BluepoofBikes Motorcycle Adventures

Campsite review: Portola Redwoods State Park, CA

Location: 

9000 Portola State Park Road

La Honda, CA 94020

650-948-9098

Directions:

From Alpine Road and Hwy 35 (Skyline Blvd), turn west onto Alpine Road and go 3 miles to the intersection of Portola State Park Road.  Turn right onto Portola State Park Road and follow into the park.

NOTE: According to the website below, the campground is closed from December 1 to April 1.  The park might also be closed in "severe weather" -- I have no idea what the park service considers severe, so I'd call ahead if it's storming.

More info: 
http://parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=539

Date of visit: 
May 22-23, 2009

Weather: 
A little chilly, but what do you expect in the redwoods?  It was in the mid- to high-60s while I was setting up camp and fell to about 50F while we were sitting around the campfire.  The overnight low was 47F.

The morning was chillier than the evening.  If it's a foggy morning, be extra careful on Alpine and Skyline on your way home; visibility was terrible and there were bicyclists everywhere.  Temperatures also fell to the low 40s on Skyline, even at 11am.

Campground Condition: 
* Most of the campsites that I saw were medium sized and could probably fit two four-person tents.  Our campsite, #27, had neighbors right across the road, but we had plenty of space to each side.  

* Many of the campsites are bordered by a significant cliff that leads down to a river.  These are well-marked on the reserveamerica.com website and, if you're camping with little kids, you probably want to make note of these.

 * Each site has a fire pit with metal grill, a picnic table, a wooden locker, and a place to park. There were water faucets, recycling barrels, and wildlife-proof trash bins every few campsites. 

* There is a lot of wildlife at this park, especially raccoons! Do not leave food out overnight, even in the locker.  If you have a car, that's probably your best bet for overnight food storage.  There are no bears, just birds and raccoons, so I'd imagine that aluminum or plastic motorcycle luggage would be safe for food storage.

* The bathrooms are pretty clean and have flush toilets, sinks with warm water (!!), and soap (!!!).  No paper towels though.  ;)

* There are pay showers available at each bathroom building for $0.25 for 2 minutes.

* Firewood is available at the visitor's center for $8/bag.  They also sell bottled water, soda, T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and some books about the park.

 

What to do: 
There are lots of walking trails at the park.  The visitor's center has two free trail guides: one for 0-3 mile hikes and one for 3+ miles.

We took the Old Tree Trail, which is a 1/2-mile walk out to -- you guessed it -- the Old Tree.   We were the only ones on the trail, which is not a loop (you walk to the tree and then walk back).  It was a fun and easy hike with interpretive signs along the way.

My photos:

Campsite #27:

Looking from the back up towards the road:

Along the Old Tree Trail:

Campground review: French Camp, Inyo National Forest, CA

Location:
Inyo National Forest, near Tom's Place, CA
(760) 935-4339

Directions:
The campground is approximately 30 miles north of Bishop (18 miles south of Mammoth Lakes), off of Highway 395.

Take the Tom's Place exit from 395 and go about 1/2 mile up Rock Creek Road. Turn right at the French Camp sign.

More info:
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/French_Camp_Ca/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70803&topTabIndex=CampingSpot

Date of visit: September 5-8, 2008.

Weather:
We really lucked out and the weather was perfect; 80-85F during the day and an overnight low of 60F. Definitely check the weather before you go, though -- the campground is at 7100' elevation and the weather can change quickly, especially in spring and fall.

Campground Condition:
* The campsites really vary in size. Our site, #79, was the largest campsite I've ever stayed at; another guy's site (#74) was even larger. I think 8 or 9 people stayed at his site and there was plenty of room to spare. On the other hand, another friend had a very small site that would only fit one two-person tent.

* The campsites are very dusty in early fall, which means they're probably very muddy in winter and spring.

* Each site has a fire pit with metal grill, a picnic table, a food locker, and a place to park. There are water faucets at the bathrooms.

* The bathrooms are pretty simple; flush toilets with a sink in each room. Many of the bathroom rooms were out of service/locked when we were there. There are supposedly pay showers available 1 mile down the road at Tom's Place, but they were out of service as well when we camped.

* This is bear country! Use the food lockers for everything, even clothes that you cooked food in. There are substantial fines for leaving food outside of the lockers, day or night.

* Firewood is available from the campground manager.

What to do:
Closest to the campground is Tom's Place , which has a few rooms, a restaurant/bar, and a general store. The restaurant has very good breakfasts and a good beer selection. The store sells pretty much anything you need as well, from snacks/water/soda to fishing supplies to automotive bits.

This is an amazing motorcycling location, especially for dirtbikes and dualsports.

There are little dirt roads (mostly 2-track) everywhere. It's also a nice ride up to Mono Lake, Bridgeport, Yosemite, Bodie, etc. etc. etc. This is a very popular fishing location; Crowley Lake, Convict Lake, and Rock Creek Lake are all close by and stocked with trout.

In the wintertime, the campground is 6 miles from the Inyo Forest Sno-Park, with miles of snowshoeing/cross-country skiing trails (passes available at the Tom's Place store).

The campground is also 18 miles south of Mammoth Mountain , which has tons of skiing/snowboarding in the wintertime and rock climbing/mountain biking/more in the summertime.

The area is also home to many hot springs; we found two while camping: "The Tub" and "Shepard's". Both are described and mapped out in the book "Hot Springs of the Eastern Sierras". Hot Creek springs is also very nearby but was closed to swimming when we visited due to being about 130F.

My photos:
Campsite #79, where my friend Nancy and I camped:

 

The sign you're looking for off of Rock Creek Road (it's on the right as you enter; this was taken when leaving the campground):

 

Rock Creek, which you can hear throughout the campground. Sounds wonderful as you're lying in your tent at night!

 

The scenery around the campground is gorgeous:

Site #74, which is absolutely huge:

"The Tub" hot springs:

 

Campsite review: Yosemite Pines RV Resort, Groveland, CA

Location:
20450 Old Highway 120
Groveland, CA 95321
Phone: (877) 962-7690

NOTE: Normally I don't like "RV Resorts" but camping here has become an annual tradition for me and a few of my Women on Wheels friends.  We come up every mid-September to ride in Yosemite and have dinners in Groveland.  Frankly, I'd rather stay in one of the many Stanislaus National Forest campgrounds, but my friends don't like camping and they like the yurts and cabins at Yosemite Pines.  So, there ya go.

Directions:
Directions from the Bay Area:
Follow Hwy 120 East to Groveland. Continue 1/2 mile East of Groveland on Hwy 120 and then turn right onto Old Hwy 120. Follow Old Hwy 120 for 1 mile. You will see Yosemite Pines RV Park and Campground on the left.

Directions from Yosemite National Park:
Follow Hwy 120 West for 22 miles after you leave Yosemite National Park. Turn left onto Old Hwy 120. Follow Old Hwy 120 for 1/2 mile to the Yosemite Pines RV Park and Campground on the right.

More info:
http://www.yosemitepinesrv.com/

Date of visit:
September 12-14, 2008 (I go every mid-Sept)

Weather:
This year the weather was very pleasant; highs in the 80s and an overnight low of about 50.

Previous years have been very chilly overnight, though -- never quite freezing but definitely cold enough for a hat at night.

Campground Condition:
* There are three campsite areas; I've only ever stayed in the "A" area, so that's what my report will focus on.

* The campsites at "A" are very close together, with nothing separating individual campsites.  Bring earplugs.

* An eye mask is also a good idea if you're light sensitive; there are little lights on top of all of the RV hookup stations (one per campsite) and I've never figured out how to turn them off.  Light from the main building also gets to the campsites at night.  It's not that intrusive, but I always bring an eye mask to sleep in and then it's no problem at all.

* The campsites are very dusty in early fall, which means they're probably very muddy in winter and spring.

* Each site at "A" has a fire pit with metal grill, a picnic table, a water faucet, and an RV hookup with electricity. 

* The bathrooms are in the main building, across a small footbridge from the camping area.  There are 2 showers, a few sinks, and a few bathroom stalls.  Unlike most places I camp, the bathrooms have both soap and paper towels!  :D

* Firewood is available at the general store.  The store also has drinks (beer, soda, water, gatorade, etc), some food, some toiletries, and some automotive and fishing supplies.

* The roads inside of Yosemite Pines are gravel -- it's very packed, though, and I've never seen a streetbike have a problem on it.

What to do:
Yosemite Pines itself has a bunch to do, including:
* A rec room inside the main building with a ping pong table and a TV/couches
* Swimming pool
* Playground area
* Gold panning demonstrations (schedule posted at the general store)
* Petting zoo (hours posted at the general store)

The campground is in a great riding area, too.  It's pretty much right on Hwy 120 and is very close to Highway 49.  Side roads out of Groveland go off in every direction up into the hills.

The riding is awesome for both dualsports and streetbikes. 

Yosemite National Park is 20 miles to the east.

My photos:

Campsite A-17.  You can see how close together the sites are; the blue tent behind my bike is mine and the yellow and green tents are at the neighboring campsite.

Campsite A-17, looking towards the short footbridge to the main building/bathrooms:

My girlfriends like to stay in the yurts at Yosemite Pines; each one can sleep 3 (one double bed and one bunkbed).  They have lights/electricity, a microwave and fridge, a coffeepot, and fully made beds (sheets, blankets, pillow).

A closeup of my site:

Local roads around Groveland:

And of course, Yosemite:

Campsite review: Juniper Campground, Mt Diablo State Park, CA

Location:
Mount Diablo Scenic Blvd
Danville, CA
925-837-2525

Directions:

Take Highway 680 to Danville. Take Diablo Road exit, then 3 miles east to Mount Diablo Scenic Blvd.

More info:
http://parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=517

Date of visit:
August 2008

Weather:
It was perfect while we were there; it was in the high 70s while we were setting up with an overnight low of 71F. The morning warmed up quickly, though, and my thermometer showed 90F in the direct sunlight at 8:30am. NOTE: The East Bay can get very hot -- dangerously so -- in summer, so bring tons of water.  In winter, the park can get snowed in. For current mountain weather conditions, call the park at (925) 383-9225.

NOTE2: During the summer, Mt Diablo State Park has very strict fire restrictions depending on the fire danger level. We camped during a "high" fire danger level, so charcoal and propane cookfires were allowed, but no wood fires (even in the fire pit). In severe cases, the park itself closes completely, so if you camp in the summer, definitely call ahead to find out the fire danger level.

Campground Condition:
* The campsites are large and well-spaced apart. Our campsite, #23, was in a little nook surrounded by trees and shrubs and felt very private.

* Many of the campsites have fairly significant slopes. We were able to flatten out a small area for our tent, but do be aware that you'll likely be at some angle. We positioned our tent so our heads were up and had no problems sleeping.

* Some of the Juniper campsites have tremendous views overlooking the valley. These sites go quickly, though, and it's first-come, first-serve. If you want a campsite with a view, go early! * Each site has a fire pit with metal grill, a picnic table, a food locker, and a place to park. There were water faucets every few campsites.

* There is a lot of wildlife at this park, especially raccoons! Do not leave food out overnight. The food lockers will keep the raccoons out but they'll be scratching at the doors all night. If you have a car, that's probably your best bet for overnight food storage.

* The bathrooms are currently being renovated, so the showers and some of the toilet rooms were closed.  The bathroom building was fairly clean (though the whole area is very dusty, so you do have to deal with dirt on the toilet seats) and had flush toilets, two outdoor sinks, and a drinking fountain. All of the toilets had run out of TP in the morning, so you may want to bring your own!

* I don't know whether you can normally buy firewood at the ranger station; as we camped during a fire ban, there were no wood campfires allowed.

What to do:
There are tons of walking and bicycling trails at the park, way too many to list here. The most popular "official" trail is the Mary Bowerman Trail. From the website: "Just below the summit, this trail offers spectacular vistas that can be enjoyed along the way. The first half of the gentle 0.7-mile loop trail is accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. Pick up a copy of the trail Nature Guide at the trailhead"

There are also a lot of fire roads near the campsites.  We camped right next to fire road 59-10 and had a wonderful time wandering along that at sunset. 

In addition to trails, the park has many other activities, including but not limited to:

• Rock climbing
• Fossil sites 
• Summit museum (open every day from 10am-4pm) 
• Observation Deck at the summit 
• Interpretive centers 

My photos:

Campsite #23:

Our campsite with all the stuff in it:

A sunset hike along fire road 59-10:

Peter, Tony, and Steph with one of our new friends along 59-10 (we saw 3 tarantulas on that walk):

(Here's a picture of the actual tarantula, for those not creeped out by such things)

Nighttime view of Silicon Valley:

 

We had many nighttime visitors!

Peter and I at the Observation Deck in the morning:

CampingReview.net

When I started camping, I was frustrated by the lack of a single website to find reviews of campgrounds.

So I started http://www.campingreview.net.

If you're into camping at all, please swing by and enter in some reviews of your favorite places.  Also, pass the word along -- and it's NOT motorcycle camping specific.

Speaking of motorcycles, I promise I'll start talking about them again soon.  My job and moving are eating my brain.  

Here, have a couple of trip pictures to placate you.  I don't often get pics of me riding, much less offroad, so these photos from Peter are really awesomely special to me.  :)

Wyoming:

Colorado:

Nevada:

Campsite review: Mt Madonna County Park

Recommended: YES, especially weeknight or off-season Location: 7850 Pole Line Rd Watsonville, CA 95076 Phone: (408) 842-2341 Date of visit: July 12-13 2008 Weather: Gorgeous! We got to the campground around 4:30pm and it was probably in the low-mid 70s. Overnight low was around 50F. Campground Condition: * There are 3 campgrounds at Mt Madonna: Valley Views #1, #2, and #3. We stayed at site 216 at Valley View #2. * The campsites are very close together. On a weeknight, this would be fine; unfortunately, it was quite noisy on a Saturday night during peak camping season. Bring your earplugs! * Each site has a fire pit, concrete parking pad, picnic table, and food locker. There are garbage cans and water faucets about ever third campsite. * The bathrooms are clean but basic. At Valley View #2, there are 2 stalls in the women's bathroom plus sink, shelf, and automatic hand dryer. No soap or paper towels. Note that all showers are closed until October 1, 2008 as they're constructing a new shower building. * Firewood is available from the ranger station when you drive in. What to do: (copied from the below website) * Hikers and equestrians have access to an extensive 14 mile trail system. * Shaded picnic areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. * Group picnic, group camping and youth camping areas are available by reservation. * Bowmen may practice archery skills at the beautiful archery range. * A one mile self-guided nature trail winds around the ruins of cattle baron Henry Miller's summer home. * The park's amphitheater, available by reservation for weddings and other special functions, also features live music and slide shows Memorial Day through Labor Day. These free shows are provided by park docents every Saturday at 8 p.m. * The park also features a visitor center where the natural history, geology and cultural history of the park is highlighted. More info: Santa Clara County Parks website for Mt Madonna

My photos:

Along the Giant Twins hiking trail:

Campsite review: Lake Fausse Pointe State Park (LA)

Location: 5400 Levee Road St. Martinville, LA 70582 337-229-4764 or 888-677-7200 toll free For reservations, call 1-877-CAMP-N-LA (877-226-7652) toll free. NOTE: My AAA map of Louisiana marks the road leading south to the park from Henderson, LA as being gravel. It also marks the road leading south FROM the park to Charenton, LA as being paved. In reality, it was the exact opposite. :D The road from Henderson to the park is wonderfully paved, sweeping, and open.

The road going south towards Franklin is gravel -- loose at first but then it's nicely packed and is really quite beautiful.

Date of visit: May 2008 Weather: Very nice; a little warm when I got there (high 80s) and, of course, humid. Overnight it was probably in the high 60s or low 70s. NOTE: This is a swamp -- bring bug repellant!! I was eaten alive by mosquitos in the 5 minutes it took between taking off my motorcycle jacket and unpacking the Deet. Campground Condition: * The campsites are large and well-kept. They're fairly close together (you can see your neighbors) but there are a lot of trees that provide some visual barriers. * Each site has a fire pit, a charcoal grill, a water faucet, a concrete parking pad, a picnic table, and electricity. The tent sites all have a little flat sandy spot for pitching the tent. If you get a waterfront site (no extra charge; first come, first serve), the site also has a little wooden deck with a sitting area overlooking the lake. * There are also cabins available, with running water, electricity, and A/C. I think they were $90/night. I saw the outsides of them while out walking around but didn't go in. * The bathrooms are in great shape. The women's bathroom had 3 showers and 6 toilet stalls. The sink area had warm and cold water, soap, and air dryers. * I didn't notice any place to buy firewood, but I didn't ask at the entrance station. What to do: There are three walking trails and a canoe trail available: Trail A -- 3/4-mile nature trail Trail B -- 1.6-mile nature trail Trail C -- 3.3-mile nature trail 7-mile canoe trail (Canoes can be rented at the park) There's also a cool-looking playground, lots of group picnic sites, and a really awesome little water park area for kids. I wanted to go play in the water park. :D

I did the .75-mile nature walk since it was getting towards dark. In just that short amount of space, I saw tons of birds, armadillos, turtles, and alligators. It was great! More info: http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ilakefaus.aspx My photos:

Looking from the tent at the private deck:

View from the deck...note alligator in the middle of the photo!

Campsite review: Balmorhea State Park (TX)

Location: 
P O Box 15 
Toyahvale TX 79786 
(432) 375-2370



Date of visit: 
May 2008

Weather: 
It was very windy the night I stayed there, but even the locals were commenting about it so I don't think that's usual.

The weather was otherwise great; high 80s during the day and a low of about 55F.

Campground Condition:
* The campsites are very close together but on a Thursday night, the place was pretty empty.

* Each site has a fire pit, a charcoal grill, a water faucet, a concrete parking pad, and a sheltered concrete pad that has a picnic table. My neighbors pitched their tent on this concrete pad but I set up camp outside of the shelter area. 

* The bathrooms are in great shape, including a huge handicap-access bathroom that has a toilet, sink, and very clean shower all in one room. The "normal" showers are also OK but not as clean.

* I didn't notice any place to buy firewood, but I camped during a fire ban. Maybe the ranger station normally sells firewood.

What to do:
(copied from the below website)

"Along with motel-type accommodations, the park's main attraction is a large (77,053 sq. ft.) artesian spring pool that is open daily and fed by San Solomon Springs. The springs also fill a 'cienega' (desert wetland) and the canals of a refugium, home to endangered species of fish, assorted invertebrates, and turtles. The pool differs from most public pools in several respects: the 1 3/4-acre size, the 25-foot depth and the 72 to 76 degree constant temperature. It also has a variety of aquatic life in its clear waters. With a capacity of more than 3 1/2 million gallons, the pool has plenty of room for swimmers, while offering a unique setting for scuba and skin diving."


More info:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...rks/balmorhea/

My photos:

Camping at Manresa State Beach

Peter and I went to Manresa State Beach on Friday night with Dan and Colleen, who was visiting from Seattle. Unfortunately I don't have many photos as my camera battery died. :(

Just for Jennie, since she was such an awesome wing in our game last night, here's my review. ;)

The beach is pretty easy to get to from anywhere in the Bay Area; you take Hwy 1 south out of Santa Cruz and take the San Andreas exit (there's a sign at the exit for Sunset and Manresa beaches). Turn right at Sand Dollar Road (about 4 miles later) and follow the signs to the campground.

Manresa camping is "hike-in" only -- you drive past the main area to park in a 20-minute-only parking lot near the campsites. One slight criticism I have of the campground is that there are multiple paths from the 20-minute lot in to various camping areas and there are no signs as to which path leads to which numbered sites. I wound up carrying a lot of gear around via the "wrong" path until I found my campsite.

Once you get your gear out of the car (or off your motorcycle, in my case), you've got to drive back to the overnight parking area. Once again, there are no signs, but it's easy to get back to the campgrounds from that parking lot.

The campgrounds themselves are situated on top of a bluff a little ways back from the ocean, so you're not actually camping on the beach (nor do any of the sites have an ocean view, as far as I can tell). That's OK, though, the campsites are still nice: pretty big, with multiple flat spots, a fire barrel, a picnic table, and lockers.

We could see a nearby house from our site (and hear their leafblower in the early evening, grrr), but I don't really expect complete solitude from campgrounds within the Bay Area.

You can see the house in the background in that pic.

The campsites are pretty spacious -- it fit one three-person and one five-person tent with tons of room to spare (yeah, yeah, we brought the huge tent; my hubby couldn't find our three-person ;) ).

The sites are pretty visually isolated with lots of scrub and slight hillsides. We couldn't see any other camps from our site. Noise does carry, though, and it being Santa Cruz and all, there were a lot of surfers and families camping. The surfers were up pretty late singing and drinking, but that's what earplugs are for! ;)

The campsites are close to a walking path down to the beach. The path is a little steep, but we saw both an old lady in a wheelchair and a guy on crutches on the trail without problems. ;)

We had the campsite the farthest from the bathroom (#38) and it still wasn't all that far. There are three showers and 5 individual locking toilets, all unisex. The bathroom also had a laundry tub.

I think that's about it. Again, sorry for not having many photos; I'm hoping Colleen and Dan have some more that I can link to later tonight.

Sierra Designs Sirius 2 tent review

Since I posted this yesterday on ADV, I figured I'd post it here, too.

Here's my review of my Sierra Designs Sirius 2 tent.

From Sierra Design's website:

• Trail Weight: 4 lbs 2 oz
• Fastpack Weight: n/a
• Packed Weight: 4 lbs 10 oz
• Packed Size: 23" x 6"
• Number of Doors: 2
• Interior Area: 31 sq. ft.
• Vestibule Area: 4 + 4 sq. ft.
• Peak Height: 39"
• Floor Material: 70D Nylon Taffeta, 1800mm
• Body Material: 70D Nylon Rip Stop
• Fly Material: 70D Nylon Taffeta, 1500mm
• Number of Poles: 2
• Poles: DAC Press Fit, 9.0mm

• MSRP: $159 (USD)
  

Here are some photos of my tent:

As you can see, the tent perfectly holds my Aerostich High-Tech cot -- though a taller rider might find that their bag rubs up against the tent walls in the night. I'm only 5'1" and the very bottom of my bag is often damp from condensation when I use the cot (even with the vestibules staked out).

The vestibules are great for my boots and riding gear (I keep my helmet and tankbag inside the tent -- I don't like a wet or buggy helmet in the morning!).

It has a LOT of ventilation for summer camping, which is my preferred time to camp anyway. I don't have a photo of the tent with the fly off but I'll take one the next time I camp.

I also attached a Sierra Designs portable attic (manufacturer pic here) and leave it in the tent at all times. I put my Brunton Glorb LED lantern in the attic at night and can always see the tent from the outside (and can easily maneuver around or read in bed via the light).

The Sirius 2 is really easy to set up due to the clip system of the poles (no sleeves). It takes me about 5 minutes to set up, including lining up the footprint and clicking together the poles.

I pack the footprint and poles/stakes separately from the rest of the tent; the tent itself (including the fly and attic) fit in a Medium sized Granite Gear compressible stuff sack.

The coldest weather I've camped in with this tent so far had an overnight low of 35F. The warmest so far has been an overnight low of 47F.

This tent came highly recommended from Becca, moto-camper extraordinaire, and I have to agree with her assessment. Two thumbs up!