Child Goes on 2009 Camping Trial Run

Last year I published an article about the camping trial run. And again stuck to my own advice for 2009 as we embarked on our trial run. This year close to home...down on the property of our friend's on the South Fork of the American River.

We spent the entire week prior with the tent trailer popped open in the driveway...cleaning the water lines and tanks, charging batteries, and general loading and restocking. We felt very confidant as we rolled away on Saturday afternoon to camp two of the three nights of the long Memorial Day weekend within 1 hour of the house.

We rolled into camp abut 6:30PM...and thank goodness for the group's dinner arrangements, which I loved and are transitioning into my camping trips. Everyone fixes their entree/meat for themselves and then brings a side to share. So while the guys straightened, leveled, and parked the trailer and used random boards to keep our stabilizers from sinking into the sand I got the kids fed from everyone else's good cooking.

We quickly added a few things to our to do list at the beginnig of the season when our definitely charged battery yielded no juice to the trailer...get some contact cleaner because our battery contacts were corroded enough we got no flow. With some light brushing we got it working and our friends who also own a pop-up got lessons of what to do when your water pump goes out and spent the weekend tinkering away on that.

As far as key learnings from packing. We do now have a list saved off in Word that we can print out everytime for the standard items and check-off to ensure they are loaded/stocked. I will ensure to post this list in the coming days as I need to amend it for some obvious ommisions.

We forgot the kids' nightlight and I am a firm believer in routine. I think kids can sleep about anywhere if you have a routine and try to replicate whereveer your travels take you. Well, forgetting the nightlight was a huge ommision in replication and we had to hang out with them until they were well into ZZZ-Land. The nightlight we use at home and travels is more eco-friendly with rechargable batteries...a TykeLight.

We thought we were doing good by having our first aid kit...and I even packed aspirin for the post vino-invibation, but we had no meds for the kids. I didn't panic though as again we were on the trial run...close to home when my son starting running his fever and his digestional tract hit the skids. And luckily our partners in camping remembered their's and additional buy to my list from here on out...Children's Tums. After all the samores and other camping staples do tend to play tricks on the munchkin tummy.

Otherwise we had a great time. The kids enjoyed a tree swing, waving to all the passer-by rafters & kayakers, and painting rocks (not a state or national park, so we can take more than a picture). So with a few minor adjustments and we will be ready to hit the trails at least 3 more times this summer:

> Calaveras Big Trees State Park

> Camp Richardson

> Sly Park Recreational Area

Other Camping Related Posts:

> Child on the Go: Camping Trial Runs

> Camping: Trial Run Complete & ...

> Camping in Calaveras

> Children on the Go in Wine Country

> Camping: Where it All Began and How to Begin

> Camping off the Ground...The Tent Trailer

> Spring Time - Time for Child to think about Camping

...Until next week...get your Child on the Go this weekend!

Home of Larry Bird and much more....

French Lick, Indiana...many people know it for it's having been the home to NBA great Larry Bird. Or folks who even are history buffs remember it's hey days in the early 20th century attracting celebrities and mobsters alike, including Irving Berlin and Al Capone. It also is located about 30minutes from my husband's hometown and we have been keeping a close eye on it the last several years as it attempts to rebuild itself and regain some it's glory from the days past.

This small town of just over 2000 people has been pouring a lot of time and energy into restoring two of it's iconic buildings...French Lick Resort and West Baden Springs. Both share massive pieces of history in their own rite...French Lick being the place FDR launched his candidacy for President and West Baden being the largest free-spanning dome until 1913. Both have feasts of fun for any adult from world-class golf courses, spas, restaurants, shows, etc..

But this blog is all about the kids, so we have been keeping our eyes and ears open to see how they would accommodate our littlest traveling companions. At the two resorts there is a "Just for Kids" club open daily for free play for a nominal fee. Additional fees will get you all kinds of extra organized activities including cooking, dude ranch, zoo, musical parties, etc.. The family can also play together at the arcade, bowling alley, or pools or take a ride at the stables. All of these are located right within the two resorts which you can move back and forth between via a free shuttle service or the many walking paths. We visited at the holidays and the decor was jaw-dropping.

Outside the compounds of the resorts the town is adding additional fun. Big Splash Adventure Waterpark just opened in March. This is one thing that has caught on in the Midwest that I think is great as our waterparks still sit empty here in Northern California awaiting opening days at the end of May.....Indoor Waterparks. Even though medium in size it is the largest with a retractable roof as of it's opening in March. Lazy rivers, slides, toddler pools...it has it all. Day lockers, locker rooms, towels...you just bring your suit and have fun. It had fun for all ages...my 2yo enjoyed all the levers turning water on and off, my 4yo enjoyed the slides aimed at her age group, and Daddy and I even took to the slides aimed at the big kids...or big kids at heart. And we must admit they very much got our pulse a pounding. In addition there is on site arcade and restaurants. We booked in advance as we were not staying here and there are limited amounts of day passes, but it is limitless for you if you book one of the adjacent hotels 150 rooms.

If you have a Thomas the Train lover in your family (our 2yo boy is an addict) then a trip to the Indiana Railway Museum located in town should be on your list. The museum is free and there is a nominal fee for the 2hr 20mile ride through scenic Orange County. A special note...the museum is open year round, but the train rides do not go out December through March.

We're very excited to return many more times in the future as they are adding a indoor go kart track and a Amish Restaurant. Also right down the road is Patoka Lake for the kids to enjoy some angling with their Papa. So if in Indiana or even Northern Kentucky I would highly advise a day or two stop-over in this re-polished gem in Orange County that has something for everyone.

Time "flies" when you're having fun!

Wow, I thought I was taking a two week hiatus from the blog and it's been a month. But I must say it has all been in the vein of the fun that comes from converting from winter "go"ing to spring "go"ing.

The end of April had us enjoying some major spring time skiing and the Easter holiday on the slopes. Nearly all ski resorts in Tahoe host some Easter festivities...from your standard egg hunts to Alpine Meadow's beacon hunt. After reviewing several resorts' activities we decided to stay at our home resort, Alpine Meadows, and participate in their activities. In addition to the beacon egg hunt, there was an all-mountain hunt, 2 hunts at the children's ski zone for the little munchkins, and then another on Hot Wheels for the slightly older kids. Two bunnies provided lots of hugs and treats...you traditional cute furry one and your rail jamming shred head bunny. All of this happened before the nap-time...aka melt-down time of early afternoon.



With Easter behind us and the snow starting to melt away with the warm spring temps our last weekend of our ski lease had us itching for one last round of fun in the snow. We joined several snowmobile-owning friends up SR431 .We parked alongside the road and placed several lawn chairs at what would be the end of the kids' sledding run. We parked the cars tight enough on the roadside the kids were well protected from the traffic and easily supervised while waiting their turn by 1 adult. And the adults had easy access to the snowmobiles. Everyone had a blast and I enjoyed putting off the packing and cleaning required to move out of our ski lease.


Alas that evening over a few margaritas our ski lease was clean and we were ready to roll out. Until next season. The nice thing about most owners/agents if you were a good tenant you get first dibs at the same place next season if you meet an early deadline, June 1, and a small deposit, generally a couple of hundred bucks. After the June 1 deadline you still have some preferred customer status by having that agency's properties only available to you and their other existing tenants, but generally if you haven't made a decision by July 1...everything still available becomes fair game for the general public. So even though the season just ended you have to start thinking about next season.

With our decision made it was now time to fly!...literally. We headed out early one AM for the heartland of Kentuckiana and our purpose, The Kentucky Derby. We prefer early AM flights because getting the munchkins up early, say 3 hours before their normal waking hour, forces them on to the new time zone. With every flight we are constantly making notes about what worked and what didn't. Here's this trip's list:
+ Sony's Children Headphones (Model#MDR-222KD): At $15 were a great buy. After several flights of our children struggling with ear bugs or adult-size headphones we ordered these. Comes in Black and Pink for your princesses. Perfect!
+ Crayola Beginnings Washable Triangular Crayons 16ct (SKU#52-016T): OK, at nearly $5.50 for a pack you may think forget it. BUT, the fact that I still have the entire pack after a flight and they are not scattered in the 20rows behind me after they rolled off my child's tray is worth every penny. Oh yeah...the triangular shape is also good for their hand-writing instrument coordination.
-/+ United Airlines On-line Baggage Check: You should not check your bags in on-line if you plan to check a car seat. Car seats are free, but must be checked in at the airport. So when I thought I was doing a good things by paying for and checking or non-car seat bag from home...it caused a delay at the airport by having to add the car seat after the fact. Next time, still check-in on-line, but do the bag/car seat portion at the airport kiosk
+ United Airlines Car Seat Policy: Car seats are free when it comes to checked baggage. Unfortunately Unites does charge...even for the first "other" checked bag at $15. So...our family of 4 crammed into one large duffel bag (see article), but to ensure we were not overweight...we crammed our extra shoes and jackets into the car seat bag. So $30 round trip for our checked bags and easily 60+lbs plus car seat.
- United Airlines Gate Check: Double and triple check what the gate agent puts on your gate check tag where you want to pick up your item...final destination or perhaps a connection. I remember remarking to the agent we would need to stroller in O'Hare our connection. We waited and waited at O'Hare...the stroller never showed. The first class steward apologized profusely and I jokingly said he could make it up by helping us with 3 backpacks, 1 2year old, 1 4 year old, and a car seat who had 30min to switch terminals and make our next flight. In the end after some running we made it on our next flight with 5min to spare and the stroller made it to our final destination...about 6 hours after us.
+ United Airlines 1st Class Stewards: Remember the steward above did actually take the time to wait with my husband, check with baggage personnel, and apologized. On our return flight we thought we were in trouble when a first class stewardess came walking through the plane with a ship's manifest, but we failed to see in her other hand was fresh baked cookies for all the kids' on board, whether in first class or us in our cheap seats in coach. Score round 2 for the first class personnel.

So with these tips and tricks from our latest flight to add to our others:
> Packing to Avoid Fees
> Lap Child, Car Seat, Seat Belt...Oh My
> Check the Seat Pocket in Front of You....AUGHH!
> I hated the back of planes...Before Kids
...we were ready for a fun filled trip to Kentuckiana, including parades, fishing, KY Derby, and a massive indoor waterpark...and next week's article.

Spring Ski Conditions is Good GO Time!

Short and sweet it will be this week. I have lots of things in the hopper or jumbling around in my brain, but as we are slowly approaching the transition period...end of ski season beginning of the warm weather activities I will keep this week's short and sweet. Plus this Easter Bunny is in the middle of packing the SUV because "of course kids the Easter Bunny knows we will be at Tahoe."

(Photo: Beautiful Morning, Homewood)

Spring ski conditions is a wonderful time to get the child on the go for the 1st time on skis. The days are generally nice & sunny or "Bluebird" as we like to call them. The winter winds have calmed and the snow by mid-late morning is nice and soft...even becoming sticky and slow, therefore making it a bit easier to stop using that pizza, wedge, triangle or whatever lingo you use for it. It seems that spring is when all the elements align for your child to have a good day on the slopes.

Just because the temps are above freezing and the sun is out ensure still to dress your child appropriately and lather on the sunscreen. The sun bouncing off the "diamonds in the snow" as my 4yo calls them can lead to a very fast and very bad sunburn.

(Photo: Ice Bar, Alpine Meadows, CA)

And with spring generally comes lots of slopeside activities to give your child the full ski day experience. There are competitions, outdoor concerts, festivals, barbecues, etc.. Lots of things to keep your child in awe of the snow-capped mountains ambiance and the aire of fun and camaraderie alpine sports bring when their little legs are wearing out. And for Apres or after hours late in the season you will find incredible deals on lodging + lift either by cruising the Internet or calling the resort's central reservations number.

(Photo: Bungee-Trampoline, Squaw Valley)

(Photo: KT22 Sundeck, Squaw Valley)

Also with spring comes season end sales. So if you think your munchkin and you are going to leap into this sport now is a good time to hit the sales and buy things for next season. Discounts can be 50% or more. We just picked up my daughter her first pair of poles at 50% off, but we got them a couple of cm too long in case she grows over the summer and we will just cut them appropriately at the beginning of next season. But you have to move fast...size, styles, etc are very limited.

(Photo: Genetian Cafe, Adaptive Ski School, Alpine Meadows)

So with the ski season end looming larger, especially this year with the obvious pain of the economy impacting the alpine industry, get your child our their for either their first or final go on the slopes!

Child Gets Intro to Go by Run

In the late 1990's when the tech companies were booming I got to travel a lot on an expense account. In fact 1999 is the year I not so proudly claim I ate my way around the world. After Europe, the Middle East, and Far East I had ballooned to nearly 190lbs. I'd like to think I carried it well...all be it a brick house, but it was a New Year's Eve photo that year that spoke the truth in volumes. Turns out I wound up being one of those rare people who take on the New Years Eve resolution to lose weight and did it.

I spent 2000 on a very popular group diet plan and in a gym with a personal trainer. But one part of the regimen there was no getting around was (drumroll please.....) CARDIO. Now I have always been athletic...skiing, basketball, etc.. But I noticed most of my cardio I got in sports were short bursts until a whistle blew or I reached the bottom of the mountain. If I really wanted to lose it...I would have to RUN.

I started out where I was comfortable....doing intervals...fast...slow, then fast...medium....until I was fast all the time. By the end I was running sub 8 minute miles and had lost 60lbs. The summer of 2001 I even started running competitive races...and to my surprise finishing very well. Then in 2004 came the breaks...that would be pregnancy breaks. I actually ran well into my pregnancy. But after the child it was harder and harder to re-establish a routine. Then add a second child in '06...and it was really tough.

But last week when there was a warm afternoon and I took my kids for a walk on our private road and my daughter announced..."I love to run!..." and took off and before I knew it had run over a good quarter mile and was yelling at me to "Move it!" I knew it was time. Time for me to restart the run. Not only for me, but for my kids and to show them what healthy living is about.

So with spring also begins the myriad of running events available. You can find most of them listed at Active.Com And some really neat points to running is you get to go some really cool places to do it. So to get back in the groove April 1 registration opened for the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay which will be held November 15. We have entered it with 2 other sets of parents. Not only is it in an amazing location with tons of things to do before and after the race...the Aquarium will take us the full day before for sure, but this event also includes a Kids Race.

Most kids races start at age 5. Some are timed...this one happens not to be and generally these are called "fun runs." It is generally the day before or before/after the main event race so a parent can participate with the child. Of course your child should be in good physical health to participate in any sports activity. But what a great way to introduce your child to new places and good health by going by running.

Spring-Time for Child to Think about Camping

I know it's crazy isn't it.  My daughter's locals ski program just ended and we just got a storm last weekend that dumped nearly 4 feet at the Summit of Alpine Meadows that had us skiing powder all day Sunday, but we just hit the panic button.  Spring sprung on us last Friday and with the snowflakes we barely even noticed.  Except on Saturday evening when we all gathered around the table for some serious carbo-loading to ensure energy for the next days pow and summer planning.

We pulled out our calendars of choice...digital or old-school paper and started plotting out our camping weekends.  See actually we are LATE!  Late you say...  YES!  So now we are hitting full tilt rush mode as we also have the school year to start thinking about as our daughter enters kindergarten.  So summer or alas the one where you can hit the open road at any point on Friday will actually end on August 13 with the first day of the public school year.  And then add on top that many of the major national parks started accepting reservations for the summer months nearly 4 months ago and yes, we are behind.  For instance any shot at camping inside Yosemite is dashed as the next window to open will be April 15 for scheduling of camping dates between August 15 (after school starts) and September 14. 

Being in northern California and having access to such amazing differences in climate, topography, etc. we really try to keep our camping trips varied.  Generally one to the coast, one to the high country, and one "just because."  The "just because" one is reserved for the "because I know a family who has gone there for years and love it," "because it will be our wine country destination this year," "because it has an available campsite,"....

So we have our 3 weekends picked.  And we have an idea as to where we would like to go.  For our high country this year we are thinking to Calaveras and our "just because...it is in the a great wine tasting area"....Santa Cruz/Monterey area for the coastal visit....and then one more TBD.  But now we start our biggest obstacle...finding a campground.

So when finding a campground you also need to be prepared...and know your needs or restrictions.  For instance we need some of the following items:

> Pets allowed, at least on leash...as 2 out of 3 of our families have dogs

> Trailers allowed, we can forgo hook-ups, but 2 out of 3 of our families have pop-ups

> Takes reservations...don't want to go all that way for a walk-in and find it's full

> Kid-friendly activities...at least some hikes, perhaps a water feature, or interpretive program

> ...

Now the hunt begins.  You may already have some ideas or specific campgrounds...if so you can go straight to some of the web-based booking tools such as:

National Parks Reservations

Most State Parks

Otherwise just a general Internet search might suffice.

If you don't have a good jumping in point it may be helpful to ask around.  Of course the first stop should be friends or family, then head to a Visitor's Bureau or Chamber of Commerce for the area you wish to visit.  Also with the Internet age the networking/social websites such as Facebook or Twitter (by the way...I twitter as norcalskimom) are other good places to gather recommendations.

When booking ensure you understand all the fees as well as cancellation policies, then book away and look forward to a summer of your child on the go in nature.

Other related posts:

Camping - Where it all began and how to begin

Camping - Trial Runs

Camping - Trial Run Complete & ...

Camping off the Ground - The Tent Trailer

Children on the Go in Wine Country

Camping in Calaveras County

Please feel free to leave your families favorite campground and why in a comment.

Professional help to go on skis....

Living in northern California and close to Lake Tahoe there is a abundant amount of ski resorts to pick from...and with that means an abundant amount of kid's programs as well. Everything from your standard ski school to the 1 hr private...all the way up to Squaw Valley Academy which is a College Prep School for grades 6-12 and Sugar Bowl's Academy. Honestly it is all a little overwhelming. So with our daughter turning 4 years old and starting to qualify for some programs we went with...the most talked about for this age group...Alpine Meadows' Locals Program. And having just completed the program...we have to say all the hype and expectations were met...if not exceeded.

Alpine's Locals Program is designed for children 4-12 years old who don't necessarily want to be in a team/competition situation, but still get the incredible instruction and coaching to progress their skiing/snowboarding abilities. This program is offered on half day, 2 half days, full day, or 2 full days on the weekends from early January through early March for 8 weeks (avoiding the holiday weekends). Class sizes are generally 4 or less except for the first week when there are larger groupings with several instructors while they ski/board off to determine exact abilities. From the second week on the child has the same instructor and classmates. For my 4yo this was huge! She looked forward every weekend to seeing her ski friends and teacher.

I am not sure if our results were normal, above, or below....but the important piece to me the paying parent (which this program is a steal if you calc it out) was it more than met my expectations and my daughter had a great time. In 8 half day sessions (and really 7 as we missed one for our Park City trip)...she went from wedge turns, assisted on/off the chairlift, and never used a poma or went through a terrain park to...parallel turns on more graduated slopes (we still wedge on the steeps), getting on/off the chairlift with no assistance (we still ride with an adult though), using the poma, and going off the rollers in the terrain park. Laura (her instructor) if you are reading this...we went to Homewood Sunday and she was laying them over carving. My husband said if he would have seen this prior to us giving you your tip he would have doubled it!

The instructors were always prompt and very communicative and friendly. They would discuss with each parent after class what was done during class and their child's progress. Kids generally got a break halfway through for nature's call and a little hot chocolate and graham crackers in the Kids' Camp area. The director of the program was very much on top of things...communicating out schedule changes due to weather, class/instructor changes, etc.. It was an impressively run program.

So I noted we are finished and will have choices again next year....Ally could continue in Locals and increase to a full day, 2 half days, or 2 full days. Or if we/she desires move into the Mountain Rangers program which is more money, but includes their season pass if they are 5 or older when they have to start purchasing one. Mountain Rangers is a lot more days starting in December and going into April. It also is held during all the holiday periods. And is perfect at half days for the 4-6yr old stamina and maturity. It is seen as a stepping stone non-competitive development teams which start at age 6.

But we have until approx Sept 1 to figure that all out and get the early bird discounts. Until then we hope to enjoy some spring skiing with our little parallel skier. We also apparently need to have a talk with the Easter Bunny about some poles....

If you know a great children's ski program or an instructor in your area...please leave a comment.

Other related blog entries:

Child Goes Skiing in Different Conditions

Child Goes on a Ski Vacation...Ski School, Childcare, and More

First Snow, Ski Gear, and Growing Child