Camping with the one and only Maddy Todd

Ice House Reservoir, Pollock Pines, CA

The only thing I like better than camping, is camping with Maddy Todd. (When she says her name she very proudly says, “Mad-dy Todd!”). 

Yeah, we’re here!  We arrived late Wednesday afternoon and couldn’t wait to go exploring.

Baba’s are the best at exploring, going on walks, cooking and even sharing their breakfast. 

After reading several books and negotiating just how many stories a little girl can have, everyone finally settled down for a good night’s sleep.  When Maddy woke up this morning she opened the curtains and yelled out, “Hurray, it’s DAY!”. And so another fun day of adventures began. 

We had a fun time at the beach, playing in the sand and swimming in the cold water…until it started raining! And boy did it downpour.  We took refuge in the sun tent, hoping it would pass over.  Mmmm…we decided to make a mad dash back to the campsite. 

A change into dry clothes and a bowl of mac and cheese hit the spot. Afternoon naps, books and being silly in the van kept us occupied as the rain continued.

Fortunately the skies cleared up and we were able to have dinner outside. 

I was pretty sure Miss Maddy Todd tuckered us out, but just maybe we tuckered her out too. 

Fallen Leaf Lake

Fallen Leaf Lake, South Lake Tahoe, CA

All our years coming to Tahoe and this is our first time camping at Fallen Leaf Lake. Wow, I had no idea what we were missing. I only booked this campsite cuz there was a last minute cancellation. This place is amazing! 

The bike trail runs right thru the campground. 

And it’s just a few miles from Camp Richardson. Oh the joys of being vaccinated and things opening back up. 

We rode around historic Tallac, along the lake and up highway 89 until the bike trail stopped. 

We’re definitely coming back! 

Tahoe R&R

Ice House Campground, CA

It definitely feels like the beginning of summer, especially when we’re camping at one of our favorite local spots. With so many California lakes going dry in this drought it sure is nice to see this one looking pretty full.

We haven’t done too much this trip. Mostly hanging around the campsite 

taking strolls along the lake (not yet swimming weather. The water temp is a brisk 57 degrees) 

and getting in some biking. 

The Sierras hold a special place in our heart. Tomorrow we head to South Lake Tahoe. 

Feather River Hot Springs

Feather River Hot Springs, Twain, CA

Driving thru the canyon on Highway 70 to Twain is an incredibly beautiful drive. We live only a couple of hours from here, how did I not know about this area?  Trains hugging the side of the mountain overlooking the Feather River and the myriad of trestles were simply breathtaking. 

I can just imagine this great swimming hole on a hot summer day. 

This is our first time camping at Feather River Hot Springs.  Our friends Leila and Mike joined us. We didn’t know what to expect, but were open for any adventures.  And dang, what a great time we had.  The weather had a little bit of everything  - from corn snow to rain to spells of warm sun. 

First thing we did was seek out the hot springs.  They are located right next to river. There are two tubs with different minerals in each. The lithium one felt about 98 degrees and the sulphur based one seemed about 103.  

We made a little compound with our campsites and settled down for 4 days of fun. (Mike and Leila left on the third day, but we sure packed in a LOT of soaking on those days).

 

Our typical routine would be to head for the hot springs before 7 in the morning. 

The first morning we stayed in til about 10:30! Time flies when your are having fun.

Mike impressed us all by diving head first into the icy cold Feather River! What a guy.

We’d head back to the springs at 3 in the afternoon and stay until 5ish, you know until cocktail hour.  There is a white board next to the office where you can sign up for times.  We booked sessions about 3 times a day.  Breakfast, mid afternoon and then night time from 8 til 10.  

We did manage to rally and explore Quincy one afternoon.  We stopped by the local museum, did some grandkid shopping and scoped out a local brewery.

Of course, we had some pretty epic meals together too! 

This place has several cute little cabins including some that date back to the 1930’s.  There are lots of paths and interesting gardens and sculptures scattered through out the compound.  In pre-Covid times there were folk and bluegrass concerts on the grounds. Rocki, the owner, hopes to book some more music concerts here this summer. We love this place and would definitely come back. Added bonus is that it is such close proximity to Nevada City. 

Some more pics of the unique grounds. 

What a great trip! Can’t wait for our next adventure together. 

Wine Tasting in Sonoma

Spring Lake Regional Park, Santa Rosa, CA

So awesome that you can pick up the bike trail from the campground. This park hooks up to Annabel State Park via bike trails. 

We got in about 11 mikes today biking. We tried a few of the mountain biking trails, but I preferred the paved paths. Yes, I’m now officially old. 

As luck would have it my brother Scott belongs to a winery about 15 minutes from here. So fun to meet up for some wine tasting. Loved spending time with my niece and great-niece too! 

Dang it’s so great to be vaccinated and be able to spend time with my family again. My little bro definitely holds a special place in my heart. 

Wine, Ned, summer weather...life is good. 

Back at the campsite and grilling up peppers, onions and sausages. What a fun weekend at this campground. We’d definitely come back again 

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.