Re-inventing a Life - Low Carb Camps and Other Cheap Retreats

Kayaking Lopez Lake

Recently, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the next journey in my life.  I'm asking myself how do I want to spend the next 15 years?  What do I love!?  What could I easily spend hours on hours doing without noticing a minute go by?

I enjoy writing the blog and helping others help themselves through a low-carb lifestyle.  I'm a sharer by nature.   What I miss are the people, the community of doing something inspiring and productive.   I'm just 1 person behind a blog, spouting off ingredients and saying - go out there...walk, do something active and eat low carb....it worked for me!

A year and a half a ago, I did something which changed my life that wasn't the low carb diet.  I moved to someplace similar to a community in which I grew up.  Now, people who know where I grew up would scoff...HA! That's not true!  I grew up on a farm, 18 miles from the town where I graduated from high school. There were at least 14 miles of dirt road we had to travel in order to hit the blacktop.  I was isolated, I had my thoughts, I had my animals and I had time.

I didn't move to a farm, but I did move to a much more spacious environment.  My city is actually referred to as a colony and is in the central coast of California.  A planned community which is a haven to those who are more agriculturally and artistically minded.

My husband and I chose a property near the historic center of town and easy walking distance to everything....grocery, entertainment, restaurants, hiking trails, school, church, doctor, community center with meeting room space and still on a relatively large lot by city standards, almost an acre.   One of the benefits of the property is that we could keep and use our travel trailer.

View of city from Pine Mountain hiking trail

In August, I moved another RV to the property that I had kept in our old city and decided to try to sell it from here versus there.   However, before I did that, I put it up on Airbnb just to see if anyone would want to come stay in it.  I was pleasantly surprised, people do come and they loved the area and they love the RV.

More importantly, I love having them come.  I am filled with anticipation over each visitor.  I am intrigued with where they came from and where they are going or what they are doing.  How I can help them, what I can recommend them to do.   It's been easy!!  In just a month We've had visitors from the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, UK, Belgium, India and of course,  California.  I have now thought, I could do something unique and affordable for many!  I could offer cheap retreats.

I could offer a low carb camp - where people could come spend a few or several days with me.  We could hike, kayak, golf, tour sites like historic lighthouses, Hearst Castle, Elephant Seals, hike along Highway 1 parks, go zip lining, farmers market like the world famous San Luis Obispo market not to mention the wineries... and make plans to help them kick start a low carb lifestyle.  For others, I could offer them the ability to host their own retreat from an affordable "camping" approach but still be near to so many amenities.

Morro Rock - from kayaking trip in Morro Bay

What do you think?  Would you come?  I would love to know if I have something here, if I could make this happen.  Let me know by sending me an email with your interest to thecarbometer@gmail.com.

If you want to check out our Airbnb offerings, go to www.airbnb.com and search to visit Atascadero, CA and look for Urban Camping and Urban Camping 2.

Low Carb update - 3 lbs from goal.  Made an awesome cauliflower soup that I'll share in my next blog.  I've got to get out and hit the trail now...happy carb counting.