Summer Is Here!

Spring Lake Regional Park, Santa Rosa, CA

Trying out another new camping spot. Again, we had very little expectations and were pleasantly surprised. I assumed a regional park near downtown Santa Rosa would be pretty bleak and urban. This place is awesome with lots of trees, a couple of lakes and acres of rolling hills. Nicely done Sonoma County. Of course the highlight is lots of paved biking trails. 

We arrived late morning and had to wait to check in at the campground. We used the time to do a 8 mike bike ride and 

 

a picnic. Manchego cheese provided by Megan and Kevin, smoked salmon provided by my bro Scott. 👏👏

You can just get a glimpse of the lake poking thru the trees from our campsite. Temp is 77, with a gentle breeze and lots of sun. I’m in heaven. After a long dreary winter I am soooooo ready for summer and joining the world. 

The.bike path rides alongside this! 

Ready for the weekend. 

Beach Camping

Doran Beach, Bodega Bay, CA

We’ve never camped at Bodega Bay and didn’t know what to expect. It has definitely exceeded our expectations. We could only get a campsite for one night, but what a sweet spot it is, right on the beach. 

One of the first things we did was walk several miles along the bay. 

Wine in hand, of course. 

We didn’t go clamming, but it appears the seagull did. 

Grilled salmon seemed apropos.

Pretty awesome to hear the fog horn in the distance and the crashing of the waves while settling in for the evening. 

Night. 

Mendocino Biking

MacKerricher State Park, CA

 My favorite activity is biking and one of my favorite places is the Mendocino Coast.  Needless to say today was awesome.  Our first bike trip of the day was an 18 mile ride on the MacKerricher Haul Trail connecting to the California Coastal Trail. 

We rode over the Pudding Creek Trestle 

and rode over another bridge overlooking the Noyo Harbor. 

Taking a break to appreciate the view. 

In the afternoon we took a bike ride thru downtown Mendocino. The gardens never disappoint.  

All that bike riding can make a girl thirsty!  Manhattans and...

an Old Fashioned hit the spot. 

We thought it would be fun to visit the Cabrillo Light House. Kids...don’t drink and hike. We clearly misread the sign and instead of a 1/2 mile walk to the light house we took the WAY WAY long trail hike there.  I have no idea what we were thinking, I only know I was freezing! 

Clearly, the only way to remedy this situation was more drinks and a fish dinner at the Harbor.  Actually, it was pretty momentous. Not so much the meal, but because it was the first restaurant we have dined at in over a year!! (Thank you vaccines). 

The perfect end to a perfect day is being cozy with my honey around the campfire. 

Coastal Camping

MacKerricher State Park, Fort Bragg, CA

It sure was hard to tear ourselves away from the hot springs. We watched the sunrise from the steamy pools and didn’t leave until close to noon. We will definitely be back for another soak at Harbin Hot Springs.

Next destination, MacKerricher State Park. It’s only 2.5 hours away from Harbin Springs, but it’s a different world. Instead of warm weather and clear skies we are in the typical cool, foggy coastal weather. Still, there is something magical about this place. 

The drive getting here was just gorgeous! Spring has definitely sprung. Loved all the wild flowers and especially this orchard with the blanket of white flowers. 

Decisions, decisions...which way Mr. Ned? 

We arrived mid afternoon and enjoyed the boardwalk, tide pools and sea life. 

We even managed to get in a lil’ bike ride.  Tomorrow our plan is to ride the Ten Mile Trail along the coast, but today we were just exploring.  

Apparently it’s the season for seals to be birthing.  We took a walk out to see if any pups were being born, but they were too far away for us to notice anything. Either we need binoculars to see anything or eyes that are 20 years younger.  

Checking out a new hot springs

Harbin Hot Spring, Middleton, CA

Our original plan was to head for MacKerricker State Park in Fort Bragg for the next three nights.  But, I found a new hot spring that wasn’t too far out of our way to check out, Harbin Hot Springs.  It got mixed reviews, so we weren’t too sure what to expect. 

It burnt down in the Sonoma California fires, but has since been rebuilt.  The grounds are incredibly peaceful and serene.  Lots of green rolling hills, wildflowers and oak trees.

The great news is that they allow camping! The bad news is that it’s not so great in a van.

We are basically camped in a parking lot.

 

If you’re a tent camper you can pick either these really cool tent platforms near a creek or pitch your tent in a beautiful meadow. So, this place is definitely cool for tent campers.

They also have a bunch of “caravans” you can rent out.  Not really picturesque, but it does solve the problem of camping if you don’t have equipment.  They also have cabins and domes you can rent out. 

We’d rate the camping experience here (at least in our van) as a C-.  There are a couple of nice comfort stations scattered around that have flush toilets and showers, but no designated camping spot.  Thus, no tables, fire rings, etc. 

However, we’re not here for just the camping experience, it’s really all about taking in the medicinal waters.  And they are pretty awesome!  There are 8 pools, all with different temperatures. We arrived mid afternoon and spent several hours just soaking. The hot spring area is very picturesque, clean and super chill.  This is a clothing optional resort and my guess is that 95% of the people are enjoying being in the buff.  So, when in Rome...

There are no cell phones allowed in this area so I got this picture off the internet.  Kinda gives you an idea of what it looks like, but honestly it’s much more beautiful.

The van is a good 10 minute walk thru a meadow and over a hill to the hot spring.

After fixing an early dinner at our “camping spot” we had a beautiful walk at dusk to the springs.  We soaked until about 10.  It was divine. 

 Okay, I managed to sneak one quick pick of the main pool area at dusk. (Ned looks ready for a dip). The other pools are tucked away in the hill, along a creek or next to this big pool. 

So far our experience here has been amazing - beautiful grounds, clean pools, friendly people and chill vibes. 

Camping with Maddy

KOA, Petaluma, CA

We took Maddy on a little camping trip for just a couple of days. We wanted to stay close to home so we found a kid friendly campground.  (Once Theo is walking we will be taking him too - we promise Theo!).  This campground was perfect for hanging out with a toddler. The big attraction was the petting zoo. 

Checking out the goats on her trike. At first she wasn’t too sure, but...

In no time at all they were great friends - even getting some goat kisses.  

The first day Nonna and Grandpa came to visit.  Yes, the grandparent to toddler ratio was a bit high, but I promise that there was no spoiling of children...ahem.  I mean, who wouldn’t want a Nonna, Grandpa, Baba and YaYa all to themself?? 

We had so much fun feeding the donkeys, goats and chickens, going on walks, playing at the playground, grilling up burgers and just being silly.  We are so blessed to not only share grandkids with Nonna and Grandpa, but to also consider them dear friends.  

The next day Auntie Momo came to visit. Auntie Momo and Maddy had a fun time playing, feeding the animals, having slide races, going on walks and making dinner together.  

It was a pretty jam packed couple of days.  Maddy played corn hole, jumped on an epic bouncy pillow, read books, did some crafts, collected all kinds of flowers, played with the animals, rode a trike, went on a lot of walks and ate all kinds of yummy things. 

It was enough to tucker a poor girl out! 

Thanks Maddy for the fun camping trip.  We can’t wait til our next adventure!