Archive for category Family Camping

Our Big Yosemite Adventure

Posted by Bob in Family Camping, Thousand Trails Camping Club, Yosemite National Park on July 8, 2011

School was out for the kids on June 2nd, so we were really jazzed to go out on our first big trip of the Summer starting on the 3rd. But the weather (that is the rain) had other plans, so we didn’t really leave for out big trip until Sunday June 5th.

Just outside the park entrance

Our destination for our first trip of the summer was to Yosemite National Park. Ah yes Yosemite! The land of John Muir. The incredible water falls rushing to the valley floor and the extreme beauty everywhere you look.

Early June was a good time to go to Yosemite. The meadows still had some of their Spring wildflowers, the wild life was out and visible (we saw a bear, a coyote and a lot of deer) and the waterfalls in the valley were close to their all-time high flow level (They did crest on June 16th).

We didn’t camp in the Valley though. We stayed at the Yosemite Pines RV campground (map) just above the little town of Groveland. We drove up highway 120. Going up the grade it is a windy slow process, but coming from the SF Bay Area it is the quickest way to get to the park.

Yosemite Pines was a nice place to stay. The campsites are spacious, most have full hookups and the staff were pleasant and helpful. They also had some nice kid features like a petting zoo and a hike that you could take to an old gold mine on the property (the kids loved this). Though the camp bathrooms could have been closer to our campsite and the pool could have been a little warmer. All-in-all I can recommend this campground. But if you are a member of Thousand Trails the Yosemite Lakes campground is much nicer and closer to the park entrance.

Yosemite Falls

We rode our bikes in the valley just about everywhere. This is definitely the way to go (and the preferred way the park service wants you to experience the park). We just drove in to the Swinging Bridge area. Parked our car there and road our bikes throughout the valley floor.

The kids had a blast and we saw a lot of wildlife. I think we may start making a trip to Yosemite an annual event. Especially now that we have joined Thousand Trails and can stay at Yosemite Lakes for next to nothing.

This bear looks fairly young and kind of skinny, being early in the season

The mine at Yosemite Pines. No we didn't go in. Phoebe didn't want anything to do with it.

Our kids and kids or our friends play in the snow above Yosemite Valley

1 Comment

A new RV season and an addition to the family

Posted by Family RV in Family Camping, Family RV Fun, Family Togetherness, traveling with a pet on June 4, 2011

As I’m writing to you it is pouring rain here in San Jose, CA where we live, with not a chance of sunshine for three or four days – and it’s June 4th!

But it is the beginning of the RV season, even if the weather isn’t cooperating, so we plan a trip very soon to take advantage of the kids being out of school.

This RV season will be a bit different this year because we have a new addition to our family. Her name is Phoebe and she is a Sam and Pheobe little white ball of fur and love. She is a perfect RV size and is a very good traveler (when we’re on the road she just takes a nap).

After our long time family cat “Killer” died in March (he lived 17 years) , we started to look for a new family pet. We got very lucky and found a family that needed to find a new home for their Coton de Tulear breed dog, Phoebe.

She has been a great addition to our family. In the coming months you will see her with us as we go on our summer camping trips.

If I can pass along any tips to traveling with a dog and two very active kids I will definitely add them here.

So please welcome Phoebe to our Family RV Fun blog.

1 Comment

Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park: Nice Place, But…

Posted by Family RV in California camping, Campground Review, Family Camping, Santa Cruz Camping on March 27, 2011

Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park

We decided to spend a quick weekend at the Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park recently (map). Yes that Santa Cruz Harbor. The one that was hit by the Japan tsunami recently. Though we were there many weeks before the flooding at the harbor.

The RV park looked like it would be a fun trip and no big deal. A 40 minute drive over the hill to Santa Cruz from San Jose for fun on the beach (and a whale watching boat ride on Sat.)

The campground turned out to be a very nice pretty place to camp, even though it is just a strip of asphalt (and a kind of picky camp host) . But it has a nice view of the harbor, full hook-ups and a great kids park just up the hill. Also the beach is a short bike ride. Throw in that we had a fantastic weather (low 70s, sunny and little wind) and you have the makings of another Family RV Fun trip.

But, we had a couple of incidents on our trip where we felt our personal safety and personal property were in question. We almost had a bike stolen and also the same evening a homeless person hanging out outside our trailer at 3 in the morning. Not good.

Kids on the beach in Santa Cruz

I did read about the theft issue on a review of the park on another site, but I didn’t give it a lot of thought. After our experience, and talking with a harbor official, it’s clear that theft has been a big problem at this place and anyone planning to stay here needs to be aware of this.

Apparently neighborhood juvenile delinquents come down in the early morning hours and steal anything left outside. Luckily for us we did have our bikes locked-up but they almost got my bike pulled out of a padlock right before I scared them away.

Frederick Street Park

So do I recommend this RV park and will we come back? I guess it is a yes, mainly because the kids love the park near by and the great beach. Just don’t leave anything out of your rig over night.

California camping, santa cruz harbor, santa cruz harobr rv park

3 Comments

Columbia State Historic Park in December

Posted by Family RV in Cal State Parks, California camping, Columbia State Historic Park, Family Camping on December 31, 2010

We had been to the Columbia State Historic Park before (map). It was a summer time trip and a couple of years before we got our travel trailer.

So when our friends said they wanted to go there I was a little apprehensive about going back to some place that I thought we had already experienced. But we did agree to go and I knew the kids would have a good time with our friend’s kids so off we went.

Well I’m so glad we did. The first pleasant surprise was the RV park we stayed at. Located very close to the historic downtown area, Marble Quarry RV Park is a very nice RV park with full hook-ups and well-maintained facilities. The best thing about the RV park was that you could easily walk to the State Park downtown area, though we drove each time we went (our cop-out was two screaming kids who don’t want to walk anywhere).

The Columbia Historic State Park is basically a restored and maintained old 49er gold rush town that had the good fortune to be taken over by the Cal State Park system (or I’m sure it would have faded away from neglect and non-use long ago).

The downtown area is full of historic buildings along the main street. Some are storefront museums and others are quaint little shops, each with its own specialty. One we particularly enjoyed was a farmers supply shop that had all means of supplies for the 19^th century rural famer. Others included a sweets shop, and old time restaurant and a gold rush era bookstore.

Stagecoach at Columbia State Park

You can also pan for gold, ride a stagecoach (guaranteed to by held-up be bandits) and drink-in the old time atmosphere of the old west.

The weekend we were there we enjoyed the Christmas parade for the town, which included more horses than you could count from horse clubs and 4H groups. What was great about the parade for us was that we didn’t have to fight the crowds to have a good seat to see the parade. There was a good-sized crowd to enjoy the event but not too large to be uncomfortable.

Columbia Holiday Parade

All-in-all it was an enjoyable trip and well worth the gas money to get there.

No Comments

Cotillion Gardens: Too many people, but the hiking was fun

Posted by Family RV in Campground Review, Family Camping, RV Camping on October 3, 2010

We recently joined some friends for the long labor day weekend at an RV campground called Cotillion Gardens. It is located in the Santa Cruz mountains near the town of Felton (map). The thought “packed like sardines” comes to mind of our experience.

Kids at the redwoods

We had a good time and all, but man did we feel packed into a very small place. The whole camping vibe gets thrown out the window when the camp site next to you is less than three feet away and you can’t help but hear everything your neighbors are saying (and believe me you don’t want to hear).

We actually got one of the better RV spots at the campground but it still felt way too crowded. Although one good side effect of having a lot of people around is that there were a lot of kids for our kids to play with. But paying $55 per night for a packed like a sardine campsite can feel like a ripoff.

What was good about this place was that we were very close to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and the Roaring Camp Railroad. We had a great hike on the Redwood Grove Loop Trail that is in the park. This is a really good hike for small kids because it is pretty short and totally flat. Plus you walk among some very amazing old growth redwoods. Our kids had a really fun time.

Very close to the park is Roaring Camp Railroad. If you have small kids, this is also a must do activity, though the rail trip can be a little pricey.

Next time we plan to camp at the state park campground that is nearby, but not in, the state park.

This is an iPhone video of the train going by.

Campground Review, Cotillion Gardens RV Park, Henry Cowell Redwood State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains

No Comments

What to do when the weather isn’t perfect – Sunset State Beach

Posted by Family RV in Cal State Parks, California camping, Family Camping, Family RV Fun, Sunset State Beach on June 7, 2010

Set for a mid-May trip, we finally got a weekend reservation at Sunset State Beach (Map) located south of Rio Del Mar, CA.

Sunset State Beach campground and beach

We’d heard a lot about the campground and looked forward to going there and having a great weekend trip on the coast.

It being mid-May we thought the weather would be no problem, but this is no usual weather year so yes we did run into some not so perfect weather.

We pulled into our campground late on Friday night with little problems (though me backing-up the trailer always involves some level of drama).

On Sat. morning we got up to a little fog but it burned off pretty quickly. So we packed-up and headed to the beach.

It is a short drive down to the beach with some really nice picnic and barbecue facilities.

Sunset State Beach

What makes Sunset State Beach so unique is that it is an extremely long and flat beach. I’m not sure how long it is but it sure looked like you would be walking for hours until you reached the end of it.

But we never really got the chance to walk along the beach for very long.

The trouble was that the wind was howling in from the surf and making our day at the beach a little difficult to enjoy.

First we tried to make a wind break with our chairs and sun umbrellas. But of course the wind was just too strong and we had to retreat to the other side of the dunes where the wind wasn’t so strong, but alas not on the beach itself.

Of course the kids took the weather hiccups in stride and seemed to have a great time no matter what.

Kids at Sunset Beach Campground

Later at the campground the kids had fun in a field of wild flowers just outside our trailer door.

Sunday morning we woke-up to a cloudy and raining morning. All the tent campers were very quick to pack-up and leave at the first sign of rain.

We also left Sunday morning, but stayed cozy and warm in our travel trailer until we were ready to leave.

This campground does deserve another try when the weather is better. But it is hard to get a reservation in the summer.

Also the campground doesn’t have hook-ups but we could dump our black and gray water at the New Brighton State Beach campground.

beach rv camping, ca camping, family camping, family rving, sunset state beach

No Comments

A Trip to the Snow and Sierra Summit

Posted by Family RV in Family Camping, Family Togetherness, Skiing, Winter Camping on February 20, 2010

With the President’s holiday (and the kids being out of school for the entire week!) we decided to go up to the snow for the long weekend Friday through Monday.

We didn’t want to go to Lake Tahoe and deal with the crowds and the attitudes we have experienced there. So we decided to go up to the Southern Sierras and go skiing at Sierra Summit. Which is about one hour and a half East of Fresno, CA.

Sierra Summit is East of Fresno

It turned out to be a really good choice. The roads were pretty much traffic free and the resort was busy, but not uncomfortably crowded.

But before we got up to the snow, we had to decide where we would park the travel trailer. We were a little squeamish about driving up to the snow with our trailer, so we decided to park it at an RV park in Fresno and drive up to Sierra Summit for our day trips to the snow.

Two bugs watching a movie

In hindsight there was no need to worry about taking our trailer up to the snow (there were even RVs camping in the parking lot of the resort). The roads were very clear and there was space at Camp Edison at Shaver Lake. Next year we will probably do that. But only if the weather is guaranteed to be clear and the roads are plowed and dry.

We may have to do a little winterizing of the trailer (maybe buy a heat

Sam learning snow boarding

blanket for the water tank or an insulated water hose), but nothing major because it only get down to around 20F at night.

We drove around Camp Edison when we were up there and it looked like a really great place to park the trailer. They were recently rated very high in a Sunset Magazine article on the best campgrounds in the Western US.

Both kids loved the snow. Sam seemed to take to snow boarding, while Ben liked skiing. They are both now telling their friends they are accomplished at their chosen sport after only one lesson.

family camping, family rving, sierra summit, Skiing, snow boarding, winter rv camping

No Comments

The Big Holiday Trip: On the Road in Economy Class

Posted by Family RV in California camping, Family Camping, Family RV Fun, Traveling with Kids on December 19, 2009

The big tank at SeaWorld

Tomorrow we take-off for the longest (by distance and time) of our family RV trips this year. We are going to San Diego for two weeks. My wife is off work and the kids are off school, so we are going for it. I will have to do a little work during the trip, but when you work for yourself your time is never really your own.
photo credit: kwalk628

We are going to try to be as economical as possible. Our trips to SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo and Animal Park are already paid for because we bought a year membership to both last year (yes we did this same trip last year).

Panda at the San Diego Zoo

But unlike last year we are trying to stay at county parks and other more economical places. Last year we stayed a really special RV park, Campland on the Bay. It was a little expensive (but very cool), so this year we are going to be staying at three different campgrounds and they are all under $35 per night.
photo credit: PedroCancion

We only considered doing this again this year if we could keep expenses way down. So we won’t be eating out much and we are really going to watch everything we buy. Needless to say our biggest expense will be gas. And the next biggest expense of course will be food. I will be using every trick I know to keep our fuel use to a minimum and most meals will be at the RV. Also the trip will be one of the kids Christmas presents, as we keep telling them.

I think it will be fun to see how cheap we can be. So I will be tweeting along our trip (twitter username: FamilyRVFun).

Follow our exploits in family fun and economy. I will let you know the nitty-gritty on what we spend on and how much. And also I’ll try to pass along anything we learn on economical RV travel.

California camping, family camping, Family RV, getting better gas mileage, traveling economy class, traveling with kids

No Comments

Thanksgiving dinner on the beach

Posted by Family RV in California camping, Family Camping, Family RV Fun, Traveling with Kids on December 5, 2009

So we always go to the Pismo Beach area every year for the long Thanksgiving weekend. This has been the second year with our trailer. Before that we rented a house. And before that we rented an RV and spent the weekend before Thanksgiving at a Pismo RV park (we couldn’t get a reservation for Thanksgiving). This was the start of our RV bug.

Thanksgiving dinner at Avila Beach

The weather is always really good during Thanksgiving. The locals call November their Indian summer. And I have to agree with them. We have spent many a sunny afternoon on the beach. And this year we had Thanksgiving dinner on our favorite place Avila Beach, which is just a few miles south of Pismo. We had a really fun time and went to the beach every day that we were there.

We stayed at a really family-friendly RV park in Oceano Beach (just north of Pismo). It is a small county RV park called Oceano Memorial Campground. It has a little kids park at the center and it also has a very large kids playground down the street. For families with kids you can’t ask for a better place to stay. And we are definitely coming back to it next year (we made our reservation for 2010 while we were there).

So if you want to stay at the beach and be at a really family friendly RV campground. Check out Oceano Campground