We took an impromptu camping trip to San Simeon. It started out as a plan to go to Big Sur, but without reservations and a Friday start time, we didn't think we'd luck out. Luckily our friends, the Davids, are optimistic and adventurous enough to try it out. So, they left Friday morning and didn't hear from them until the afternoon.

No such luck at Big Sur! Our back-up plan was San Simeon--only a half hour drive from our house, but a nice place to visit and hang out for the weekend. We lucked out and got the last site!

We got there Friday evening and had no plans for the weekend, which was so nice to not have an agenda. From our last trip, we had hoped that having another kid for P to play with would be the ticket for more relaxation for us. Not sure about the relaxation part, but at least Jakob and P had each other to entertain. They also go to the same daycare, so they know each other very well!

We spent lots of time at the beach and the kiddos were so tired that they fell asleep easily and left the evenings free for the adults. We had such a fun and entertaining time being silly and carefree. We saw lots of birds at our campsite, went and scoped out the tidepools one evening, and even saw zebras roaming the grasslands!

As usual, a trip just isn't a trip unless P gets a scrape or two. The dads and kids went for a walk the last morning while the moms cleaned up breakfast. P did fine on a declining part of the path and then bit the gravel as she came to the flat part. Lots of bleeding and a good-sized upper lip. Ouch! Poor baby, but she recovers fast and doesn't cry too much. Still, I'm sure it hurts a lot!

A fun time was had by all, and we want to do it again soon. We are loving our tent trailer and can't wait for the next adventure!

It was not our intention to take our maiden voyage with the tent trailer on a long road trip, but alas, with summer in full swing and last minute reservations, Mammoth Lakes had openings for camping reservations. We packed everything at the last minute as well. Not our intention but it came to be that we were up until 1am the prior night and headed out 4 hours later to our destination, which took us about 8 hours to finally reach.

P did very well on the ride over. We stopped at Manzanar, which is now a national historic site, for a sobering step back into time on how the Japanese were treated in America.

After a late lunch and some time at a park in Bishop, we were back on the road to our campsite at Mammoth Lakes. The ride over was beautiful. The Eastern Sierra mountains are so massive and steep! After being on the coast for some time and not spending too much time in the mountains, it was an impressive site. The wind was strong, the air hot and dry.

P had a great time just digging and swimming in the dirt. With no available showers, it was tricky to get her to stay clean. The bears were active around the campsite, and we nearly missed a cub and her mama by a half hour one evening. Even after miles and miles of driving, we still met up with folks we knew, by coincidental chance. The one friend, Fred, is actually a friend of our friends, the Mayotts. He stopped by our campsite, introduced himself, and had a nice chat with us and let us know if we needed anything or had questions, to give him a buzz!

Then RT thinks he sees a Cuesta College van pull up. Sure enough! It's his geology professor colleague/friend, Jeff. He was there with a group of 8 students on a summer field course. They had just come from Yosemite, stopped at Mammoth, and were  headed to Devil's Postpile the following day (incidentally, we were, too!). He said we could join the class and hop in the van--the entire family, carseat, dog, and all!

We went to Devil's Postpile, and RT ended up giving a biology talk to the students. It was an even trade for letting us hitch a ride with them. The students loved having P and Jannu.
It was very hot that day. We were all tired, hot, dehydrated, and a little wiped out from the elevation as well. So, we cheated and had lunch on the town as well as some Ben & Jerry's icecream. Who could resist that, right?

Mammoth has incredible bike paths and not to mention the lifts that take the mountain bikers up so they can ride down. We didn't do that, and feel that you should have to earn your way down by riding up rather than taking a lift. We had just got the child's bike seat, so P had never ridden in it before. She loved it! She was so quiet and eventually it was our lifesaver when we had to pack up and get everything together.
We left later than we originally intended. P fell asleep quickly, and we were on the road nonstop for about five hours. By 6pm, we pulled into Tehachapi and decided we needed to call it a night. We chose a specific hotel because a pet website said it was "pet-friendly", and we wanted a pool. Well, when we checked in, there were NO PETS ALLOWED signs. So, we had to sneak Jannu in.
It felt soooooo good to have a hot shower and feel squeaky clean. What a nice way to end a camping trip in my opinion! Even though you can do that at home, it always feels like a vacation to me when you're in a hotel!
All in all, we had a fun time and a worry-free car ride with a very busy toddler.
We're looking forward to the next tent trailer adventure!

Sure was quiet in the back seat for a while...

We have a couple people who continuously ask us this question. We've said repeatedly that it takes anywhere from 6-8 months, so ours won't start laying until the fall.

The chicks are no longer chicks as you can see. They are huge! They are really nosy things and are curious about everything. For the most part, they stay inside their coop, but as soon as they see us (whether it's outside or through the window), they start poking their heads out to see what's going on.

We have named them even though we rarely call them by name...it's too hard to remember who's who. All we know is that there's one who is the ring-leader and the bravest, Henny Penny, while the Cuckoo Maran seems timid and slow-witted. Her name is Carmen Miranda. The other two are Loosey Goosey and Chicken Linda.

Heads come out as soon as they hear something.

Who's there? 

Can you guess who this is? Henny Penny

From top left and clockwise: Carmen Miranda, Loosey Goosey,  Henny Penny, and  Chicken Linda.

Jannu doesn't care for them much. At first, she, too was very curious and always wanted to see them but now she seems indifferent and more interested in what P has to eat.