Camping Trip, Day Four (Packing Up and Saying Goodbye)

Day Four. Our usual camping breakfast is "camping cereal" (ie. sugary cereal that I don't normally let the kids have) and bacon. We enjoyed this breakfast around our little table on this last morning. The other families were all packing up and heading out. We had inadvertently booked an extra day. We didn't want to spend Sunday night there but thought we'd take advantage of the extra day by staying all day and then driving home after dinner.

The last group headed off around noon. We teasingly called them The Clampetts because of their overloaded truck. We looked at each other for a few minutes in the sudden quiet of the camping area and decided to head down to Angel's Camp (about 25 miles). Greg wanted to take some pictures of Gold Country Architecture for his study of indiginous California architecture. We also figured we'd take the opportunity to get fast food for the kids. We ran into "The Clampetts" at the Burger King where we stopped. Too funny. We had lunch and then took off for a driving tour of Angel's Camp and then Murphy's. He got lots of nice detail shots.

In Murphys [click], we stopped and walked the main street looking in shop windows. The kids were pretty antsy after all that car time. We rewarded them with ice cream at the Peppermint Stick Ice Cream Parlour. Delish!

We headed back to camp later than we thought but still had time to head down to the beach Greg found at the river the day before. The water was icy cold but everyone (except me) went in over their heads. We lounged and played and explored. The kids built sand castles.

As we were leaving, I saw three Ravens coming to clean the beach from other families. They were clearly a baby and two parents. I got some pictures but no good ones, I fear.

Back at camp, we finished camping while the kids played in the fort they made in the gully near our site and then curled up on our bed and read their books. Greg gave them a real thrill and let them ride in the 5th wheel (up on the bed where they were totally safe) over to the bathroom. We went potty and loaded up in the truck and headed off just as it got dark. The kids were asleep before we got to Murphys where we got gas and headed out.

We pulled into Boulder Creek around 12:30am. Yawn. But, boy is that they way to do the trip. The kids sleep, Greg drives, I talk. It's a good thing!

More Photos [click]