The Flies Have It!

The results of the voice vote were in:  we decided to bug-out one day early and return home from our Palomar Mountain State Park camping trip. The combination of an early summer heat wave and an unusually large bloom of native insects led us to this decision.

At just over 5000 feet elevation, and tucked away in the Doane Valley on the slopes of Mount Palomar, the state park is really quite scenic. There are lots of pine and cedar trees, mixed with very large old oak trees, all of which provide plenty of shade within the campground. The campground is one of the more vertical campgrounds we’ve been to. Most of the campsites are along a steep and winding loop road. We had one of the few sites where you could park a trailer. Even at that, we used all of our leveling blocks in order to get the right side of the trailer elevated enough to center the leveling bubble. Once that was done, we had to add a step stool below the entrance stair so we could get in and out of the trailer. We were within 100 yards of the restrooms and showers, but getting there and back was the equivalent of descending and ascending several flights of stairs.

We knew a heat wave was coming, but we figured it would be cooler up in the mountains. We lucked out and avoided any traffic jams on our way south down the 5 Freeway. When we pulled off at the rest area in Oceanside, the air was almost cold at 68 degrees. Once we got onto eastbound Highway 76, the temperature started to increase a few degrees each mile. It was in the 90’s when we reached the outskirts of Pala.

This is also where we got into a traffic jam. Cal Trans had a flagman working at each end of the road closure on the highway. We waited nearly thirty minutes for our group of eastbound traffic to move through the repair zone. While we were waiting, the flagman came up to our car to explain that his crew was removing rocks and boulders from a landslide zone next to the highway. The workers were actually rappelling down the side of the mountain to excavate and, if necessary, blast away rocks. Once we got through there it was smooth sailing to Rincon Springs, where we made a left turn and headed up San Diego County Road 6 (S6) toward Mount Palomar.

S6 is a steep and twisty road and it gave the Subaru quite a workout climbing up into the mountains. There are great views of the Pauma Valley and surrounding areas as you work your way up the mountain. We expected things to get cooler as we passed the 2000’, 3000’ and 4000’ elevation markers. However, when we got to the entrance to the State Park, the temperature was still in the high 80’s.

The friendly ranger at the entrance wished us a happy stay and with a wry (at least that’s the way I see it in hindsight) smile informed us that, “The flies are really bad this week, there are lots of rattlesnakes off the trails, and by the way we had a mountain lion sighting in the campground just recently.” This really pumped us up.

As I mentioned earlier, the campground is beautiful and we got things set up pretty quickly. We also quickly realized that the flies were, indeed, going to be more than a minor annoyance. While we were setting up camp we talked to a couple of fellow campers who were coming back from a hike. The most notable aspect of their hiking gear was the mosquito netting each of them had draped over their heads. They told us they had learned from last year’s trip that the nets (these are bags with an elastic band that slip over your hat and your head) were a critical piece of equipment for camping in this area. They told us the nets were available at a sporting goods store back in the big city.

It was still early afternoon when we drove back about four miles to a country store we saw earlier. Karen wanted an ice cream sandwich. When we got to the store we found the ice cream and to our great joy and surprise, we found a pair of insect head nets (the store also sold full-body insect net suits, which should tell you all you need to know about insect season at Palomar) which we bought along with a bottle of insect repellent and an anti-itch bite relief stick. We were ready to go up against the bugs.

On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Boucher Hill Fire Lookout Tower. The tower is actually an old army surplus air traffic control tower that was placed there in 1947 to replace the previous structure. The tower is staffed with volunteers who give tours of the tower and who commit to manning the tower for two days each month. As you’d expect, there is a great panoramic view from atop the tower. Inside, it has a distinct 1940’s vibe, helped out by the standard light green paint scheme, the old linoleum flooring, and a vintage range/oven/kitchen sink cabinet. Climbing the stairs to the tower reminded me of James Stewart’s climb up the bell tower in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, ‘Vertigo’.

Back at camp, the sun began to set and we noticed something – the flies were going away. It wasn’t long, however, before we heard a different timbre of buzzing. Instead of flies, it was mosquitoes moving in for their evening feast. So this was how it was to be: flies working the day shift and mosquitoes working the night shift.

The Aliner worked pretty good as a sanctuary from the bugs. We kept the door closed and this kept most of the insects out. Those who made it in were quickly dispatched by the flyswatters Karen and I each had at our sides. We ate most of our meals inside the trailer on this trip. We also learned how to lift our head netting before taking a drink or taking a bite of food. It’s funny how automatic eating and drinking can become and even more funny when you forget to move the net before doing so.

After a very warm first night, Karen got us up early to do some fishing at Doane Pond, which was about a quarter mile from our campsite. The pond is quite picturesque and is located at one end of a pretty alpine meadow. We started fishing at about 7:30AM and the flies were already out in full force. We had more bites from the flies than we did from the fish, so we called it a day after an hour or two. We saw a small family of mule deer in the meadow as we were leaving, and Karen spotted a couple of wild turkeys (the next morning I saw a group of 10 deer grazing in the same meadow).

Since the fish weren’t biting, we decided to jump in the car with a picnic lunch and check out the Palomar Observatory. The observatory, about 12 miles from the campground at the end of a scenic winding road, is operated by Cal Tech and is open to the public during the day. We did not get to go on a guided tour (they’re only given on weekends), but we did get to tour the museum and the observatory and the telescope ante-room. The star of the observatory is the 200 inch Hale Telescope. Until the last 30 years or so, it was the biggest telescope in the world. There’s quite a history to it, including the fact that the mirror construction began in 1936 and was not complete until 1948 (info at the museum says Cal Tech spent 11 years polishing the mirror to get it ready) while the observatory itself only took just over a year to build.   

After a picnic lunch at the observatory, we went back to the camp (stopped by the country store for another ice cream sandwich) and got things ready for dinner. We were adventurous enough to eat dinner outside that night. Thanks to the large and smoky campfire we built, we kept most of the insects at bay while we ate. After a rousing card game of UNO, we retreated to the shelter of the Aliner, swatted a few more bugs and went to sleep dreaming of cool breezes and a net-free existence.

Next trip:  Big Bear Lake in July

El Capitan State Beach - May/June 2017

El Capitan State Beach – May 30 to June 2:  After a couple of weeks back from our big spring trip, we were brimming with confidence as we headed out for our short trip up the coast to camp at El Capitan. We felt pretty lucky to score three nights in a row at a popular beach campground right after the holiday weekend. In the week preceding this trip, we’d picked up a few trailer items we believed would make a big difference in the overall balance and stability of our camping experience. The first thing was a pair of lightweight stabilizer jacks for the front of the trailer. The second was a set of plastic wheel chocks to replace the wooden 4 x 4’s we’d been using. The third was a set of plastic leveling blocks to replace the wooden 1 x 4’s we’d been using. The fourth was a small plastic folding foot stool that Karen could use to rest her feet upon while we were traveling in the car, and to use while sitting around the campground. The fifth thing was a membership in the Camping World/Good Sam Club – looks like we’ll need those discounts.

One of the ways you can really appreciate getting out of town is to go through the experience of actually trying to get out of town. We thought leaving at around noon on a Tuesday would give us a shot at moving through the urban jungle at a reasonable pace. After nearly two hours, and only 63 miles, we finally made the northwestern border of Los Angeles County. It was pretty clear sailing once we got west of Camarillo. When you get a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, you start to feel like you’ve finally made it out into vacation land.

Our campsite at El Capitan was set back among the oak and eucalyptus trees on the bluff above the beach. We had a creek just behind us, along with a huge train trestle towering above it. Each evening at around 6:00PM, a growing chorus of frogs began their nightly songs. This usually lasted until about 10:00PM. Joining these soothing sounds of late spring were the occasional blasts of the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains roaring through the tree canopy behind us. And, when the breeze was blowing in from the southwest, you could hear the waves crashing on the beach. On this stretch of the coast, the beaches face directly south. In the evenings, the sunset was obscured by surrounding mountains along and around Point Conception to the northwest of us.

The campground was surprisingly vacant throughout our stay. However, there were several large family groups, and several large school groups staying at various sites throughout the park. Two of the large family groups happened to be camped directly across from our site. I can’t believe how many kids there were in each of these groups. The energy level at those sites started to build at about 6:30AM each day and never subsided until 9:30PM. I will say (Karen may disagree with me on this) that they were all pretty well behaved, considering the number of them crammed into tents in these sites.

As I mentioned earlier, we began the trip with lots of confidence based upon our belief that we were now seasoned trailer campers. As soon as we got to the campsite, we realized we needed to do some more basic preparation before taking off on our trips. The most basic of these is to make a list of what to bring. We had done this on our previous trips, but we shortchanged the process this time around. We paid for this by forgetting to bring a hat (Karen), binoculars (Steve), a folding camp shovel (Steve), and a grey-water bucket (Steve). These are minor, but irritating, omissions. We had to make a trip back to a Home Depot in Ilsa Vista to get a bucket. During that outing we also got a reminder that following GPS map directions is not always as easy as it seems – at least we got to see more of the UC Santa Barbara/Goleta area.

The stabilizer jacks worked perfectly, giving much needed stability to the front end of the trailer (yes, Karen, you were right again). We also decided to forgo the two-ice-chest method of refrigerating our food on this trip. Instead, we used the small refrigerator in the Aliner. We found that we were able to fit most everything into it and use a single ice chest for incidentals and for car picnics. Since it was the first time we’d used propane to power the refrigerator, we had to go through our usual learning curve. I’m sure anyone watching us would have wondered what we were doing as we both crouched at the side of the trailer peering into the gas pilot inspection port trying to determine if we had successfully lit the pilot burner. A combination of the afternoon sun and our less than optimal eyesight made this a tougher task than it needed to be. After several starts and stops (we never could see the pilot flame) we finally decided to assume it was working. About an hour later things were cooling down on the inside of the fridge and we could feel the soft warmth of the pilot exhaust coming from the outside vent – success!

After our last trip, Karen decided we needed a more modular approach to packing our clothing and other personal items. Our previous hodge-podge of duffel bags, suitcases, totes and plastic bags just wasn’t up to her space organizing standards. So, we got some ‘packing cubes’ and a couple of blanket storage bags from Amazon and managed to get everything we needed (and, more) into the cubes. It freed up lots of space in both the car and the trailer and it made it really easy to keep the clutter from building up in either place (I guess this is where I say, “another great idea Karen!”).

We both agreed that this trip would be one where we’d not be on any daily time schedule. This allowed us to have a leisurely first morning with a big pancake and bacon breakfast. The compact and lightweight cookware set that Alison and Steph got for us has turned out to be a quite versatile and efficient addition to our equipment. We spent the balance of the morning and the rest of the day exploring the campground and the coastline.

The winter storms did some remodeling of the beach. Much of the area at the eastern end of the park was strewn with large cobblestones and driftwood. Some of the

grassy areas on the beach that I remembered from past visits were no longer there. We quickly found out that this part of the coast has lots of tar sitting up on the sand. We brought some back with us in the form of gooey deposits on our shoes and beach towel.  Nevertheless, we spent a relaxing day walking along the tide pools, riding our bikes up on the bluffs and hanging around the campsite.

The next day we went on an auto tour of Highway 1 where it splits from the 101 Freeway and heads west toward Lompoc. It goes through some pretty valleys and farmland on the way to Lompoc. Once you’re in Lompoc, the Santa Ynez River estuary opens up into large areas of farmland. We took a road that goes to a place named Surf, which is a dot on the map at the coast where the road ends. When you get past Lompoc and near the entrance to Vandenberg Airforce base, the road closely follows the Santa Ynez River and ends at an Amtrak train stop. When we got there the morning fog was just beginning to lift and we were the only people there. The tracks run right along the beach and you can see them stretch out into the distance in both directions with nothing but sand dunes and ice plants all around. We couldn’t figure out why there was a train stop in such a remote and desolate location until Karen saw a sign that said you need to call Amtrak ahead of time in order to schedule a stop at Surf. We think this is an accommodation to the military personnel out at the airbase. The beautiful beach was closed, according to posted signs, from March to September by order of the base commander. An old rusty  ammunition bunker in a sand dune adjacent to the train stop was a reminder that we were in the middle of a large military installation.

We headed back toward Lompoc and caught Highway 246 toward Buellton. The road more or less follows the Santa Ynez River up through the Santa Ynez Valley and into Solvang. As we passed through Buellton we saw some of the sights/sites made famous in the movie, Sideways. We stopped in Solvang and took our bikes off the rack, loaded up a picnic lunch and took an easy tour of the town. We had a quiet lunch at Hans Christian Anderson City Park, then we cycled over to the Solvang Brewery for a sampler of the local microbrews.

On the drive back to camp, we stopped at a vista point along Highway 101 to look at an abandoned highway bridge at Arroyo Hondo Creek. This bridge must have been part of the original Highway 1 and it looked like it had been out of use for many years. A sign placard near the bridge explained that Arroyo Hondo Creek was one of the best habitats for the endangered California Steelhead Trout in Santa Barbara County. When Highway 101 was constructed in 1949, this habitat was virtually destroyed. It wasn’t until 2007 that special fish passage culverts were constructed to allow resumption of upstream migration for the fish.

The following day we packed up to go home. We took a roundabout route along Highway 150 through Ojai and then Highway 126 through Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru. This takes you through lots of scenic ranching, farming and agricultural areas. When you reach I-5, you dive right back into the world famous Southern California traffic congestion – and you immediately begin thinking about your next trip out of town.

Next up:  Big Bear, CA in July and (hopefully) Big Bear, WV in August (Ragnar Trail Race with Steph and Stephan)