Yosemite National Park

We visited Yosemite National Park in August 2009. This was our first trip, not to be our last. Breathtaking views, lush forest, cold refreshing river, friendly people. What more could you ask for?

Vernal Falls

Pool @ Vernal Falls

Tunnel View

~Happy RV

Morro Bay State Park

Morro Bay State Park. Put this one on your list!

~Happy RV

MacKerricher State Park

MacKerricher State Park is in Fort Bragg, CA. We've explored Fort Bragg briefly in years past when we took the Skunk Train from Willits all the way to the coast. If you have little train enthusiasts in your family, even big ones, you must ride the Skunk Train! Summer of 2008 we spent more time here. Our trip to Fort Bragg started at the Willits KOA. This KOA deserves a whole post of it's own. Willits is a great little city and we have stayed at this KOA consistently since we first discovered it back in 1995.

~Happy RV

Trinidad California

Our first trip to Trinidad was in the summer of 1997. I wrote in our scrapbook that we had found paradise. It was love at first sight. We stayed at Midway RV park. The RV park was nice and clean but really not our cup of tea. More like a cement campground with RV's stacked nicely next to each other. We were new to the area and didn't know that just up the road was Patrick's Point State Park. After we discovered Patrick's Point we have always made that our base camp to explore the wonderful little town that is Trinidad. Moonstone Beach was and is my favorite beach to explore. On one extremely foggy day we were walking along the beach and barely able to see a few feet in front of us. Slowly the fog moved away and we saw the most incredible sight we have ever seen. Hundreds of sand dollars covering the sand. We don't see sand dollars in So. California. It was amazing!

Trinidad Lighthouse

This is one of the trails to the beach. We had no idea what to expect at the end of it. Beautiful foliage engulfs the trails. When the trail ends you are met with the ocean and endless beaches. We spent the day building sandcastles and running in and out of the water. A short walk down the sand and we discovered a beach where clothing was apparently optional.
Another new experience for us.

Moonstone Beach



Luffenholtz Beach

~Happy RV

Patrick's Point State Park, CA

Patrick's Point State Park is one of California's most beautiful parks and a must see and stay for any coast lover. Not only can you spend a few days hiking within the park and combing the beaches, the surrounding area is just as beautiful with the city of Trinidad and Trinidad State Beach. We put this area of Northern California on our summer vacation list just about every other year. Highligts of the Park:

Palmer's Point

Wedding Rock

Trail to Agate Beach

Mussel Rock

~Happy RV

Santa Cruz

Continuing on our trip we hugged the coast and headed back south from Natural Bridges State Park. Here are some other places we stopped and enjoyed the coastal views.

Walton Lighthouse

We thought this was a shipwreck! Thanks to the internet we found out this is not a wreck. This boat is docked at Seacliff State Beach. Click on that link to find out why it's there. Beware! When you get close to the boat it is smelly. The birds have made it their home and you can smell it on approach.

In years past we've camped in Henry Cowell State Park which is another great place to stay and explore Santa Cruz. Roaring Camp Railroad is fun for the kids. You can ride the train from up in the Redwoods down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Then enjoy a nice summer day at the Boardwalk. Way better than Disneyland in my opinion! Felton is a cute little town to explore. On Highway 9 you can access the other side of Henry Cowell and see their Visitor Center and Nature Store. You can also take Hwy 9 into Big Basin! We'll post pictures of our past Big Basin trip. If you love the Redwoods, this is another great place south of San Fransico to see them.

Natural Bridges State Park

Natural Bridges State Park

We spent less than an hour here but definitely worth going back. The coastline is beautiful with the rock formations and tide pools. There is a lagoon near by. I'd like to go when the Monarch Butterflies are making their home in the Eucalyptus Grove.

New Brighton State Park

We arrived in New Brighton State Park on 4/5/09 and planned to stay 4 nights. This is our first time staying here. We've dreamed about camping here but couldn't ever get a reservation. There are nine sites called Premium sites. When you see them in person you'll know why they are Premium. They have a beautiful view of the ocean. One or two being the best but any of them would be great to stay in. There are also about 10 or 11 sites with water and electrical. We had a really large beautiful site. Site #106. Our neighbors were quite a distance from us and we were surrounded by grass Eucalyptus and Pine Trees. This park is spectacular. The ocean and bluff views are phenomenal. While the beach is quite a distance down the hill from the top of the campground, it is not too difficult to walk up and down. We've been on more steep terrain. There are built in steps that make it easier. The weather was warm and sunny the first two days. Rainy the next and then a mix of both to round out the rest of the trip.

Here are some pictures from the campground.
Later we'll show you the rest of the trip.

And lastly, this is a good idea. I've tent camped for years with my kids and using the public restroom isn't one of the highlights of the trip. These campers got smart and you can just barely make it out but they took their potty and put it in a tent behind their pop-up trailer.

Next-Natural Bridges State Park!

~Happy RV

Hello!

We've been vacationing in an RV since 1992 and have seen some beautiful places. As well as places I hope to never return. We've had magical experiences on the road and we've had nightmare trips that I still can't talk about today. We pulled our airstream from California to Minnesota twice. The first trip we actually pulled it with our 1963 GMC Carry-all with a stick shift and steel drum brakes! The next time we went to Minnesota we had upgraded the GMC to automatic transmission. Since then we have kept closer to the coast. We now travel in a 1998 Tioga. We are in love with the coast. When we first started out traveling across country I felt more comfortable in KOA's. Easy to find and since we had little ones, KOA's offered some conveniences and most of them had swimming pools, play equipment, arcades etc... When our trips were mostly in California and Oregon we graduated to the State Park system and haven't looked back. We rarely go to private campgrounds. They tend to be a lot more expensive then we are willing to pay. We have found California State Parks as well as Oregon to be wonderful places to stay. There is so much to say about State Parks!!

~Happy Traveling from Happy RV!