Camping at Big Basin

Add camping to the list of fun activities we can do with our boys. Xander and Caleb survived their first camping experience, and are both excited to go again. Yippee!

For the most part our night at Big Basin Redwoods State Park was a success.

We headed out of the house on Sunday morning ...  I left a little too much to the last minute, and forgot some items. Some we did without, or were able to buy along the way like sweatshirts and long pants for the boys, bug spray (we discovered an organic lotion that works like a charm), dish soap, a lighter, and a serving spoon.

The major oversight was Xander's favorite stuffed animal Bear. I should not have trusted a four-year-old to bring it, and it was a running theme of our night in the tent. "I miss Bear. I can't sleep without Bear. Do you think Bear is okay?"

We started our day off at the Campbell Farmer's Market. We bought fresh lunch and dinner supplies there, like Afghani spinach pie, sauerkraut for the sausages, and carrot cake.  I wasn't sure if we would be able to build a fire, so I skipped s'mores this time.

Before going to Big Basin, we also stopped and rode the train at Roaring Camp Railroads (I'll write about that trip on Thursday).

By the time we got to camp, Xander and Caleb were sound asleep in the car, allowing us to set everything up, without worrying about our little helpers. We couldn't have planned it any better.

Big Basin is located off of Highway 9 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. You can approach it from two directions. From Saratoga the road is narrow and windy ... from Boulder Creek, the road is much wider (still windy).

Once we were there we learned that all the campsites are near a creek bed, so mosquitoes are a problem. That was when we realized we forget mosquito repellent, and bought Sun Bug from the campground store. It contains citronella and was effective in preventing bites where we applied it. I must have missed Caleb's neck, and one of Xander's ears.

The campground was very quiet, only at about half capacity, one of the benefits of checking in on a Sunday and out on a Monday. We were located next to another family with a five-year-old boy, and a two-year-old girl. The boy was into trains, and Xander and Caleb made fast friends. 

We were allowed to build a fire, and bought firewood (and a lighter) from the ranger. The fire was fun, but also our biggest challenge of the night. Both boys wanted to help by putting the wood on the fire, of course that seemed like great fun to the preschool set. Jonathan and I had to educate on fire safety, and Xander still ended up with a time out at around 8 pm. He can break glass with his squeal, and I'm certain folks thought we were doing more than taking him in the tent and giving him a good talking to.

Big Basin doesn't have a bear issue, so we were able to store all of our food in the car. This would have worked great if Jonathan hadn't of slept with his keys. In the middle of the night he accidentally opened the trunk, and a raccoon got in. We had raccoon footprints on the cooler, between the car seats, and in the front. The raccoon got into a bag with a leftover muffin. I had everything else sealed in plastic crates or in the cooler, so it could have been much worse.

Everyone slept well, although Jonathan and I will be investing in foam pads for the tent. We're getting much too old.

Our next camping trip is a little more than two weeks away. Our one night adventure was a good trial run, and we feel much more prepared.