
There was also a small store in the campground that had some snacks, drinks, and miscellaneous items. Dan picked out two cups and I immediately claimed the one that said “I’m sorry for what I said while we were trying to park the camper” 10/10.
Overall Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stay Duration: 2 weeks – May 31, 2025 – June 21, 2025
Weather: Sunny but windy– Temperature Range: 50-70 – Average Temp: 65
- Site 61 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Full Hookup, 15/30/50 amp, Back-in. The only reason this is 4 stars and not 5 is because of the length. If it had been a bit longer it would easily be 5 stars. Because of its length we had to park the truck right against the picnic table. It fit but it was a tight squeeze.
- Each site also has privacy dividers between spaces. This is a small touch that makes it feel more cozy.
- Picnic table, charcoal grill, and fires allowed in provided firepit.
- Campground ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- I really liked this campground. It was one of the smallest ones we stayed in with only about 80 sites, split up into 3 sections. That made the general vibe more calm and quiet.
- They also take really good care of the park and all sites are raked before the next guest arrives. It is also one of the few campgrounds I have stayed so far that has flowers throughout.
- Across the street from the ocean and easy access to a trail over the dunes to the water.
- Other People/Pets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- No complaints. They were re-sodding the dog park so we were not able to use it. Everyone had their pet leashed and picked up after them. If they were not picking it up, maintenance was.
- Because of how small the campground is, it is really quiet on weekdays with more people filling in the sites on the weekend. Even when most sites are full, it is still a really pleasant experience.
- Internet Connection ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- We were able to use T-Mobile, which is the easiest and least expensive signal for us since it is also our cell phone provider. I did not even need to put the antenna up on the pole.
- Vibes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- I really liked it here. As mentioned above, it has everything you need for day to day living within a short drive but has lots of places to visit within 2 hour drives for day trips on the weekend.
Scrapbook Pages
Midlife Millennial Adventures 