As I mentioned yesterday, my fella and I went camping over the weekend. The forecast was partly perfect with a chance of dreamy and thanks to President’s Day, we had an extra day off. Before sharing the camping crafts, tips and recipes I promised you, I really wanted introduce you to Montaña De Oro State Park, located in lovely Los Osos, CA.
For three days, this was home. It’s one of my most favorite parts of the California coast! Despite growing up in San Diego, I vastly prefer a rocky, craggy beach over smooth, sandy ones.
I also prefer the sweet “meep meep” sounds of quail over the BEEP BEEP noise of traffic.
On our first night at camp, we had loads of fun with long exposure photography. Even though it was a holiday weekend, the park was far from full on Friday night. The stars were brightly shining, and the only other light in the whole park came from our campfire. It was magical.
We cooked over an open fire for nearly every meal (outdoor dinners & dessert recipes coming soon!)
Exploring the exposed treasures of low tide was high on our to-do list.
After a nice chat at the Visitor’s Center (where the floor transitions from a gorgeous green wood to THIS incredible pattern,) I flexed my sandwich-making muscle and packed up portable lunches to hit the trails.
We spotted lizards, snakes and lots and lots of birds that guided us over twisty paths, across chirping streams, and down a dirt path lined with dusty horse shoe prints.
We botanized to our heart’s content; pointing out hundreds of native plants and later looking up any we couldn’t name.
We found a thumb-sized froggie on an especially damp part of the path who stayed for photographs and then hopped away to continue his own lunch.
When we returned to camp, we found that our fire ring had been visited by a gang of raccoons. We hadn’t left any scraps out, but they left us a great reminder that while camping, you should always pack your food away!
We finished each day with a sunset walk along the cliffs while kids below braved the jutting rock structures.
Leaving was bittersweet to say the least. With so much natural beauty around us, heading home to Los Angeles seemed like a bad dream we couldn’t wake up from!
The comforts of hot showers and a soft, warm bed did help ease us back into life at home. We look forward to the next trip up to Montaña de Oro! Hopefully the wild flowers will still be blooming and the sea lions still barking when we return!
I LOVE Montana de Oro, one of my favorite places in the world. I’d love to go camping there sometime
I am inhaling slowly, deeply, and also scheming… how can I get our family there? Looks and sounds marvelous… thank you for sharing the inspiration.
Thanks for taking me with you. I love the lizard. its all beautiful. Looks like you guys had a blast. TFS!!
You made me want to go to Montana de Oro! It is beautiful and looks like so much fun.
Good for you! Gorgeous. My husband spends hours every week looking for RVs on Craigslist so we can have the kind of weekend you did (although with two little girls there might be slightly less peace and harmony). Looking forward to the camping food! Great photos. I LOVE quails. I think you need to craft one 😉
Otter- I hope you go soon!
You belong there!!
Natalie, thank you! You and your family will LOVE IT!!
Thanks Helen
We had a great trip- much needed 
MM- Thanks! I hope to see you there some time!
AliBlahBlah! You know, there’s a lot to be said for RV camping. We have a couple of those VW Vanagons and they are the best times we’ve had! Every trip- no matter how short seems like a magical vacation! I totally support you in your RV hunt! PS I love quails too! I may have to craft one, thanks! xoxo