Drying clothes in preparation for the great smores-off

This past week we headed off for a camping trip to Big Sur. It was Brian’s first road-trip so it was also a test of his car-riding and tent-sleeping skills. Jennifer’s sister and her husband were also camping with us at Riverside Campground in Big Sur, so it was a real family affair.

The journey up was long and tedious, but uneventful. Brian got a bit restless in the last hour, but on the whole he was pretty well behaved. After five hours, you have to cut a 7 month old beagle some slack!

Unfortunately it was a bit overcast and rainy on the way up, and when we arrived we had on-and-off rain. Luckily our pop-up tent popped up quickly so our camp was soon functioning. Despite the rain we managed to get a fire going and soon our spirits were lifted. The following day was better in a weather sense, and in the evening we made a roaring fire and made some smores. However, the day after that wasn’t so good. It started well, but when we attempted to hike on the old coast road, it started raining. And didn’t stop. We had intended to stay another night, but when Jenn, Brian and I got back to the car we all decided enough was enough. Well, Brian would have decided that if he could talk. Fortunately his look said enough. We returned to the campsite, threw everything in the car and fled south. Anne and Elliot had already decided to leave too, so we all high-tailed it out of there.

In case you’re thinking we’re wimps for leaving early, I will say that some of our stuff was still damp from the first night. Camping in the wet is no fun at all. I was hoping for better weather – y’know given we’re in California. If I wanted to get rained on, I’d have gone camping in Wales.

So what about the campground? It was good – we had two of the premium pitches that gave us plenty of room. The ground was covered in woodchips so mud wasn’t an issue along with the damp. Our sites were by the Big Sur river which was relaxing to listen to.

However (and there’s always a however) the bathroom was a bit… grim. It was clean if somewhat tatty. For the men there was only one shower cubicle with nowhere to get dry and change out of view of the rest of the bathroom. The worst part, though, were the toilet stalls. They had wooden doors that take the prize for the worst I’ve seen so far in the USA. The gap at the bottom was a good two feet, while the gap at the top came down to my chest height. The wood in between didn’t leave much to cover one’s dignity. Again, I ask how much would it cost in wood to have a bit more coverage top and bottom? The crowning glory was the gap that existed when you latched the door shut – it was a couple of inches that allowed fine views of the sinks.

How was it with Brian? We were impressed by Brian’s behaviour. He loved the new sights and smells and was a good boy come bedtime; we’d bought along his travel bed and after some night-time jumping around he soon bedded down to sleep. The only downside with Brian was the state parks didn’t allow dogs on the trails (lots of hiking in the area was in state parks). Oh, and in the rain he further limited our options as we couldn’t just go the pub and get drunk.

After getting home, the next day I dried out everything and packed it all away. We’re already planning our next camping trip – somewhere closer to home and that allows dogs on the trails.