Camping in the Sierra Foothills

This would count to be our first summer in California in the true sense of the world. Last summer, we were in the moving phase and emotions were raw and memories too fragile to stop calling Minnesota home and settling into the California life. This year besides sightseeing which is plentiful in California, we slowed down our weekends to enjoy a few camping trips.

Also, our girls became proud owner of their own water crafts and we did bring all the kayaks along on our camping trip to the foothills of sierras on the shores of Union valley reservoir. Union Valley Reservoir is accessible from Hwy50 en route to South Lake Tahoe from Sacramento.
It has been a while since I shared pictures of from our camping trip so I thought I’d share some.



We still have the 6-8 people tent we bought almost a decade ago and it’s perfect for two queen size air mattresses. It even has a soft room divider which we haven’t ever used. This year there were quite a few meat bees in the area as well, so we ended up using the screened room for our dining space.

We mostly cooked all our meals on open fire and also our dessert (s’mores) but since there is electrical hook up at the site, we could plug in our kettle and enjoy a cup of tea or a bowl of soup in the afternoon. Electric hook up also came in handy because the nights get really cool at this elevation and a space heater can provide the much needed heat once the campfire is put out.
There were also these metal cabinets with bear proof doors on them to store our food, and our toiletries. Even though we have yet encountered a bear yet, others tell us there are many black bears in the area.

We went kayaking multiple times during each day and had few picnics at small rock islands and distant shores. At the end of the day, we left the boats by the water and just brought ores back with us to the tent site. There were few speed boats on the lake but they slowed down when they saw kayakers and so we didn’t have any terrible experience with the wake of the boat. 

Mid day family kayaking trip

Picnic time

 

We made a village with found objects for the little Bambi

All in all, a good experience. And once you are willing to slow life down, you start to notice its mundane details and savor the moments; which is a sign that one is beginning to settle down and receptive to experiencing a full spectrum of emotions, old and new…