Have you taken your family into the backcountry and camped in the wild, away from any established campsite? How about camping in one of the great national parks? I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but as we head into another week of sporadic rain, here in NorCal, I’m left with little else to do – other than plan an exciting family adventure for this summer! Continue reading →

It is tough to beat the Central California Coast in the winter, and our Thanksgiving camping excursion into the wild Ventana Wilderness did not disappoint. We had solid days of rain on November 16th, the day before we left, and on Saturday the 27th, as we pulled back into our driveway, but for three glorious days it was pure sunshine with just enough evening chill to remind us that this was still winter camping. Continue reading →

Camping is all about tradeoffs – small sacrifices in comfort for the sake of efficiency. Continue reading →

Normally, we don’t have a lot of trouble getting-in our family outdoor time, here in northern California. As I write this, however, the second of multiple rain storms is moving through the area and the overnight temperatures are heading into the mid-30’s over the next few days. Maintaining at least some outdoor time for your family can be challenging in the winter, but it’s during these dark and cold days that getting outside is the most important. Continue reading →