3 posts tagged “camping”
(Sorry, no fotos or video yet. I tried uploading and got an error message)
We finally got our camping trip in. It was not where we had intended to go, and it was far too short. But, we did it, and we even managed to have some fun.
Left LA much later than I had hoped to on Friday and hit some traffic on the way to Riverside, but otherwise the journey there went smoothly. Serrano Campground is basically right next to the lake, which is nice. And the sites are reasonably far apart from each other, so you feel like you've got some space. But, it also not far from the main road along the North Shore, which means you hear the cars going by during the day. In fact, you can pretty much hear the traffic along the South Shore, too, which is by far the busier, more touristy side of the lake.
By the time we had set up camp and taken a brief walk down to the lake, it was already time to start thinking about dinner since we wanted to go the campfire program at 7 p.m. So, dinner was kinda of a rush job, not the relaxed BBQ I was hoping for. Better Half also called the family we had met on our last visit to Big Bear. They invited us to come over to their house, but having come up to the mountains to go camping, I had no intention to now going hang out in some subdivision home. Instead, they agreed to come to the campfire program, which was not actually in the campground, but rather at a nearby visitor center.
As it turns out, the program didn't start until 8 p.m., so we were actually an hour early. Coulda had that BBQ after all. Never mind, this gave Little One an opportunity to help an amateur astronomer set up his telescope, as the evening's program was on star gazing. Three guys came and set up 4 or 5 telescopes which we could look through. It was quite something. Got to see Jupiter and four of its moons, the Hercules Constellation, The Whirlpool Galaxy, and lots of other stellar sights. The kids looked, too, but they were really more interested in just running around.
We got back pretty late from looking at the stars, so no campfire. That night I learned some key lessons: use a rain fly when camping in the mountains even if there is not even a remote chance of rain, and don't rely on 30 year old sleeping bags to keep you warm. Regrettably, it was quite cold at night, so all the adults had a pretty rough night's sleep. This left Better Half and our new guest, Butterfly, very unhappy come Saturday morning. Little One was not too affected by the cold, probably because she fell asleep before it got too cold.
Saturday morning I tried to make coffee using my old camp stove that I had painstakingly repaired the week before. It lit fine, but that water just would not boil. Butterfly was especially distraught -- she's a coffee and cigarettes gal who needs her fixes.
Faced with the prospect of a mutiny on my hands, I realized that the only thing to do at a time like this was to GO SHOPPING! Off to Kmart we went (you know you're just a car camper when it's all only a couple of miles drive to the nearest shopping center, complete with Kmart, Starbucks and other strip mall perennials) to get new sleeping bags and a new camp stove. Nothing like buying gear during your trip.
Once we got that squared away, we finally got to do some "getting back to nature". Took some fire roads out to a trail head for a short walk to the Champion Lodgepole Pine Tree, which at 110 feet is one of the largest of its kind. The fire roads are definitely not for the faint at heart, and it was a good thing we were in the Subaru with its 4WD. All the other cars we met on those back roads were Jeeps and SUVs. The walk was an easy one, which was what i was after, since L.O. can't be expected to trek too far (or B.H. or Butterfly, for that matter). Pretty impressive tree.
Back at camp, L.O. and I went down to the lake to try out the inflatable raft that another camper had given us earlier that morning. The paddling was rough going due to the wind, but L.O. still had fun. But, she did get upset when I lost my temper as we were drifting towards the reeds and I was concerned about getting stuck in them.
Campfire on Saturday night was great! Now this is what camping is all about. L.O. loved roasting marshmallows, though she later said she preferred the plain ones to the roasted ones. After getting her in to bed, the three of us stayed up late talking politics, the difference between totalitarian and dictatorial regimes, and what, if anything, can be done about them.
Sunday morning we had to break down camp. But we got things started right with some coffee made with the spanking new Coleman camp stove! After we had everything packed up (no easy task with all the new gear we had acquired!), we went for another hike, this time a 1.5 mile interpretative trail. After that, lunch at Madlon's Restaurant, which is a cute little place.
On the way home we nearly died. Let me explain. Somewhere past Fullerton heading west on the 91, we're cruising at 70 in the carpool lane. It never ceases to amaze and irritate me why people seem to believe that a carpool lane gives them a license to speed. In any case, a Ford Bronco was barreling down on us, and when the break came in the lane, he overtook us on the right. Only he cut back in super close and actually clipped our right fender with the dirt bike he had on his back. Bloody hell! I was raging mad. Honking furiously, I sped up so that we could read his plate number and B.H. called 911 on the cellphone. I also pulled up beside him and motioned for him to pull over, but he just looked at me and mouthed something unintelligible. Mind you, we had go around 85 to keep pace with this maniac. When we got through to the cops, I gave up the chase and explained what had happened. They said they would put out a call to CHP, but that we had probably got the plate number wrong (it was hard to read because of the motorbike). As it turns out, there was no real damage done to the car, just a small scratch. But it was hell of scary.
All in all, I enjoyed the trip. I wish we could have gone for longer, because the amount of time spent getting there and back (including getting equipment, packing, setting up, tearing down, etc.) is totally disproportionate to the time actually spent having fun. Still I'm glad we went.
The camping trip has been saved! I finally got through to someone on the phone and confirmed that the place we had reservations for has indeed been evacuated due to the Zaca Fire. I then called the folks at ReserveAmerica, which I take to be a private company that is running the reservations for federal and state parks. These wonderful folks had no clue about the closure, and I was told that if they are informed by the park service of a closure, they will call me and I will be refunded. Sure, and meanwhile we're a bunch of human s'mores. No thanks.
So, then I identify a campground near Lake Arrowhead that has 2 sites still available, and I call back to ReserveAmerica to transfer the reservation. I explain the situation again about the evacuation order for the other site, and tell her I want to transfer my reservation to this other place. "Sir, you have to reserve three days in advance for that campground. Perhaps I can find another site for you." I asked why she could not override the system and why it can't be booked if it says it is available online. She wasn't budging. But, she did find a spot for us at Serrano campground, which is on the north shore of Big Bear. Mind you, we were just at Big Bear about a month ago, but in a cabin. Whatever, I'll take it. Whether we'll get a refund for the other campground remains to be seen. They're supposed to, but I bet I have to fight tooth and nail for it.
The amazing thing is I would have never known that the other campground is closed. There is nothing on the reservation site indicating as much, and I am too out of the local news to have heard about it. It was just by chance that a neighbor mentioned there being a fire in the area when I told her where we were planning to go camping.
There is a downside to not owning a TV or reading the paper daily. You could miss something. Like when the place where you were planning to go camping is threatened to go up in flames due to a major forest fire that remains uncontained. Looks like our camping trip is over, and I am not a happy camper. :( I don't know that I can find a alternative on such short notice.
