Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Calico Ghost Town
Over the Thanksgiving weekend (last Fri - Sun), Hayley and I went camping with another dad and daughter in their tent trailer. We headed out to Calico Ghost Town on I-15 on the way to Las Vegas. I had passed it many times, but never stopped.
Calico was purchased and restored by Walter Knott (of Knott's Berry Farm fame) in the early 20th Century. He eventually turned it over to San Bernardino County and it is now a county park.
We stayed at the town's campground which was a great place to camp. Lots of hills to climb and small mines to explore. We were in walking distance to the actual ghost town which had shops and various attractions. Our afternoon in town was fine, but we spent more time exploring some "backlot" places than we did doing any of the real attractions.
A big highlight of the trip was doing some offroading in our friend's mini SUV and then shooting some soda cans with his .22 rifle. We drove through a cool place called Rainbow Canyon and the girls each got to take turns with the steering part of driving. If I have some time later, I'll post some pictures. We took a lot on the digital camera, but I have not checked them out yet.
Calico was purchased and restored by Walter Knott (of Knott's Berry Farm fame) in the early 20th Century. He eventually turned it over to San Bernardino County and it is now a county park.
We stayed at the town's campground which was a great place to camp. Lots of hills to climb and small mines to explore. We were in walking distance to the actual ghost town which had shops and various attractions. Our afternoon in town was fine, but we spent more time exploring some "backlot" places than we did doing any of the real attractions.
A big highlight of the trip was doing some offroading in our friend's mini SUV and then shooting some soda cans with his .22 rifle. We drove through a cool place called Rainbow Canyon and the girls each got to take turns with the steering part of driving. If I have some time later, I'll post some pictures. We took a lot on the digital camera, but I have not checked them out yet.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Camping
We went camping last weekend. We took the tents and sleeping bags and such and headed out to a campground that I remember going to a lot as a kid. The place is called Vail Lake Resort (it was called Butterfield Country when I was a kid) and it is a few miles east of Temecula. We went a few years ago over a long February weekend and it was great. The site was still being re-built after years of neglect, but they had done a good job on what was done. Based on that, we decided to head out there again with some friends of ours.
The kids had fun this past weekend, although it was less so for us parents. There were a lot of cool things going on including live music on Friday and Saturday night, a BBQ and fireworks on Saturday, lots of places to ride bikes, and we added 3 new geocaches to our finds.
However, on the negative side it was hot, dusty, and loud. Hot was annoying, dusty was manageable, but the loud part was very unacceptable. It was like the campsites around us were having a stereo volume war and everyone lost. On top of that, we were dealing with kids screaming until well past midnight.
Wow, I feel old complaining like this -- but on the other hand I have rarely experienced such an utter lack of courtesy by so many different people in what should have been a relaxing atmosphere. The campsite had rules, they just didn't enforce them. I asked the nearest group to turn it down around 11pm, but I just didn't have the time or energy to deal with all of the others. Unfortunately, we don't plan to return anytime soon (and definitely not in the summertime).
The kids had fun this past weekend, although it was less so for us parents. There were a lot of cool things going on including live music on Friday and Saturday night, a BBQ and fireworks on Saturday, lots of places to ride bikes, and we added 3 new geocaches to our finds.
However, on the negative side it was hot, dusty, and loud. Hot was annoying, dusty was manageable, but the loud part was very unacceptable. It was like the campsites around us were having a stereo volume war and everyone lost. On top of that, we were dealing with kids screaming until well past midnight.
Wow, I feel old complaining like this -- but on the other hand I have rarely experienced such an utter lack of courtesy by so many different people in what should have been a relaxing atmosphere. The campsite had rules, they just didn't enforce them. I asked the nearest group to turn it down around 11pm, but I just didn't have the time or energy to deal with all of the others. Unfortunately, we don't plan to return anytime soon (and definitely not in the summertime).
Labels: Camping, Geocaching, GPS, Rant
Monday, June 11, 2007
Father-Daughter Campout
Hayley and I went to a Girl Scout Father-Daughter campout this weekend. We had a great time! We drove up on Friday afternoon and returned on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some of the activities:
Night Hike - this included a Native American story of how night and day came to be and where the stars and moon came from.
Day Hike - This hike ended with a nice overview of the camp and a rock we got to climb up. We climbed down the other side through a tunnel where we got down with our back on one wall and legs on the other to scoot down to the floor below.
Archery - We got to fire 2 rounds followed by a home-made bolo setup that was fun to try out on plastic PVC targets.
Canoeing - We went to camp with another father/daughter who we shared a canoe with. Our bottoms got wet, so good thing it was a warm day!
Swimming - the camp has a nice pool, so we didn't have to / get to (depending on the point of view) swim in the lake.
Pit - we brought the card game Pit and met a bunch of new friends when we played in the dining hall during some free time. Hayley got email addresses for 2 other fifth graders that we met: Haleigh and Alyssa.
The drive to camp takes about 2 hours without traffic. We left early in Friday with our friends the Koppes to avoid traffic. Once we got past the traffic problem areas we were early enough that we stopped in Old Town Temecula for some micro-brewed Root Beer and locally made popcorn and nuts as snacks.
This was definitely a good bonding weekend!
Here are some of the activities:
Night Hike - this included a Native American story of how night and day came to be and where the stars and moon came from.
Day Hike - This hike ended with a nice overview of the camp and a rock we got to climb up. We climbed down the other side through a tunnel where we got down with our back on one wall and legs on the other to scoot down to the floor below.
Archery - We got to fire 2 rounds followed by a home-made bolo setup that was fun to try out on plastic PVC targets.
Canoeing - We went to camp with another father/daughter who we shared a canoe with. Our bottoms got wet, so good thing it was a warm day!
Swimming - the camp has a nice pool, so we didn't have to / get to (depending on the point of view) swim in the lake.
Pit - we brought the card game Pit and met a bunch of new friends when we played in the dining hall during some free time. Hayley got email addresses for 2 other fifth graders that we met: Haleigh and Alyssa.
The drive to camp takes about 2 hours without traffic. We left early in Friday with our friends the Koppes to avoid traffic. Once we got past the traffic problem areas we were early enough that we stopped in Old Town Temecula for some micro-brewed Root Beer and locally made popcorn and nuts as snacks.
This was definitely a good bonding weekend!
Labels: Camping, Hayley, Rob, Scouts
Monday, June 05, 2006
Hayley's Been Busy!
Hayley has had a number of memorable events lately, so I am summarizing them into this single post. I may be forgetting some, but these are the recent highlights that I can remember.
1. Hula Hoop Champion!
During our Memorial Day camping trip (see entry "Camping Memorial Day Weekend"), the campground held a number of events on Saturday. One was a Hula Hoop contest. Hayley entered and tied for 1st place out of probably 50 contestants.
She picked it up after a contest at a company picnic around 7 years ago and she is very good now at Hula Hooping. She has a Girl Scout meeting today and this is the talent she will show. She can do multiple hoops, walk and jump while hooping, and much more.
2. School Choir
Hayley has been part of the school choir for the first time this year. Last week they had their end of year concert with songs from a number of Broadway shows. The shows were great (not just this parent's opinion)! Hayley did an excellent job of practicing her songs, learning the moves, and getting up early one day every week to get to school for choir practice. The performance included songs from Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Oliver, The Wiz, Lion King, and more.
3. Student of the Month
Today we were invited to school for an awards assembly. They give out 3 "Student of the Month" awards per class each month. At today's assembly they covered May and June. Hayley won one of the awards. She was really beaming up there at winning the award and having her parents there to see her get it. Today was a perfect example of why I have a job with the flexibility in my schedule to attend events like this. I have to work long hours sometimes, but I make up for it with days like today.
1. Hula Hoop Champion!
During our Memorial Day camping trip (see entry "Camping Memorial Day Weekend"), the campground held a number of events on Saturday. One was a Hula Hoop contest. Hayley entered and tied for 1st place out of probably 50 contestants.
She picked it up after a contest at a company picnic around 7 years ago and she is very good now at Hula Hooping. She has a Girl Scout meeting today and this is the talent she will show. She can do multiple hoops, walk and jump while hooping, and much more.
2. School Choir
Hayley has been part of the school choir for the first time this year. Last week they had their end of year concert with songs from a number of Broadway shows. The shows were great (not just this parent's opinion)! Hayley did an excellent job of practicing her songs, learning the moves, and getting up early one day every week to get to school for choir practice. The performance included songs from Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Oliver, The Wiz, Lion King, and more.
3. Student of the Month
Today we were invited to school for an awards assembly. They give out 3 "Student of the Month" awards per class each month. At today's assembly they covered May and June. Hayley won one of the awards. She was really beaming up there at winning the award and having her parents there to see her get it. Today was a perfect example of why I have a job with the flexibility in my schedule to attend events like this. I have to work long hours sometimes, but I make up for it with days like today.
Labels: Camping, Hayley, School
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Camping Memorial Day Weekend
We went camping this weekend with another family and had a great time. Between the two families, there were 9 of us. They had a tent trailer, we had 2 tents. We did have access to water and electricity, so some would look down on that as not "true" camping. Whatever. We did have to walk to the bathrooms and showers. However, it was definitely a very civilized event. The campground, a KOA in San Diego (http://www.koa.com/where/ca/05112/index.htm), had a pool, bike rentals, organized activities, etc. It was very kid-friendly.
On the "true" camping side of things, we took along our dutch ovens and used the grill they had there to make several treats: grilled asparagus, peach cobbler, blueberry cobbler, pineapple upside down cake, cheeseburgers, and omelettes. We used gas stoves and an electric crockpot for some of the other cooking, so it was not entirely cowboy style cooking.
While we had bikes with us, the campground had some unique bikes for rent. One that was a lot of fun was an 8 person "train" style bike. It started with a 4 person bike and then 2 trailers were attached for 2 people each. It was a unique experience and a lot of exercise. It was a good way for both families to tour the grounds together.
What was amazing was how full the Suburban was with stuff. We used nearly everything we took, so we need to re-think packing next time. We are not trying to make a statement about how little we can carry or use, but we can probably cut a few things out and add some other things in.
On the "true" camping side of things, we took along our dutch ovens and used the grill they had there to make several treats: grilled asparagus, peach cobbler, blueberry cobbler, pineapple upside down cake, cheeseburgers, and omelettes. We used gas stoves and an electric crockpot for some of the other cooking, so it was not entirely cowboy style cooking.
While we had bikes with us, the campground had some unique bikes for rent. One that was a lot of fun was an 8 person "train" style bike. It started with a 4 person bike and then 2 trailers were attached for 2 people each. It was a unique experience and a lot of exercise. It was a good way for both families to tour the grounds together.
What was amazing was how full the Suburban was with stuff. We used nearly everything we took, so we need to re-think packing next time. We are not trying to make a statement about how little we can carry or use, but we can probably cut a few things out and add some other things in.
Labels: Camping
