While we still owed a fifth wheel (trailer), we often drove up the coast and park near the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. The site was frequented by boondocking RVers. Boondocking is a term used amongst RVers and it means...free camping. You pull off the road and spend the night in a place where it’s legal to do so, or in a spot where no one really cares. At Pigeon Point we could park at the edge of the surf under the light from the lighthouse and no one complained. It was absolutely glorious. We’d basked in the sun, watch fifty different species of birds hunt for their food in the tide pools, read or just sit and stare out into the ocean. After enjoying the day, we were lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves. And then there was the lighthouse itself. There is something wonderful about lighthouses. They remind us of the early days of sailing ships and those romantic, adventurous times, of Captain Ahab, pirates, whalers and Long John Silver. Lighthouses are very much a part of our heritage. And let us not forget that they are amazing feats of engineering and architectural design, making them both efficient and beautiful.


It was exciting to be there when the Pacific storms churned up the water and pounding waves beat against the rocks. The wind howled and the trailer shook. It was fine as long as the shaking wasn’t too violent. We’d just lie there and sleep a little, awaken, snuggle down deeper in the covers, go back to sleep, repeating the whole process ever hour or so. One particular storm got so bad that we were sure that at any moment the trailer was going to topple over after being hit by what must have been gale force winds. During that particular storm, we were forced to abandon the site in the middle of the night. At about 4 am we pulled up stakes and headed inland.

At about the same time, the light station was being transformed into a hostel with lodging for 50 people. It was never clear to me who actually made the complaint about the boondockers. Was it the farmer or Hostelling International? There was a report that the farmer wanted to transform the property into a regular RV park, but the Coastal Commission squashed the plan. In any regard, I think making the area off limits to boondocking was probably the right thing to do. Soon after our eviction, signs were posted prohibiting any further camping and the hostel transformation was scaled down. Our days of boondocking at Pigeon Point were over, but definitely not forgotten.
Q