The e30 has been acting so strangely lately but today it was running great so I decided to put my trust in it to get us to Rio Del Mar SB and back. It’s amazing how much this little car will hold: I got all my emergency car parts, automotive fluids and tools in the trunk as well as 2 bundles of wood and all of our day’s supplies – a tent, sand toys and food.

A – Santa Clara to Aptos CA via Hwy 17

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Driven this route enough to be comfortable with it. I didn’t like some of the hills in Aptos though – there is almost nothing more nerve racking for me than encountering a stop sign on a 45˚ incline.

B – Rio Del Mar SB

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A great beach with fire pits that officially closes at 10:00PM and is regularily patrolled so drunken rowdies are kept to a minimum. Lots of local families and the one group of teenagers seemed well behaved and played music we liked (Boney M and dubstep). We pitched a tent, lit a camp fire and cooked our dinner over it. Definitely doing this again!