I chase weather. I go where it’s cold, raining, snowing…anything but sun. Living in the desert for 22 years has taken it’s toll on me and I’m over it. Therefore, I like to travel where the weather is not going to fry my soul if I walk outdoors.
But anyways, that’s what brought Wynston and I to San Diego for a van life trip – weather in the 70s. The San Diego area is about a 5.5 hour drive from our house, which is super close for us! When you’re used to driving 12+ hours to visit a beautiful spot, only having to travel less than 6 is awfully appealing.
I decided to book a stay at the San Diego Metro KOA. If you aren’t familiar with KOAs (I definitely wasn’t), they are family-oriented campgrounds with lots of activities and amenities.
I’m attracted to KOAs because they give you the ability to camp with the amenities of a hotel such as showers, bathrooms, electric hookups, activities for the family and often a pool and cafe. At most KOA campgrounds, you can camp in a cabin, tent or RV. Some even have tiny homes and yurts. Whatever your style is, the KOA probably offers it.
I hadn’t been to San Diego since I was a teenager, so I was especially excited to visit. I wasn’t really sure what to expect of a campground in the middle of an ocean “city,” but I gave it a whirl, and it was worth it.
Recently I received a generic Google email, which I tend to ignore and trash. But one caught my eye with the subject line Amanda, here’s your 2018 Timeline. Hm. “Okay,” I thought, “My interest is piqued.” So I opened it up and the first thing I saw was a little map of all the places I traveled in 2018. My initial thinking was, “Oh, that’s kind of cool!” I scrolled down a bit and the next photo I saw said that I traveled 14,515 total miles in 2018. Wynston traveled everywhere with me in 2018, which means that he also traveled over 14,000 miles. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Nine days into the new year, I felt a sudden urge. That “I just wanna get out of here” urge. Within 30 minutes of that initial feeling, Wynston and I were well on our way. I filled up my gas tank, grabbed a cheeseburger to share with my boy, and headed west on the I-10. All I knew is that we were going to head toward California. Because why not?! In life, right now, I’m just going where the wind takes me. And on January 9, 2019, it took us to Indio, CA and The Salton Sea!
