We finally did it!! We moved full-time into our 2018 Grand Design Solitude 375RES. Our first week was in Paicines, CA where we stayed at Thousand Trails San Benito RV & Camping Resort. If you are a full-time RV’er and have not heard of Thousand Trails yet, check out our breakdown of the different membership options to start saving some money on camping fees.
First Drive
After a longer than expected drive from Los Angeles that included our first gas station experience with the trailer attached and a windy, pot-hollie road; we reached Thousand Trails San Benito RV & Camping Resort. We were able to snag a pull-through site which made it a breeze to get the fifth-wheel in position. Since this was only our second-time ever camping in an RV we were pretty nervous about needing to back-in. We spent the majority of the week getting settled and unpacking. Since we moved out of our house and were not able to open the slides on the street to access the majority of the fifth wheel, everything was in boxes.
Exploring Hollister and the Surrounding Area
During the week we took a trip out to Mission San Juan Bautista. The 15th of the 21 missions in California, it is famous for its use by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie Vertigo. If you have never explored any of the California Missions then you are missing out. After we were done exploring and taking pictures we made our way to Hollister for a Farmers Market. We didn’t each lunch before heading out for the day so indulged with some delicious tacos and churros then grabbed some fruit for the road.
Pinnacles National Park
Next, we stopped by Pinnacles National Park, the newest park which converted from a National Monument by President Obama in 2013. The park is home to the California Condor which has a wingspan of 8 – 10ft. The condor is one of the rarest birds worldwide with only 446 in captivity and wild worldwide. It was hot (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) so we didn’t get to explore the actual pinnacles this visit but there are amazing trails that have tunnels cut through the mountains and even take you through bat caves!
Overall this week allowed us to get settled in the RV and prepare for living it in full time. However, nothing could have prepared us for what happened in Week 2…
