Photographing Outdoor Family Memories

I am not a photographer. I am reminded of this fact every time I download my camera, after a weekend of camping. If I’m lucky, there might be twenty pictures that are really good, out of the 150-plus pictures that I take. Yes, brute force can be a strategy for those of us who have come to grips with our photographic limitations! Here are a few tips that will help you make the most of your photographic opportunities. Continue reading →

Finding Family Friendly Campgrounds

There is nothing worse than arriving at your campsite on a Friday evening, only to discover that you are stuck with a group of wild partiers next door, all weekend long. Fortunately, most campgrounds are very family-friendly places, but to minimize your chance of ending-up at a stinker, here are some things to watch for…and watch out for. Continue reading →

15-Minute Camping Meals

One of the things I really like about family camping is cooking. I don’t get to cook many meals during the week, so when we are camping, I like to make up for that by getting creative with our camping meals. Getting creative doesn’t mean spending a lot of time on meal preparation, though. Here are some great camping recipes that don’t take a lot of time to prepare. Continue reading →

BYOTP to California State Parks

In California, we have managed to save our state parks from the budget-axe, but the LA Times reported this week that our budget crisis is about to hit campers in a different way – the restroom. Your parents probably always told you that it is important to pay your bills, but evidently that lesson did not sink-in with the California legislators, who have failed to pay the bill on the state’s credit card resulting in its cancellation by the bank. I don’t know what all the state uses the credit cards to buy, but evidently one thing they use them for is to buy toilet paper and cleaning supplies for the state’s campgrounds. Continue reading →

Quick Takes