Big Basin Redwoods

We hadn't gone camping as a family in 3 years. Dave takes the boys once or twice a year, but I usually look forward to that time to be home alone or with a baby. Since our unexpected trip back East took all our vacation money (last minute tickets are pricey!), we decided camping would be a good, inexpensive family vacation this summer.

Some docs from Dave's work recommended a campground in Big Basin, which is about 20 miles north of Santa Cruz. It took us 3 hours to get there.

Well actually it was supposed to take 3 hours; but with the delay of a flat tire, it took over 4. We were just so grateful that it happened near a K-mart, where we could park in the shade and go to the bathroom. Our insurance includes roadside assistance, and the tow truck came to help in less than 10 minutes.

One thing we loved about this campground was that our site (155) was so secluded. We were surrounded by woods on all sides, and the nearby campsites were blocked from view by hills and trees. We had water and bathrooms (toilets only, but they were nice) very close by. We saw tons of poison oak, but miraculously no one got it. We did, however, get lots of mosquito bites. We weren't as diligent with the Off as we should have been.

Another thing we loved was all the hiking! We love family hikes. We went on one right next to our campsite after we set up camp and ate dinner. Then we went on a 3 mile round trip hike (Sequoia) to a waterfall the next morning and a 1/2 miler (Redwood Nature Trail) the next evening. Then the kids were itching to do one last one before we left, so we redid the one next to our campsite after we had everything packed up.

Brennan, smelling a freshly cut tree. It must have fallen recently and was obstructing the path.

This is how my family hikes: the 4 big boys run ahead (they especially love to race all the downhills),

while Dave and I walk at a normal pace with Levi on Dave's back. Then the boys wait for us to catch up or run back to us if we're taking too long. Even Brennan kept up with them this time. I take lots of pictures along the way, although Spencer loves to steal the camera from me.

Coastal redwoods are amazing. They are so big and strong and can continue to live even after being burned by fires. One tree burned for 18 months (you'd think someone would have put it out at some point) and still survived. I took this picture from inside one of the burned out trees.

We stopped for pictures and snacks at the waterfall. I made trail mix because all the ones at the store had peanuts in them. It was really good.

We thought it would be bigger, since it made so much noise for the last bit of the hike. But there was probably more water in it than usual for this time of year, after that super wet winter.

This almost 2,000 year old tree shows various points in history, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, at about the year they occurred in the tree's growth. Amazing to think that some of these trees were around at the time of Christ's birth.

The 3 oldest boys went to the junior ranger activity Thursday afternoon (they did a water study in the creek) while Levi took a nap and Brennan and I did another little hike and ate Twizzlers and gum (I had to make it fun for him, since he was sad he was too young to go with the big boys). We also walked around the little museum and gift shop, where I bought another air mattress. Ours lost all its air that first, rough night, which reminded me why I hadn't camped in 3 years. We slept much better the 2nd night.

The half mile hike I did with Brennan and then later that night with everyone is the most popular one. It has the tallest tree there, called the Mother of the Forest. It's 329 feet tall. It also has the oldest tree, called the Father of the Forest. It's estimated to be about 2000 years old.

One of the best things about camping is eating yummy food. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs the first night, since that was quick and easy, and chicken and corn on the cob the 2nd night. Then we used the coals for our dutch oven dessert - cherry chocolate cake. It was so good and so easy to make.

I invented this super yummy campfire treat. First I stuck a marshmallow onto a poker. Then I wrapped it with a refrigerated biscuit, flattening and stretching it first to make sure it completely covered the marshmallow. Then I cooked it over hot coals, being careful not to burn the biscuit. When it was evenly browned all over, I covered it with spray butter and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top.

The outside is crispy, and the inside is all melty and gooey. Yum!!


The boys loved our nightly visits from raccoons. They came right up to us while we were sitting around the campfire. I was surprised at how BIG and unafraid they were. They eat well around all those campers. They never got into our tents, like they did to some fellow hikers we were talking to. We were sure to keep all our food in the car at night.

We packed up Friday morning and did that last hike by our campsite. Spencer started to get sick on the way home with a fever and sore throat. The rest of the boys got it after him, except for Dallin, who had it before we went. I was thankful for the timing. That would have been miserable if everyone was sick while we were there.

We love redwoods! They are so beautiful and tall and majestic. They are even fun after they fall down. You don't realize how tall they are until you see them on their side, stretching on forever.

I love this cute pose of Tyler and Dallin. There were so many fun things to see and climb there. We didn't want to leave.

Can you see how swollen Tyler's eye is? We all got mosquito bites, but his were the worst, as usual. We were just grateful we didn't get poison oak again, because that would have lasted much longer.

Evening hike

We went on a family hike after Tyler's soccer game Saturday. He had a late game, so we didn't get started until after 4:00. But that was good because otherwise it would have been too hot.

Levi grew out of his other carrier, and this one seems so huge for him. It probably weighs more than he does. I need to look for a medium-sized one.

There were lots of fun boulders to climb along the way. But we moved along pretty quick and hiked 3 miles in 1 1/2 hours.

We usually hike around this lake in the winter, when it's lush with wildflowers. But I enjoyed all the bright yellow grass everywhere, and I still thought it was pretty.

We started this particular hike once before, but I twisted my ankle towards the beginning and we had to turn back.

The end of this hike is called Eagle View, and it has beautiful views of the lake and surrounding hills. It was definitely worth it. And it really wasn't too steep.

I've probably said this before, but hiking is the perfect activity for little boys. They're outside, they use up all their energy, there's lots to see/feel/explore, and they get to use their hiking sticks they made at cub scout day camp. Spencer even thought to bring along his first aid kit he made at day camp, and the tweezers came in handy to get thorns out of Tyler's hands.

I was so proud of Brennan for hiking the whole way on his own. Look at that little red face - what a tough cookie. We had to hold his hand to prevent falls and help him keep up. While I was taking this picture, he had a hard time holding still. I asked him if he had to go potty, and he said yes. Well of course we were in the middle of no where, so I told him he'd need to pee behind a tree. Without hesitation he pulled down his pants and peed right where we were. Good thing no one was around.

There were some huge birds flying around the top. I don't know if they were really eagles, but we had fun calling them such, since we were at Eagle View.

Heading back down. That's the easy part.

Tyler spotted this gigantic hairy tarantula in the middle of the path on the way back. It scurried to the side before I got there, but then it just stood in the grass and let us take pictures of it. Yuck!!! Of course Spencer wanted to keep it.

The three big boys ran most of the way, there and back. Afterwards we drove over to the lake and had a picnic at the park. Whenever we take the boys hiking we have so much fun and decide we need to do it more often.

Tidepooling

Some of my family came for part II of Ben's wedding, and we had fun hanging out with them all week. One day we went on a walk along the bluffs.

But we all stopped to watch a rattlesnake. This created a lot of excitement, as you can imagine.

I love this hike because there are so many beautiful views along the way.

No one fell, so that was good.

When we reached a beach access, everyone ran down to explore.

It was super low tide, and there was a huge area of tidepools, teaming with life.

This was definitely the highlight of the day. It was even cooler than the rattlesnake.

Sea anenomes, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins - it was awesome.

It was hard to pull ourselves away. But people were starving at this point, so we had to hurry home for dinner.