Summer Camping

Ice House Reservoir, Pollock Pines

High temperatures, cool lake, family and camping. Fun times for sure! (One caveat, Mr. Theo still isn’t on board for sleeping in the casita.  His poor parents had very little sleep).

Maddy slept with us in Wolfgang and we slept like a champ. I think Matt heard Theo express himself (ahem) and was quite impressed with his lung capacity.  

The temps hit the 90’s and the lake felt sooooo good! 

We managed to get in a hike too. The Todds have this down! The kids were troopers in the heat. Matt, the Todd gang, and even the dogs managed to leave us straggling behind. Obviously, my strong point is floating in the lake. 

Little Miss Junior Ranger.

How could this cute little guy keep everyone up all night???  I’m impressed that Megan looks so chipper on no sleep. 

These two cuties…❤️

Adventures with Maddy Day Three

Ice House Reservoir, Pollock Pines, CA

Day Three and let the good times roll…or also known as the continuation of Miss Maddy bossing around Baba and Yaya.  Megan got this t-shirt for Ned for Father’s Day, and oh boy is it apropos!  

Another fun day at the beach

and going on some more hikes.

The highlight of the day is when Mommy, Daddy, Theo and Lucy joined us.

We also spent a lot of time goofing around in the hammocks.

We can hardly wait til this little guy is old enough to go camping with YaYa and Baba too. (Our rule is that you have to be able to walk.) 

Cousin Matt showed up too! And yes, he brought beer reinforcements.  Looks like a fun weekend ahead…

Time to get warm and cozy before bedtime. 

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