Fall Trip Recap: Bodega Bay and Clear Lake State Park


This post may contain affiliate links.

Well hi, it’s me again. I know, I’m surprised, too. Two trip recaps in a month?! Something must be in this California water.

Peace, love, and OCEAN!

Last I wrote, we were wrapping up fun times at Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. From there, we rolled north. Over a cool little thing you might recognize:

Number One’s number one time on the GGB!

This is only our second time RVing over the Golden Gate Bridge, and our first time in Number One. We actually went a little out of our way to experience it; because come on. An engineering marvel, a work of art, and a beloved American icon all wrapped in one? The extra 30 minutes it added to our route was nothing for the opportunity to drive its 1.7 mile stretch of awesomeness.

 

FIRST STOP: Bodega Bay

James. Forever 13 years old.

James and I have a trip planning problem. We’re actually great at doing planning, so that’s good. The problem is the back to back destinations we choose. For some reason, they never seem to be within a reasonable proximity to each other. It’s a strange thing we both do. “Hey, we’re in Tucson. Let’s road trip to Colorado tomorrow!” “Sweet, let’s go!” It would be great if one of us was saner than the other, so we could put the other in check on the stupidness that inevitably leads to us enduring some crazy long driving days. But weirdly, we both share this weakness. THIS time, I was determined to change this.
When I was planning our post-Sea Otter trip itinerary, my self-imposed rule was we’d never have a driving day more than 4 hours. Bodega Bay met my criteria for bookability:

  1. only about 3 and a half hours drive from Monterey where we were,
  2. had cell service for James’ pesky day job,
  3. had available reservable spots at Bodega Dunes Campground,

… so, I added it to the Itinerary of Fun. Look at us! Aren’t we smart trip planners!

Campsite 65 at Bodega Dunes Campground.

The area was nice and all, but it’s also strange. Neither rural nor urban, but had some of the challenges common to both settings. On my one and only jogging attempt out from the state park, I couldn’t find a sidewalk anywhere. With narrow, shoulderless roads being the only in-town options on the state park side of the bay, I quickly realized with the constant flow of traffic, a long exploratory jog wasn’t in the cards.

There are some trails in the state park that go to the beach, so that was good. It’s not like I couldn’t get exercise anywhere. The extreme winds made that option less appealing than sticking to the less windy harbor side.

If you need to hit the grocery store in town, you’ll be in quite a pickle. Either you’ll drive, and have to deal with very limited RV parking, or you’ll walk, and have to walk along a narrow road with traffic. Same problem hitting any of the restaurants up the hill. And if you do drive, don’t leave your rug. Ours (in the pic above) got stolen!

We had taken Number One to have dinner with some some RV friends at their neighboring campground, and when we returned, our rug—in our reserved spot– was gone! Luckily it was just an old and ugly thing. And who knows, perhaps they needed it more than us. And besides, our friends made us pizza in their Ooni pizza oven. Good food and good conversation, totally worth the price of an old rug.

 

NEXT STOP: Clear Lake State Park

 

It’s easy to think that as populated as California is, that all their roads are going to be, you know, populated roads. Ones easy to maneuver. Roads you can trust. So, you set your GPS for the quickest route, and without giving it a second look, off you go! Our 2 hour-ish route from Bodega Bay to Clear Lake State Park took us north on the 101 and then east on Highway 175.

Back when I was a little kid in small town Iowa, there was an annual fair in July. One ride in particular I would look forward to each year… The Scrambler. Perhaps you remember it too; it’s the ride with strong accelerations and side-to-side movements so you’re either being thrown to the right or left? As we were driving 175, it occurred to me why they named that ride The Scrambler. Being forced side to side like that scrambles your brain. Really, you can actually feel it sloshing around in your head. I mean, our brains have the consistency of jello, so it makes sense. Luckily it was only 18 miles (that took an hour) of getting my brain scrambled. Though little did I know Hwy 175 was nothing compared to the roads that were about to become our normal over the next couple weeks. But I’m jumping ahead…

Hello, serenity. Let’s stay here forever.

As we rolled into Clear Lake State Park right before sunset, we were surprised—no, shocked—that the park was virtually empty. An empty campground these days?!? And somewhere beautiful, too?! This must be what winning the lottery feels like!!!

Clear Lake was a total hidden gem. We stayed for 4 days in the best spot in the campground; the only spot with access to our own little beach right on the lake. Add to the awesome, we were blessed with perfect sunny fall weather days.

Very rarely do we talk about returning to a place we’re visiting. RVing, at least for us, isn’t like a song you want to hear over and over. It’s more like a movie. You’ve seen it once, and then you’re done. But Clear Lake was different. More song than movie. Over our decade of RVing, we only have a handful of places like that.

Clear Lake gets the Mel Paw of Approval.

Here’s my very favorite memory from our time at Clear Lake. Each night right before sunset a huge pod of pelicans would land right at the edge of the lake, right in front of our campsite. The first night they landed, I thought it was a camper rolling through the campground—that’s how loud the strange sound a pod of pelicans landing makes. I was inside prepping for dinner, with the windows open, and James was outside puttering at the griddle, and then there it was… a loud hummy engine vibration sound coming from everywhere. I looked out at the road and saw nothing. Then I realized it was coming from the water. Talk about being awestruck!

Seeing them all there, landing, scooping for food, wingspans so great (10 feet!!! Besides California Condors, biggest wingspans in all North America!), all’s I could do was yell “JAMES! PELICANS! PELICANS, JAMES!” He probably didn’t appreciate the yelling, as he was only two feet from me at this point, and giving me the “has she lost her mind and should I be worried” look. I grabbed my phone quick as a wink, and snapped this crappy picture which doesn’t do the coolness of the moment any justice. And then to make it even more magical, they continued to land there every night same time!!! I started to wait for them, savoring the anticipation of it all. So yeah, those pelicans coming to say hi each night bumped Clear Lake’s awesome factor up by infinity.

We also busted out the bikes.

 

I wouldn’t suggest biking outside the park for beginners or leisurely bicyclists. The roads out of the park don’t have shoulders and are pretty narrow, and there’s consistent traffic.

We did stumble across a cool farmstand while biking the area, Peace and Plenty Farm, which specializes in growing saffron!

 

Get this, no one was working the stand. It’s run off the honor system!

Drop cash in the box, Venmo them, Paypal, whatever. They trust you!

 

We scored some pickles, tea (with saffron in it!), and the most amazing pique vinegar sauce. We’ve been pouring it over rice and grilled veggies and it’s so tasty, it has me wondering how I’ll go on without it once the jar’s gone.

 

So, I’m giving our stay at Clear Lake two thumbs up, and as high up as I can get em. It just put us both in such a great frame of mind; a respite we needed.

There is research how nature has healing and health powers. If you need any proof of that, just go to Clear Lake in the fall.


No surprise, we were bummed when our time was over there. But, excited for the next stop… an actual BUCKET LIST stop!

I’ll pick it up there next time, as we work our way to one of the most scenic roads–and epic cycling routes–in the US: Mattole Road and the Lost Coast. I’ve got lots to tell you about that one.

Happy and healthy adventuring, friends, wherever you find yourselves this fall!

Love, Stef



After 15 years as an educator in both the public K-12 setting and the University level in Special Physical Education, Stef made the leap to her true passion… the fitness world. She’s currently a personal trainer and wellness coach specializing in seniors, medical conditions, and injuries. Stef loves running, cycling, and being “Mugga” to her two favorite mini-humans — Punky and Marshmallow. ❤️


    14 thoughts on “Fall Trip Recap: Bodega Bay and Clear Lake State Park

    1. Ed

      How do you like the turning radius compared to the Travato ?
      Curios because I drive a Promaster now and considering an Ekko

      Thanks
      Ed

      Reply
      1. James

        The turning radius is not as good, but we’ve learned to deal wtih it. It’s like getting used to any new vehicle.
        We haven’t hit anything because of it, so there’s that… 🙂

        Reply
        1. Robin Giles

          Not sure how to submit a question to you guys, but here’s another try. How do you like having a regular entry door with the Ekko vs having a sliding van style door. For the longest time I have planned on buying a Travato 59k when my wife and I finally have the time to travel, but now I’m having second thoughts after seeing how much you guys seem to be enjoying the new Ekko.

        2. James

          We much prefer the “normal” door in our EKKO and have no desire to go back to a “whoosh-BANG” sliding door.
          In general, the EKKO has much more usable interior space in the same size footprint – I don’t think there’s any going back to a van once you’ve tried the EKKO. The gear garage is the icing on the cake.
          We’ll always have a soft spot for the Travato, but we vote EKKO!

    2. Melanie Kramme

      Nice to see you ventured to Northern California (NCAL), I live there and love it for camping. Thanks for the posting of your travels and your thoughts on the places you stayed at. I have been to Bodega Dunes and love how close it is to the ocean.

      Regarding Clear Lake State Park, if you recall the site number can you share that. I looked on the campground map? I will visit that one for sure.

      Come back to NCAL anytime!

      Reply
    3. Synde Manion

      Great post Stef! Love the photo’s. Soon to be headed their in my RT Slumber. Have you ridden the Bizz Johnson trail? Was just there, going to ride the next day, but temps dropped overnight and I hadn’t winterized so had head south, so disappointing. I was looking for your FB page on cyclists that RV that you talk about on a YouTube but couldn’t find it. Did it get lost due to pandemic, or am I just missing it? Thanks for the nice blend of RV and cycling.

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        We actually drove right past the Bizz Johnson rail trail, sadly it wasn’t meant to be this time. I’ve heard it’s a beautiful one! Though I can’t remember, that one is gravel, not all paved I believe? I’ll have to go look it up. Here’s the link to the cycling facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/cyclistswhorv Hope you’ll come join the conversations there! Happy riding (and RVing)!

        Reply
    4. Bill McReynolds

      Is it me or in the background of the pelican shot it looks like two bald eagles hanging out on the jetty. I spent many summers at Rocky Point in Clear Lake waterskiing and swimming. Even though California is big and crowded there are so many places to get away and get some solitude. A fun fact, with almost 40 million people in California, only 6% live north of Santa Rosa, almost 1/3 of the state. I loved your report and plan to get back there, maybe when our Ekko comes by next spring.

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        Interesting fact on northern CA population! Those two birds you see in the background are turkey vultures. They’d hang out on the beach with their great white heron friend. They also hung with a few otters, so that was fun to watch. One time another white heron came to their beach and I got to see the coolest bird fight! It was almost like a dance. The herons would jump off the water, simultaneously, do a twirl as they flung their wings at each other, land simultaneously, and repeat that over and over until one finally gave up and flew off. It was all so graceful. I found this website that lists all the birds that have been spotted at Clear Lake if you’re interested!!! ebird.org/hotspot/L109512

        Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Comment moderation is in use. Please do not submit your comment twice -- it will appear once we have had the chance to review it.