As of last January, we had 4 camping trips booked. Our goal was to get out and use the new VAN and enjoy some travel despite the pandemic. Looking back I think we did well to anticipate and beat at least part of the reservation rush since in November I was able to easily find spots for all our trips through May which was the end of the 6 month window allowed for bookings. For later bookings we are limited to the few days that come available at each morning at 8 AM, 6 months out.
Our 2021 camping season didn’t start well. The first trip in late January to Calpine Fire Lookout was canceled due to state COVID restrictions. We’re thankful the Forest Service protected us by canceling our solo stay in a one room fire lookout station in the middle of nowhere with no other camping facilities within a few miles. The fire lookout is open for use now, alas dozens of subsequent attempts to find an available reservation have failed, until today, so we’re now reschedule for a two night stay the week of Thanksgiving.
The second trip was planned for Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. This was also canceled though not due to COVID. The park briefly opened following a partial easing of restrictions only to cancel our reservation and many others to perform some work on the campground. It’s not clear if this work is done yet, but alas another reservation here has proven elusive.
Thankfully, trips three and four were more successful.
Two weeks ago we stayed at Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek for two nights. We had camped there previously for a night during the week of Thanksgiving in 2020 and had a great time and even rebooked the same site number (site #20) since the location was so good.
For this trip we invited Carlos and Laura and their son Sebastian. We thought we had booked two separate sites which wasn’t the case but our site was big enough to accommodate both parties without any issue. This was our first trip using the bed platform I built for the van and it worked out great. Jane (and I) had a comfortable place to nap in the afternoon and at night we all slept pretty well. During our one full day without travel we took the kids out for a bike ride while the girls went for a hike and generally just hung out and relaxed in camp. We saw a good sunset both nights which was a treat for Jane and we all went to bed kind of early.
Camping in the East Bay in May was pretty warm relative to our previous day in November when we had enjoyed very comfortable temperatures the entire time. During the day as it was almost uncomfortably hot but our site was shaded and it cooled down enough at night to sleep comfortably. We also didn’t get any great views of the top of the fog which we had seen on our first trip and is more common in late summer and fall, but the air was fairly clean and we were able to make out San Francisco from the lookout near our site.
It was fun to watch Jane interact with Sebastian for the whole weekend and also see her interact with Carlos and Laura who know her very well given the amount of time they’ve spent watching her this past year. They treat her as a part of the family which is nice to see and nice to know that she is well taken care of during the work week.
Our second trip was to the beach and cooler weather. We only had a two week gap between Mount Diablo and Sunset Beach but in the days leading up to our trip I was already really eager to go again because we had to had so much fun with Jane camping at Mount Diablo. For Sunset beach we had actually booked two sites, intending to offer one to some friends to join, and we ended up offering the second to our neighbors Rob and Kara across the street who have a four year old boy. We left San Jose at 10 AM on the dot which is funny because that has historically been the time that we leave when camping despite our desire to leave or either earlier or later. Wake up early and pack up camp? We leave at 10 AM. Sleep in late and enjoy the morning? We still leave at 10 AM. So this trip was off to a good start.
We’ve taken quite a few trips down to Sunset Beach over the past year and it has become one of our favorite ocean spots, so we are familiar with the area. Along the way we passed the exit for Capitola and swung off the highway in order to stop at Gayle’s bakery for some of the breakfast biscuit sandwiches which we really enjoyed during our extended stay in Capitola earlier this year. Jane of course got a cookie at the bakery and we got back on Highway 1 to finish the short drive. We arrived a bit too early to check in so we spent an hour or so at the beach before Jane drove us the mile or so back to the ranger station to officially checkin before setting up camp so Jane could nap.
This trip was only a one nighter but we had a blast overall. With no apparent poison oak around the camp both Jane and our neighbors son Jessie were running around in the bushes and climbing trees and chasing each other.
The wind quickly built that afternoon and the beach very near a sand storm, so after about 45 minutes digging holes and climbing on the life guard tower without anyone else around, we hiked over the hill back to the relative shelter of camp. Sunset beach didn’t have the campfire restrictions that we encountered at Mount Diablo so we built a fire and had a relaxing evening in camp and after dinner, we all walked back over the hill to watch the sunset over the ocean. Jane remembered from Mount Diablo that the sun goes to bed and then the moon gets up which I thought was great. For only being a two-year-old, she’s already had quite a few awesome sunsets over the ocean and a growing tally in the foothills too.
Our van set up once again proved to be pretty good. There’s definitely room for improvement and it’s a bit crude overall, but in general I think we all really like the van camping option since its out of the wind, quieter (especially with groups of drunks nearby playing the banjo until midnight) and a bit more comfortable than standard issue sleeping pads. With a bit more organization it will be pretty nice.
The following morning we had some pudgy pies for breakfast and packed up camp. We made a short stop back down on the beach and I went for a cold swim and was pleased to have Jane meet me when I was getting out. She ran down from the dry sand butt naked straight into the waves and had one of the funniest looks I’ve ever seen on her face when a small wave came up and soaked her up to the shoulders! She stayed out for a few minutes and was having a great time which I think is pretty impressive considering the water is 53 – 54 degrees Fahrenheit.
We left the beach and made a stop at Forest of Nisene Marks park for lunch and a short mountain bike ride. We grilled some hotdogs near the van for lunch (Jane’s first) and I took her up the road for two or 3 miles just to get her out and riding around. It’s a blast riding around with her on a mountain bike and she kept wanting to go on a little offshoot trails since we were somewhat constrained to the road given the time of day and restrictions on trail use for most of the trails near the entrance where we were.
So for the year, two successful camping trips in the van so far, and looking forward to a few more of that we have booked already. We’ve been discussing the changes to our sleeping arrangements we will need to accommodate the new kid when he comes but I think it will work out ok. Camping with Jane has been so much fun for us and she really likes it too, so will be doing a lot more in the coming years I’m sure.