Lassen National Park

After we dropped Dill and Ko off at camp, the little boys and I headed up to Lassen Park. My mom and step-dad Phil were going to be camping there for the night with my niece, Rynn, so we went up to join them. They made it really easy for me: I just needed a tent and sleeping gear. The little guys pushed their big trucks all around the campsite, and Hayden had a great time "fixing" things with Papa Phil's hammer. I won't say I got the best night's sleep, but the little guys did a decent job. 

The next morning Papa Phil headed home and mom, the kids and I headed to King's Creek Meadow and spent a few hours splashing in the creek and lounging in the sun. 

October Break Camping Trip 2014: Butano State Park

This year I missed the chance to make our usual Yosemite reservations for October break, so we ended up going instead to Butano State Park in Pescadero, CA. The campground is in a redwood grove about 15 minutes off of Highway 101, and it's been one of our favorite places for many years. Kirk and I used to camp there in the pre-kid era, so it's fun to have those old memories blend with new ones.

This year we were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather, which totally contributed to the best family camping trip we've had in years! The boys and I went over on Wednesday evening and set up camp (Quite a challenge, I'm not going to lie...), and then Kirk joined us when he got off of work Thursday morning. 

A few highlights: Dillon & Koen spent some time practicing with the flint & steel sets they received for Christmas last year; Hayden and Lawson pushed their giant Tonka dump trucks all over the campsite; Hayden was the best banana slug spotter in the crew; Lawson used the "bear potty" (also known as a hole in the woods) A LOT; we all played a plenty of ladder ball; we were kicked off of our side of Bean Hollow Beach to make room for a film crew. All in all, it was a truly wonderful trip. As we were breaking camp, I was surprised to hear myself say to Kirk: "Let's go camping again soon!" 

Any one for glamping?

No more tent camping for us...we've entered the glamorous world of RV'ing.  We purchased this fabulous 26-foot Sierra Komfort travel trailer from one of Kirk's co-workers, and we're looking forward to many happy trips. Our inaugural voyage was to the Olema (affectionately called "Oh-Lame-Uh") Resort Campground near lovely Point Reyes (just north of San Francisco). We enjoyed fresh-baked cookies from the oven, watched videos on the TV, and just hiked up the heater when we got cold at night...at moments I wondered if we could have just stayed home.  

Here are the boys on the beach at Point Reyes.  It was an amazing day for January: reasonably warm and perfectly still.  We chased sand pipers, dug holes, and smashed carefully-crafted sand fire engines.