Archive for category Family RV Fun
Wrights Lake 2011
Posted by Family RV in California camping, Eldorado National Forrest, Family RV Fun, LED lights, Wrights Lake on October 1, 2011
Sammy at Wrights Lake
Getting an early start for the long labor day weekend we made it up to Wrights Lake this year on the Thursday before Labor day. This is the latest time of the year we have been up there and it was a good thing.
The campground didn’t open to the public until July 22 this year, so by the time we made it up there on on Sept. 1 the short summer season was already winding down. Though by Friday evening all the RV sites were filled-up and there was a lot of adults and kids out and about to enjoy the long weekend.
Sammy with Joe kayaking up the channel
What we noticed this year was there were many more mosquitoes than in past years (I assume because of the very high percip. this winter). It was just a minor inconvenience because we did bring extra bug spray.
Also this year we invited some friends to join us (Claire had booked an extra campsite). It made it extra fun inviting the family we met on our first trip to Wrights lake four years ago (the Welton’s) to spend the weekend with us.
This year we also tried to make sure we did some hiking around the area. We started out Saturday morning wanting to hike up to one of the mountain lakes (maybe Grouse Lake), but only made it a few hundred feet up the hill before the kids started complaining. So we decide to just hike around Wrights Lake, which was more than worth it and very beautiful. I think we are going to have to wait until the kids are in the teens before we attempt a hike like the Grouse Lake hike.
Ben kayaking up channel
Kids fishing at Wrights Lake
And this year Ben was able to be a little more independent and paddle around in a borrowed kayak. We paddled all the way up the channel to last passable section. And of course the kids tried their had at fishing, but to no avail. Well maybe next year.
Also a little different this year is that we invited are friends the Walhs up on Sunday evening for an afternoon picinic and swim at the lake. The kids had a great time and I think the adults had fun too.
And because we were dry camping we relied on our battery for the whole five day trip. I think the LED lights really did the trick because our battery never got below 3/4 charge.
One mistake and the pretty pictures you see along the way
Posted by Family RV in Family RV Fun, hazards of the road on August 29, 2011
Sean Michael of the Longlonghoneymoon.com produces the absolute best travel log videos in RVdom.
This one is about a near disaster that was averted, plus some stunning images of the North Dakota landscape.
One Dumb Mistake from Sean Michael on Vimeo.
Switching over to LED lights
Posted by Family RV in dry camping, Family RV Fun, LED lights, Power conservation on August 25, 2011
We are getting close to our annual trip to our little piece of heaven called Wrights Lake for the Labor Day long weekend.
And with that trip it will be our longest “dry” camping trip of the year. Dry camping, for those that don’t know, means that we won’t have a water, sewer or a power hook-up. We will be totally dependent on our batteries for light and propane for heat.
Looking forward to that I began looking into ways to limit the draw on the batteries so we don’t have to worry about them going dead during our trip.
Incandescent and LED side-by-side
One way to save on power is by switching out all the light bulbs in the trailer to LED lights. LEDs are a great way to reduce the use of battery power while still enjoying a brightly lit room.
Using LEDs can save almost 85% in juice. An LED bulb draws an 1/8th of the power an incandescent bulb. But they can produce the same amount of light and don’t generate any heat. What really swayed me towards LEDs (in part) was this cool chart on comparing LEDs to incandescents and compact fluorescents (CFLs). Looking at that chart you can see the environmental advantages as well as the financial.
What was important to me was that by using LED bulbs I would enjoy all the benefits without any downside. So that meant I first needed to test an LED bulb that I thought would replace the existing incandescent while having the same brightness and general color temperature.
I found an LED bulb that, in my tests, seem to generate an equivalent or better brightness of the incandescent but only drew 3.24 watts compared to 23 watts for the equivalent incandescent. That is huge!
LED on left - Incandescent on right
But incandescent bulbs have a more yellow color temp. (that people are used to) compared to LED bulbs. Most LED bulbs will look closer to day light color temps.
It can take a little getting used to, but the day light color temp. can actually be an advantage because the light seem brighter than the yellow incandescent color.
So the LED bulb I bought to switch-out most of my incandescents is the Ming’s Mark 1156/1141 330 Lumen LED bulb. It is only $16.98 and available on dyersonline.com
(The bulbs available on Dyers are the “warm white” version and will be closer to an incandescent than what is pictured above.)
Caspar Beach RV Park – Summer fun but winter temp
Posted by Family RV in Cal State Parks, California camping, California North Coast, Family RV Fun on August 5, 2011
Trailer at Caspar Beach RV Park
We spent our 4th of July week with the Caspar Beach RV Park and Campground (map), right across the road from the lovely Caspar Headlands State Nature Reserve (Caspar State Beach). It was very nice to be so close to the beach. The RV park was pleasant enough (though on busy weekends like the 4th you will be packed in like sardines). The park store was well stocked and the bathrooms and showers consistently clean and open.
But . . . and this is a big but, the weather was quite chilly. Even though this summer has been on the chilly side, I never imagined that I would spend my time watching the fireworks on the 4th wearing a heavy winter coat; but I did this year.
Claire and Kids at Lions pancake breakfast
The Caspar beach lured us to go down everyday and play in the sand (which the kids did). And we did some really nice small town activities, like the Fort Bragg Salmon feed, Mendocino Lions Pancake Breakfast and the annual Mendocino 4thof July parade. All were fun and with plenty of flavor of the local ambiance. Also the kids loved the indoor pool in Fort Bragg.
Fort Bragg Pool
Our neighbors in the RV park enjoyed a great day salmon fishing, meeting their limit. They shared a huge fillet with us and we enjoyed several salmon dinners at home. There is nothing quite like seafood fresh from the ocean!
The drive to Caspar Beach was LONG and filled with pleasant scenery as we took highway 128 to try to avoid a mountain like pass on 120. On the way back we decided to take 120 to get a more direct route to 101 and our drive home. We went from 65 degree weather to 98 degree weather just going from Fort Bragg to Willits.
There are so many State Parks in the region of Caspar State Beach; Hendy Woods State Park, Russian Gulch State Park, Jughandle State Reserve and Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. Unfortunately they are all slated to close next year due to the California State budget issues. Hopefully some will find private management before they close.
The people, the scenery and the food were all excellent and we were glad we made the decision to go more NORTH this year for 4th of July but we also decided our next adventures will be more Southward bound for a bit more warmth in the future.
Something New at Avila Beach
Posted by Family RV in Avila Beach, California camping, Family RV Fun on June 19, 2011
We decided to go back to one of our favorite places for the kid’s Spring break this year.
Yes we went back to Avila Beach yet again (map). But we found so much new stuff to do that it didn’t seem like we were hanging around the same old place doing the same old stuff.
Old Port Beach is a dog beach
We did park the trailer at the same RV campground (the Port San Luis RV park on Babe Lane). But what made this trip a little different was that we had our new dog Phoebe with us on the trip. And with her we spent a lot of time on the dog beach which was just below where we were camping.
On the Saturday that we were there, we spent the whole day on the beach with Phoebe and all the other dogs and people who came down to walk their dogs.
Point San Luis Lighthouse
Also on this trip we had a chance to visit the Point San Luis Lighthouse which was open for the first weekend of the Spring season. We took a short bus ride to the lighthouse and enjoyed an excellent tour of the lighthouse from a very knowledgable lighthouse guide.
Lighthouse Lens
What made this a special trip is that we spent the evening on the dog beach eating our dinner by moon light (a full moon night) and dancing the night away on the beach.
That is the kids did all of the dancing, while us parents talked and drank wine.
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 
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.
Prop 21 Update: My Take
Posted by Family RV in Cal State Parks, California camping, Family RV Fun, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park on November 7, 2010
Unfortunately prop. 21 failed at the ballot on election day. Of the Californians who did vote, the prop went down a whooping 58% against.
It is really a shame when you consider a statistic I read in the SF Chronicle: “Studies have estimated that visitors spend between $2 billion and $4 billion a year on camping gear, food, gas and other goods in communities surrounding state parks. That amounts to about $300 million in tax revenue for the state general fund each year.” This is according to Mike Sweeney of the Nature Conservancy.
Park Use Fees: Case in Point
It seems people don’t want to pay for any services, even the ones they use.
This is what I saw on our last camping trip up to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Instead of people driving into the park and pay the $10 entrance fee, many were parking along the road outside the park and walking in, so they can dodge the fee.
In my opinion that is the problem with our State trying to rely on park use fees. People will always try to dodge them and expect the State to find the money to run the parks somewhere else. It is really infuriating when you see people so short sighted.
But in an economy like we are experiencing, it is not surprising to see prop 21 fail. People are hurting, and our State Parks aren’t the highest priority for most. I just hope our legislators can find enough money to keep most of the parks open so we can continue to enjoy them.
You can help. Please donate to the California State Parks Foundation. I did. And I plan to keep supporting the Foundation’s fight for the Cal State Parks.
This Year’s Wrights Lake Trip
Posted by Family RV in Eldorado National Forrest, Family RV Fun, Traveling with Kids, Wrights Lake on September 16, 2010
Sunset at the beautiful Wrights Lake
Every August we go to the South Lake Tahoe area to a place called Wrights Lake. If you follow this blog you will know that this is a very special place to our family. It is the place where we caught the camping bug and one of the reasons we bought an RV and started taking all these family trips.
This year was a little different in that we couldn’t get a camp site at the Wrights Lake campground area (it has gotten really popular). So we had to settle for camping in the area of Wrights Lake and then make day trips to our special place.
Sam at Gerle Creek
Our first camping stop was at Gerle Creek Campground (map). It is much farther up the main road (Ice House Rd) from Wrights Lake and much more remote feeling than our past trips to Wrights Lake. One thing I noticed very early is that there wasn’t any other kids at the campground for my kids to play with. One fact about our family camping trips is that if there are a lot of kids at the campground, my kids will have a good time. If there aren’t any kids, my kids don’t know what to do with themselves.
Don’t get me wrong, Gerle Creek is a beautiful spot. It had some of the biggest stands of Jeffery Pine and Douglas Fir I’ve ever seen. And Gerle Creek Reservoir is a beautiful lake and great for canoeing. But the people who were camping there were mainly older or child-less. And the campsites did not get a lot of direct sunlight, feeling a little unfriendly. In short, it just seemed a little too isolating for our taste. But if you want to get away from everybody, and I do mean just about everybody, Gerle Creek Campground is your spot.
Ice House Reservoir
So from there we moved on to Ice House campground (map) along Ice House Reservoir. It is a very nice campground along the banks of the reservoir with great views looking onto the water. If you have a jet ski this is your lake. It is a fairly large sized lake that what I’m told also is a good fishing lake. If you are an RVer it is dry camping but the water facets are close and filling up your water tank isn’t too much trouble.
From Ice House it is a 10 mile drive to Wrights Lake. Not a big deal but not optimal. Four of the days on our trip we made day trips to Wrights Lake. And the lake didn’t disappoint. We made a picnic barbecue on most of the days we were up there and had a really good time canoeing and fishing. Though Ben still hasn’t caught his first fish. We also had a little excitement at the lake. Apparently there was a small fire nearby when we were there and we were able to see helicopters dip down into the lake with water buckets to fly off and drop water on the fire. No worries the fire was put out pretty quickly and we went on to enjoy our day.
This was shot on my iPhone. So I couldn’t zoom-in but you can kind of see the helicopters.
So for next year we are going to send in a campground reservation by mail and see what happens. We really want to stay in the campground at Wrights Lake, like everyone else.
10 Days in the Mountains – Part 2 Shaver Lake and Camp Edison
Posted by Family RV in California camping, Camp Edison, Family RV Fun, Shaver Lake, Sierra National Forrest on August 8, 2010
Ben on a rock at Shaver Lake
After a night of refreshing at home: laundry, restocking and love and care of our menagerie of cat, toad, tortoise and fish and a thorough cleaning of the mini van and Suburban we headed out for a four hour drive to the Sierra National Forest at Shaver Lake and the highly recommended Camp Edison (map).
We arrived around 5:30 p.m. grabbed a bite to eat in Shaver Lake and headed to our great pull through site at Camp Edison. The site was close to a bathroom and shower building. You can buy a shower card from Camp Edison, 40 minutes for $5. We found we could not use this whole card, even taking a nice hot shower every night after a day on the lake. Highly recommend; just get it when you arrive.
On Wednesday, Claire rented a pontoon boat for the afternoon which was capable of towing an inner tube and she took the kids out for four hours of fun on the lake. Kids can fish without a fishing license, so both the kids opted to try this and we bought them each a self casting children’s fishing rod and kit. Though they didn’t catch anything they did enjoy trying.
Kids fishing at Shaver
Camp Edison has daily activities for kids and even art and photography lessons that people can sign up for. We had the kids do all the activities we could including a storytime and an animal track plaster of paris art project. Samantha and Claire went Shaver Stables to go for Samantha’s first horseback ride. We highly recommend doing that, she had a great time and did very well on the docile and well cared horse named Tombstone!
Claire and Samantha found out if they wanted to go out canoeing they needed to do it either early in the morning before 9 am or after 5 pm when all the boats seemed to exit the lake. Then is was calm enough to easily navigate the lake and check out the coves. They visited the Museum of the Sierras which has a lot of children’s activities books and coloring books that can keep kids busy while the adults visit. They also visited the National Forest Service Campground of Dorabelle Campground at Dorabelle Cove to check out the sites. If we ever are not able to get into Camp Edison, Dorabelle Campground would be the alternative. There are other campgrounds further north of the lake but Dorabelle is right on the water and has beautiful picnic options that overlook the lake.
10 Days in the Mountains – Part one – Mt. Madonna Santa Clara County Park
Posted by Family RV in Family RV Fun, Mt Madonna County Park, Santa Clara County Parks on July 19, 2010
Our 4th of July week vacation with the travel trailer was spent in two sets of mountains: Mt Madonna (in the Santa Cruz Mountains) and Shaver Lake (in the Central Sierra National Forrest).
The actual 4th holiday weekend we spent close to home in Mt. Madonna County Park. This was a very nice getaway and allowed for hiking, biking and even some very fun strawberry picking!
Mt Madonna Facilities
The park is tucked up in the mountains above Gilroy, CA (map). The RV sites are spacious and shady, and many of the facilities are fairly new. The bathroom/shower building by our site seemed almost brand-new and was a very short walk from our trailer. The campground offers power and water at the campground RV sites but no sewer. There is a dump station at the campground though that is very conveniently located.
One word of warning about the road at the campground turn off (at Pole Line Road). It is really steep! Use your lowest gear if you are pulling anything when driving up the road. It is an almost constant climb to the ranger check-in station. The first time up it can be a little hairy.
Kids castle at Mt Madonna County Park
Right next to our campsite site the kids found a grove of redwood trees in what is called a “fairy ring.” Younger redwood trees grow in a circle around the stump of an older tree and take nutrients from the old tree. The kids thought it looked like a castle because the stump was hollowed out making a perfect lookout/castle. This provided HOURS and DAYS of fun for the children staying in the RV campground for the weekend.
During our stay there we noticed the campground was not as full as the website had indicated. I’ve noticed many times people book a reservation but just don’t show up. It’s always a good idea if you can’t initially get a reservation to try again a little closer to your desired arrival date. You may be surprised a month or so before you want to go…you may actually get in!
Kids at the Miller Ranch Ruins
Our first morning there we went on a guided hike to the Henry Miller Ranch Ruins. Only the foundations remain of these historical homes, which would have been considered legendary in their day. Henry Miller and his family would love to come to Mt. Madonna in the summer and enjoy the coolness and beauty of the area. It is a short hike, but bring bug spray. the mosquitoes were out on our hike.
The week before our trip to Mt. Madonna, Sunset Magazine’s ran an article on spending a day in Watsonville, which is just on the other side of the ridge in the valley from our campground.
Of the activities listed, we choose to take a bike ride along a wetlands reserve park which was scenic and beautiful. The ride began at the wetlands center which we should have taken more time to explore, but the kids were rearing to get going on their bikes. Luckily there were several informative wildlife stations with information about what you were looking at along the way.
Claire picking strawberries
After the wetlands we headed to a “pick ‘em yourself” strawberry farm. It was really fun and the strawberries were very tasty. We ran into some friends from San Jose, who had done just what we were doing … following the Sunset Magazine article and enjoying their day.
Sunday (the 4th of July) we decided to go to Morgan Hill for their fireworks show. The fireworks were set to music and were very well coordinated. It was a good experience and the kids had a great time. We were able to take the back-roads back to Mt. Madonna and were in our beds before 11 p.m.
Our final day at Mt. Madonna started with a bit of high fog which burned off quickly but left a breezy day. We looked at the park map to see if there was anything we could do before pulling out. There was an accessible trail to visit historic twin redwoods which had been deemed to be almost 250 years old! We headed out on our bikes to visit the trees and walk a bit on a little wooded trail.
Ben tries to climb the giant redwood
We spent the rest of the morning cleaning the trailer for the next leg of our holiday trip which would take us to Shaver Lake and Camp Edison in the Central Sierra Nevada. The kids spent the time in the magical castle and enjoying Mt. Madonna to the very last minute!
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Family RV Fun Feed- Merry Christmas from The Erwins at Family RV Fun
- The Black Oaks of Yosemite
- Wrights Lake 2011
- Sky islands: wild flowers in the high country
- One mistake and the pretty pictures you see along the way
- Switching over to LED lights
- Caspar Beach RV Park – Summer fun but winter temp
- Moonbows in Yosemite Valley
- Our Big Yosemite Adventure
- Something New at Avila Beach