Surprisingly, we have fallen in love with camping!\u00a0 Last year was the first year that we began our love affair with the outdoors.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s the smell of the fresh air mixed with the smoke from the fire pits, the sound of the crackling sticks and leaves underfoot, and the feeling of being one with the land that keeps us going back for more.\u00a0 Who am I kidding\u2026it\u2019s the food!!!\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing like enjoying the outdoor scenery and eating a meal cooked on our propane stove or lil\u2019 smokey while throwing back a few beers and diet pepsis!\u00a0 Don’t forget about the s’mores with Nutella…yes…Nutella!\u00a0 Once you go Nutella…you will never go back to Hersheys!!\u00a0 We can guarantee the food will be good\u2026.BUT\u2026picking a campground is always a gamble.\u00a0 To ensure that we don\u2019t make the same mistake twice\u2026we\u2019ve decided to start blogging about our camping adventures.\u00a0 We have to catch up from 2009 so here goes\u2026<\/p>\n
PS: As the saying goes\u2026a picture speaks a thousand words\u2026so check out pics from our camping trips by clicking on the Trips and Vacations link to access our photo albums<\/p>\n
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Dillon Beach (Lawson\u2019s Landing) \u2013 August 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n Rating: 2.5 out of 5<\/p>\n Location: 50 miles north of San Francisco and 20 miles west of Petaluma<\/p>\n Amenities: Portable toilets<\/p>\n Pets: Allowed at no additional charge<\/p>\n Pros: The campground is located a short walk away from Dillon Beach and is in meadows surrounded by sand dunes.\u00a0 Individual sites are not designated so the campground is perfect for group camping.<\/p>\n Cons: Because the campground is so close to the ocean and in an open meadow, unfortunately, the morning fog and mist will blanket everything!\u00a0 Everything left outside will be moist!!!\u00a0 Since individual sites are not designated, you have to go on a scavenger hunt for fire pits and picnic tables.\u00a0 Hopefully, you can find ones not being used; otherwise, you have to have a back-up plan.<\/p>\n Big Sur (Riverside Campground and Cabins) \u2013 September 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n Rating: 4.5 out of 5<\/p>\n Location: 22 miles south of Carmel-By-The-Sea and 68 miles north of San Simeon<\/p>\n Amenities: Flushing toilets and showers<\/p>\n Pets: Allowed at no additional charge<\/p>\n Pros: The campground is located amongst the redwoods and the Big Sur River runs through it.\u00a0 The ground of each campsite is lined with woodchips, which make the sites clean.\u00a0 You feel like a hamster in a hamster den though!\u00a0 The trickling sound of the Big Sur River is soothing and it\u2019s fun to take your folding chairs to the river\u2019s edge to relax.\u00a0 There are lots of things to do around the campground, such as, taking a short drive to visit Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see an 80 foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the ocean.\u00a0\u00a0 You can also visit Andrew Molera State Park where you can see where the Big Sur River merges into the Pacific Ocean.\u00a0 Dogs are not allowed at this park.<\/p>\n Cons: The campground is fairly compact so individual sites were pretty close to each other.\u00a0 Hopefully, neighboring sites respect the 10 pm quiet curfew.\u00a0 The camp manager usually walks around to remind campers of the curfew.<\/p>\n Sly Park (Jenkinson Lake) \u2013 October 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n Rating: 3.5 out of 5<\/p>\n Location: Located in Pollack Pines<\/p>\n Amenities: Vault toilets<\/p>\n Pets: Allowed for an additional fee of $5\/day<\/p>\n Pros: The campground is located a short walk from Jenkinson Lake.\u00a0 Individual sites were fairly big and spread out.\u00a0 You can take a mile hike from Hazel Creek Meadow near the entrance of the campground to see the Park Creek Waterfall (we didn\u2019t do this).\u00a0 The site was great for group camping\u2026especially if you reserve adjourning sites.<\/p>\n Cons: The campground tends to get a lot of traffic so the grounds of the individual sites are mostly dirt.\u00a0 Everything was covered with a layer of dust\u2026poor Dusty was filthy!\u00a0 Meat bees are out for the kill so you have to make sure you throw some bacon on a plate away from the campsite.\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting to check back on the bacon from time to time to see the progress the bees make.<\/p>\n Sugarloaf Ridge State Park \u2013 May 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n Rating: 4 out of 5<\/p>\n Location: One hour away from San Francisco and seven miles east of Santa Rosa<\/p>\n Amenities: Flushing and vault toilets<\/p>\n Pets: Allowed at no additional charge but are not allowed on some trails<\/p>\n Pros:\u00a0 The campground is located near wine country, so you can visit nearby wineries and go wine tasting. Just outside the campground is a 25 foot waterfall that you can hike too.\u00a0 Within the campground, you may see deer and wild flowers along the trails.\u00a0 In the middle of the campsites is an open meadow, which makes it perfect to see the stars at night.\u00a0 A small creek runs through the campground so it\u2019s relaxing to take your folding chairs to enjoy the calm waters.<\/p>\n Cons: The campsites were fairly small especially if you have two vehicles. Consider getting adjourning sites even for two couples.\u00a0 The campsite was pretty expensive taking into consideration the size of the site.<\/p>\n Stumpy Meadows \u2013 June 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n Rating: 3.5 out of 5<\/p>\n Location: 17 miles east of Georgetown<\/p>\n Amenities: Vault toilets<\/p>\n Pets: Allowed for an additional fee of $2\/day (the camp manager let Dusty in for FREE)<\/p>\n Pros: Each of the campsites were adequately sized and spaced apart.\u00a0 The campsites were fairly clean and within walking distance to the Stumpy Meadows Reservoir.\u00a0 Dogs are pretty much allowed everywhere so it was a great spot to take the fur child.<\/p>\n Cons: The Stumpy Meadows Reservoir is a great spot for fishing but not so much for swimming.\u00a0 There are no sandy beaches or areas easily accessible for the kids to play without disturbing the people casting their fishing lines.\u00a0 To get to the lake, you have to walk downhill on uneven ground so it might be hard for the young ones to master the hike.\u00a0 Going back to the campground is all up-hill so you better pack light.\u00a0 There really isn\u2019t anything to visit nearby so bring lots of games to play at the campsite.\u00a0\u00a0 No cell service within a seven mile radius so make plans with your party beforehand.\u00a0 Also, bring lots of bug repellent!\u00a0 The mosquitoes are relentless!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Surprisingly, we have fallen in love with camping!\u00a0 Last year was the first year that we began our love affair with the outdoors.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s the smell of the fresh air mixed with the smoke from the fire pits, the sound of the crackling sticks and leaves underfoot, and the feeling of being one … Continue reading