L.L. Bean Sale This Weekend – Sept 14-16 – Plus $10 Gift Card Through Oct 1

I L.L. Bean Boothappened to stumble upon this earlier today. LL Bean, a popular camping and outdoors supply company, has a 20% off all camping and hiking gear, footwear, and apparel this weekend, September 14-16, on top of a deal offering a $10 gift card for a $50 purchase which is going on now through October 1. L.L. Bean is well-known for its quality gear, satisfaction guarantee, and of course its famous American-made boots.

L.L. Bean is celebrating it’s 100th anniversary this year, and this may be related to that. Or it could be trying to boost sales during that slow time of the year between the summer camping peak season and Christmas and holiday shopping. Anyway, who needs a reason – if you’re looking to stock up on quality camping and hiking gear, check out their sale. The 20% off is all over at 11:59 PM Sunday. So get ready for fall camping and hiking, or get a jump start on that holiday buying.

Solar Eclipse Tomorrow, May 20th.

What the Eclipse tomorrow will look like for many people

I can’t believe it’s been almost 18 years since the last solar eclipse was visible in the U.S. but as I think about it, I was in school playing with index cards with pinholes in them – and sneaking a peak at the sun because I didn’t really believe it would cause blindness. (I turned out OK, but I should also not recommend trusting your eyes to the judgement of a then young kid.) Continue reading →

Changes to CampingBlogger

Frequent readers may have noticed fewer postings on CampingBlogger recently (which will change in the coming weeks, so don’t worry about rare posting in the future). CampingBlogger has a new editor, Eric Ridenour. After running this site for several years, Roy has decided to pass the site on. I hope to continue this site in his spirit, offering camping news, tips, reviews, and plenty of guest posts. I look forward to sharing my travels, tips and experiences with you. Continue reading →

Camping at El Capitan State Beach

El Capitan State Beach is located just north of Santa Barbara on the California coast.

This is a guest post by Thomas Neton. If you would like to guest post on CampingBlogger, please see the guest posting page for more information.

My son and I camp regularly. He’s a Boy Scout, so he’s a big help setting up our site and camping equipment . One of our favorite spots is El Capitan state beach, just north of Santa Barbara on the California coast. Continue reading →

Quick Takes

This camper doesn’t rough it when it comes to meals

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When he goes camping today, he looks more like a master chef than someone who just is searching for a quick and easy meal.

Love this story – looks like I need to get more dutch ovens!

When he goes camping today, he looks more like a master chef than someone who just is searching for a quick and easy meal. He often brings three sizes of Dutch ovens, a cutting board, an assortment of meat, vegetables and fruits, various canned and boxed mixes, and plenty of charcoal.
— The Kansas City Star

Henry Coe Park to remain open

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Henry W. Coe State Park, a sprawling expanse of oak trees and rolling green grasslands on Silicon Valley's southern edges, will not close after all.

I hope you will indulge me this one bit of hyper-local news. Henry Coe is a great (and huge!) state park, here in the Bay Area, and it happens to be right outside our front door.

Henry W. Coe State Park, a sprawling expanse of oak trees and rolling green grasslands on Silicon Valley’s southern edges, will not close after all. The 87,000-acre park east of Morgan Hill was included by Gov. Jerry Brown on a list of 70 state parks slated to close next July as a way to help balance the state budget. But on Friday, state parks officials confirmed an agreement had been reached with a nonprofit group to keep the park open for at least three more years.
— Mercury News

Washington’s Discover Pass Blamed for Drop in State Park Visitors

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Sacajawea State Park in Pasco saw a 50 percent drop in visitors in the first month the state began requiring the new Discover Pass

Sacajawea State Park in Pasco saw a 50 percent drop in visitors in the first month the state began requiring the new Discover Pass. Park Ranger Reade Obern said he has had numerous conversations with park users about the pass. Some people are angry about it until they realize state parks no longer are supported by taxpayers, he said.
— Tri-City Herald

Yellowstone visit a treat

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People planning to visit Yellowstone before winter should include the Canyon Visitor Education Center on their itinerary

People planning to visit Yellowstone National Park before winter, or who are considering a trip next year, should include the Canyon Visitor Education Center on their itinerary. My family and I visited the center for the first time recently, and it is a worthwhile stop.
— The Modesto Bee