Urban Vamping, Vol. II: Davenport/Santa Cruz
Hey all! We've learned some valuable lessons since our last round Urban Vamp post that we want to share with you, especially if you're in the Northern California area! Or even just looking to pass through.
Let's start with the previous post, where we ended up sleeping nestled between other industrial vans and then eventually bailing. We didn't get a lot of sleep that night. Why? Because we didn't know about the glorious, van friendly laws of Davenport.
Yes, once you hit the Santa Cruz city border, there are VANS GALORE. We saw so many sleeper vehicles, it's probably becoming a problem at some level. But hey! We got to take full advantage :) so we pulled off between Davenport and Waddell Creek for the night next to quite a few other vans on Highway 1.
Some notes...
- Bring earplugs and eyecovers. In situations like these, when there are cars passing by every couple of minutes at 70 MPH, things are loud and lights are bright. If you're a light sleeper like myself, you'll thank the gods you did it.
- Get your curtain up. This can help with the headlight situation too. This area isn't super private.
- Pee beforehand. There are bathrooms at Waddell Creek that I think are always open. There might be some spots with good pee cover, but if you're pulling off the side of the highway, you'll probably have to walk a while (unless you can unzip your fly) to find a spot that's covered for a squat.
And that's it! North of Santa Cruz, from Wilder Ranch onward (not sure where it stops), there are TONS of vans and mobile homes parked alongside the road, sending a clear message that it's illegal in Santa Cruz, but not once you get outside.
Whether this is a good thing remains to be seen, I'm sure the city doesn't like it. But hey! It's good for us, and we're going to take advantage until told otherwise.