Monday morning early we left Pomona and headed out, fully expecting a long day of driving, putting some miles behind us and getting closer to Portland.
There were no rest stops on the highway so we stopped at Carpinteria State Beach to eat our picnic lunch… And fell in love with it. Instead of an hour’s rest and lunch, we took a campsite for the night. We only got about 100 more miles closer to Portland that day. Such is the nomads’ life! 
The beach was the prettiest we’ve seen yet and according to local lore the safest beach in the world. Unlike our other beach stays, this one was a very short walk from our campsite over a small dune and there was the beach. The sand looked pristine – white and very fine- and the waves were gentle with very little seaweed.
We did find out that there were tar blobs – couldn’t see them until they adhered to our feet, but otherwise it was beautiful. We took a long walk around the town of Carpenteria and found out that this is the place where Lima beans were grown, processed and introduced to this country. We also were pleased to see that the community pool welcomed campers. Just a sweet, friendly little beach town.
On Tuesday we resolved to steer away from the temptation of finding yet another lovely beach so we headed inland. The scenery of rolling hills and farmland of the Central Coast was serene and a nice change.
We drove over 400 miles and stopped at Sac Wes RV Park. The cool night breeze without a hint of dampness was very welcome, as well as the really great bathrooms.
After a morning eating a lazy breakfast and laundry duty, we ventured into Old Town Sacramento. We walked on old western boardwalks among the many shops and restaurants. We saw the Delta King river steamboat, and, of course, bought candy – salt water taffy and root beer candy sticks. 
The buildings’ architecture from the 1800’s contrasts with the gleaming skyscrapers of Downtown Sacramento. It was a fun afternoon that gave us a taste of the flood and fire history of the old west town.
This was a good break in our long travel days. We’ll have a nice dinner at our campsite and then relax in preparation of two more days on the road.