Tahoe National Forest - Camping 2013

Hampshire Rocks
July 2013

Camp Carter was set up and ready for relaxation in about 30 minutes!

 

This year we decided to go camping over the 4th of July holiday.  The three main reasons we decided to go this year are:

1. Roscoe is getting older and we wanted to let him have a 4th of July away from the fireworks.  He has a real hard time each year with the noise from the fireworks...this year he got a break!

2. Camping at 5,000 feet elevation provided a little relief from the continuing heat wave here in the Sacramento valley.

3. We like to get out camping at least once a year and we enjoy trying somewhere new each time!

 

 

 

 

Having the river just steps from the campsite was a real bonus.  I have memories of using a little raft like this when I was a kid going camping!  By the second day, I think I used it more than the kids.

 

 

With limited space for packing, I planned a menu that required few utensils.  Our menu included grab and go breakfast items like ceral and pop-tarts (special treat in our house).  Lunch each day included sandwiches.  We enjoyed S'mores nightly and we enjoy getting creative with some flavor combinations.  This year's favorite was peanut butter white chocolate! 

 

The pie iron pictured above was a great camping tool.  We made gourmet grilled cheese on Texas Toast night #1.  The second night we used the grill to cook hamburgers.  Night #3 we roasted hot dogs on skewers - NO POTS OR PANS!!!  We brought plates and cups from home instead of paper products.  It was easy to clean and we hardly had any garbage over the 3 days.

 

 

Roscoe turns 11 this month!  He LOVES the outdoors and is such a good dog.  I think he was in heaven this weekend as he got to go swimming and hiking with us.  He was super tired by the time we left...he come home and just plopped down to sleep. 

 

 

Overall, I would return to Hampshire Rocks.  It is a federal campground which keeps the cost low.  With that being said, you are giving up flushing toilets and showers for your stay!  Swimming in the crystal clean river made to bearable to not have a real shower.  The vault toilet system is never ideal, but was totally managable.  This site was kept super clean and the smell was minimal.  I have been in worse public restrooms with flushing toilets.  The major downfall of this site is the noise.  The campsite is only about 100 yards from Interstate 80.  Freeway noise is only a distraction at night when the semi trucks are traveling through.  If we go back, I'd bring ear plugs. This was really the only negative of this site.

 

We have plans to go camping with the Girls Scout troop later this month which should be a lot of fun.  I am so glad the girls love camping as much as I do.  It is such a fun way to spend time together and unplug!  If you are thinking of camping, you should go for it!  Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

San Francisco day trip on a budget

Prompted by CRAZY hot temperatures here in NorCal, we decided to make a day of going to San Francisco to beat the heat.  The trick with visiting this beautiful city is not spending a small fortune...just to get there!  After doing a little research, we booked a bus fare and were on our way!  Read on to find out how we did it and how you can too!

First Stop: The bus dropped us off near the Cal Train station on 4th and King.  This was very close to AT&T Park, but we first made a stop at Safeway across from the drop off location.  Here we were able to use a pretty clean public restroom (always a chellenge in a city).  We got 3 bagles for an instant snack and Andy got some hummus to add to our picnic lunch for later.  Total spent $4.50

Second Stop:  AT&T Park
During most days of the week, the park opens the playground area for public use.  This is FREE!  The girls got to go on the giant Coca-Cola slides and play in the mini park.  What is even better about all of this is that we had the place to ourselves!  We got a calm and relaxing view of the facility and the kids got to play. No crowds, no lines, no hassle...a great way to start the day.


Mary going for the homer!

Kaycee fielding the ball.

 

Next task: Walking the Embarcadero to head to the picnic spot.  This is a clean and well-traveled path along the waterfront.  There are loads of joggers, dog-walkers, toursits and some pan-handlers too, but that is to be expected when going to SF. 

 

 

Thrid Stop:  We walked about 1.5 miles from our starting point to get to the park across from the ferry building.  We found a table and had our picnic lunch which we brought from home.

 

Lunch at 12 noon.  The ferry buliding is over 100 years old.

Picnic lunch

 

Near our picnic spot was this huge water feature where Andy and the girls spent time exploring.

 

Fourth Stop: Walking to see the Transamerica Pyramid which is the tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline and one of its most iconic.  From the base of the buliding, it is hard to tell the pointed shape!

Fifth Stop:  We made a quick visit to Uncle Ray and Cousin Dustin's office.  Kaycee said, "Mom, I think they have a nice office."  I would have to agree.  Who wouldn't like this view?

 

Sixth Stop:  Coit Tower.  The path to get there from Sansome Street took 447 stairs up and some pep-takling.  There was a bribe involved to get the kids up all those stairs without complaining...Ghirardelli Chocolate!

 

 

Seventh Stop:  Pier 39.  There is so much to see and do at Pier 39.  We missed out on the famous sea lions as they are away in SoCal for mating season.  Even though the sea lions were not there, we got some great views of the bay including Alcatraz and the Golden Gate.  There are several shops and places to check out.  Below is a photo of the beautiful produce stand - fruit almost too beautiful to eat!  I found my treat of the day at the Biscoff coffee house.  I enjoyed a Biscoff flavored latte and cookie...YUM!  If you have yet to try Biscoff cookies or cookie spread, you may not want to unless you are prepared for a new addiction!  Andy enjoyed a smoothie at Maui Wowie in a cool souvenir cup.  Total spent at Pier 39: $11.00

Street performer - OUCH moves!

The vision this artist had and coveyed to paper was amazing!

Chocolate being made right before our eyes!

Add caption

Fresh produce at Pier 39

Eighth Stop:  Fisherman's Wharf.  We spent some time watching a couple of the many street performers between the pier and Fisherman's Wharf.  It is pretty amazing to witness the given talents of others.  We watched the spray paint artist and some street dancers. 

 

 

 

Ninth Stop: Ghirardelli Square.  Here we enjoyed the obvious...CHOCOLATE!  We were able to meet up with an old friend here and catch up on how things are going for her.  The girls split a huge sundae - the selection for their treat of the day...and bonus (yes, I bribe my children on occasion...don't judge me) for NO complaints up the stairs to Coit Tower!   Total spent: $9.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenth Stop:  Lombard Street.  After a steep hike up Hyde street, we made it to the top of the famous "crooked street".  We walked down the street faster than the line of cars made it down.

 

 

Eleventh Stop:  Ferry Building.  It was time to start heading back to the bus stop, but before we did, we needed to eat!  We went inside the historic building to find an array of fresh foods.  The marketplace offered clam chowder in bread bowls and I orded some tea-smoked scallops (delicious)!  Andy held out and got his dinner at Safeway - jambalaya.  Total spent on dinner: $25.00

 

 

Travel Summary: 

 

Bus travel round trip = 3.5 hours. 

Time in the city: 9 hours

Walking distance: 9.01 miles + 447 stairs

 

Points of Interest Visited:

 

*AT&T Park

*Ferry Building

*Coit Tower

*Pier 39

*Transamerica Building

*Fisherman's Wharf

*Ghirardelli Square

*Lombard Street

 

Expenses:

 

Transportation: $24.00 (Megabus)

Parking: $4.00 (Old Sacramento garage commuter special)

Treats/Snacks: $24.50 (Safeway, Ghirardelli, Pier 39)

Dinner: $25.00 (Safeway, Fish Market)

 

TOTAL:  $77.50 for a family of 4

 

We could have pinched some more pennies by making a different dinner selection and omitting the pricy treats, however, I must say we throughly enjoyed ourselves!  Feel free to accept the day-trip challenge...I'd love to hear other options for family trips to San Francisco while being $$$ savvy.  Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Disney World 2013

Main Street U.S.A.

After 2 years of planning, the time has come and gone!  The Disney World trip was amazing and we were blessed enough to have had the opportunity to have my mom and dad (Bob and Teri) join us.  Despite health scares and concerns, my dad (Papa) was able to come to the place "Where wishes come true", Disney World!  More than just wishes for us and more like answered prayers to keep my dad healthy enough to enjoy some quality time with the family.  This was truly a trip that we will all remember and cherish forever!

 Andy was the master planner for our trip.  He spent HOURS researching the tips and tricks to make our vacation full of fun and at the best price!  Three cheers for Andy!  If you want some advice on a trip to Disney World, Andy is your guy. 

The top 3 tips I would suggest:

1. Bring a poncho.  Target or WalMart has them for cheap.  You do not want to be stuck in a classic summer thunderstorm and at the mercy of Disney prices for some plastic.  Thanks mom (Teri) for hunting some down and packing them for all of us!

2.  Use the FastPass system!  Through scheduled time periods, you can get a FastPass for your favorite rides.  This allows you to wait about 20 minutes for a popular ride instead of an hour or more.  

3. Stay hydrated.  The Florida humidity is no joke!  After having a sick kid last trip, we really watched our hydration.  We prefer to drink water and lots of it, however, the tap water is awful. We were able to find a cost-effective solution.  We found individual Gatorade powder packets at the grocery store. They packed well along with other snacks in our bags. They were great to add to a cup of iced water (free at any food station in Disney parks).  This would work with any other drink flavoring out there.  A free way to stay hydrated!

This is my dad's (Bob aka Papa) first photo with Mickey Mouse.  It was neat to hear my dad talk about his memories about going to Disneyland (in California) when he was a kid.  I believe he said it was only $0.50 to get in!  He mentioned his favorite ride being Autopia.  It was fun to see both of the girls excited to be able to drive all by themselves.

 

We had a great time visiting all the parks.  The rhino above was not shy.  We got to see this one and many other animals VERY close as we went through the safari tour (in a large truck-like vehicle).  It is amazing to see how massive the animals are when you are this close.  The tour included close up views of elephants, giraffe, cheetahs, hippos, crocs, rhinos, antelope, lions, and more!  The safari ride is one of the highlights of Animal Kingdom.  Besides animal viewing, we had fun riding "Expedition Everest", seeing The Lion King performance and taking a time out in the AC to eat lunch at Yak & Yeti.  On our second day at Animal Kingdom, we were able to meet up with some former neighbors.  It was great to see old friends and so sweet to see the kids enjoy eachother's company.  They had fun riding rides and working on their "Wilderness Explorer" booklets.

The dark skies are just proof of why you need those ponchos!!!  This was our final day at Magic Kingdom and we had to juggle rides and shows with the storms.  Andy had the perfect lunch reservations for us twice as we were inside eating, it was raining cats and dogs outside.  Although a pain while tring to enjoy the park, it was beautiful to see the night sky filled with lightening.  Never have I seen a light show for such a long period of time - nature sure has a way of amazing us with such beauty at times! 

Disney spares no expense when it comes to their "Wishes" fireworks show.  I love fireworks, and this was breathtaking!  Such a sweet storyline accompanied with music and the beauty of the fireworks.  This was my favorite show each night while at Magic Kingdom.

Fun times at Epcot's Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.  Located in Norway and in the setting of a castle,  we got to meet 5 of the princesses and have time for photos and autographs.  What a great daddy to make this reservation - definately a special treat!  We had a lot of fun at Epcot.  This park is a great place to do some hands-on learning and exploring.  We enjoyed some of the rides, but this park's highlight is the World Showcase.  We had "passports" (a special thanks to our friend Katie for the templates) where the girls could learn something about each of the 11 countries showcased at the park.  Something I find wonderful is that Disney has employees native to the countries showcased working in each area.  It was fun to hear people speaking in their native tounge, tase new and traditional foods, have conversation, and look in the shops at authentic goods. 

 

I can't believe it has been about 2 years since I have sat down to update "The Carter Crew" blog!  For those of you taking the time to read it, thanks for letting us share this special occasion in our lives.