We are way to ambitious for our own good when it comes to camping. I thought 2 days between Germany and camping would be enough time to unpack, lose the jet lag, catch up at work, and plan and pack for a 5 day camping trip. Luckily Adam did most of the work planning the trip and gathering all the supplies and food.
But our trip did not start out as wonderful as we planned. It was so hot in the Trinity Alps; the mountains are supposed to be cool, not 98 degrees! And after a 7 hour car ride, maybe we should have planned a day to relax before attempting a 6 hour round trip hike. One hour in and Owen is fussing and wants out of the backpack so he can sit in the dirt and play with rocks. Two hours in and Pene is lagging way behind because of her muscle condition, exercise induced collapse. Suddenly she can barely walk and there is no way we are going to make it to Big Bear Lake and we are just hoping she will make it down the hill. We get back to the truck, hot, tired and crabby. Eventually the day improves after a dip in Trinity Lake and an ice cream break. But we are happy to move on to the coast the next morning.
We can smell the salty air before we see the ocean, and it is a welcome sight, not to mention 30 degrees cooler. When we pull over at the beach side pit stop to let the doggies have a potty break we spot a herd of elk walking to the beach. We are able to slowly sneak up and get some really cool pictures of these huge elk right on the beach.
Owen is pretty good at using binoculars now.
Elk Prairie campground is pretty great, and one of my new favorites. It is right on the edge of the redwood forest and next to a huge meadow where the elk are often spotted. A doe and two fawn walked right up alongside to our campground one afternoon. Adam had an amazing run through the redwoods, although he really had to watch his step. And Owen actually had great sleep and naps in the perfect weather, sunny yet cool with an ocean breeze.Owen made friends with our neighbor campers, a 5 year old boy and an 8 year old girl who was practically a free babysitter. We were reminiscing with their parents about the days when camping was a bit more relaxing and we could stay up past our kids bed time. Owen was a trouper though and did great sleeping in the tent trailer, even with me and Adam and both dogs all next to his bed. Owen spent lots of time playing with dirt and rocks and sticks and had a smile pretty much the whole time.
Also, there was a Grey whale about a mile up the Klamath river and swimming right under the bridge. Owen loved seeing the whale but liked pointing out the cars passing by just as much. Hopefully the whale gets back to the ocean soon, but I dont think we will ever see a Grey whale that close again.
And the nearly empty beach is a short drive through the redwoods.
Happy family vacation! We will be back to Elk Prairie camp ground but I do not think we are going back to Trinity lake unless it is much cooler next time.
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