Fourth Annual Small Group Camping Trip

This past weekend we returned to Crystal Cove to camp with our small group.  Friday was D’s birthday, so we celebrated at the campsite with apple pie, Twinkies, and Ding Dongs, all from Costco.

D was also able to pick up his free birthday sandwich from Jersey Mike’s and cupcake from Sprinkles!

Our REI Basecamp 4 is still going strong.  It actually feels a little bit more spacious now because the kids have become less active sleepers.  No more feet in our face, etc.

What do kids do when there are no electronics/toys to distract them?  Play in the dirt, of course.

We woke up to an overcast sky, which lasted until about 2 p.m.  I was thankful for the cloud cover, especially after the scorching heat of last week.

Having fun in the sand…

…and the water.

Sequoia National Park: Lodgepole Camping

After exploring Kings Canyon National Park, we drove to the Lodgepole campsite.  Upon arrival we stopped at the Lodgepole Visitor Center.  We watched a short movie about the history of black bears in the park.  After seeing footage of bears breaking into cars, we were thoroughly convinced about the necessity of using the bear boxes to store our food at the campsite. 

The kids found this “walking stick” at the campsite, which fits perfectly into the groove on the left of the rock that they are sitting on.  They named the rock the “king’s chair”. 

Our campsite was #96, which was perfect for us, in that it was close to the bathroom, and the parking space was right next to the campsite.  We were also a bit isolated from our neighbors, which was a good things since our kids get loud.  I don’t think I ever heard a peep from our neighbors, who were all nestled below, along the riverbank.  It was nice to hear the soft gurgling of the river throughout the day and night.

This was the bathroom.  Throughout our stay, D and I only encountered one person one time in the bathroom, which was nice.

For the first time in a long time, we built a fire instead of using our stove.  The kids had fun collecting firewood around our campsite, which is allowed here.  The fire was dying by the time I took this picture, but we got it going again later.

It was one of the prettier campsites we have stayed at.

With a fire, s’mores are a must.

This guy visited our campsite once the food was out.

Standing tall like trees.

The view from inside our tent.

We took a short stroll to the river after dinner.  The water level was quite low, as you can tell.

 

 

Taking a quick dip.  They said the water was cold, and I took their word for it.

The sunset was largely blocked by the trees, but was still pretty.  The stars were really bright, too.

We went to the ranger talk at the Lodgepole amphitheater which started at 8 p.m.  The talk was given by Ranger Jean Paul, who shared all about his interest, nay obsession, with Peregrine Falcons and Golden Eagles.  His interest in the falcons began when he read “My Side of the Mountain” as a youth.  I always admire people who are so interested in something that they become experts on the topic.  However, once his talk began getting close to an hour, I knew we would have to leave early.  The kids were getting tired, and I was actually surprised they had lasted that long.  I didn’t want to be rude, but a few other people had already left, so we left too.  We ended up seeing Jean Paul at two other different places on Saturday, which was kind of funny. 

Camping & Hiking @ Indian Cove

On Friday afternoon we drove to Joshua Tree.  Not surprisingly, we hit traffic, so what should have been a two hour trip ended up being a three hour trip.

The Indian Cove campsite is one of only two campsites in Joshua Tree that takes reservations.  This was the most “primitive” campsite that we’ve been to so far, since there were no flush toilets—only pit toilets.  They were actually not that bad though—they’re just regular shaped toilets that do not flush.

We were in campsite #69.  The site itself was pretty small (#70 looked a little bigger).  However, we were surrounded by magnificent rocks.  The kids had us say a prayer that the rocks would not roll down on top of us while we were sleeping.

We were fortunate to be able to borrow a CX-9 for our adventure.  It was so nice to have the extra storage space in the back!

After setting up camp, we drove and parked to the nearby Indian Cove trailhead.  We did a short .6 mile loop before the sun set.

I loved the wildflowers springing up in such unlikely places. 

Back at the campsite, we ate a simple dinner of cup o’ noodles.

3rd Annual Small Group Camping Trip

This past weekend we went camping with our small group.  This time was a little different because: 1. Everyone was able to make it (for a total of 31 people!); 2. We went to Crystal Cove instead of San Clemente; 3. Some of us stayed for two nights instead of our usual one night.  Since D and I were in charge of planning, I was a little nervous about things going smoothly, but it ended up being really fun! 

We only had two sites the first night and we fended for ourselves for dinner.  I brought ingredients to make banana boats on the grill for dessert (split a banana, stuff with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, wrap in foil, heat up on grill, add crushed graham crackers and M&Ms to taste).

The other families were kept up by birds that were chirping into the night, but our family didn’t even hear them—I guess we are sound sleepers.  We were in charge of breakfast.  I made pancakes ahead of time, and we served them with blueberry topping and whipped cream, along with pineapple bacon sausage from Costco.

The kids had a LOT of fun hanging out in our friends’ Honda Element with custom camper.  It was like having a tree house/club house.

We spent pretty much all of Saturday hanging out on the beach.  I can’t remember the last time that we lasted that long.  It helped that someone brought an EZ Up so we did not roast in the sun.

To make it easier, lunch was pizza from Costco, which a couple of people picked up. 

Dinner was hot dogs and chili and rice, which has become a tradition.  We also had s’mores, made possible by a propane fire pit.

After dinner, some people spotted whales.  n claimed he could see the whale’s eye, as well as a person riding the whale.  He must have really good eyesight!  

For breakfast the next morning we had scrambled eggs on croissants, muffins and fruit. 

Since it was Sunday, we also had a short devotional which reminded us about the ever-presence of God in our lives (even when we tend to forget). 

After packing up, we were pretty much spent, so we went straight home.  n took a nap for almost three hours!  Our house is still recovering from the explosion which comes with unpacking from a camping trip, but the memories are definitely worth it!

Camping @ El Capitan State Beach

To celebrate the end of summer, we went on a short overnight trip to El Capitan State Beach, just north of Goleta/Santa Barbara.  We left after church on Sunday.  Our first stop was for lunch at Porto’s in Burbank.  This was our first time eating in.  As usual, it was a madhouse.

Chicken sandwich with plantain chips

Mango smoothie

Medianoche cubano sandwich for the kids.

Steak torta—so good!  Definitely recommend this one.  I think the guacamole makes it.

D set up the tent in record time.  Our campsite was quite spacious.  The weather was nice, since we were right by the beach.  (I really wish it would cool down here, though).

After setting up, we drove down to the beach, since we weren’t sure how far it was.  Turns out it was really close!

We kept dinner simple—hot dogs (Oscar Mayer Angus, without nitrates—pretty good), chips and baby carrots.

We tried s’mores over the camp stove and were half-way successful.  The marshmallows need to be really close to the flame, but if you get too close, they catch fire easily.

I convinced everyone to walk down to the beach for a post-dinner stroll. 

n, the photobomber

Goodbye, sun.