Well, when we saw last weekend was empty we thought, "why not fill it with a mini camping trip?!". We looked at a couple campgrounds and found a site that was still available for Friday night so added it to the schedule.
I had never been to Idyllwild before and Ryan has only been once when he was there to hike San Jacinto Peak a few weeks back. We thought it would be a perfect little getaway, minus the fact that we are in a mini heat wave and they were expecting temperatures in the triple digits out in the desert.
Once Ryan got home from work on Friday and we got all packed up (we had everything but the cooler and a few last minute items packed the night before), we hit the road. The drive was only about two hours and we pulled into Idyllwild Park around 5:30pm. (At that point it was still about 95*, but thankfully our site was in the shade which legit made it feel at least 15 or 20 degrees cooler).
 |
| You can see the hubby thru the back window putting the cooler in the cab so we can hit the road! |
Since this wasn't our first rodeo, we have the majority of our camping down to a science. I started putting together the beds in the back of the Adventure Mobile and Ryan started getting the food ready (I guess running 18 miles in the morning had caught up to my stomach because it was growling like a mountain lion... wait, do mountain lions growl?!).
 |
| Walt has it MADE! We even bring a separate chair for his bed! |
 |
| And one of his favorite places is in the hammock! |
Ryan loves our Hobo Tacos (taco fixings in a Doritos bag) so since we were only doing one dinner on the trip he adimately voted for those. We grabbed a couple of the single serving bags from the grocery store and brought the rest of the mixings with us (which also worked well since we were planning on breakfast burritos in the morning).
 |
| "Burger" crumble, red onions, avocado, cheese, salsa and crushed up Cool Ranch Doritos ;) |
Little did I know that our camping trip was going to turn into a climbing adventure, but hey, happy hubby, happy life (oh wait, that isn't the saying, is it?!). There were quite a few boulders near our site and what a surprise, the hubby had already done some research, so after we finished our dinner we made our way over so he could get his climb on.
 |
| He climbs and I tame the wiener dog (and try to snap a couple pictures) |
Due to our late start and the sun starting to set, hubby only got to climb for about an hour or so, but it seemed to be about perfect (not to mention the pup was pretty bored and was ready to do a little exploring).
 |
| Once the hubby gets on the boulder, Walt claims Ryan's climbing pad as his own little bed... Thankfully Ryan hasn't fallen on Walt... yet... |
Even though the temps were high, when the sun went down it started to cool off nicely. I had called the campgrounds the day before to make sure they were still allowing fires (with the drought and high heat sometimes they will restrict them) because I wanted my s'mores! Legit, I was telling myself during that morning's humid 18 mile run "earn your s'mores, earn your s'mores".
 |
| Reese's in your s'mores are GAME CHANGERS! It's the ONLY WAY to s'more! |
After hanging out by the fire for a while we called it a night because we knew we wanted to get a little hiking in the following morning before the heat got too bad.
 |
| Walt definitely has a rough life... Making himself comfortable wherever he is! |
Saturday morning we woke up and got our breakfast burritos going. They were delish, as always, and a great way to fuel up for our Summit hike. And, yes, just in case you were planning on judging me, we pack extra Taco Bell sauces that we've "acquired" for camp trips, so judge away ;)
 |
| The hubs loves to man the stove while we are camping |
 |
| Egg substitute, potato, soy sausage, red onion and cheese in a tortilla |
The campground had a ton of hiking trails nearby (and most of them were doggy friendly), which was awesome. We decided to tackle the Summit Loop. The trail was just over two miles (which we thought was perfect for Walt and the heat). There is a bit of elevation gain (like 1,000 feet in the first mile), but the views make it oh so worth it.
 |
| It sort of felt a little Dr. Seussical ;) |
 |
| If you don't selfie, it didn't happen, right?! |
 |
| A panoramic view from the summit |
 |
| Which way do we go? |
 |
| We make sure to bring just as much water for the pup as we do for us! Gotta keep that wiener hydrated! |
By the time we got back to our campsite it was really heating up so we packed up and decided to drive around. The hubby wanted to check out Boulder Basin on Black Mountain, so off we went. Although the campground was about 10 miles from where we were, the majority of the roads were dirt trails and two-track roads so it took a good 45 minutes or so. It definitely makes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, but I think I would pass until the heat breaks.
 |
| It was a bumpy ride for sure! |
After our offroading adventure we decided to drive back into town and check everything out. The area is totally puppy friendly, I mean, for goodness' sakes, the mayor of Idyllwild is a dog... Yep, you read that right - Max the Mayor! And WE EVEN GOT TO MEET HIM!
 |
| We were coming out of one of the stores and I saw this Jeep out on the street! I told Ryan that we HAD TO go meet him ;) |
 |
| I'm just gonna say it... It was a little scandalous that the mayor wanted to lick our wiener... |
We grabbed a quick lunch and decided it was time to hit the road. We were back to our house by about 2:30pm so all-in-all we were gone for less than 24 hours. It was an awesome getaway and is crazy to think that you are still in Riverside County because it feels like you are somewhere so much further.
 |
| A boy and his dog, waiting for their lunch |
Do you do mini getaways or would you prefer longer vacations?
No comments:
Post a Comment