PopUp Times

Any NorCal people wanting to join in on a campout either this month or next?

Kelly and I are thinking of doing a weekend in San Francisco (B&B) the weekend of Aug 11th for our anniversary, but are open the rest of the this month and next, except Sept 28-29.

We're open for just about anywhere.  We'd like to go back to Lawson's Landing, but anywhere else others want to would be fine.

Any Nor-Cal'ers have any ideas or desires?

I think we may be able to camp sometime in September.  Randy is going to Michigan the end of September and he has an inventory the week after Labor Day so maybe the 3rd weekend?  I will have to double check with him though.  How far is Lawson't Landing?  I know we talked about it the last time we camped together but I don't remember.

We are actually going to camp this weekend with some people from Randy's work up at Hat Creek (Lassen NP).  I have been wanting to go up here so I will write a review when we get back.
 
Jacqui

Glen,
we are on for getting together some time.
We are off to Florida this weekend for a week, so that eats up the next 2 weekends.
We already have reservations for the weekend of Aug 17-19th at Seacliff State Beach.
Labor Day weekend we are also booked.
But we are available Aug 24-26, or Sept 7-9, even though the kids are back at school, or any other weekend in September.

Kevin

OMG...Zamboni is alive :D

How about Labor Day weekend?
We have made reservations at Coyote Lake in Morgan Hill arriving on Friday August 31st and leaving Monday September 3rd.
We are in sites 18 and 20, next to the lake and will be camping with Margaret's Sister and Brother in law.
Anyone is welcome to join us.
Go to Coyote Lake (https://gooutsideandplay.org/) and make your own reservations, currently there are still plenty of sites available next to us.
It is dry camping, so no water, electricity or sewer hook-ups and no showers, but we will be bringing our generator, just to top up the batteries during the day, so you are welcome to top up yours as well.
My SIL and BIL camped there a few weeks ago, and said it was nice.

Thanks for the offer Kevin.  Unfortunately, I can't get that weekend off.   Have a great time

Jacqui

Glen,

How about Lawson' Landing the weekend of August 24-26?
I think I can convince Rita that we should escape to the coast that w/e, she will have recently arrived home from two weeks of training in the Nevada desert.

This month we

Since I retire on August 30 and can't take time off before then, we could do Spetember 7-9.  I'll check with Sal and let you know.

Joan

We're not Nor-cal'ers but I'll be knocking around the area late August with my 4 year old son and 6 year old daughter.  Right now (subject to change) we'll be leaving Oroville on or after 8/22 and need to arrive at Yosemite for the Strawberry Music Festival early on Thursday 8/30.

If nothing else comes up we will probably plan on staying with my brother in Paradise through 8/26 then camping at USFS Dimond O from Monday 8/27, leaving Thursday morning.  Dimond O is a very nice USFS campground on the site of the old boy scout camp Dimond O, named after a benefactor Mr. Dimond, used as an "Outpost" for trips in the sierra.  The cleanest vault toilets I've ever seen!  Water in the campground but no dump station- though vault toilets are fine for porta and cassette pottis if you use non-preservative treatment.  The location is on Evergreen Road between 120 and Hetch Hetchy, just outside the park boundary.  The campground is half reservation and half first-come, so arriving Monday should ensure sites.

Any takers?

Jim

Hey, how would you guys like us to host a rally at the NACO/TT Resort called "Russian River"?  It's located near Cloverdale and would be real close for harleywolf.   We could do it the weekend of September 7th since that is after my retirement.  Sal and I have been talking about going back there.

FYI, I remembered that one of our original members "Ab Diver" lives in Ukiah so I gave him a call this morning and caught him before he left for work.   They have not been camping in a long while so I wanted to let him know we might be setting up this rally.  Hopefully they can join us if we book it.

I have left a message at the resort to see if they allow us to super host.   I'll post more after I hear back from them.

Joan

Wow... There are campers living in NorCal! :) :) :)

We're open most of the time - given the pressures and crowding of holiday weekends, at this point, we probably don't want to do Labor Day -- the only way we would is if we had definite reservations at a CG where there wouldn't be "crowds" (in other words, probably not possible at this late time).

Sep 7-9 sounds good -- 6Quigs & CalState 36x

Similarly, OC Campers, the 3rd weekend is Sep 14-16...

Lawson's Landing (//www.lawsonslanding.com) is in Bodega Bay (near Petaluma, 1 hr N of SF, then 15 min West to the ocean).  It is a huge peninsula - first come, first served.  No "sites", all dry camping.  You enter, and park your rig where you want to.  There are several water spots (some groups plug a "Y" into the water and run LOOOONG hoses to their group areas).  Obviously, to get a GREAT spot, it is better if one rig goes in a day early and "stakes out" an area.  We've normally never had an issue getting near the sand dunes.  If it is before school, I will take Friday off work and we'll head out Thursday and can "stake out" enough room for everyone.  If it is after school starts for Kelly, I can still go out a day early with the camper & Shelby to stake out an area... if somebody can give Kelly a ride out Friday after work when they come out (or carpool with her in my car if their "camper" comes out the day before as well).

I THINK her first day is Mon Aug 20 (can't ask now; she's asleep, expecting women are...)

FlyerCrew - Aug 24-26 could PROBABLY work... our only hold-out is that Kelly and I are hoping to try to schedule a weekend in San Francisco sometime soon.  We can't find a B&B for this weekend (and next looks slim - but our anniversary is Aug 14th), but we are trying.  We have found a college daughter of a family from our Starcraft camper club who is now at Sac State who would house & doggie-sit (the doggie was our previous only issue with scheduling a non-camping "family" weekend).

If we don't do a SF B&B on Aug 24-26, we are definitely game for camping somewhere!

Or any weekend except Sep 28-29.  Anywhere - dry, etc.

Quote from:  expecting women are...)
[size=7CONGRATULATIONS!![/size]
 
When is Kelly due?  Will 2 carseats fit in the Mustang?:yikes: :D
 
Jacqui

Quote from: OC Campers

Quote from:  expecting women are...)
[size=7CONGRATULATIONS!![/size]
 
When is Kelly due?  Will 2 carseats fit in the Mustang?:yikes: :D
 
Jacqui

I saw that too Jacqui, and was about to see if this was the first announcement, of had he mentioned it in a previous thread.

So Glen and Kelly CONGRATULATIONS, you are half way there to catching up with us.
Hope Kelly is doing O.K. and that you and Shelby are taking good care of her.

As for car seats in the Mustang, when our daughter was born, we found the infant car seat would not fit in my Camero, so I had to trade it in for a Minivan :mad:

CONGRATS Glen & Kelly


Just before lunch I got a call back from the folks at Russan River resort and they do have the super host program.  SO, I have booked the weekend of September 7th for 5 sites.  I'll have Sal make up a rally thread so you can all post there if you can make it.  Hopefully Ab Diver and his family can join us.

Joan

Quote from: OC CampersWhen is Kelly due?  Will 2 carseats fit in the Mustang?:yikes: :D

Around early-mid January... it appears that Shelby will have a younger sister.

I hope a second carseat will fit; with the 'tang only 6 months old, I'm keeping it for a while!  Of course, it is easier to put kids in the back seat when the top is down :)


So, back to the camping - anyone for August?

Both Seacliff and the Russian River/NACO are 3 hours from us... a maybe, but Seacliff means going through San Jose area on a Friday evening... ugh!  We'll keep them in mind if enough others go -- if Kelly is not working that Friday before (Aug 17), we could leave early and miss the Bay traffic, making it do-able.  I'll try to remember to talk to her about it this evening!

Quote from: zambonibut Seacliff means going through San Jose area on a Friday evening... ugh!  We'll keep them in mind if enough others go -- if Kelly is not working that Friday before (Aug 17), we could leave early and miss the Bay traffic, making it do-able.  I'll try to remember to talk to her about it this evening!

Glen,
Seacliff is not going to work, as reservations have to be made 6 months in advance with reserve America, and by 8:20 all 26 sites are booked up for every weekend in that month. Cancellations do sometimes become available, but not very often. Also, Seacliff does not allow popups any more.

I hear what you are saying about going through San Jose on a friday afternoon. We are the same for going anywhere north of San Francisco for the weekend, What would normally be a 2 hour drive turns into a 4 hour drive, and the constant "I thought you said we would be there by now" from the back seat doesn't help. That's why most of our camping is done heading south of the bay area.

Yes Kelley and Glen congrats on the next addition!!!

I just checked the calendar and we

It's official, I'll be going to Lawson's Landing this weekend and next.  For the first trip (Aug. 17-19), I'll go with my daughters and as many of their friends as they can find.  I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment!  It's fun, really...  And the following weekend (Aug. 24-26) I'll go with just my wife.  Ahhhh, peace and quiet.  The best of both worlds!

Anyone else going?

Quote from: The Flyer CrewIt's official, I'll be going to Lawson's Landing this weekend and next.

Wow!  Kelly and I were talking about camping next weekend -- and I was about to post something here.  We were considering doing "dispersed camping" down Jackson Highway, since that way (from our house in Mather) we avoid Friday Rush Hour traffic.

However, if you're up for it, I'll ask Kelly if she's up for joining you at Lawson's next weekend (be honest if you'd rather just have a quiet time with your wife).

Nawww, we would love to hang out with some fellow campers!  It's just the crowd within my own motorhome that sometimes frazzles the wifey...  She needs somewhere to retreat (as do I), that's all.  Sometimes the girls can be a bit much, and leave us no quiet place to hide if we want to read or nap or something.

Also, I don't have my heart all set on going the same place twice in a row, I am open to suggestions.  Were you thinking someplace closer?  I've heard Lawson's Landing can be kind of cold (I'll find out...) and Rita doesn't enjoy cold much.

Quote from: The Flyer CrewI am open to suggestions.  Were you thinking someplace closer?  I've heard Lawson's Landing can be kind of cold (I'll find out...) and Rita doesn't enjoy cold much.

Lawson's should be pretty good this time of year.  We had been talking about going back - but, we have a 3-year-old who loves to hike over the sand dunes and jump in the waves crashing on the shore.

That said, temperatures for Lawson's this weekend are:
High: 60 (Google) - 75 (weather.com)
Low: 47 (google & weather.com)

For you and Rita, for your second weekend, Lawson's Landing should be your destination IF you want to enjoy the ocean and chilly beach.

Otherwise, there are lots of other places.  Note, I personally would love to go to Lawson's, but my wife is less enthusiastic - she'll "go along".  There are lots of CG's down Highway 16, heading towards and around Jackson.  We've stayed at Indian Grinding Rock State Park twice (it is dry, small, but nice - near Daffodil Hill (which is only appropriate in March when they bloom)).

Obviously, since Kelly won't get to our house (Mather Field) until 4:45, we would be better off with a destination down Hwy 16 (Jackson area) to avoid traffic.  However, we love Dillon so would be happy to go there.

We have a Honda 2000 generator, so don't need electricity - and can power your rig if you need it.

This weekend fell through.  The girls can't get any of their friends to go, and just spent over a week on a long road trip with their mom.  I really didn't want to go this week without the large crew.

For next weekend, I just picked Lawson's Landing because you don't have to reserve it ahead of time, and Rita likes the ocean (but doesn't like to be cold...).  But Kelly doesn't like traffic, and to be honest the Hwy. 16 idea sounds good to me too for the same reason, plus it's not as far away.  I'll see what Rita thinks of not going to the ocean next time I talk to her, probably tomorrow morning.  

So, it seems we have entered into a waffling contest.  We may have to actually decide soon...     : )  

I've never gone to the Indian Grinding park yet, but it sounds interesting.  Do we need to reserve it or anything, or would we be OK just rolling in off the street at around 5 or 6 on a Friday?

I have a 4000 watt Onan generator built in.  But it's not shiny and new, and has proven less than completely reliable, especially when it's hot outside (and the AC would be nice...).  My theory is that it gets vapor lock or something.  When it shuts down, it's just done, but after an hour or few it starts and runs again.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=553

Indian Grinding Rock does not have reservations - first come, first served. We've not had any issues the 2 times we've been.  It is 45 miles from us (takes about 1 hour to drive), so we'd be able to get there by 6.  I think it was about $10 or $15 a night or something like that.

That said, we do like Dillon Beach (Shelby loves the sand) - and if it is hot here, it is usually nice there.  Realistically, "traffic" only adds about 20 minutes; we normally get there in about 2.5 hours.

So, either would be fine for us...

OK.  So, I've talked to Rita, and her preference is Dillon's Beach.  She has been in the Nevada desert wearing armor and eating dust for two weeks, and any place warm or dusty doesn't sound good to her.  We are hoping to add Six Flags to the adventure on Sunday, and so will have to stop at Travis before 6 on the way down there Friday to get the ticket.  Worst-case scenario is we don't get it together in time Friday, and roll in to Lawson's Landing on Saturday for just one night and then leave fairly early Sunday morning.  But hopefully, we should be able to get down there Friday night.  Anyway, that's our plan (such as it is).

I ended up taking my daughters down to Six Flags today.  We needed some kind of adventure after aborting the camping with the crowd plan...  We left yesterday afternoon with the idea of getting the discount tickets at Travis, but the place there closes at 1 on Saturday.  So, I paid full price for the three of us but it turned out that they give you passes good for the rest of the season with full-price admission!  A cool unexpected bonus!  So, I will be going back there with my daughters at least one more time this fall.

"Urban Adventuring"...
After wandering the BX and then the Solano mall for a while, we "camped" along the frontage road off the American Canyon exit, on the south side towards the last hill before Vallejo.  The girls and I slept great!  The freeway noise is actually kind of soothing, like the ocean...  Plus the girls had been in a campground every night except Friday for a week and a half, so it was something different.  I can't recommend it for everyone though, since trailers would have a hard time turning around on that road and I think its a dead end.

Yay!  Rita is home and we're looking good for a Friday departure for Lawson's Landing.  Maybe we'll see ya down there!  Still planning for Sunday morning blast-off to Six Flags.

I have to work late Friday (after hours testing on computer that are not "free" during the business day), so we don't think we're going to go.

We definitely want to do Dillon again before winter sets in.  Obviously, next weekend (Labor Day), we are not going anywhere due to crowds.

Sept is full:

Sep 7-8 Russian River (CalState crew)
Sep 14-15 or 21-22 - would like to do Peninsula
Sep 28-29 Clearlake (with Starcraft camping club)