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| Car Camping | |
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| | Car Camping | | 6 Days | | |
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| no partners | | Since the Big Lake area was on fire this year, we had to make a last-minute change to our annual July 4th family trip. Fortunately, there were some campgrounds with availability in the Big Bear area. Since we go with Wendi's family, the "camping" is admittedly more like "RVing" on these trips. But I have learned to adapt, calling it "camping in lieu of a hotel" to satisfy myself. From that standpoint, we redeemed the trip very well.
By Monday, we pretty much had the campsite to ourselves, meaning the kids were able to ride their bikes independently. As for the adults, we spend much of our time drinking, reading, and BSing. We drove the 20+ miles into Big Lake 3 times: Once for the fireworks, and twice to swim (the swim area was closed the first attempt). The older kids, Wil, and myself had a blast on the 2-story inflatable slide in the lake. Especially when Wil fell down the steps on the backside.
The only downside was the initial heat and the mosquitoes. But by the 3rd day, intermittent rain storms were cooling us off, and we were beginning to outsmart the bugs. If/when we go back, I would like to spend some more time 4wheeling/hiking at the higher elevations, where the bugs don't exist. We did follow a forest road to over 8,000 feet, and it was amazingly serene up there.
As a side note, the 4Runner towed like a champ, even loaded with firewood, two ice chests, and the kids' bikes. My personally favorite was scoring 23 mpg driving back and forth between the campsite and the lake. |
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“...wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.”
-Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire |
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