July 15, 2023 - California
Sand Dune Beach
We checked out of our Airbnb in Three Rivers, and headed southwest on Highway 198. Near Lemoore, the big U.S. Navy fighter jet base in the middle of nowhere, we got on Highway 41. Finally we got on our old friend Highway 101 south to take us in to Pismo Beach, where our destination -- Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa -- was located. But we had some time to kill so we decided to check out the sand dune area south of Pismo Beach.
Back in 2011, I flew the California coast in the RV-7. Link. I have never forgotten the big sand dune area I saw north of Vandenberg Air Force Base (now Space Force Base). So now I had the chance to check it out on the ground.
Here we are driving to the beach through the sand dunes.
Now standing on the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve beach which I believe is the only part of the Dunes complex you can drive directly to the beach.
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is on the short list of largest remaining dune systems in the U.S. It encompasses an 18-mile stretch of coastline on the Central Coast of California. Much of the Complex has been set aside for conservation. Another 5 1/2 mile portion of the Dunes is utilized for recreation, such as camping and off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. The dunes complex was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976.
