10/16
We woke up in Santa Margarita on Tuesday and explored the beautiful campground. We started our way towards San Francisco around noon and got there around 4:30pm. I found a place online called the 'SOMA Street Food Court' and we decided to check it out. It was very easy to find and parking, surprisingly, was not a problem at all.
View from the Santa Margarita campground.
San Francisco skyline.
SOMA Street Food Park website.
The SOMA Street Food Park was amazing. It was a paved lot with numbered spots for the different food trucks to come and park. There was a covered and heated pavilion with picnic tables, flat screen TVs, free wifi, very nice bathrooms, an office, and beautiful landscaping.
The owner must have a liquor license for the property because there was a permanent truck parked in the back corner that is always there selling beer and wine. Food trucks are typically not allowed to sell alcohol, so the owner of this food court park did it up right with the stationary booze truck!
Booze truck at SOMA.
Covered pavilion at SOMA.
We got some beers from the booze truck and walked around to explore all the trucks parked there. Trucks come and go during the day - lunch is from 11-3 and dinner is 5-10. We got there around 4:45, so all the trucks were just arriving for dinner.
What we got:
Corona
Local brew - I can't remember the name, boo :(
Total (with tip): $9
All the trucks looked very good, so we had a hard time trying to decide which one to go to. We went to 'Gyro's on Wheels' first to get an hummus and pita appetizer.
What we got:
Hummus and pita bread
Total (with tip): $5
'Gyro's on Wheels' truck.
Hummus and pita bread appetizer.
Next, we went to a truck called the 'Southern Sandwich Co.' They had a very southern comfort-type menu. The chef was super nice and we told him all about our trip.
'Southern Sandwich Co' menu.
Mitch and the chef, Juan.
After we ordered and paid, the chef told us that he included an order of brisket and pork for us to try as well!
What we got:
Pepper Jack Mac and Cheese
Cornbread
Brisket and pork
Cole slaw
Total (with tip): $5
(The mac n cheese and cornbread were only $3 total, so I tipped him $2 and he included the brisket and cole slaw for free!)
Mac n Cheese, cole slaw, and cornbread from 'Southern Sandwich Co.'
Brisket, bread and pickles.
The brisket and pork was perfectly smoked that morning and it was delicious and flavorful. Mitch was so excited to eat them that he completely forgot to add the homemade hot sauce that the truck offered. He was so disappointed, but the meat was amazing by itself, so he couldn't be too mad. The mac and cheese was creamy and spicy and so good. The cornbread was made to perfection and even had jalapeños in it. Even the cole was spicy and delicious. All in all, a great meal made by an awesome chef.
Lady and the Trampin' some brisket.
Our final stop at SOMA was a truck called 'The Chairman.' Mitch thought he recognized it from some cooking show he had watched. It was a steam bun truck and there was a long line of people waiting to order, so we knew it would be good.
'The Chairman' food truck.
'The Chairman' menu.
We decided to order one of each of the steam buns offered from the menu.
What we got:
Tender Pork Belly steam bun
Coca-Cola Braised Pork steam bun
Spicy Chicken steam bun
Crispy Miso Cured Tofu steam bun
Total (with tip): $17
All of the steam buns.
Crispy miso cured tofu with garlic-tofu mayo and baby choy sum.
Tender pork belly with turmeric pickled daikon and green shiso.
Coca-cola braised pork with savoy cabbage and preserved yellow mustard seeds.
Spicy chicken with toasted sesame puree, pickled carrots, cucumber and cilantro.
All of the steam buns were very good and all had their own unique flavor. Mitch's favorite was surprisingly not the pork belly, but the spicy chicken one because the pickled carrots and cucumbers had a 'kimchi' flavor going on which he loves. I ate the tofu steam bun and it was warm, comforting, full of flavor, and delicious.
Driving towards the Golden Gate Bridge.
Bye bye San Fran!
After stuffing ourselves silly, we started our drive towards our campground in Cloverdale, CA, about a 2 hour drive. The campground was at the top of a large mountain, so the drive to top on the crazy winding roads in the dark with the camper was pretty thrilling.
Posted on the door to the office at the campground. Don't forget it!
10/17
We woke up and hiked around the gorgeous campground overlooking hills and mountains and vineyards. It was pretty magnificent.
Cloverdale campground view. This picture doesn't do it justice!
Vineyards everywhere.
Mitch has a friend from Wisconsin, Matt, who moved to northern California a few years ago, so, since it was right on route, we decided to stop and see him. The town he lives in, Willets, CA, was so cute and quaint. Surprisingly, we found a lone food truck parked in a lot by itself, so we had to stop at it.
Willets, CA - Gateway to the Redwoods.
'Becky's Taco's' food truck - Willets, CA.
What we got:
Chicken Torta
Total (with tip): $6
I wasn't hungry, so that's all we got. It was a smashed torta with a white bean puree, lettuce, tomato, onion, and salsa. Mitch said it was very good, nothing extravagant, but still tasty.
Chicken torta.
After the food truck, we picked up a few things at the grocery store and waited for Matt to come meet us. He lives in the mountains and knew we'd never find his house unless we followed him there.
Mitch and Matt.
Matt's beautiful home in the mountains. The view was incredible!
Matt showed us around the property and then we sat on his porch, enjoyed the weather and the view, and drank a few beers. We were seriously considering staying with him for a few days - it was just so beautiful! - but we knew we had to stay on track and be on our way. Thank you again to Matt for the amazing hospitality he showed us - he is, by far, one of the nicest guys you will ever meet!
The view!
We said our good-bye's and started our way towards Crescent City, CA, about a 4 hour drive. Crescent City is right near the California/Oregon border and the drive up the coast was gorgeous! Curvy roads and redwoods every where! We stopped at a cool road side store in the middle of no-where that had redwood gifts and legend of Bigfoot items.
The Legend of Bigfoot store.
Redwoods everywhere.
The drive was awesome.
It was dark when we got to our campsite in Crescent City, but it was supposedly in the middle of a redwood forest, so we were excited to explore it the next morning. Mitch made a delicious dinner and we called it a night.
Crispy eggplant and roasted garlic with angel hair pasta and sweet potato leaves.
Honestly, the best meals I eat are the ones Mitch makes at the campground!
Total spent on Food Trucks in 2 days: $41 (under budget)
Spending for 2 days:
Food truck food: $41
Gas: $262
Cloverdale campsite: $60 (By far the most expensive campsite we stayed at - I wonder why it was so much more?)
Bigfoot store: $9
Groceries: $7
Ice: $5
Crescent City campsite: $31.50
Total spent in 2 days: $415.50
Posts to come:
Eugene, OR
Portland
Mukilteo, WA
Seattle
Idaho
Utah
Wyoming
Silverthorne, CO
Denver, CO
XOXO
Mitch and Laurel
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