Enter camping. I have never been much of a camper. I had only really ever done it a hand full of times in college and shortly after. Although I did grow up in the lush forests of Washington with nature in my backyard. It's something I've took for granted. I grew up riding motorcycles in the trails behind our home, building forts in the trees, and spending days outdoors from the time we woke up til sun down. But now that I live in the city and you have to drive a ways to really experience "nature"...I'm really learning to appreciate my roots and the beauty of it. So when we were invited to join my friends Becky & Leila camping this summer I thought it would be a great way to share a bit of my childhood with my little one (edit: truth be told, I might have invited myself when I heard about their plans). I had no idea that Brooklyn would love it as much as she did! It will most definitely be a summer tradition for us.
So we headed north 6 hours to Big Sur on the Central Coast of California with our friends. Have you been? If not, you must go! It's gorgeous. A beautiful Redwood forest on the rocky coast of the Pacific Ocean.
We headed out of town on the same day as the 405 closure, what became known as "Carmageddon" in LA...the closest thing to a major natural disaster they were saying on the news. Well that scared us, so we left at 4'o clock in the morning. It was early. But everyone was too excited to sleep and stayed awake almost for the whole drive. And the whole "Carmageddon" thing turned out not to be a big deal either. I guess the media did a pretty good job and scaring everyone and people stayed home...because we had clear roads on our route. Thank goodness.
(Beware...this is a long post with LOTS of images!)
We arrived early in the day and set up camp.
The weather was perfect!
The boys thought it would be fun to start a fire with magnesium.
There were like good ol' Boy Scouts...
Dan explored the woods around our campsite with Brookie.
There was poison oak everywhere!
It was a constant battle to keep the kids away from it.
"Green is mean" became the motto to protect them.
The tall Redwoods were really incredible.
Some people need large cups to consume their vino...
The boys played Poker for peanuts, literally.
We set out for a hike to Pfieffer Falls (which also became known as Paradise Falls to Brookie).
The views were spectacular as we climbed higher in the hills.
Dan carried Brookie on his shoulders the entire climb. I'm pretty sure it was a great workout.
The falls were a bit anti-climatic (on the left below). Becky & her boys on the right...
Brookie just loves her buddies so much!
And learned how to play "bad guys, good guys" from them too.
It was pretty fun to watch her run around chasing these guys, trying to be part of the games.
And learned how to play "bad guys, good guys" from them too.
It was pretty fun to watch her run around chasing these guys, trying to be part of the games.
Leila is pretty much a big kid! Cruising on her board here...
Yep, the water is cold!
The best spot on the river was directly across from our campsite.
And just in case you were wondering...Brookie is still not potty trained.
And, of course, I neglected to pack our swim suits.
Our gang wading in the water...
I love this next picture! Jack is constantly entertaining us.
This next picture had me laughing so hard in the studio I was crying. It looks like Greg is sitting on Dan's lap and not to mention the guy bending over in the top left. Everytime I look at this photo it makes me silly with giggles. Mostly because these two men had a bit of a "bromance" going on during our vacation.
All tuckered out!
And my little girl is not afraid to get dirty. This next picture is proof...
It was such a fabulous trip! There is so much to do and see...I can't wait to return next year.
Stay tuned for Jon's birthday celebration while we were camping. I can't think of a better way to celebrate your 4th birthday. Lots more photos and fun to share...
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