Kellisa's First Camping Trip

 John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Florida
November 2003

Swimming in the Wintertime

Grover Hot Springs State Park

California

October 2017

Laurel was asking to go swimming and camping in one trip. With the cooler autumn weather, I was worried it was too late in the season to do both without a hotel stay. After a quick search on the Internet, I found Grover Hot Springs State Park. 

The park had a large pool that was the temperature of a hot tub while also having a swimming pool kept at "cool" 88 degrees and the park was only 2 hours from our house in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

We left after work and arrived shortly before nightfall. The campground was closed for winter, but the park allows camping in the picnic area. It was hard to find a level spot, so we picked the least inclined spot we could.

While I setup our camp, Laurel made some new friends and shared her slime with them. When we were both done, I was ready to cook dinner and retreat inside our tent for the night. Laurel had other plans, she was ready to go swimming. I was hesitant because it was now dark and also starting to get cold. We had about an hour to spend in the hot springs before they closed at 9pm and it was a glorious hour spent soaking under the nighttime sky filled with stars. When it was time to leave, we dried off, changed our clothes, and drove back to the campsite. We used the few minutes in the car to warm up the rest of the way.

Great American Eclipse

August 21, 2017

Weiser, Idaho 

The road to Weiser, Idaho to witness the Great American Eclipse was a lot longer than the 1,144 miles we drove round trip. By the time (early 2017) we realized that we lived a day's drive from totality, all the hotels were booked. We considered hotels close to totality, but gridlock was predicted on all the roads leading to totality for the 24 hours before the event. We didn't want to risk being stuck on the road close to the path.

The next plan was to book a campsite somewhere in Oregon in totality, but these were also completely booked. Since hotels that were only close started at $500 a night with a 3 night eclipse minimum, I booked a campsite as close as I could and we would just have to hope and plan to leave in the middle of the night to reach the path in time. With a campsite in our back pocket, I frequently checked hotel websites hoping for a cancelation somewhere in the path. I even looked at airfare to farther places, still in the path, but every flight was completely sold out. People would be traveling from around the world to witness this amazing event.

Juniper Springs

Juniper Springs Campground

Ocala National Forest, FL

July 2013

Laurel became very interested in tent camping. I had hoped to take the girls to northern New Hampshire for a long weekend of camping in a forest with a high concentration of moose, but that plan didn't work out. I didn't want to disappoint Laurel, so I took her on a 3 day, 2 night father/daughter tent camping trip in Florida, in July. We were extremely fortunate as the temperatures topped out in the low 80's and we didn't have a single drop of rain!

As soon as we picked a campsite, Laurel helped to scout out the best location for the tent. Once she picked a good spot, I let her get the tent out of the car. The stillness of the central Florida jungle ended when I heard Laurel screaming. I looked back to see that she had fallen into the fire pit with her legs in the air and the back of her head against the metal fire ring. 

Flamingo Campground

Everglades National Park

 

March 2015

 

 

As part of our Spring Break 2015 trip to South Florida, we spent our first night in Everglades National Park camping at the Flamingo Campground. This was Kellisa's 3rd visit to the park and Laurel's 2nd. We picked a walk-in site to get closer to the water and the cool breezes. We had front row seats as we viewed many large birds in their natural environment. It's amazing how quiet both girls can get when observing wildlife in the wild.

 

(More Pictures)



Rockefeller Loop Trail

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

CA

 

July 2014

 

 

The Rockefeller Loop Trail in Humboldt Redwoods State Park was accessible, short and beautiful beyond words. We had the entire trail to ourselves. Laurel insisted on pushing Kellisa the entire length of the trail which allowed me to play full time photographer while watching my girls enjoy themselves in another magical forest.

 

(More Rockefeller Loop Trail Pictures)

 



                                     

                                     

Gold Bluffs Beach Campground

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

CA

 

July 2014

 

 

Heaven on Earth!

 

Our campsite was situated on a small strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and towering bluffs. There was a constant fog and ocean breeze adding to the magic. We were far off the beaten path and would be playing and sleeping in a real tsunami zone. Roosevelt Elk and bears frequent the campground to make it a little more interesting. The temperature never rose above 59F. The three of us fell into a deep sleep snuggled in our sleeping bags listening to the waves and near constant breeze. We will be back!!!

 

(More pictures from paradise)

 



Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park

Mill Creek Campground

California

 

July 2014

 

 

 

 

All the campsites in the Redwoods State Parks were booked in advance and I thought our only choices would be a hotel or commercial campground. We got very lucky when I checked at the Mill Creek Campground at Del Norte Coast Redwoods for cancelations and they had a disabled site for two nights. We didn't spend much time at the campsite, but Laurel enjoyed exploring the area when we were there. We did attend a ranger program that discussed Bigfoot sightings in the area, including the famous film from the 60's which was shot only a couple of miles from the campground. Laurel now has a huge interest in what she calls, "Bearfoot." We also learned about tsunamis that have hit the area, including major damage after the 2011 earthquake in Japan.

 

(More pictures from the campground)

Southwest Walk-in

Lassen Volcanic National Park

California

 

July 2014

 

 

 

 

We spent two nights camping at the Southwest Walk-in campground in Lassen Volcanic National Park. The campground is a short walk from the visitor center parking lot with water and restrooms close by. It's almost backcountry camping and a perfect way for us to camp.

 

Pictures from our campsite

Peace River

Peace River, FL

March 2012

Kellisa joined the church youth group for a weekend of fellowship, camping and canoeing at Peace River:

Unfortunately, it was too hot and sunny to take Kellisa out in a canoe all day because it increases the risk of seizures. Instead, we went for a swim and rented a golf cart to explore the dirt roads in the area: 

The youth learning that Kellisa isn't as different as she might appear as they learn about some of Kellisa's adventures: