Category: RV Parks

Pahrump Trip 2025

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Campgrounds, Harvest Hosts, Lance, RV Life, RV Parks, Travel1 Comment

For a few months now I’ve been looking at home prices in Pahrump Nevada. Why Pahrump? Well, it has the cleanest year-round air, no risk of flooding, and no sever weather (unless you count heat). So for my first vacation this year we decided to head to Pahrump and look at the housing market there.

Rather than drive from our home all the way to Pahrump in one shot, a 9+ hour drive, we decided to break it up into 2 days. We stayed the first night at a Harvest Hosts location at the Tehachapi Winery. It’s free to stay but you are encouraged to patronize the host. It ended up costing us more that one night than any one night at both of the other RV resorts we stayed at. Still, it was a beautiful, peaceful place to stop over and break up the trip.

After a peaceful night off the beaten track in Tehachapi we began the drive down to Baker, CA and then on to Pahrump. Our route was Highway 99 to Bakersfield, then Hwy 58 to Tehachapi and on to Barstow. Highway 58 used to be single lane with stop lights through Boron and Kramer Junction. It’s now a 4 lane highway all the way to Barstow. We jumped on I-15 north towards Las Vegas until we got to Baker, CA where we got onto Hwy 127 which took us to Shoshone where we hung a right onto Hwy 178 and then all the way into Pahrump.

I should point out here that I got the best mileage ever while towing on this trip heading out to Pahrump. For most of the trip we either had a quartering tailwind or a full tailwind. I was seeing MPGs of anywhere from 18-22 MPG! I usually get about 12 when towing the trailer. It was all fun and games until I got to a rock formation called the Charlie Brown Outcrop where the 35mph tailwind I had been enjoying turned into a direct cross wind when I rounded a curve. That was mildly exciting but nothing the truck couldn’t handle. Woke me up for sure. After that it was an easy trip down into Pahrump.

Here is a pro-tip for travellers to Pahrump: DRIVE THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. We were told by the realtor that Pahrump and Nye County make a lot of money from traffic violations and if the other drivers in town are any indication, they have a zero tolerance policy for exceeding the speed limit. Not even the internationally accepted standard of driving 5mph over the posted speed limit!

Now, sadly we didn’t take any pictures of the RV park but you can find many online. The name of the park was Wine Ridge RV Resort and Cottages. It was clean, quiet, and had a hot tub; everything I require of an RV park. We rested the first day and spent the next two days looking at area homes that were for sale. The first day was with a realtor and her adult realtor son. She guided us around to about 5 houses. Some were nice, others were not quite as nice. One home was absolutely beautiful but it was in a trashy area and smelled heavily of cigar smoke. The second day we drove around Pahrump on our own so we could see the neighborhoods at our own pace.

Biggest takeaway from Pahrump is that the city is very spread out. Lots of space between homes and neighborhoods. There is no centralized shopping district unless you count Hwy 160 which runs between Las Vegas and I-95 to the north. Lots of casinos, fast food, and a few supermarkets including Walmart. The city is about 10 miles across as the crow flies which is pretty big for a relatively sleepy desert town. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Pahrump has two brothels on the extreme southern border of town. With a landing strip between them. We didn’t make it down to that part of town but Google Maps showed all we needed to see. Also, we were there in the Spring which is a windy time for Pahrump so windy and dry did not do well with our skin. That was the only major detractor we found.

On Wednesday we drove down to Las Vegas. The reason for the trip was to visit Red Rocks National Conservation Area and also to drop in on a vendor of mine from work to see his new home near Red Rocks. This is an absolutely stunning and underrated area on the southwest side of Las Vegas. We spent some time hiking in Calico Basin which is literally a desert oasis. Red Spring feeds a small meadow of grass and trees in the middle of the barren rocks.

Probably the best view of Red Rocks NCA is on the Hwy 160, also known as Pahrump Valley Highway as it comes into the Red Rocks area.

After our hike we drove to the visitors center and then drove the scenic loop around the canyon. Those puffy clouds you see in the above photos turned into a rain storm along the hills. But it stayed along the hills. All the rainfall in the mountains must be what feed the springs around Las Vegas.

After visiting Red Rocks we drove over to get some lunch at La Madre Canyon Grille. Lunch was delicious and since I hadn’t had my coffee yet that day their Cinnamon Roll Latte really hit the spot for a dessert. Then we headed over to my vendor’s house and was given the grand tour of his home and visited for a while. He and I really didn’t get along very well when I first started my job at San Joaquin General Hospital but we’ve since become good friends. Commiserating about the state of politics and Extreme Networks, the products he sells, helped us build a common bond over the years. Afterwards Cristy did some decompression shopping at Summerlin Downtown, a shopping plaza design to look like a downtown shopping area. Then we headed back to Pahrump.

The only item on the agenda for the next day was to hang around town and relax after all the driving I’d done lately. I did want to tick one more item off my list for Pahrump; to visit the Art Bell Memorial. If you’ve never heard of Art Bell, he was an AM radio personality who had the dubious distinction of having a radio show that played from midnight to 6am in many markets. I began listening to Art Bell on KGO as I commuted from our home in Modesto to my workplace at Lockheed in Sunnyvale at 3:30am. His show was always about UFOs, Sasquatch, chupacabra sightings, paranormal stuff. Think X-Files. It was “out there” but it helped keep me awake on my commute. We found his memorial at a park in Pahrump called the Calvada Eye (because it’s looks like an eye from above). The other pleasantly unexpected surprise at this park was the horse that came galloping into the park while we were there. I’m still not sure if they were wild horses or just abandoned horses. The western romantic in my wants to think they were wild horses descended from the ponies the conquistadors let loose many years ago.

After a few more restful days just hanging around the park and stocking up at Walmart it was time to head back home. The wind had picked back up in the night and it made me a little nervous about what the wind would do the next day but it actually died down a bit. It also had switched directions so we again had a tailwind on the way back to Tehachapi. However, long before we got to Tehachapi, we got caught in the middle of the 34th Annual Baker 2 Vegas relay race. Apparently it’s a big deal in the law enforcement community. A local friend of mine is a police lieutenant has even wanted to run in it. All I know is that it generated a ton of traffic and our only white-knuckle moments as we were driving back. Let’s just say cops generally don’t believe the rules of the road apply to them and leave it at that. Most were well-behaved though. Each runner was followed by a car and they had “stages” of the race they were assigned to run and then hand off the baton. Luckily they were all running the opposite direction. Much to the chagrin of non-participating traffic trying to get to Pahrump.

We finally made it through the races and back over the hill into Bakersfield were we decided to stop for the night at Orange Grove RV Park. The next day we headed home and called an end to our week-long Pahrump adventure. Will we be back to Pahrump, maybe. Will we move there, probably not. The biggest takeaway of the trip was how much we loved travelling. It’s funny, it’s hard to get ourselves to leave home but once we do, it’s even harder to go back. Don’t get me wrong, we love our home and family, but we just want to travel and see more things. Until next time…

2024 Camping Season – Part 4

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV Life, RV Parks1 Comment

November 2024 – We camped at Angels Camp RV Resort, a place we said we’d never return to due to noisy campers. However, we decided to give them another chance and were pleasantly surprised that they were under new ownership. We were treated to a very relaxing and quiet stay. We also got to meet a friendly goat and a chicken in bell bottoms.

January 2025 – Jackson Rancheria RV Resort
Since we dipped into 2023 to include Jackson Rancheria, we’ll dip into 2025 to include Jackson Rancheria again. This was our post-Christmas decompression trip. We were told that they are expanding a little over double their existing size. They need it, it’s a wonderful place to stay and it can be hard to get reservations at times. Looking forward to the new camping areas.

Well that’s it for 2024. We hope to camp just as much in 2025 but certain familial obligations could get in the way. We do have a trip coming up to Pahrump, NV, back to the Red Hills Strip, and an as-yet undetermined wedding anniversary trip. See you soon!

2024 Camping Season – Part 3

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Campgrounds, Ram Truck, RV Life, RV Parks, Travel1 Comment

September 2024 – Paso Robles RV Ranch
The RV park itself was nothing to write home about. They were friendly enough and the park was okay. But what really set this trip apart was our trip to Sensoria. And more visits to Cambria, Cristy’s new favorite coastal town.

Sensorio:

Cambria:
We had to go back to Cristy’s favorite coastal town for more coffee, seafood, views, and a road trip to Morro Bay.

October 2024 –

Day Trip to Lake Alpine:
Sometimes we just have to get away for a day if not for a weekend. This trip up to Lake Alpine helped us get some (thin) air.

Westport Beach RV Park and Campground:
For our anniversary we headed back to the coast. This time up to the Lost Coast at Westport Beach, CA. We found Red

Bear tracks!

2024 Camping Season – Part 2

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV Life, RV Parks, Travel1 Comment

June 2024 –

Cristy’s annual flight
Okay, this wasn’t camping but it was still very fun for me. Cristy took a ride with me in the Champ I borrow from my friend. Truth be told she was patching up my bruised ego when she took a ride with a friend of mine at the Red Hills Fly In but hadn’t flow with me for quite a while. Well, she took her ride with me and all was forgiven.

Sparks Marina RV Park
Cristy needed a decompression trip after helping to organize our church’s vacation Bible school. I knew that rather than hiking in the wilderness, she’d enjoy some urban hiking aka shopping.

July 2024 – Yank’s RV Resort
We went on a longer getaway for my July vacation. We stayed in Greenfield, CA and went Cambria and Hearst Castle. A first for both places and a first for both of us. We also took a trip over to Monterey Bay.
Cambria:


Hearst Castle:

Monterey Bay:

2024 Camping Season – Part 1

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Boondocking, RAM 3500, Ram Truck, RV Life, RV Parks, Travel2 Comments

2024 was a year packed with camping for us. I tried to get Cristy away at least once a month to give her a break from all her caregiver duties. Here is a brief list of where we went:

December 2023 – Jackson Rancheria Resort
Okay technically this wasn’t in 2024 but it started off our camping season. Jackson Rancheria is our favorite nearby park for a quick weekend getaway.

March 2024 – Black Oak Casino Resort
Not exactly what I’d call a resort. It was clean and well-landscaped but very cramped.

April 2024 – The Californian RV Park, Acton, CA
We drove down to see the wildflower superbloom and ended up on the planet where Captain Kirk battled the Gorn. Fact.

May 2024 – Red Hills Fly-In
This is a fly-in that I put on at a friends ranch and airstrip. I just invited myself and my friends to his airstrip and he loved it. Jack and Myrna Moyle are wonderful people. There are no hookups here at Moyle Valley Ranch so this is boondocking at its finest!

37th Anniversary Trip to Westport Beach

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Campgrounds, RV Life, RV Parks, Travel2 Comments

My wife and I recently celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary by travelling to Westport Beach on California’s Lost Coast in Mendocino County. It’s about 17 miles north of Fort Bragg, California on Highway 1. We were up there for about a week and thoroughly enjoyed the area and the beautiful Fall weather. For those interested in visiting the Lost Coast Fall is typically when they have the best weather; winds are calm, the temperature is warm, and the fog lays off the coast. This trip did not disappoint. We had one foggy day, but the fog cleared off by noon. We had one day were it rained very early in the morning. The other five days we had beautiful weather. Rather than detail every day and what we did I’ll just give you a synopsis and photos of places visited.

Beaches and coastline

Our campsite at Westport Beach RV Park was about a 2 minute walk to the beach. We spent quite a bit of time on that beach, especially at sunset.

Westport Beach

Point Cabrillo Light Station

Seaside Creek Beach / Ten Mile Beach
Easily our favorite beach. Although the beach is only about 4 miles long. It’s named for the Ten Mile Creek which empties into the ocean here.

Mendocino Headlands State Park

Coffee

We can’t have a vacation without coffee! We only found two good coffee shops and one bad one while we were there. I’m sure there were more good coffee shops but these were the only two we could find. Sips: Organic Coffee and More in Miranda was by far the best followed closely by The Waiting Room adjacent to Cafe Borjolais in Mendocino. The bad one was Headlands Coffee in Fort Bragg. Maybe we just caught them on a bad day but the coffee was barely drinkable.

The Comet

Since it only comes around once every 800,000 years (or so they say) I had to try to go out and find it. Visible just after sunset and just to the right and above Venus. Never saw a thing. So on a whim, I took some pictures of the night sky about 45 minutes to an hour after sunset hoping my phone would capture it. It did.

Avenue of the Giants

The RV Park

This was the quietest, most picturesque RV park we’ve been to in a while. They bill themselves as a resort but there really aren’t many amenities aside from the beach that they front. There is a playground for the kids and a horseshoe pit but those hardly qualify as resort amenities. The beach was lovely aside from the breathtaking amount of sand fleas, some of them almost roach-sized. By far the most colorful character at the park was the one we never saw. We felt our trailer lurch violently on our first night. I thought maybe we had slipped off our leveling blocks. In talking to the lady next door they asked if we had seen the bear yet. I replied that we hadn’t. She told me that the bear was pushing on their motor home one night and almost shook them out of bed. That explained our trailer shake. Luckily he only pushed one time and left no marks on the trailer.

To wrap this trip up it was just amazing. We’ve been to the Lost Coast before but it’s been close to ten years. We definitely want to go back, probably again in the Fall. This time, we’ll spend even more time there, and probably a little closer to Mendocino this time.

Paso Robles RV Trip

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV Life, RV Parks, Travel1 Comment

After our trip to Greenfield which involved a day trip to Cambria, I booked another RV trip which would involve going to Cambria again. This time a little closer, in Paso Robles. We stayed at the Paso Robles RV Ranch about 3 miles north of the city on Highway 101. Even though we were right above the highway there really wasn’t much road noise and was a quiet park. We probably won’t return though for two reasons; 1. The spaces were very tight, and 2. a nearby house likes to play ranchero music late at night, loudly, on the weekends. No bueno.

Sensorio

We drove down to Paso Robles on Thursday and after setting up we drove into town and had dinner at Catch Seafood Bar and Grill. The food was very good though portions were a little small and a lot pricey. Afterwards we headed over to Sensorio. This was a place I had heard of several years ago but it has since grown. It is basically an art exhibit involving lights, shapes, and shadows. You can also get quick bites to eat and of course wine and beer there. It’s a little on the pricey side but well worth it in my opinion.

Cambria 2.0

The next day we drove out to Cambria again. The first order of business is always coffee. Last time we stopped at Lily’s. This time we went farther down the street towards the ocean and stopped at Cambria Coffee Roasting Company. Literally two holes in the wall, one to buy coffee, the other to sit down and drink it. There’s also outdoor seating. The heat wave the coast was experiencing of 70 degree temperatures made sitting outdoors very comfortable. The coffee was delicious! Sorry Lily’s, CCC’s coffee was just better. Afterwards Cristy browsed the shops some more.

We headed back to the east side of downtown and here is where one of the odd things about Cambria happens. There can be a 10 degree temperature difference between the east side of town, and the west side. At any rate we had lunch at Linn’s Restaurant. Food was good but the service was so-so this time. The waiter obviously didn’t want to be there. Cordial but mostly absent. We ran into the owner again who is always friendly. He let us know there was more than just the restaurant; they owned a few shops up the alley. He gave us a coupon for 10% off the other shops. There was another little deli with the same food as Linn’s and then a couple of boutique shops that sold their food items and other things. Neat place.

Afterwards we headed back down to the shore and parked overlooking the beach and the ocean. There wasn’t a hint of fog and the ocean was beautiful. We stayed there a few hours and took a few walks before heading back to the trailer. On our way back we noticed that you could see Morro Rock from Highway 46 as we were heading up the pass. It was too late for me to pull over but we promised ourselves to note the pullouts and get a good photo the next day.

Cambria 2.1

The next day we went back to Cambria. We were disappointed that when we got to the spots where we could see Morro Rock the previous afternoon, the fog had covered Morro Bay so no views. We headed back into town and got coffee at Cambria Coffee Company again. After coffee Cristy checked out a few of the shops that weren’t open the day before. Then we stopped in at Artifacts Gallery and probably spent about an hour there just looking at all the art on display. The staff there were really eager to talk about the artists and air pieces there. Everything was for sale of course but they didn’t put any pressure on us to buy anything. They mostly just enjoyed talking about the art.

Harmony

We wanted to get lunch in Morro Bay because they tend to have more and better seafood than surrounding communities so we headed down Highway 1 to get there. Just outside of Cambria is the small town of Harmony, Pop. 18. They have a glassblower, a coffee shop, a pottery shop, and an ice cream truck. We didn’t buy anything but it was fun to look around. Also, though it is on the coast the sea breezes are blocked by a low range of hills and the temperature was easily 20 degrees higher than at the shore.

Cayucos

We continued down Hwy 1 until we came to Cayucos. We had never been here before so we stopped to take a look around. It kind of reminded us of Santa Cruz. Lots of shops along the beach. Cristy bought some skin care stuff at Mical Skincare and we walked out on the pier. It wasn’t quite lunch time so we moved on.

Morro Bay

We jumped back on Hwy 1 and headed down to Morro Bay. After battling the usual traffic and parking issues you find in any coastal town we settled on lunch a Tognazzini’s Dockside. The food was VERY good and filling. Wait staff was very pleasant and helpful. Our waitress was Jenna who was taking a break from college prior to starting her masters in mathematics! We prayed for her and then had a delicious lunch. We spent a few more hours walking along the docks watching the seals lounge in the sun. Several of them were blocking access to a fishing boat. We were talking about how difficult it must be for the crew to use that boat. Our questions on difficulty were answered pretty quickly when one of the crewmen started walking down the dock toward the boat we were looking at. He stomped his foot and started yelling at the seals to “Get out of hear, go on, git!” The seals were off the dock in half a second and he got onto his boat.

The Photo Op

Even though it would be quicker to take Hwy 47 back to 101 and go north from there, we elected to drive back up Highway 1 to 46 and see if we could get that photo of Morrow Rock from the vantage point we had seen the previous day. It wasn’t far at all and about 30 minutes later we were parked on a large pullout on the side of the road with several other people taking pictures of the now plainly visible Morro Rock. No fog in sight.

We headed back to the RV park for our last night away and enjoyed a few TV shows on the iPad before finding out that a nearby house liked to play loud music on the weekends. It only lasted long enough to wake us up. After that it was quiet and we ended our day. Sunday morning we packed up and drove home. But only after discovering the right turn signal on the trailer had stopped working. I’ll have to get that nailed down before the next trip; The Lost Coast.

RV Trip to Greenfield, CA

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV Life, RV Parks, Travel1 Comment

Greenfield? What’s in Greenfield? Honestly not much. We only go there for Yanks RV park which is very nice. It’s located about midway between Salinas and Paso Robles on Highway 101. We first went there during the COVID pandemic in 2020. We’ve since been back 3 times. It makes a great jumping off point for the central coast and the Monterey Bay Area. And that’s exactly what we did on this last trip.

Cambria

We had never been to Cambria so we decided to make this our first day trip. It was about an hour and a half drive from the RV park but that’s okay. That’s a lot closer than driving there from home. Our first order of business after arriving in Cambria was looking for coffee. We ended up at Lily’s Coffee House. It’s a great place to just sit out on the patio and enjoy a good carmel latte. After coffee we went next door to The Garden Shed. It’s a great little garden store with a back yard that opens onto other artist shops, antiques, and more. We spent about an hour here.

Moonstone Beach

Next we drove down to Moonstone Beach. We found parking right next to the boardwalk which runs along the bluff above the beach. We walked down to the beach and checked out all the driftwood huts.

Afterwards we walked right across the road and had lunch at Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill. We sat out on the patio and had a great ocean view.

Hearst Castle

As long as we were in the area I thought we should take a tour of Hearst Castle. I booked a tour while we were finishing up lunch. I opted for the Big Room tour as it gave us a few hours to get there. We slowly made our way down to San Simeon. We arrived around 2:30pm and there was plenty of parking. When we got there and checked in we were told that there was a tour leaving in 5 minutes and would we like to switch to that one rather than the later tour that I had booked. We switched and ran over to the tour bus that was just getting ready to leave. Let me tell you, those bus drivers have nerves of steel. Our driver was a very thin blonde lady in her 40’s and she drove that bus like she was at a Le Mans race. We arrived up at the top of the hill and the view and Hearst Castle were both breath-taking.

Monterey / Cannery Row

Our second day trip was to Cannery Row in Monterey. What I actually wanted to see was the John Denver memorial at the southwest end of the bay. But we decided to swing through Cannery Row and do some touristy stuff. We made our way to Sea Harvest Fish Market for lunch. Let me tell you, if you want to know if a place sells good seafood, see how many Asian folks are eating there. Lots of Asian folks here and the food was, in fact, delicious. Fairly reasonably priced for Monterey too.

Asilomar

We drove down to Asilomar to check out the John Denver Memorial. On our way we made an impluse stop at El Carmelo Cemetary to look at the herd of deer that were grazing on the… well… graves. Nothing more peaceful than graveyard deer.

We parked and walked a few blocks down to the shoreline trail to look for John Denver’s Memorial. It took a while but we finally located it. They we started an ill-fated search for the Pt. Pinos Lighthouse. Turns out we had parked right next to it. By the time we found it, it was closing. Oh well.

All three evenings were spent just relaxing, binge-watching Blacklist, and one night I lounged in the hot tub. We also enjoyed quiet sunset walks around the park. All in all a very relaxing trip. So much so that we’re returning to the coast on our next trip. Paso Robles!

California Super Bloom

On By The Flying DutchmanIn RV Life, RV Parks, Travel2 Comments

For years ever since I started dreaming of taking off on a non-stop RV adventure one of my bucket-list items was the California Super Boom. It only happens in the high desert in heavy rainfall years and this was on of those years. So I decided, why wait? 2 years from now is not guaranteed so we went this weekend!

We drove down I-5 and stopped off for lunch at Harris Ranch. We ate the sandwiches that Cristy had made that morning but once we smelled the meat cooking in the sandwich shop we decided to eat lunch there on the way home. After topping off the truck’s tank in Bakersfield we continued on up the Grapevine until we hit highway 138 and took it over to Lancaster. I hadn’t yet decided where to go see the super bloom but the last long stretch of Hwy 138 into Lancaster made up my mind for me. The wildflower just went on and on.

We finally made it to The Californian RV resort and checked in. I asked the lady at the front desk where was the best place to see Wildflowers. She said it was out on Hwy 138. Right where we spotted them on the way in. It’s just over the hill from the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve but she said the preserve was usually very crowded and parking is difficult. Hwy 138 was a much better option. She turned out to be right.

After a nice long sleep in the first day we headed back out to Hwy 138 and, well, I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

There are a lot of places you can go see the flowers but it turns out this little stretch of Hwy 138 was pretty good. The lady at the front desk was right, there was no problem finding a place to park and we were the only ones out there. It was perfect.

See you next time.

Shingletown Lance Owners of America Rally – Part 2

On By The Flying DutchmanIn Campgrounds, RV Life, RV Parks, TravelLeave a comment

First off, sorry it took so long to post part 2 of this series. The truth is, time when by so fast, I never got a chance! In Part 1 I talked about our trip to Mt. Lassen National Park. In this posting, I’ll document what we did during the final two days of our stay.

Friday

Cristy wanted to take a drive into Redding and check out the mall and pick up some items from Sprouts. I politely asked if I could stay with the trailer. Cristy was happy to agree because that meant she could spend as much time at the mall as she wanted to. So off she went and there I stayed.

I fixed a couple of small things on the Lance and then tried to make some contacts on the local Ham radio repeaters in both Redding (W6STA) And Shingletown (WO6P) .

There wasn’t anyone on the two repeaters I checked so I decided to take a walk. Right across the highway was Airport Rd. I checked Google Maps and there did indeed used to be an airport across the highway from where we were camping. It was about a 3/4 mile walk so I decided to go check it out. It was a beautiful walk. When I got to the airport I could see that they had closed it and MEANT IT. They had planted so many trees such that it was impossible to use as a runway ever again.

Apparently they only use it for local recreation and a once a year star gazing party. I walked all the way to the end of the old runway and the peace and silence was stunning. Then I had a sobering thought; “I wonder if they have mountain lions around here?” Now, I’m not worried about bears or coyotes. But the big cats must be respected. I had zero weapons on me except for a pocket knife. I started heading back down the runway as quickly as I could! I kept scanning the ground for cat tracks but never saw any. Nor bear tracks. Just a few coyote tracks. I also noticed zero deer tracks which is probably why no cat tracks. It was the longest runway walk ever.

I finally made it back to the campground and wandered around checking out every square inch to see what we had missed. The KOA Shingletown/Mt. Lassen Holiday Resort is an excellent park. They have a wilderness area behind the park that is actually bigger than the camping area. There is a bird watching area there with feeders stocked with food to attract local birds, there is a RC car track, there are two huge swings, an area they call “Fort Imagination” which has tons of logs, sticks, and old tractor tires to build any kind of fort the kids can come up with. Cristy’s favorite was the huge tree swing. There is even a night trail; you walk it with your flashlight and shine it around to see all of the “eyes” (small reflectors) staring back at you from the woods!

Later that day after Cristy had come back and finished her swinging we went to a pot luck put on by the Lance Rally folks. I had the best jambalaya I had ever had! I came to find out that these folks who made it live right next door to us in Salida. Well, practically next door. After dinner that night, like every night, we sat by our fire bowl and talked at looked at the stars. One night we even found fireflies! Which… weren’t fireflies. Turns out the staff at KOA a pranksters and aimed one of those laser Christmas decoration at the trees which makes a remarkably good fake firefly effect.

Saturday we just hung around the park and did absolutely nothing. We did take a short drive to look at a few properties that were for sale. Nothing remarkable to report.

Sunday we watched our church online and did much the same as Saturday. We enjoyed the park so much we really didn’t feel like going anywhere. We did drive in to Shingletown to gas up and pick up some water for the trip home. That’s when we came across Reed’s, my new favorite store. It is a combination IGA Supermarket and ACE Hardware store! Genius!

Monday morning we slept in, cleaned up, said our good-byes and hit the road. We will definitely be back but this time, with a stronger truck!