How To Camp In A Jucy at Yosemite - Part 2

Food, and it's storage b bear country, is critical.  Yes, we saw a HUGE brown  bear and boy was I glad that we wasn't having dinner out if the back if my Jucy!

At night, you'll need to store ALL of you food and smellables in the bear box , including your refrigerated items. We bought a small cooler and ice most days. Repurposing a six pack carrier worked well to easily move condiments back and forth from the van kitchen.   During the day, I used the dry sink to hold all of our picnic supplies. At night, it all went in a bag in the bear box. 

 

My final bear box tip is to put your smellables in an empty firewood box. People often leave them for the next person in the bear box with newspaper fire starter. The box is a goo way to gather your sunscreen, medications, shower items, etc and protects them from exploding food. We brought a 12 pack of pop up to the mountains and one of the seems broke. A minor mess since we had the box to protect our stuff. 

How To Camp In A Jucy at Yosemite - Part 1

Over the past seven days, the kids have counted 26 people or families that have stopped to ask us about the Jucy. Since there is so much interest, I thought we'd write a series of review. 

There are as many ways to camp as there are places to camp. If you are like us, we were a bit nervous about renting a Jucy camper van without seeing one, or even knowing someone who recommended it. Fear not, this is an awesome set-up. With a little advanced planning, you'll have a great family vacation. 

Sleep Warm

Warm campers sleep well all night and wake up happy the next day. The Jucy comes with bedding, but maybe not enough depending on the altitude you'll be staying at. For instance, it's the middle of June, and look at the low, morning temperatures: 

This morning I woke up at 8:00 and it was still cold at 55*.  Two hours later, the temperature had risen 30*, I kid you not, and I needed shorts.  We read someone else's review about the bedding and packed two red blankets that people pack for the plane, and two fleece sleeping bag liners for the kids. We also packed long sleeved pajamas/base layers to sleep in. Nathaniel did pack his summer, mummy sleeping bag because it's light (and he loves it), but I don't think he really needed it. With all the windows closed, we are quite warm and comfortable at 6,000 feet  upstairs, the penthouse stayed warm, too.  If it were earlier in the year, or higher altitude, a knit hat and gloves might be warrented.  

Finally, make sure you park in an area that is level, or with your head up hill. As this photo shows, we have our bed reversed from what the company shows in their photos.  During the day, we simply "jellyroll" everything and put it in the penthouse with the pillows and camp chairs while we are driving. 

Yosemite Or Bust

Our first night in the Jucy, we stayed at a campground called the 49ers. They were so friendly!  When we checked in, they pointed us toward the brat dinner.  No set cost, just a donation.  One gal said they've saved many a marriage with their Friday night cookout.  Later, a cowboy named Cricket entertained folks around the campfire with songs and stories. Everyone loved his original songs.  

The next morning, we walked next door to Columbia State Park. They have a gold mining town replica, and many costumed interpreters. We decide to ride the stage coach, and got robbed!!!  The pulled chicken BBQ and sasperillas were wonderful at the country restaurant, and we bought 5 hard candy sticks for a dollar at their grocery store. The blacksmith and tack shops are a must see, as well as the candle shop where the kids dipped candles for Father's Day. 

Jamestown was our last stop before heading to Yosemite. We missed the last train ride of the day, but saw the famous #3 steam engine ride the roundhouse and be put away for the evening.  This train has been in countless movies and TV shows over the years, and is still being used in films.  The guys really likes looking around at all of the equipment. 

Good Bye San Francisco, Hello Juicy

Before leaving the San Francisco area, we took some iconic photos of Lombard Street in bloom (ahhhhh) and the Golden Gate Bridge from Sterling Park. They were just beautiful!  I still can't get over the grade of the streets. I think my ankles now have muscles. 

Uncle Rob was a jem and drive us to the Juicy rental. Given all the other colorful murals we've seen on the outside of the rental RV's, we're pretty lucky.   We got the full tour of our nearly new van, and she even threw in some partial fuel tanks upon request. We stopped at a bakery outlet about two blocks away, and away we drive toward Yosemite. 

San Francisco with Uncle Rob

Uncle Rob wanted to get out of the house and show us around town. He drive us passed city hall, Twitter and alike, then we went to the Ferry Market. We had a wonderful lunch at their favorite restaurant, Crapevine. The last photos are on top of Twin Towers, where we could see both the Bay Bridge and the Goden Gate Bridge. Look at the tree in the background!

Touchdown San Francisco

E

The iconic things that go had in hand with sanfrancisco are only part of this enormas city. The food should be much higher up on the list. 

Euchre at 10,000 Feet

How to Play Euchre

It was the first commercial flight for our kids, and everyone did well. We even played a little Euchre to pass the 4 1/2 hours. Madeline thought the take off felt like riding a roller coaster. Southwest constantly served us free snacks and drinks; our two checked bags full of camping clothes and gear were free as well. On the way home we'll choose seats away from the wings so we can see more of the United States below. 

 

If you've never played Euchre, it's a game many people in Michigan play.  Want to try it?  Instructables.com had a great tutorial here:  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Play-Euchre/

 

 

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

We have been planning a great adventure to California with the kids for six months. While there are many things to do and see in San Francisco, we are the most excited about visiting with our family, Uncles Rob and Jim.  

The weeks leading up to our departure have been eventful, to say the least. Illness and the passing of loved ones have caused us to pause and reflect as our prayer list grew and grew.  In our own home, we've had the stress of an ill dog who has needed not one, but two surgeries this month.  While the timing was awful, our Lacey dog had surgery yesterday and we picked her up from the hospital on the way to my mom and dad's home. She will recover there while we are away, so we spent time going over the home care with mom and getting the dog all tucked in, as Kim would say. I don't know what we would do without our four, wonderful parents!

As I was typing this post, my husband called his father to see how he's feeling.  Mike learned that his witty and wonderful Uncle Jim, who has been chronically ill for some time, had passed away. Unbelievable. What a difference one day can make. We'll think of Jim tomorrow, as we fly west to catch the sunrise, and be thankful that we can be near Uncle Rob during this difficult time. Jim was a joy to talk to; he will be deeply missed. 

Oatmeal Travel Packets

I grew up on my mom's oatmeal.  She believed in a hot breakfast every morning.  Whether or not I was awake enough to eat it before school was another matter altogether.  I'll admit that I usually have a piece of peanut butter toast and coffee at home, but when I'm camping I LOVE to eat oatmeal.  Something hot in your stomach feels wonderful in the morning, and all you need is hot water to make it.  I cheat when we have our camper by running water through the coffee machine and using that to make the oatmeal before I brew my coffee.  It's easy, and it works! 

The individual packages of flavored oatmeal from the store are too small for my teens.  Even I add regular oatmeal to the package stuff when I'm at home.  When I am packing up my pantry for camping, here is my recipe for oatmeal.

Creamy Homemade Fruit Oatmeal Packets
1-cup quick cooking oatmeal
3 tablespoons powered coffee creamer
2 tablespoons dried fruit or (2 tablespoon fruit preserves)
2-3 teaspoons confectioners sugar - more or less to taste

Optional: Add a little cinnamon, pumpkin spice, salt or brown sugar

Directions for Each Oatmeal Packet:
Place 1/2 cup of the oats in a blender and grind until powdery. Then place in freezer zip-lock bag along with all of the other ingredients.

 

To Make: Open the bag and pour 1/2 cup into a bowl.  Add 1/2-cup boiling water, mush and wait.  If you like thick oatmeal, use less water and if you like thinner oatmeal use more water.

Instant Oatmeal Travel Packets 

3 cups Quick-Cooking Oats

1 teaspoon Salt

Small sized Zip Baggies

Put 1/2 cup oats in a blender and blend on high until powdery. Set aside in a small bowl, and repeat procedure with an additional 1/2 cup oats. If you're using a food processor, you can do the 1 cup of oats in one batch. Put the following ingredients into each zip baggie: 1/4 cup un-powdered oats, 2 Tbsp. powdered oats, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Store in an airtight container.

To serve: Empty one travel packet into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. For thicker oatmeal, use less water - for thinner oatmeal, use more water.

Variations:

Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.

Sweetened Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar or 1 packet 'Equal' artificial sweetener.
Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Oatmeal - To each packet add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Oatmeal w/Raisins & Brown Sugar - To each packet add 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisins.
Health Nut Oatmeal - To each packet add 2 Tbsp. any kind of wheat germ
Fruit & Cream Oatmeal - To each packet add 1 Tbsp. non-dairy coffee creamer and 2 Tbsp. dried fruit
Fun Fruit Oatmeal - To each packet, add 6 or 7 pieces of 'fruit snack' type dehydrated fruit.
Confetti Oatmeal - To each packet, add 1 tsp. decorative cake/cookie sprinkles.
S'More Oatmeal - add 6 miniature marshmallows and 1 Tbsp. Milk Chocolate Chips to each packet.
Cookies n Cream Oatmeal - add 1 crushed Oreo cookie and 1 Tbsp. non-dairy coffee creamer to each packet.
Exploding Oatmeal - add 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. 'Pop Rocks' candy to each packet. This one is fun for celebration days, such as birthdays.
Bart-man Oatmeal - add 2 Tbsp. 'Butterfinger B.B's' candies to each packet.

We especially like raisins, chocolate chips and dried apples in our mix. I'll add some other flavor combinations below.   Enjoy!

Tripadvisor Hotel Bookings

 

Hello, again.  My life has wandered through many holidays and mountains of snow since my last post.  Today I'm planning our summer camping adventure to California.  For those of you who mix up the hotels and camping experiences, I've just read an article that I'd like to share. 

If you'd like to know how to find a clean hotel that doesn't break the bank, read this article from About.com: http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/calodging/a/we_choose_hotel.htm.
These travel writers taught me how to use the website www.tripadvosor.com. 

Here is my take-away:

1. Google your hotel and find the tripadvisor.com source for the hotel.
2. The first line will show:
3. The number of circles filled in - you want 3 1/2 or more. 
4. The number of reviews - you want more than 30 reviews for the   above circles to be reliable.
5. The average price indicated by the number of $ signs.
6. Look for the ratings on this preview: 23 out of 108 (hotels in this city).  The lower the number, the better.
7. If all of the above information make you feel pretty good about this hotel, click on the link and look at both the cleanliness and value ratings.

I'm feeling much more confident about booking a hotel for a couple of days in San Francisco before we rent a camper and head out to Yosemite National Park for a week!

Enjoy, Tammy