This “van life” has some growing pain. I was bumming around near Torrey Pines and trying to live in my van near a city was making me feel homeless. I had found a nice road by the beach to chill on for the first two nights (no prohibitive signs, etc), but last night a friendly policeman asked me not to stay there again. He was very polite and kind (he had seen me there the previous 2 nights but left me alone) but had to enforce a local city law. Even so, I was feeling quite outcast as I drove away in search of a new place away from the city this time. Some of the charm is lost when it feels like you don’t have anywhere you’re allowed to be. These feelings come on top of my van getting towed while I was in Mexico, a very expensive mistake. I hope that there are tolerable areas somewhere? Not really knowing the area it feels like I’m finding out everything the hard way. Since I’ll be moving around constantly I better get used to it, eh? Maybe these experiences will eventually make me less sensitive.
After an emotional night and morning I drove up to Palomar. But before leaving, I started picking up trash as a “thank you” for the new place I found. The place didn’t look that bad before I started, so I was surprised by how much trash came out!
Look at all the trash I found 
Lake view with breakfast
As I drove up the winding road to launch, I was amazed at the elevation gain of the mountain and how many birds of prey were about. Arriving at the takeoff, I met with two locals from the SDHGPA, Joe and Steve, who were very friendly and gave me a nice site intro. There are a lot of places not to land (sigh, this is starting to be a pattern.) But all was well when some regular cycles started coming through and the three of us launched in succession.
The flight itself was fun and fairly relaxed, if a little chilly. It was really nice to get back into the air after the past couple days and to share the lift with my new pilot acquaintances. The real magic came later with a pair of red-tailed hawks who started circling below me. They flew together in perfect counterpoint in the same thermal but in opposite directions. When I went out to join them, they continued upward giving me sideways looks. Natural masters of flight, these majestic creatures warily accepted me into their air. Their reddish colors both blended in with the background and shimmered brilliantly in the slanting afternoon sun. Their wings were stretched flat for efficiency, with their outermost pinon feathers turned up as typical for their soaring flight. They easily passed me by as they rose and turned in the lifting thermal. Most flights are memorable in some way, but it is moments like these that create a real treasured experience.
The takeoff was easy terrain for top landing, and the conditions had mellowed out by the time I came back down. It was certainly convenient to land again right near the car, plus the sunset views shrouded by descending cloud was full of glowing colors.
Check out my flight track here.
It is awesome that you tell the whole experience of “vanlife” the good with the bad and the ugly. Including Trash pick up, a huge act of kindness in a place that you will only visit.
God rewarded your tolerance and kindness with a visit to you mid flight in the form of 2 red tailed hawks.
Your description of this encounter shows your true heart felt respect. ” Magic” ….. “Natural Masters of Flight” ……. ” acceted you into THEIR air” …… “treasured experience” ……..
True poetry.