Suicide Is Painless (M*A*S*H Theme--don't worry!)

We arrived at Malibu Creek State Park just at sunset on Thursday, after having negotiated the Pacific Coast Highway (the PCH, as they say down in LA-LA land) its entire length from south to this point. Gorgeous sunshine was giving way rapidly to chilly evening, but we got our expensive ($35) boondocking site after taking the chatty Cathy camp host's recommended site. (It was supposed to be one of the more "level" ones. Hmm.)

The coyotes started singing very early and in stereo, which accompanied our domino game. Turned in early so that we could get up and hit the trail on Friday for a 5-mile round trip hike to see what Lisa has just been wanting to see for years now: the site where M*A*S*H was filmed.

This hike was much easier than the Palm Canyon hike in Anza Borrego, in terms of path (most of it was a fire road) and elevation gain (only 175 feet), but it was much longer and we had to hustle to get out and back and then showered before check-out time. (The ranger at this park was quite persnickety about the rules.) A few iPhone photos show that we accomplished our goal:

Lisa up on the helipad

We departed the park at 11:55 AM, just under the wire and pretty tuckered out, and proceeded back down the canyon to the PCH again and headed north through Malibu (couldn't figure out where Jennifer Aniston's house was) up to Oxnard and Ventura, where we stopped at the Channel Islands National Park building. We read the exhibits and picked up the literature and plan on returning down here another time. Maybe we can get our friend who lives part-time aboard his boat in Newport Beach to take us to the Channel Islands sometime (hint, hint)....
Then back on the familiar 101 route to get to our weekend destination, Morro Bay State Park, a mere 120-ish miles from home, but right smack on the harbor. Great park--it's one of two in the state system with its own golf course. There are two restaurants and kayak rentals--may have to check that out tomorrow. We could use an upper-body workout rather than a long hike. I've got the ice pack on now, while Lisa is using the hot pad (!).

We'll decide Sunday whether we go home, take a different tour of Hearst Castle, and/or stay out one more night at Kirk Creek (the place where we were going to go last January, but had to cancel due to stormy weather). So many things to decide!