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Spring “Pie Country” Camping

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Spring “Pie Country” Camping
April 6th – 9th 2026 (3 nights)

Julian (in San Diego County) is the perfect place to go in spring for a fantastic camping experience in the Cleveland National Forest area, served up with a slice of pie.  This hallmark little town is known for it’s old main street country charm with quaint village shops and pie bakeries.  There are a number of private and public campgrounds in the area, so we decided to sample a few to get an idea of the offerings.  We had already been to William Heise County Park adjacent to Julian on a past trip, so we selected three others a little bit farther from town.

Chamber’s Park Campground (Lake Cuyamaca)
This campground is about one and a half hours from our home in Carlsbad, California.  It’s a private campground and sits adjacent to Lake Cuyamaca (a manmade reservoir created in 1888).  Like many private campgrounds, the campsites here are closer together and more expensive than those at Regional or State or National Parks.  We chose a premium site with a lake view (#22) ($55/night plus $8 campground fee).  Electric and water hookups are included with this campsite.  We had good Verizon mobile phone coverage during our stay.  We were able to try out our new flaming hitch marker and are really happy with it!  The marker charges all day and runs all night.  We got it to illuminate the front of our trailer primarily in dark areas where someone may not see our Scamp 13′ easily at night when driving along narrow dark campground roads.

Lake Cuyamaca is an attractive small lake surrounded by lush landscape, including pines.  Nature here is abundant, with many types of birds, plenty of ground squirrels, and deer.  The large Canadian geese are bold and casually walk amongst the campers, seemingly unafraid.  And the big egrets are spectacular to watch as they fly over the lake and land along its shores.  There’s a dam at the end of the lake, and during our visit the other side was a marshy grassland.  We saw a number of mule deer grazing on the fields here.

Because Julian is only a fifteen minute drive from Chamber’s Park Campground, we spent our first full day walking Julian’s main street, perusing the shops, having lunch (at Quecho Mexican Restaurant), chatting with a PCT hiker (Julian is on the PCT hike route), and picking up a pie at one of the many pie shops.  We chose Julian Pie Company and, surprisingly, there was no line or wait to buy a pie!  This is practically unheard of here as there are usually lines out the door at the pie shops.  Our visit was mid-week and off season (April).  However, the streets, normally packed with tourists, were eerily quiet.  One of the rangers we met speculated that it was the price of gas keeping people away (currently over $6/gallon in town).

Chamber’s Park Campground attracts many families who want to fish in the stocked lake.  Trout, bass, and catfish are the main catch.  There’s no catch and release for trout — if one catches a trout they have to take it home or there may be some trouble for them.  There are a long list of other rules at this private campground we were made aware of.  Fortunately, we didn’t get in any trouble during our stay.  The highlight of our visit here was our bike ride around the lake.  It’s very beautiful along the lake’s shores.  It takes about an hour to walk its perimeter and less if riding a bike.  Bike riding can be a little tricky though as the ground is rocky and uneven on many parts of the ride (mostly at the very beginning — if leaving the campground and going right toward the tackle shop first).  The second part of the ride is through marshland, a forest, and crosses a few bridges and is much easier.

Paso Picacho Campground
Only about a ten minute drive down Highway 79 from Chamber’s Park Campground, Paso Picacho Campground is one of two public campgrounds within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.  We reserved campsite #8 ($40/night plus $8 reservation fee), which is one of the best sites (very private with a large picnic area).  There was one bar of Verizon mobile service at our campsite. There’s a threaded water spigot within the adjacent picnic area (which we utilized to refill our Scamp before departure using two connecting hoses).  Our new water fill device made this very easy!  There is a central dump at the campground exit ($10 at the time of our visit).

This campground’s sites are well spaced out and offers many nice trails.  We hiked the Paso Pacacho Trail Loop (about 1.5 miles, connected to the campground) as well as the Azalea Springs Trail (about 3 miles).  There are some much longer hikes, including one up to the top of Stonewall Peak  (strong ascent / about 4 miles round trip) for which we will have to return.

The night here was ink black during our stay.  When I opened our Scamp’s door to check on our flaming hitch marker, I could not see the ground (only darkness)!   For indoor entertainment, we tried out our new tablet swing arm — it makes watching movies great.  We had been using a mobile phone to download movies from Netflix/Amazon and play them on our Scamp TV using an HDMI adapter.  However, there were playback problems on a significant percentage of movies (due to security protocols we think).  So, instead, we now download movies onto an Android tablet and play them directly on the tablet (held close for viewing using the tablet swing arm).  It’s a very effective, inexpensive, and easy way to watch movies in the Scamp.

Note:  mountain lion and rattle snakes area warnings.

Green Valley Campground
A ten minute drive further down Highway 79 from Paso Picacho Campground, Green Valley Campground is the second of the two campgrounds within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.  This campground also feels large like the previous one, but with campsites not as private as Paso Picacho.  We reserved campsite #38, which is at the top of a hill (sharing the road with campsites #36 and #37).  Our checkout time at Paso Picacho Campground was Noon and the check-in time here was 2 p.m.  Fortunately, we arrived around 12:30 p.m. and the ranger said we could take our site early if no one was there.  It was good we arrived early, because there was no way to turn around and back in our Scamp without using campsite #37’s driveway!

After a nice lunch in the Scamp (with a piece of Julian cherry pie for dessert!), we decided to do a bit of computer work before hiking to Green Valley Falls (on the Sweetwater River), which is the most popular trail in the park.  Green Valley Falls is a very short hike from the picnic area down a steep dirt path.  Not so much a falls like Niagra (New York / Canada) or Iguazu (Argentina/Brazil), it’s more of a staggered series of two natural rock kiddie pools and slides.  We hiked down to above the pools and observed a three year old sliding down a short water shoot into a little pool and some older kids jumping into the lower pool from a rock perch about five feet above it.  What fun on a warm sunny late afternoon!

Note:  signs with mountain lion and rattle snake area warnings.

Impressions of Spring Camping Near Julian
Julian and the surrounding areas adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest are amazing places and ones which should be on every camper’s must-stay list.  Now having been to four different campgrounds in the area and enjoying them all in different ways, it’s safe to say one will not be disappointed going to any of these campgrounds.  If you are into fishing, birding, or visiting the town of Julian, Chamber’s Park Campground would be the top pick.  However, if you are into hiking and spread-out campsites, our number one choice is Paso Picacho Campground.  And, if you want some family fun playing in some natural water pools along a river, choose Green Valley Campground.  Or, do what we did, and spend a night in each and enjoy a variety of camping experiences!  And, don’t forget to pick up a pie (or at least sit down and enjoy a piece) when in Julian!

 

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

Removing Our 2020’ Scamp 13’ Bench to Fix a Water Leak   

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Removing Our 2020’ Scamp 13’ Bench to Fix a Water Leak   

The fresh water sensor on our Garnet See Level II Tank Monitor stopped working while filling our Scamp 13′ 2020 trailer’s fresh water tank at the end of our latest California coastline adventure.  We were in Oakland and used a Camco water tank fill hose attached to a hose to fill the tank.  We often prefer to use our fresh water tank instead of having a city water hose connected at all times.  This avoids having to turn the city water off at the spigot when leaving the trailer (for safety), avoiding a possible tripping hazard, and making it faster to leave the campsite the next day. During the fill in Oakland, the tank monitor changed from a numeric reading to OPEN.  This usually indicates a problem with the sensor (e.g. it went bad or it became detached from the tank).

The fresh water tank in our 2020 Scamp 13’ is located under the passenger side fiberglass bench seat.  To access the compartment, the first thing to do is to remove the seat cushions and the compartment access panel.  Our tank monitor was firmly secured to the fresh water tank and looked fine.  I then felt around on the inner bench seat floor and could feel the floor was wet.  Unsure where the water was coming from and not able to clearly see inside the compartment as the access hatch is very small, I emptied the fresh water tank (using a lever inside the compartment which drains the fresh water underneath the trailer).  I decided to wait a few days once home to work on the issue to let things dry out and give the tank monitor a chance to dry and work again after getting wet.

I called Scamp Trailers on the drive home and was told that the most likely scenario for the water leak was one of the hose clamps at the ends of the inner fill hose on the fresh water tank becoming loose.  Because this area isn’t visible or accessible with the bench seat in place, I was advised to remove the bench.  For most Scamp trailers, simply removing eight square #2 screws (5 on the top of the bench, 2 inside the bench on the floor, and one on the passenger door side inside a cabinet) will allow the bench to be lifted away.  I used a square #2 impact bit, with a small electric screw driver to do the job (similar to this one).  Before removing the bench, I made sure to undue the 12 volt electrical connections between the Propane / CO Alarm and the USB 12 VDC panel I added which are mounted to the bench.  To make it fast, I previously installed the wiring using WAGO connectors which allow wires to easily be removed by unclipping each connector.  I also used painters tape and color coded each wire so the wires weren’t confused when reinstalling (e.g. all the blue taped wires went to one connector and all the white tape wires went to the other).

I was easily able to remove the 5 top screws as well as the 2 screws inside the bench on the floor.  However, the eighth left side screw wasn’t visible.  I used a razor blade to scroll along the left side of the bench seat to cut open the white caulking.  After all this was done, I tried to remove the bench, but it was still stuck to the left side (where there is a cabinet on our trailer).  I looked inside the lower cabinet but didn’t see any screws.  I couldn’t break the seal by rocking left and right, but I was successful when I rocked the bench front to back.  It turned out that two inaccessible screws were screwed into a wood bar that was epoxied to the underside of the bench.  But, there was no access to the heads of those screws.  In any case, I removed the bench and moved it into the garage.  This left the entire fresh water compartment wide open and easy to work on.

To diagnose where the water inside the bench compartment was coming from, I tried to reproduce the original leak by using the Camco water tank fill hose and a drinking water safe RV hose to fill the tank.  The first thing I noticed was that the hose clamps were firmly in place and not loose.  Next, I noticed the inner water hose was leaking in the center.  After stopping the water, I had a helper inside the trailer inspect the hose while I pushed the Camco water tank fill hose into the trailer.  She immediately noticed that the tip of the Camco fill hose was protruding through a significant slit in the inner fill hose.  This would explain why filling the fresh tank with city water would overflow out onto the floor of the fresh water compartment.  My guess is that the Camco fill hose was gradually wearing down the inner fill hose over the six years of using the trailer, eventually causing a rupture.  Having found the issue was a big relief as being able to identify the cause of the problem is probably the biggest challenge in fixing a fresh water leak in a travel trailer.  The Scamp Trailer repair tech told me other causes of water leaks in the fresh water tank compartment include breaks or seam separations in the plastic tank itself, cracks in the tank stems, or separation issues with connected pex hoses.

I ordered a replacement for the broken 1-1/4” inner fresh water fill hose online through R & P Carriages Trailer Parts (an Ebay seller which sells trailer supply parts).  While I waited for the new hose to arrive, I prepared for the repair.  I vacuumed the compartment area, as it hadn’t been cleaned since we purchased the trailer new six years ago.  I then epoxied 3M Velcro tape to both the bar to which the two screws were attached and also the underside of the bench.  This way, the bar could be pressed back to attach under the bench (since there is no access to the screws inside the cabinet).  Lastly, I removed the existing inner fresh water fill hose – which, initially, proved very difficult to pull each end of the hose off their respective connecting flange / water inlet.  To make it easy, I sawed the middle of the hose in half and easily pulled each off their flanges.

Once the new hose arrived I used a pex cutter tool to easily cut the hose to the correct length (I measured the old one at 6 ½”).  Before installing the new hose, I trimmed a new fresh water fill hose (this one temporarily replaces the fresh water fill cap while filling the tank, attaching in the same place and keeps the hose from falling out).  This new fill hose allows for the vinyl portion that goes into the tank to be cut short so it doesn’t contact the inner fill hose (preventing damage to the new fill hose).  Installing the new inner fill hose was initially difficult – the hose diameter was very tight against both flanges.  However, using a small RV hair dryer made the task super easy.   After heating each end of the new hose for about ten seconds, the hose easily slipped right over the flange all the way to the farthest positions at the back of each flange on each end.  Make sure to slip on the hose clamps before attaching the hose ends.  It’s very important that each hose clamp rests flat against the hose all the way around.  If the hose is clamped down and it is not completely flat against the hose then there could be gaps between the hose and the flange which might allow water leakage.  Ensure that the hose clamp is very tight.

Once the repair is done and the water fill has been tested again to ensure no leaks, the bench can then be screwed back down into place inside the trailer by aligning the bench snugly against the wall and trying to align the same holes the screws originally went into.  I moved the screws around a little until they easily went into the plywood under the bench.  Once the bench is screwed down, it should feel very secure with no movement when gently pushing and pulling it from the freshwater compartment hatch opening. I didn’t bother re-caulking the side of the bench near the door as it is covered by the cushion (not visible) and there is a solid floor in the compartment underneath.

Whether your issue was related to a hose or other cause, it feels like a great accomplishment to make a successful repair.

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

Free Camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park

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Free Camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park
February 23rd – 25th 2026 (2 nights)

Sometimes a spontaneous midweek break is the perfect way to take an adventure.  And, fortunately, there are numerous wonderful places for outdoor adventures to be had near our home in San Diego.  Anza Borrego Desert State Park is one such place.  This beautiful desert oasis, located just two hours east of San Diego, generally has great weather in the winter and early spring.  It’s renown for spectacular wildflower blooms in the spring as well as dark skies for celestial viewing, and hiking trails with unique outdoor scenery.  It’s also an escape for many snowbirds from colder weather environments who fill up the campgrounds within the park during the winter.  Palm Canyon Campground is one of Anza Borrego’s most popular campgrounds and offers hookups for water and electric and is located near the city of Borrego Springs.  This campground has an excellent Visitor’s Center, fun trails, and is a quick bike ride to its cute little town.  It was the first campground we visited after we received our 2020 Scamp 13!  Check out our trip report here.

Although traditional campgrounds can be great, sometimes one just wants to get off the grid — get away from neat rows of RVs, get off the asphalt, not see so many people, and maybe just hear the wind, birds, and other wild animals.  And avoiding the daily rate to rent the campsite pad can be a nice bonus as well!  So, how is this done?  Fortunately, there are plenty of resources for how and where to free camp (also called boondocking) online.    Anza Borrego Desert SP has a website which outlines the free primitive campgrounds within the park.  The free primitive campgrounds are called primitive because they lack water, trash collections, and other amenities/hookups.  No permits and fees are needed at any of these campgrounds.  However, there are still rules — such as packing all trash out and not leaving any traces on the ground (along with many others rules).

Before going out to free camp (whether it’s in a tent, car, van, RV, or travel trailer), it’s important to have a good mastery of one’s equipment, be aware of what and the amount of resources will be used (e.g. food and water, clothing, power, etc.), and have backup / emergency plans in case things don’t go according to schedule (e.g. always let someone know where you will be going and for how long).  Free camping in a travel trailer, like the Scamp 13′, is really nice because the Scamp is fully self-contained with it’s own bedroom, kitchen (including stove and refrigerator), furnace, shower, and entertainment system.  Our Scamp has two onboard propane tanks (offering plenty of fuel to power our stove, hot water tank, and furnace for weeks).  There’s also an onboard lithium battery which provides a large power bank for onboard electronics (such as pumps and lights).  We carry an additional battery to power our Starlink for communications when there is no mobile phone service.  We also carry emergency supplies such as a first aid kit, shovel, off-road tire traction boards, lithium battery engine jump starter, and more.  Here’s a list of our essential items.  We use GAIA GPS and download offline maps for all campgrounds we visit as many adventure locations have no mobile service.

Our plan for this trip was to try “free camping” primitive campgrounds within Anza Borrego Desert State Park.  Blair Valley Primitive Campground and Culp Valley Primitive Campground are well reviewed online and within thirty minutes of each other.  Both campgrounds are high above the desert floor above Borrego Springs, offering 5 – 10 degree cooler weather.

Blair Valley Primitive Campground (2,500 feet elevation)
Our first stop (after fueling at a nearby gas station on a Reservation called Santa Ysabel Roadside, off Highway 79) was Blair Valley Primitive Campground.  It’s located right off the Great Southern Overland Stage Route (a small highway).  Access to the campground is hard dirt and was relatively easy to navigate on its roads.  Because of the rain a couple of weeks ago, there were very large and deep pools of water on some of the access roads, but we were able to avoid these by taking higher adjacent tracks.  The campground is located in a large valley and the number of campsites is expansive (but not expensive — since it’s free!).  Beware:  the farther one travels down into the valley’s access roads, the sandier the roads get.  There were lots of nice sites with plenty of site separation right near the entrance, so we chose one of these when we arrived.  There are pit toilets at the front entrance (good for tent and car campers).  It’s best to arrive mid-morning as the sites are first come first served.  Though, there were a number of sites available at all hours the two days we were there on Monday and Tuesday in late February.

We chose a campsite at the base of one of the boulder mountains surrounding the valley.  Many of the campsites are clearly defined with a firepit.  It was tricky getting our Scamp 13′ level, even using our leveler.  We learned that it’s best to orient the trailer in the direction of the hill as there is much more ability to level front to back with the hitch jack (many feet) than side to side with a leveler (usually only about 6″).  The campsites in the center of the valley, on the flats, were much easier for people to level up.  During our visit, we had 1 to 2 bars of Verizon mobile service — enough to send texts (although sending images was very slow).  There is no water here, nor trash receptacle nor dump station.  We made sure to bring 3 full six-gallon water jugs as well as arriving with our Scamp 13’s 12-gallon fresh water tank completely full.  We saw a handful of other campers during our visit and everyone was very friendly.  Some were travelling across the country.

There’s plenty to do in Blair Valley, and even if you want to just relax it’s great too.  Shortly after we arrived, two F35 fighter jets made a low pass over the valley and pulled out hard, making a radical bank as they turned away!  That was the most noise we heard during our two day stay!  We brought our mountain bikes and road on the Blair Valley Loop trail (sometimes very sandy), which goes on for miles.  There are Indian pictographs and other artifacts to be seen on this route.  There are a number of hiking trails in the area as well.  We enjoyed sitting outside and taking in the beautiful sites and sounds of Blair Valley.  At night, a large owl hooted from a branch extending from a rock outcropping directly overhead!  And, stargazing is incredible as this is a dark skies park.

Culp Valley Primitive Campground (3.400 ft. elevation)
Located about 35 minutes from Blair Valley, Culp Valley Primitive Campground is off Montezuma Valley Road S22 going down into Borrego Springs.  It’s the highest campground in the park and offers cooler temperatures than many of the other campgrounds.  The campground is down a small, almost hidden dirt road and is much smaller than Blair Valley Primitive Campground.  Coming from above, there is no sign, just the dirt road is visible.  A street sign saying Culp Valley Camp is posted for drivers coming up the S22 from Borrego Springs.  There are only about 12 campsites and we estimated only a handful were suitable for small travel trailers.  In turn, arriving here midweek and early in the day is essential.  We would recommend choosing one of the few campsites on the main road and avoiding the lower and higher roads (at least not without scouting them on foot first).  During our visit, the lower and higher roads were extremely rutted and would not be suitable for a travel trailer.

The Culp Valley is not as expansive as Blair Valley, but still is surrounded by mountains with plenty of boulders.  Just like Blair Valley, there are not many amenities other than pit toilets.  And like Blair Valley, the price was right (free)!  There is almost no Verizon service here (we received an occasional one bar).  However, at the top of the Culp Valley Trail, which is a high overlook to Borrego Springs below, there is excellent Verizon coverage!  The half-mile long trail is easy and well defined.  There’s a longer 2.2. mile hike to nearby Pena Springs as well.

Impressions of Free Camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Free Camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park is amazing.  There are so many different options for camping and each provides a somewhat different experience.  We really enjoyed Blair Valley Primitive Campground for it’s beautiful natural environment and lots to explore.  Culp Valley Primitive Campground provides a smaller feel with a trail that offers a spectacular view of the Borrego Springs valley floor below.  It also is a bit cooler due to its higher elevation than the other campgrounds within the park.

For ease of access, Blair Valley Primitive Campground is the clear winner between these two campgrounds as it is easy to get into, there are seemingly almost an endless number of campsites (and often can accommodate large trailers), and the roads are in better condition (or were at least during our visit).  Blair Valley also provides a nice loop for mountain bike riding.

Free camping takes the visceral feel of nature to another level beyond traditional camping.  Being immersed in all the scenery — the sights and sounds of plants, animals, and stars — without so many people and asphalt around creates an elevated experience.  For those perhaps intimidated to try free camping due to the isolation, Anza Borrego Desert State Park makes the experience easy as the campsite areas are often marked and there are usually other campers and park employees around to provide assistance if necessary.

We can’t wait to return for the Spring wildflower bloom (and perhaps super bloom due to all the rain)!  Perhaps we will try another one of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park’s free campgrounds!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

Searching for Monarchs on the California Coast

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Searching for Monarchs on the California Coast
January 18th – 26th 2026 (8 nights)

After two weeks of strong winter storms, California was finally given a reprieve.  Clear blue, sunny skies and warm conditions followed.  The nice weather presented an opportunity to finally visit the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach.  We had visited the Grove many times in the past, but only during off season (Spring, Summer, and Fall) when no butterflies were around.  Peak season for the migrating Monarch butterflies is during the winter (with mid-November through December presenting the highest numbers).  With good weather forecast for the next ten days, we planned a last-minute trip which included a visit to Pismo.

We made our first stop on our way up the California Coast in Santa Barbara (about a three and a half hour drive from our home in Carlsbad) to visit our cousin Jon and his family.  We situated the Scamp 13′ in my cousin’s driveway for an overnight stay.  After setting up the Scamp, we had a great lunch at the line-out-the-door Pang Zi Noodle Shop.  We then walked off lunch along the waterfront (there’s an arts and crafts show on Sundays — ) and down Santa Barbara Stearns Wharf Pier.

After walking most of the afternoon, we were ready for dinner!  We met my cousin Jon and his wife Ida at the Santa Barbara Public Market and had a chance to catch up with what’s been going on in each others’ lives.  There are a number of restaurant stalls inside the Public Market, offering a variety of foods.  We had excellent pizza at Ca’ Dario Pizzeria followed by some of the best ice-cream we’ve ever tasted at Rori’s Artisinal Creamery.

The next morning, we went for a long hike with our cousin Jon, his wife Ida, and dog Toby (a Sheepadoodle).  We hiked through the beautiful Elings Park.  It’s the largest privately funded non-profit park in America, at 230 acres.  Everything was so green after all the rain.  During our hike, we discovered the Santa Barbara Model RC club and their small model airport within the park and enjoyed speaking to some of the members and watching them fly their models.  From Elings Park, we hiked through to the Douglas Family Preserve, a smaller park but with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.  After having a very fun visit with family, we continued our journey north to Pismo Beach to see the butterflies (and our good friend Jim)!

Pismo Beach North Beach Campground is a campground adjacent to the beach behind sand dunes in Pismo Beach.  It’s a very popular campground, offering premium beach side campsites for only $25/night!!!  There is good Verizon mobile phone reception here along with water spigots and a pay RV dump station (currently $10).  We reserved site #83 (pull through site) at the last minute, which is one of the best sites since it is right behind the dunes with a short walk to the beach and Monarch Butterfly Grove.  Sometimes great sites become available at the last minute as people often cancel for various reasons.  The first thing we did after setting up our Scamp 13′, was to visit the Monarch Butterfly Grove next door.  It was late afternoon and cool though, and the butterflies, we were told, were all sleeping!

The next morning we learned that the Monarch butterfly population is at historic low levels this year (down from tens of thousands a few years ago and hundreds of thousands in the 1990’s to only a hundred now).  Some reasons given for the population downturn are increased pesticide / herbicide use, climate changes, and shifts in milkweed growth (the exclusive food source for Monarch caterpillars).  The Monarchs seen at the Pismo Monarch Grove are the “migratory super-generation” that make their way over thousands of miles from Canada, down the coast of California, to the border of Mexico.  A ranger mentioned that because of the heavy rain this past year, there’s a chance the numbers will rebound next year.  There’s an app that allows tracking of some of the Monarchs (they are tracked with an extremely small and light bluetooth transmitter which is attached to their body).

We had a great lunch with our close friend Jim catching up and enjoying the excellent food at Old Juan’s Cantina in Pismo Beach.  We revisited the Monarch Butterfly Grove after lunch and saw more Monarchs which were enjoying the sun and warm afternoon temperatures.  We then walked from the campground down to the beach and along the boardwalk to the Pismo Beach Pier.  The SLO Cal pro surf event was happening during our visit and we had fun watching the surfing from high above on the pier.  Before leaving town for our next stop, we had to try the Old West Cinnamon Roll shop (established in 1972) as it is frequently mentioned as offering the best cinnamon rolls on the West Coast.  It did not disappoint!

Our next stop, New Brighton Beach State Park Campground, is one of the most popular beachfront campgrounds in California.  About a three hour drive north of Pismo Beach, the campground is located close to the cute beachside towns of Capitola and Santa Cruz (home to UC Santa Cruz), offering plenty to see and do.  The campground is at the top of the bluffs, looking down at China Beach and the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, with some premium campsites offering spectacular ocean views (a number with electric hookups).  We had site #72 ($35/night) which is a good site with a partial ocean view ($50/night for premium sites).  There’s a threaded water spigot nearby and we were able to connect two hoses to directly fill our fresh tank (also using a velcro strap to hold down the water valve).  There is an RV dumpstation at the park exit which accomodates four RVs simultaneously (currently $10).

We had plenty of things to do during our two day stay at New Brighton Beach State Park.  There’s a trail which goes down to the beach from the campground, along the water and then up a stairway back to the campground (about a mile loop).  We saw sea birds and dolphins on our morning walks.  We explored the little town of Capitola (with attractive beach shops, restaurants, and pier).  There are some colorful photo-worthy Mediterranean townhouses (24) and a hotel (17 units) near the pier called the Venetian Court.  They were built in 1924 and represent one of the first condominium style developments on the California coast!  Next, we drove to the town of Santa Cruz, walking along the wharf (recognized as the longest wooden wharf/pier on the West Coast of the United States).  Hundreds of sea lions hang out under the pier on the rafters.  They put on a show, barking loudly and playing.  The sea lions are a lot of fun to watch.  At the end of our visit to Santa Cruz, we enjoyed touring the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center.  Lastly, we hiked The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, a nature preserve with over forty miles of hiking trails.  The Marks family of Salinas, California deeded more than 9,000 acres to the State for use as a public park in 1963.  It’s a forest of dense coastal redwood trees that cover most of the park which provide a peaceful experience.

Visiting family in Oakland was the final stop on our coastal adventure.  Just under two hours from Santa Cruz, “The Town” offers a myriad of fun things to do.  We always enjoy walking in the redwoods, visiting Alameda Island (posh eateries, architecture, and walks), playing pickleball at the local Montclair courts, riding the Bart, and enjoying celebrating birthdays with family and friends.  This time we celebrated a birthday by taking some scenic walks (one through a district with historic Queen Anne style homes), going to our favorite bakery (their almond croissants are phenomenal) and playing pickleball.

On the journey home, we stayed near Bakersfield at the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area campground to break up the eight hour drive from Oakland to San Diego.  Our lake front site (#41) with full hookups cost $33 for the night.  It’s a relaxing place which we’ve enjoyed before.  Just make sure to avoid visiting in the summer as it can be very hot in the Central Valley that time of year.

We had such a great time on this trip, even though it was planned last minute and we didn’t see that many butterflies.  It shows that sometimes following a goal can lead to detours that become the highlight of the journey!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

Lake Tahoe, California Coast & Beyond

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Lake Tahoe, California Coast & Beyond
June 25th – July 7th 2025 (12 nights)

Our first major Scamp trip was at DL Bliss State Park, Lake Tahoe about five years ago.  Since then, we’ve taken 43 trips at 162 locations and have spent 290 nights sleeping in our 2020 Scamp 13′ travel trailer.  And, we’ve seen and learned a lot along the way — observing fascinating things, tasting good food, meeting interesting people and making great friends.  When we heard Nevada Beach Campground in Lake Tahoe ranked as the hardest campground to get a reservation at in the United States in 2024, we thought it was time to return to this beautiful oasis in the high Sierra to see Nevada Beach Campground for ourselves.

Lake Tahoe is a large fresh water lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains straddling both California and Nevada.  The lake not only has beautiful beaches with crystal clear water but also popular ski resorts.  And, on the Nevada side of the lake, there are casinos as well.  Emerald Bay State Park, on the southwest shore, is famous for the 1929 Nordic style mansion called Vikingsholm.  Lake Tahoe is also well known for outstanding hiking trails, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities (such as boating, kayaking, waterskiing, stand up paddle boarding, fishing, and horseback riding).

The process to get a reservation at Nevada Beach Campground can be challenging.   The camping season is typically mid-May to mid-October.  To have the best chance at getting a campsite it’s best to reserve six months in advance.  We wanted to be at the campground over 4th of July weekend to watch the popular fireworks show (fireworks are launched from a barge right off the beach close by).  We used numerous strategies to make it happen, but even still luck was involved.  To get a more detailed look at the strategies we used to successfully book reservations, see our article “How to Play Master Chess on Recreation.Gov”.

Our cousin Rebecca and her husband invited us to stay at their cabin in Pioneer, California (between the coast and Lake Tahoe).  So, we drove north along the coast (staying at a few campgrounds along the way) and then crossed inland in the direction of Pioneer and Lake Tahoe.

Carpinteria Campground
Located just south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria Campground, in the charming coastal city of Carpentaria (known as “Carp”), is on the beach.  Many of the campsites are close together, so make sure to check out the campsite map before reserving.  Check-in is 2 pm., but they let us in at 1 p.m.  We were lucky and were able to reserve site A121 ($45/night + $8.25 reservation fee) at the last minute.  It’s a great campsite as there’s a lot of space around it (a frequent camper at this campground told us we got the best campsite in the entire campground!).  However, to fit into this 24’ campsite, we had to park our car perpendicular to our Scamp 13’.  It’s allowed to hang the trailer over the pad as long as the rear wheels are not on the grass.  We were able to hang about a third of our Scamp over the grass!  The beach and wooden boardwalk are just a short walk across the “day use” parking lot.  The Verizon cellular service was good while we were here.  There are water spigots (no threads) within the campground.  We used the free RV dump station when we left the next morning.  The train runs behind the campground, but the noise didn’t bother us during our visit.

The highlights of our stay in Carpinteria were walking the bluff trail to the seal rookery (about 3 miles round trip) and exploring the town of “Carp” (walking down Linden Avenue).  There are plenty of nice shops and restaurants to enjoy when visiting.  Make sure to grab a bite at The Spot (very popular with locals) during your visit!  The beach is known as the “World’s Safest Beach” due to its naturally calm waters.  The Channel Islands, along with the Santa Ynez Mountains, help to protect Carpinteria from strong winds and waves, creating its relatively calm and safe environment.

Pismo Beach
Our ride up the California coast would never be complete without a visit with our good friend Jim.  He has a policy that welcomes visitors—“if you ever visit Pismo Beach, lunch is on me”.  Since we don’t make it to the Central Coast very often, we enjoy catching up with our friend Jim over lunch.  Our go to lunch place is Zorros in Shell Beach for great Mexican food.  After lunch and spending time getting caught up, we made our way north to Hearst San Simeon State Park Campground (about an hour north).

Hearst San Simeon State Park Campground
Hearst San Simeon State Park campground is spread out between higher and lower elevations.  Our campsite, #24 ($35/night), is high on a hill looking out over the Pacific and probably one of the most spacious sites within the campground.  There was no Verizon reception at our campsite, but it could be had at the top of the stairs close by (as well as near the ranger station entrance).  Water spigots (without threads) are available.  There’s an RV dump station here ($10, we skipped it).

During our stay we visited the Elephant Seal Rookery (lots of giant elephant seals sunning on the beach), the kite surfing beach, Moonstone Beach (moonstones and other gems), and San Simeon Pier (opposite of Hearst Castle).  We’ve seen Hearst Castle many times before, so we skipped it this trip — but, if you haven’t been, definitely go!

We needed to backtrack south on the coast for about twenty minutes and head up the 41 Freeway since the coast highway was closed going north (it’s been closed for a while due to a landslide).  In order to continue our journey to our next campground in Monterey, we took the 101 Freeway.

Monterey Veterans Memorial Park Campground
Monterey is about three hours north of Hearst San Simeon State Park.  The campground is first come first serve and only has thirty campsites suitable for trailers (21’ limit), so it’s best to get there early in the day.  We arrived at the campground on a Friday morning in late June and there were several open campsites.  Our first choice, campsite 6, which is adjacent to a large grass field, was one of the open sites!  To get the campsite, park your trailer in the open site you want to occupy and then walk down to the iron ranger, fill out the form, and put cash/check in the envelope and deposit and place the detached portion of your campsite receipt on the post at your campsite.  Campsites are currently $54/night.  There’s slow Verizon mobile service.  We didn’t see any water spigots, but there is a freshwater hose bib near the top bathroom.  There’s a free RV dump station just outside the campground which we used the next morning when leaving.

To honor veterans, Taps and Reverie are played by loud speaker throughout the campground at 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day.

There’s a steep road going from the campground to downtown Monterey, so it’s best to drive into town.  The campsite is very close to the major attractions. (e.g. charming downtown Monterey, Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row, …).  We enjoyed riding the free trolley from Cannery Row to Fisherman’s Wharf.  The wharf was crowded with tourists enjoying the pier and all its shops and eateries.  We walked back from the wharf to Cannery Row and saw many harbor seals along the way.  The famous Monterey Aquarium is a must see attraction if you’ve never been.

Pioneer
Located in a wilderness mountain area between the coast and Lake Tahoe, Pioneer is in the Sierra Nevada foothills at an elevation of around 3,000 feet.  Our cousin Rebecca and her husband Matt recently purchased a cabin here and invited us for a stay.  Their property is on about 10 acres with plenty of room for us to set up our Scamp 13’.  After a tour of their beautiful cabin and property, which includes a river, underground stream as well as a Frisbee golf course, we were treated to a cave adventure at Black Chasm Cavern National Natural Landmark.  The cavern is in the town of Volcano which is about twenty minutes from Rebecca and Matt’s cabin.  It was a warm summer day, so it was nice to descend deep into the cave where the temperate is always 57 degrees.  A guided tour (about an hour) is necessary to enter the cave and take the steep stairs down into the cavern.  The tour descends about 100 feet deep into the cave!  The cave itself is 225 feet deep, with an underground lake system at 200 feet below ground.  Black Chasm Cavern is known for its spectacular displays of rare helictite formations.  There is also a beautiful blue lake 80 feet below the second chamber viewing platform.  We greatly enjoyed this cave tour.  After the tour, we had a delicious dinner at Volcano Union Inn Restaurant and then explored the quaint town of Volcano.

Lake Tahoe – Fallen Leaf Campground (6,332’ elevation)
The drive from Pioneer to Lake Tahoe was about 1 ½ hours.  We stopped at the Kirkwood Ski Area for lunch as we had some time before the 2 p.m. check-in at Fallen Leaf Lake Campground (South Lake Tahoe).  Kirkwood Ski Area is a beautiful place with a small village at its base.  It resembles a scenic European ski town.  There was still some snow visible at the top of the mountain during our visit in late June.  Since the ski resort no longer offers summer mountain biking, the area was very quiet during our two hour visit.  Most of the stores and restaurants were closed.  We enjoyed the solitude, nice weather and mountain views from our Scamp while we ate lunch!

Fallen Leaf Campground is on the south shore of Lake Tahoe.  It’s a large campground consisting of 206 campsites.  Our campsite (site #169A, $47/night, 50% off with a Senior America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass) is right in the middle of the campground and, in turn, exposed to a lot of activity.  Since we reserved last minute, we didn’t have many campsite choices.  In the future, we will reserve a campsite on the perimeter.  Our friends Kat & David recommend campsite #21 if bear viewing is desired.  They said bears came to this campsite every day during their visit (see their video here).  There are threaded water spigots here.  There’s an RV dump station ($10).  There’s no Verizon mobile service at the campground.

This is a great campground to which to bring bikes.  There are numerous bike paths that wind along the edges of Lake Tahoe. There are also several great hikes here, including one with waterfalls (called Glen Alpine Falls) that flows into Fallen Leaf Lake.  Since our stay here was just one night, we chose to hike Maggie’s Peak (considered one of the best hikes in the area).  Our friend Bruce came down from Zephyr Cove to join us on this early morning hike.  Maggies Peak is in the Desolation Wilderness Area and a permit is required to enter (free at the entrance to the hike).  We parked just off the main road at the Bayview parking lot and walked up to the trailhead.  This hike is considered challenging.  There are plenty of steep sections and switchbacks, taking from 3 – 4 hours to make the round trip hike (4 miles total with 1800 feet of elevation gain over 2 miles).  The payoff is an outstanding panoramic view of Emerald Bay. We even ran into some pack goats on our hike!  There’s a private resort next door to Fallen Leaf Campground called Camp Richardson.  Their ice cream shop is a short bike ride from the campground and their ice creams are very refreshing on a hot day (and free Wi-Fi can be had at their hotel – just go inside and ask for the code)!

Nevada Beach Campground (6,100’ elevation)
It’s a 45 minute drive from Fallen Leaf Campground to Nevada Beach Campground.  To get here, you cross the state line and enter Nevada.  Nevada Beach Campground was named in 2024 by the popular online camping website The Dyrt as the hardest campground at which to get a reservation in the entire country!  To learn more about how we secured a reservation, click here.

We stayed at campsite #10 ($47/night, 50% off with a Senior America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass) for six nights.  It’s a prime campsite with a lake view and a short walk to the lake.  There is good Verizon mobile internet as well as water within the campground (threaded water spigot near the bathroom). There’s no RV dump station here, but there is one a few minutes down the road at Zephyr Cove Resort ($10).  We did notice many people using outdoor showers within the campground so as not to fill up their grey tanks.  A ranger I asked said this is OK as long as biodegradable soap / shampoo is used (since the shower water falls directly onto the ground).

This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve ever been too – the combination of striking views of Lake Tahoe with dramatic snowcapped mountains in the background and awe-inspiring trails through meadows and pine filled forests is amazing.  And, the beach is very beautiful.  Dogs are even welcome on part of the beach!  Even though we stayed through Fourth of July weekend, the campground, with only 54 campsites, never felt crowded.  Definitely bring your bike (our new rack worked out really well) as there are fantastic paved paths through wonderful pines to enjoy. Walking is fine too if you don’t ride.  You can even ride your bike or drive into town and do some shopping at The Shops at Heavenly Village.

We made some new friends, Kat & David, who were camped next to us in their Airstream.  They were extremely generous, and when they learned that I strained my back lifting a 6 lb. water jug (over 50lbs filled) to fill fresh water into the Scamp, they gave us a specialized water transfer pump!  The device allows water to be quickly pumped from the jug at ground level to up and directly into the travel trailer.  So, with a dolly and one of these pumps, heavy lifting is not needed.  This is a game-changer and we will only use this method for fresh water fill in the future.  We enjoyed spending time with Kat & David.  Kat enjoys working with plants and is an avid birder.  And, David is extremely knowledgeable on all things camping and the environment.  David pointed out to us what appeared to be a “T” on the mountain (Mt. Tallac) across the lake from our campsite.  The “T” on Mt. Tallac is a cross shaped snow formation visible in spring and summer associated with interesting folklore, particularly among the Washoe people.  The Washoe people considered Mt. Tallac sacred.  One legend says that if the snow melts out of the cross completely then a harsh winter will be coming to Lake Tahoe.  This natural phenomenon is particularly famous because it was used as the backdrop for the opening sequence of the classic TV show Bonanza (aired 1959 – 1973); the specific location where the opening sequence was filmed was Nevada Beach!

Our friends Bruce, Gracia, and their dog Ben just moved into their newly completed condo next door at The Tahoe Beach Club.  Bruce is an avid hiker and made sure we were up early every morning to complete a hike from his favorites list.  In addition to hiking Maggie’s Peak, we hiked up Round Hill (awesome views of Lake Tahoe) and walked around Spooner Lake.  We also enjoyed playing ball with Ben each morning – he loves to retrieve his ball from the lake.  One of the highlights of our trip was having lunch with Bruce and Gracia at their condo beach club (The Tahoe Beach Club).  We enjoyed burgers on the outside patio with spectacular views overlooking the lake.  And, watching the 4th of July Fireworks show from the campground was the cherry on top!

It was hard to leave our friends and Nevada Beach Campground.  We had such a beautiful time.  We plan to come back next year if possible.

Instead of making our way back to the coast, we chose to return home the more direct route on the US395.  Our next stop, June Lake, is a three hour drive from Nevada Beach Campground.

June Lake – Oh Ridge Campground (7,600’ elevation)
June Lake is often called the “Switzerland of California” due to its stunning alpine scenery and similar characteristics to the Swiss Alps.  June Lake is in the Eastern Sierra Nevada and surrounded by dramatic granite peaks, including Carson Peak.  The June Lake Loop is known for its four pristine glacial lakes (June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake).

We stayed at Oh Ridge Campground and had campsite #27 ($38/night, 50% off with a Senior America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass) — one of the prime campsites up on a hill directly overlooking the lake.  The views of the lake and granite mountain peaks from the Scamp were amazing.  The water spigot near our campsite was painted red, so we assumed the water was not drinkable (although there were no explanation signs and no ranger warnings).  We used it for washing and showering.  There’s also a central RV dumpstation ($10).  The Verizon reception was good during our stay.  During our one night stay, we had a chance to walk down the hill to explore the beach.  It was a warm day and people were having a good time swimming and boating on the lake.

This trip was filled with many fun locations, extreme natural beauty, good food, and a blast of a Fourth of July.  We enjoyed seeing friends and family along the way as well as making new friends at the campgrounds.  Like all trips, this one left us with some ideas for future adventures.  We definitely want to go back to Lake Tahoe as well as try some new high elevation campgrounds in the Sierra (such as Big Pine Creek Campground).  Picking intriguing locations always sets the stage for new exciting experiences.  Travel writer Rolf Potts expressed this idea well when he said, “the secret of adventure is not to carefully seek it out, but to travel in such a way that it finds you.”

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

O’Neill Regional Park — Orange County, California

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O’Neill Regional Park — Orange County, California
May 7th – 9th 2024 (2 nights)

The main purpose of this trip was to have our Scamp’s rear hitch heavily reinforced to sustain the weight and forces of our new bike rack for long distance travel.  Although our Scamp’s rear hitch was already factory welded on both ends (bumper and steel frame), we decided more robust reinforcement would be desirable since we sometimes drive on rough roads and trails with our bikes on the rear hitch.  The last thing we would want is to have the hitch break away from our trailer while driving and have our new rack and bikes dragged on the road behind us (coincidentally, this is exactly what happened to a couple we met during this trip at O’Neill Regional Park – their new hitch broke off behind their trailer and their hitch and $17,000 in e-bikes were destroyed).  Not many bike racks are rated to be used behind travel trailers because of the extreme forces at their rear.  Our new bike rack is travel trailer rated as long as certain conditions are met (the rear hitch must be welded both to the trailer’s bumper and frame, a 2” receiver is used, and bikes must not exceed 42lbs per tray).

Our first stop was at our Cousin Chris’s house in Arcadia (a city in Los Angeles about 13 miles northeast of downtown). Chris is a professional welder and offered to fabricate necessary steel parts and weld them to our Scamp’s rear hitch.  The hardest part of the process is creating the design and fabricating the metal parts which will be used to ruggedize the union of the hitch to the trailer.  Chris is a master craftsman and created some phenomenal parts which he fabricated out of steel in his shop.  After placing all the metal parts to ensure a good fit, he meticulously welded each piece to the existing hitch, bumper, and frame.  While Chris worked, we enjoyed walking his nice neighborhood as well as interacting with “Feathers”, the resident wild Peacock who lives outside Chris’s house.  Feathers is not only big and beautiful but he also has a blood curdling scream which can be heard for miles!  He often flies up onto the roof and screams to ensure other peacocks can hear him (in which they often reply with their own screams from different nearby locations!)!  The welding process took about five hours and we left knowing that our hitch was now very secure.

Side note — in the late 19th century, the founder of Arcadia, Elias “Lucky” Baldwin, imported peacock breeding pairs from India to decorate his estate (now the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Gardens).  The peafowl thrived on the compound and their population grew with some of them escaping onto the surrounding areas.  The feral peacocks continue to thrive to this day and are protected so they may roam Arcadia without being disturbed.

Instead of driving straight home to San Diego on the same day, we decided to spend a couple of nights at O’Neill Regional Park in Orange County.  A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed our stay at Ronald W. Casper’s Wilderness Park which is close by, so we wanted to try this other regional inland Orange County campground.  O’Neill Regional Park is like Caspers in many ways.  Both parks are run by the OCparks system and have similar beautiful maps and fun programs.  O’Neill Regional Park is on over 4,500 acres, located within Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons.  The campground has 79 campsites and can accommodate very large RVs.  There aren’t any hookups, but there are threaded water spigots and a free central dump station.  Campsites cost $20/night (or $15/night for anyone over 60 or people with disabilities).  We had campsite #34 which was a bit too close to the site next to it (unless you are travelling with family or friends).  Fortunately, we had quite neighbors on the two nights we stayed, but would choose a different site next time with more space between campsites.  There’s a threaded water spigot next to campsite #34 and we used a couple of our hoses to connect to it to refill our Scamp’s fresh water tank.  The Verizon service was good during our stay.  There’s also a free central RV dump station which we used on the way out.

The campground has a very natural feel and is very spread out.  There are numerous day use areas as well as Group and Equestrian campgrounds.  Oak trees are plentiful throughout the park and provide much needed shade when the weather gets warm (which it does since it is about 45 minutes inland from the ocean).  Temperatures were in the low ‘80’s during our visit in early May.  We heard temperatures were supposed to get into the 90’s on the day we left!  Similar to Caspers, ground squirrels are all over the campground and don’t seem to cause any issues with campers (although we spotted one standing up on his hind legs spending some time very curiously inspecting the underneath of our Scamp 13’).  There are plenty of other animals in the park including deer (a man said he and his dog were almost run into by a large deer at night during a dog walk), bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, raccoons, crows, turkey vultures, and more.  We heard a large animal panting in the bush close to us while on a long hike, but couldn’t confirm what it was…

Like Caspers, there are plenty of trails to ride horses, bikes, and hike.  The trails here were busier during our stay than the back country trails we experienced at Caspers though.  We hiked the Pawfoot, Live Oak, and Coyote Canyon trails, which originate near the Ranger Station at the entrance to the park.  Another fun hike is to start the Pawfoot trail above the campground area (heading toward the Equestrian camping area) and take the short walk past an elementary school filled with farm animals (pigs, goats, sheep, and miniature donkeys) to the Trabuco General Store.  The General Store (open 8 am. – 7 p.m. during our stay) has some unique items, including tamales and homemade fruit preserves.

Make sure to check the weather before visiting both Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Area and O’Neill Regional Park.  Both campgrounds are inland, so it can get warm when the temperatures heat up.  However, a visit in the winter, spring, or fall might just be perfect for enjoying a tranquil setting with fantastic equestrian, hiking, and biking trails.  And, if you live in LA or San Diego, the trip to these parks won’t use much gas or cost much in campground fees.  So, take a jaunt to one of these Orange Country inland regional parks, save some money by camping local, and stop by the Trabuco General Store to stock up on tamales and home jam!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything

Caspers Wilderness Park — Orange County, California

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Caspers Wilderness Park — Orange County, California
April 21st – 24th 2024 (3 nights)

Located a little over an hour north of Carlsbad and just about twenty minutes inland from Dana Point, Caspers Wilderness Park feels very remote.  Situated on over 8,000 acres of wilderness land, the park was originally occupied by the Juanenos, a tribe of Native Americans. Eventually, the city of Orange County purchased the land and the regional park was opened in 1974. The park is notable for its expansive hiking and biking trails, equestrian access, and ranger programs.  Pets are not allowed here.  Although, if you are feeling lonely, there’s a scurry of California Ground Squirrels here that will keep you company!  Otherwise, you can stare up at the sky and watch the large turkey vultures circling.

There are several campgrounds within the park, each with its own focus.  The first campground encountered after driving through the entrance gate is Ortega Flats Campground (13 campsites).  It’s perfect for those who need to have electrical hookups (otherwise, skip this campground as it’s close to Ortega Highway and gets road noise).  The next campground is San Juan Meadow Group Campground (4 group sites), which accommodates large groups of people travelling together.  Farther back into the park is our top choice for setting up your travel trailer (or rv/van/tent) – Live Oak Campground.  It’s the largest campground in the park with 42 dry campsites. However, threaded water spigots are sprinkled throughout the campground. Additionally, there are restrooms and showers as well as trash receptacles.  The next campground, Starr Mesa Equestrian Campground (23 campsites), is for campers with horses.  There are horse corrals and horse trails accessible from this campground.  The final campground is another group campground, Owl/Quail Group Campground.

We arrived in the early afternoon on a weekday and the campground was very quiet.  Our campsite, #36, is spacious and there’s a threaded water spigot across the road.  Campsites cost $20/night (or $15/night for seniors 60 years or older or people with disabilities).  The Verizon service was very fast during our visit.  There’s a central RV dump station at the campground entrance (free for campers).  When we arrived we received a wonderful oversized trail map which illustrates all the accessible trails, their difficulty level, and what type of use is allowed (e.g. hiking/horse riding/biking) – similar to a ski area trail map.  E-bikes are allowed on the park roads but not allowed on the backcountry trails within the park.  There are enough trails to keep one busy for days.  There’s also a nature center (closed during our visit) along with interpretive and ranger programs (including the Space Ranger Program with night talks on space and stargazing).  For those interested in activities outside the campground, Caspers Park serves as a great base for exploring the beaches and towns of San Juan Capistrano (including the famous Mission) and Dana Point.

We brought our bikes and alternated between hiking in the morning (when the skies were cloudy and the temperatures were cooler) and biking in the afternoon (when it was more sunny and warm).  We hiked the moderate trails but only took our bikes on the easy ones to avoid very steep and rocky terrain (along the dry creek bed).  Some of our favorite hikes and rides were the Juaneno Trail (hike), East Ridge Trail (hike), Bell Canyon Trail (bike), Mesa Loop Trail (bike), and Cougar Pass (hike).  The Juaneno Trail is a good easy first hike in the park – it follows and crosses the San Juan Creek and the four miles round trip from the campground takes about two hours.  The longest hike we took (East Ridge Trail from the campground > Cougar Pass > Bell Canyon Trail) was around six miles and took two and a half hours.

We decided to move our campsite on the second morning to the adjacent site #37 for a bit more shade.  The ranger was very nice and said it was no issue to move us.  Since we were moving anyway, we used the free central dump located next to the park entrance to empty our tanks.  The threaded water spigot across the road from site #37 allowed us to fill our Scamp’s freshwater tank using two connected water hoses.

This trip gave us the opportunity to test our new bike rack for the first time.  It’s incredibly fast and easy to use and worked out really well.  The beauty of this rack is that there is no frame contact (protects the frame) and because there are only two contact points (front and rear tires) it takes only seconds to put on and take off each bike.  There are pistons in the arms which makes the process very smooth.  Additionally, because of its internal hitch locking mechanism, there’s absolutely no sway while driving.  We wanted to test the rack on this trip before using it on a longer adventure to Lake Tahoe this summer.  The rack really performed and we look forward to using it in the future.

Caspers Wilderness Park is a gem of a natural area that also has a fantastic campground.  We are fortunate that it is so close to where we live.  It probably doesn’t come up on the radar for most campers because it is a regional county park.  However, as we’ve discovered, even regional parks can have some secrets worth discovering.  In this case, over 8,000 acres of beautiful wilderness is hiding within plain sight minutes from the uber popular beaches and cities of Orange County.  One of the best ways to find hidden treasure is to use maps on specialized camping websites, like this one.  And, once you’ve discovered a regional park you like, odds are that there are other similarly good finds within the same regional park network.  In this case, we’ve already scheduled our next OC Park visit in a couple weeks at O’Neill Regional Park – stay tuned!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything

Camping Outside (and inside) the Box in Los Angeles

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Camping Outside (and inside) the Box in Los Angeles
March 22nd – 26th 2024 (4 nights)

What started out as a planned weekend to celebrate my friend’s birthday in Los Angeles, evolved into a trip leading us to discover some hidden campground gems.  Los Angeles itself has very few campgrounds for travel trailers.  According to The Dyrt, there are no public campgrounds in Los Angeles!  One usually has to travel to the distant foothills or the coast to find any places to park a trailer.  We found this to be the case too for many large cities we’ve visited, including San Francisco and Portland.  However, we did discover two nice campgrounds very close to Los Angeles that provide for beautiful natural experiences!

Valley Village, Los Angeles
We needed a spot to stay overnight in the center of Los Angeles since we planned to hike at Griffith Park on Sunday morning.  However, after finding no public campgrounds in the area, we brainstormed possible solutions.  We first tried Harvest Hosts (a subscription service which offers free stays at farms, museums, restaurants, etc.) and found nothing.  We don’t subscribe to their partner service, Boondockers Welcome, which lists private driveways, so we couldn’t determine if any driveways were available to rent.  We also tried Hipcamp, but nothing there either.  Since we grew up in Los Angeles, we thought of relatives living in the city who own homes that might be close to the park and have a driveway.  We got lucky — a relative living only 6 miles away from Griffith Park in Valley Village (a city in the San Fernando Valley) let us to stay on his driveway for the night!

We had a nice quiet evening at our relative’s home with our Scamp 13’ parked under a beautiful large Magnolia tree.  We enjoyed walking the quiet streets of this safe neighborhood in the early evening and morning.  Valley Village dates back to the 1930s when workers at nearby motion pictures studios built homes here.  The area was known for its apricot trees, orange and walnut groves, peach orchards, and cornfields.  It gets hot and dry here in the summer, but fortunately we had good moderate temperatures during our visit in March.  We probably wouldn’t stay in the San Fernando Valley during the summer months, but if we did we would definitely bring our portable AC for our Scamp 13’.

So, if you are travelling and need a place to stay where none exist or it’s not economically feasible, you might be surprised to discover you already have a close friend or relative living in the area who may provide you accommodation.

Malibu Creek State Park
Our friend’s birthday celebration dinner was at Paul Martin’s American Grill, a popular restaurant in Westlake Village (a city a bit north of Los Angeles).  In reviewing the location and campground map, we found Malibu Creek State Park a beautiful campground located halfway between the ocean and the valley in the Santa Monica Mountains.  The campground is only a short drive (about 15 minutes) from Westlake Village but feels worlds away from any city, isolated in a beautiful meadow in the Santa Monica Mountains.  Malibu Creek SP exceeded our expectations in many ways.  The campground is isolated from the rest of the park, so it’s very quiet.  And, it’s located in a beautiful meadow surrounded by tall mountains which light up at sunrise and sunset (reminding us a little of Yosemite).  Many television shows and movies have been filmed here throughout the decades, including M.A.S.H. and Planet of the Apes, with trails and signs leading to the filming locations and providing details.

Campsites at Malibu Creek State Park (no hookups) are $45/night.  We had campsite #62, which looks out directly over the meadow at the mountains (a great campsite).  There’s a central dump, which we were told costs $10 (we didn’t need to use).  Instead, we used our Holy Grail Portable Grey Water Tank Solution which effectively allows us to stay off grid for about five days.  There was acceptable, but not fast, Verizon mobile service during our stay (decent enough that we didn’t need to activate our Starlink Mini service).  We stayed here a couple of nights.

On our first day here, we visited our friends who were displaced from their home in Pacific Palisades due to the historic fire which burned down a significant portion of Pacific Palisades on January 7th, 2025.  Our friends were fortunate in that they quickly found a beautiful beach condo in Malibu which they have rented for a year while their home is being rebuilt.  Our friend Bruce gave us a tour of the fire destruction on the Malibu coast and Pacific Palisades.  Even though we’ve seen images of the aftermath of the fire numerous times on television, seeing the devastation in person was extremely impactful.  Walking through the Palisades village (where we grew up) felt like what we would imagine touring a war zone would be like.  Pictures of the scenes can’t adequately describe what it’s like in person.  After the tour, my friends joined us at our campsite and we sat outside on the grass under the oak trees and enjoyed each other’s company nibbling cheese, crackers, and sipping cold drinks.  While savoring the warm sunny spring day, we noticed a couple of campers having difficulty starting their tow vehicle.  A couple of rangers came by to help them start it with their battery jumper, but after a half hour they gave up.  I walked over and had a chance to use our Hulkman Smart Jumper Starter for the first time.  Being able to deliver up to 2,000 amps peak current, this jumper can even jump 8.5L gas / 6.oL diesel engines!  The Hulkman had their tow vehicle started in under a minute!  The campers were extremely grateful and the rangers were super impressed!

We spent our second day in the campground and park.  The Main hiking trail is up Crags Road, which follows the meandering Malibu Creek.  The small Visitor Center is open on the weekends (we only looked in the windows) and features information on the area.  We hiked up past the Visitor Center, through Ape City (where scenes from Planet of the Apes was filmed), and onto the M.A.S.H. set (a very popular television series which ran from 1972 to 1983 about a medical unit serving in the Korean War).  The weather was perfect and the trails are beautiful.  The Crags Road Trail up to the M.A.S.H. set is easy to moderate with only the last short section a bit challenging due to small rock fields (care is needed to prevent twisting ankles).  The hike was about 6 miles round trip from the campground, with an 837 foot climb, and took about two hours.

We left Malibu Creek SP feeling refreshed and very satisfied of our visit.  The experience felt like being in a very remote location even though it wasn’t too far from any city.

Crystal Cove State Park (Moro Campground)
We learned the street in front of our house was scheduled to be repaved the day we were supposed to arrive home.  So, instead of having to deal with parking our Scamp 13’ on the street and leaving it sit overnight, we decided to extend our stay and chose this beautiful location in Laguna Beach to spend the night.  Moro Campground (Crystal Cove SP) is usually booked solid year round, but we got lucky when a premium hookup campsite (#8) opened at the last minute on just the day we needed.  The premium sites are pricey at $75/night + reservation fee, which comes out to about $83/night (Electric / Water).  We normally don’t pay anywhere near this amount, but did want to try this campground as it has an excellent reputation and is in a beautiful area.  The central dump here is free (and we were surprised the park has 3 dump stations for just 28 designated RV and trailer campsites!).  The Verizon mobile service here was very fast during our stay.

The rangers at this campground are very strict on arrival time (we’ve only seen this strict adherence to the time once before – at Pismo Beach North Beach Campground) – check in is at 3 p.m., and if you show up any earlier (like we did), you are directed to park in one of the beach parking lots (we parked for free at Rock Ridge Beach parking lot and had lunch in our Scamp 13’ and then took a walk along the bluffs overlooking Crystal Cove SP). The campground itself isn’t particularly notable (though some of the front sites have ocean views) as it’s high up on a bluff away from the ocean and the sites themselves are close together.

The main draw of Crystal Cove SP are the beautiful beaches and bluff trails.  There’s also the historic district along the beach featuring beach bungalows (which can be rented) built in the 1930’s.  There’s a parking lot above the beach and one can either ride the free shuttle to the beach or walk down through a tunnel.  One of the beach bungalows (#13) was featured in the 1988 movie “Beaches” with Bette Midler.  The bungalows each have tags that have a number and the name of the bungalow.  The Shake Shack restaurant sits up a flight of stairs from the beach.  It’s usually crowded with tourists and locals forming lines to buy their popular milk shakes (they also serve hamburgers, fries, …).  If one tires of the beach, there’s a free trolley which runs through downtown Laguna Beach (plenty of shops and eateries).

Conclusions
Sometimes a short trip can be configured to become a fun adventure.  When no locations to stay at seem apparent, sometimes out of the box thinking can be rewarding.  You may have a close friend or relative who can accommodate a night’s stay or there may be private alternatives for parking your camper.  Exploring campground maps, like the one available on The Dyrt, can also provide ideas and alternatives for new campsites.  In this trip, we probably wouldn’t have gone out of our way to stay in Los Angeles without the need to attend a friend’s birthday party.  But, it forced us to keep an open mind and find options where none seem to exist and we ended up finding some hidden campground gems.  So, throw away the box, and let your thinking carry you to new horizons!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything

How to Play Master Chess on Recreation.Gov

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How to Play Master Chess on Recreation.Gov

If you’ve camped for a little while, you know that Recreation.gov is the U.S. government’s central travel planning website for 14 federal agencies.  This website is the place to go to make campground reservations at national parks, national monuments, USDA federal forest service areas, and other federal lands.  Real time availability, amenities offered, location information and more can be found for each campground on the website.  Some examples of the most popular campgrounds are:

Upper Pines Campground at Yosemite

Kirk Creek Campground in Big Sur

Twin Lakes Campground at Mammoth Lakes

Nevada Beach Campground at Lake Tahoe

Federal public campgrounds like the ones listed above have become increasingly difficult to reserve due to overwhelming demand.  Reserving a campsite even six months in advance (the standard maximum advance reservation time allowed by Recreation.gov for most campgrounds) often isn’t enough to guarantee getting a spot.  And trying to secure campsites at the most popular campgrounds (like the ones listed above) can be like playing the lottery to “win” a reservation.  The Dyrt, a popular RV travel website, ranked the hardest to book campgrounds in the U.S. for 2024 with Nevada Beach Campground at Lake Tahoe ranking #1.

Seeing The Dyrt report on the hardest to book campgrounds presented a challenge too good to resist.  We’ve already used strategies to successfully book three of the top ten campgrounds on the list, but wanted to see if it was possible to not only secure the #1 spot, Nevada Beach Campground, but also get reservations there on Fourth of July weekend!  This is no doubt a popular summertime destination for campers and their families, plus a winning fireworks show on the lake right under your noses!

What’s Special about Nevada Beach Campground?
Campers here can step right out onto the beautiful soft sandy beach and dip their toes into the crystal clear waters of Zephyr Cove while being surrounded by snow-capped mountains.   With multi-million dollar lake front homes here, it’s no wonder why campsites at Nevada Beach Campground at $47/night are so popular.

  1. Scenic Beauty – The campground offers panoramic views of Lake Tahoe with the Sierra Nevada mountains as a backdrop. Sunsets here are particularly spectacular.
  2. Spacious and Serene – Unlike some of the more crowded campgrounds around the lake, Nevada Beach provides a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere.
  3. Beach Access – One of its biggest draws is the wide, sandy beach, perfect for swimming, sunbathing, paddleboarding, and picnicking.
  4. Proximity to South Lake Tahoe – While offering a peaceful retreat, it’s just a short drive from the lively attractions, restaurants, and casinos in South Lake Tahoe.
  5. Hiking and Biking Trails – The campground provides easy access to scenic trails like the Lam Watah Nature Trail, ideal for exploring the local landscape.
  6. Pet-Friendly – Unlike many Tahoe beaches, Nevada Beach has a designated dog-friendly area, making it a great spot for visitors with pets.

Master Chess Strategies to Employ on Recreation.gov

The 6 Month + 14 Day Strategy

Most campsites on Recreation.gov can be reserved 6 months in advance (on a rolling basis).  So, to reserve a campsite on July 4th, the earliest one can make the reservation is at 7 a.m. (PST) on January 4th.  However, at a popular campground, by January 4th, many if not all the campsites may already be reserved for July 4th!  This is because reservations are allowed to break the 6 month advanced reservation rule if the reservation is made for dates preceding the blocked reservation period.  For example, if a reservation was made on January 3rd for July 3rd, then the reservation could be extended up to 13 days beyond July 3rd (14 day maximum stay limit).  At the time of this writing, reservations may be made for up to 14 days and modifications can be made without charge up to four times (adding/removing dates and changing campsites) as long as the new stay dates are not “completely different”.  In turn, to get a big edge on the competition, plan to make a reservation 14 days earlier than the desired end date.

In our case, we wanted to be at Nevada Beach Campground through July 6th.  So, we counted back the days from July 6th so that our reservation would be 14 days (June 22nd) and then attempted to make the reservation for 14 nights starting June 22nd on December 22nd at 7 a.m. PST.  The upside is that you can try again the next day if all the available campsites are taken on reservation day but there are still open opportunities for the next day.  The downside to this strategy is that although you will get all the money back for the days you don’t use when you modify your reservation, you will be initially charged for the entire 14 days (which in our case was $664) and, in the case of Nevada Beach Campground, there is a long freeze period to wait until you are allowed to shorten the reservation dates (“to ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation.”)  This means that you may have to pay the full 14 day reservation amount on your credit card statement initially, but it will eventually be refunded several weeks later after you drop the days you don’t want to use.

The Day Before Plan

Log onto Recreation.gov the day before making reservations to check which campsites are available for your desired dates.  Make a list of your top 5 campsites.  One useful website,  Campsite Photos, provides images of most campsites (and the Pro version puts green stars on their favorite campsites).  Campendium is another useful website where users sometimes list their favorite campsite.

Game Day Plan

Plan to be on Recreation.gov at least 10 minutes before game time (7 a.m. PST).  Sign into the website and open multiple browsers so that at least three are visible on the computer monitor.  Select the desired reservation dates on each window, click on the desired campsites for each, and then position each window close together so that the Add to Cart buttons are close to each other.  Open the official Time website and position it such that the time and seconds are visible along with the campsite windows on the same monitor screen.  Click the Add to Cart buttons sequentially starting at 6:59:59.  Most likely you will get a message saying the system is working on your first request and the other clicks will be put on hold.  So, it’s really a one shot deal (but having multiple clicks allows you to get the second or third reservation request out in case there’s an issue with the first one – e.g. too early).  The system only allows one account to make a single reservation at a given time.  Therefore, if there are more people in your family household, have each open their own account and be prepared the same way to make the reservation.

Post Game Strategies

If you didn’t get a reservation, check back at 7:15 a.m. (Recreation.gov releases incomplete reservations back into inventory after 15 minutes).  Hit F5 on your PC screen (Cmd + R on Apple) to refresh the website right at 7:15 a.m.  Sometimes people no longer finish the reservation for a variety of reasons (e.g. someone else in family booked, reservation at another location, ….) and a campsite might become available (blue A).

Use the Set Availability Alert button – blue button below listed sites.  Input your start date and the number of nights desired.  You will receive an alert via email as soon as a campsite becomes available.  Make sure you have the ability to log into Recreation.gov on your mobile phone and that you carry your credit card with you.  That way you will be able to secure a reservation wherever you are when you get an email alert.

Use Campflare.com – like the alert button on Recreation.gov, Campflare.com is a free service that will notify you via text/email when your desired dates become available.

Be flexible – if you are able, being flexible allows you to keep trying daily until you are successful!

Have an Alternate Game Plan – don’t sweat it if you don’t get a spot at a popular campground.  Even with all the strategies listed above, it still takes a bit of luck to land a site at one of the most popular campgrounds in the U.S.  Fortunately, there are a lot of campgrounds out there and there are many ways to find alternatives.  For example, Recreation.gov has a list of Available alternatives under the list of sites on every campground reservation page.  And, The Dyrt has a free map which shows most of the campgrounds in your desired area.  If you are flexible and open minded about travel locations, there will likely be a campsite available to you.

Lastly, and most importantly, part of the fun of camping is the joy of playing Master Chess on Recreation.gov and winning.  Oh, and stay tuned for our Nevada Beach trip report in July 2025!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything

A Taste of London & Encountering Asses in Arizona  

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A Taste of London & Encountering Asses in Arizona
December 7th – 12th 2024 (5 nights)

What started out as a planned weekend to celebrate our Uncle’s birthday in La Quinta, California evolved into a trip leading us, in some aspects, across the globe and, then, onto an old gold mining ghost town inhabited by wild burros.

La Quinta
Our first stop was La Quinta, a desert resort community located between Indian Wells and Indio (and close to Palm Desert and Palm Springs – one of nine cities in the Coachella Valley).  About a two and a half hour drive from San Diego, it’s an ideal place to visit in the winter because the days are generally sunny and warm (around 81 degrees high during our December visit).  Many snowbirds come and stay here to escape harsh winters at home and enjoy golf, swimming and other outdoor activities.  We had planned to stay at Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park Campground in La Quinta.  However, when we learned there was going to be a marathon here with restricted access during our visit, we changed our plans and parked our 2020 Scamp 13’ on our cousin’s driveway.  After a really nice family birthday weekend, we departed for Lake Havasu, Arizona (a three hour drive from La Quinta).

Lake Havasu
We stayed at Lake Havasu State Park, which is a beautiful campground directly adjacent to the lake.  We had campsite #22 (electric/water, $35/night, free Central Dump) which is very well spaced out (the view of the lake at this site is mostly blocked though by shrubs at the water’s edge).  Campsites directly on the beach are possible, but very popular and need to be reserved well in advance.  Verizon cellular service is very fast here.  Popular things to do at the lake are water activities like boating, kayaking, swimming, paddle boarding, and fishing.  There are nice trails (like the Mohave Sunset Trail) and bike paths which wind throughout the lowland desert and shoreline.  There are around 28 miniature replica working lighthouses along the lake helping watercraft navigate at night which are modeled after famous lighthouses throughout the United States.  There’s also the Arroyo-Camino Interpretive Garden which showcases the diverse life that exists within the park and this area of the desert.

Just a short drive outside the park, there is the English Village and London Bridge.  Park at the Visitor’s Center parking lot and walk into the English Village.  The Visitor’s Center is a good starting point (located on the mainland side of Bridgewater Channel).  The center sells souvenirs, offers free maps, and there’s a video worth watching detailing how London Bridge was created at Lake Havasu in 1971.  Additionally, there’s a tourist guide who is eager to share information on area highlights.  Right outside the Visitor’s Center is a waterfront shopping area with plenty of boutique and souvenir shops as well as restaurants.  Lake Havasu was created by construction of the Parker Dam on the Colorado River between Arizona and California between 1934 and 1938.  Factoid – Parker Dam is the world’s deepest dam, with 235 feet below the riverbed! London Bridge was moved to Arizona in the late 1960’s as a publicity stunt to attract people to the new community of Lake Havasu City.  The bridge was disassembled and shipped (individually numbered blocks) from London and reassembly was completed at Lake Havasu in 1971.  The bridge is lit up by colored lights for different holidays throughout the year.  During our visit, the bridge was lit up red and green to celebrate Christmas.  There’s a walking path, Shoreline Trail, that meanders along the water offering views of the bridge from different perspectives.

Oatman, Arizona
Oatman is an old gold mining town about an hour from Lake Havasu.  Since there aren’t any designated RV campgrounds in the small ghost town of Oatman, we stayed overnight at Crossroads RV Park in Mojave Valley, Arizona (full hookups, $60/night, fast Verizon internet).  This RV park is a large square cut out of the desert where people mostly come to ride out the winter and tend to stay for months.  Although there isn’t much here, it’s a short easy fifteen minute drive up to the mountain town of Oatman.  Be careful driving up the main highway as it’s common for wild donkeys to stand in the roadway, completely blocking the lanes.  This happened to us, as we had to stop for a few donkeys blocking the road.  We rolled down the window to get a better look and a wild burro and her baby walked right up to us and the mother stuck her face right into our car.  We weren’t really expecting this from wild donkeys.  Later, when we reached Oatman, a shopkeeper told us that the only time one is allowed to pet and feed the donkeys is in the town.

Oatman, Arizona was once a booming gold mining town.  In the early 1860’s, gold was discovered in these Black Mountains.  In 1915, two prospectors struck gold worth $10 million and the town’s population quickly grew to over 3,500 in one year.  The town was named after Olive Oatman, a 14 year old girl who was captured (along with her younger 8 year old sister, Mary Ann) and enslaved by Native American Indians in 1851 (who killed her parents and four siblings, known as the “Oatman Massacre”).  Her older brother Lorenzo was left for dead but survived. He tried to get help, but wasn’t successful in rescuing his sisters.  Olive and her sister were held captive for one year and then traded to the Mojave people.  Mary Ann died of starvation and Olive spent four years with the Mojave Indians, during which time they tattooed her chin with blue ink to signify her tribal enslavement.  Olive was repatriated to American society five years after the attack.  She became an oddity in 1860s American culture because she was the first known White woman with a Native tattoo.

Oatman is now a ghost town, a reflection of the early American Wild West.  Now, the main street is lined with tourist shops selling t-shirts, western leather products, and other souvenirs.  The old post office and jail are small relics of the past which still remain.  There’s even a wild west gunfight (times change daily, so best to call Outlaw Willie) in front of the old Oatman Hotel (the site of many alleged paranormal sightings).  Despite its fascinating history, the main attraction here are Oatman’s wild donkeys (as it’s one of very few places in the United States where it is legal to feed and pet them).  Each burro has their own name and they display unique and interesting personalities.  A young burro, named Diego, is known to kick his front hoof against shop doors which sell donkey food (many stores here sell a bag of donkey pellets for around $1).  We witnessed Diego in action and, fearing the glass might break, the shopkeeper opened the door and gave Diego some food (further reinforcing this behavior).  We saw another donkey walk inside a shop and block its entrance!  There are posted warnings that these donkeys are wild and may bite and kick, but we didn’t witness any menacing behavior.  On the contrary, all the donkeys we pet and fed had very sweet temperaments.  We even overheard one tourist say that these donkeys are tamer than the one she keeps at home.  It is wise though not to stand behind any donkey because they sometimes get into quarrels amongst themselves and sometimes kick back from their hind legs.  And, when feeding them, keep the food in your palm with hands wide open so fingers are not nibbled along with the snack!  The donkeys were surprisingly gentle with our hands, not biting the hands that feed them.

After a great trip, we chose to stop in Newberry Springs at The Barn 66 (a Harvest Host location free for members) on the way back home to make the 5 ½ hour drive more manageable.  The Barn 66 is a notable bar restaurant on the old Route 66 and is in the middle of nowhere (almost halfway between Oatman, Arizona and San Diego with Barstow being about twenty minutes away).  We read they have great pizza and burgers, but we found their hours to be variable and the Barn wasn’t opened when we arrived for a late lunch.  Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, however its decline started in 1956 when President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act.  The new interstates, especially the I-40, diverted traffic away from Route 66.  Today, only about 85% of Route 66 can still be driven.  The transition away from Route 66 was a death blow to many small towns including Newberry Springs where The Barn 66 is located.  We parked our Scamp 13’ in the Barns 66’s dirt parking lot, surrounded by old dilapidated buildings adjacent to Route 66 (now with only occasional car traffic).  The I-40 interstate is visible in the distance from the parking lot with car and truck traffic buzzing non-stop 24/7.  There are also trains which run at all times of the day and night and were sometimes very loud with their horns blasting (note to light sleepers!).

We had a blast relaxing at Lake Havasu and discovering the old west in Oatman, Arizona.  It’s amazing there are so many places to uncover which have such unique history.  And, having a small travel trailer lets one immerse oneself in these bygone eras.  Learning about a significant piece of London history located in Arizona on the Colorado River was really interesting!  And, playing with the burro descendants of the gold miners and watching their funny antics made a lasting impression.  Although this was a short trip, it expanded our horizons.  And, we learned that being a wise ass isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything