I'm Not Done Yet

     Yesterday I wrote about taking a trip to Jalama Beach, which has sent me into a full blown camping withdrawl.  Like a crack addict without his fix, I neeeed to do some camping and I need it now. 

     As a kid, every summer I would go on at least one camping trip with me family.  Usually we would find ourselves in places like Mammoth, Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon or Big Bear.  Places where you are submerged in nature and all of its beauty and hazards.  In places like these, you have to hang your food from the trees or in solid steel lockers to avoid being robbed by the local bandits.  4 legged bandits who wont hesitate to remove your face from your skull in order to get that food.  We saw the occasional bear and raccoons did get to our gear one time, but we never really had any run ins to write home about.  I look back on those summer trips with the most fond memories.

     My wife and her family did some camping of a much different style as she was growing up.  They would do their camping up and down the California coast.  So when we got married and talked about going on a camping trip, obviously we had very different ideas on how and where to go.  Of course she had also done the mountain/wilderness camping as a kid as well, so it didn't take a whole lot of explanation when it came to planning our trip to Hurkey Creek.  But when it came time to introduce me to beach camping, I didn't have a clue that it even existed let alone how to prepare or what to bring. 

     11 years, 1 trailer and a truck with which to pull said trailer later, we are beach camping professionals.  After seing pictures of my mother and her very close encounter with a bear up in Mammoth(my parents are no longer campers, they stay in a condo when they go up there), I find that beach camping is a much more stress free environment.  We have figured out the perfect balance of how much is too much food to bring and how much wont cut it.  I usually live on beer and cashews truth be told. 

      For you indoorsy, city types, I'm sorry to go all outdoorsy on you two days in a row.  I thought yesterday's post would be enough but I wasn't done just yet.  I think it's out of my system now and I will move on to something different tomorrow.