SMB trip to Coyote Canyon
Pics from our camping trip are posted here. It was the best Sportsmobile trip in terms of logistics and sleeping since Lane was a baby. Lane is old enough that he’s almost human, and Paige is still young enough to mostly stay where you put her down. Our campsite was Coyote Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert, northwest of Borrego Springs (click “Map This” from Smugmug to see our location). The trail is a popular dirt road that heads away from town for a bit before arriving at a gate which is closed from June to September for the sake of the bighorn sheep – it would be unpleasantly hot that time of year for humans anyway. Past the gate the road gets rugged enough to require 4×4, but it’s not very difficult. There are three stream crossings and at this time of year they actually have water in them.
We got to the valley at the end of the road around 5pm and there were lots of other campers – between the fact that it’s wildflower season, and apparently spring break, it was a bit crowded, but not too bad. Tad recently bought a camp Dutch oven and had found a recipe to try consisting of ground beef, Tater Tots, cheese, and a sauce made with cream of mushroom soup. Comfort food! After we parked the van he got the charcoal going and Lane, Paige, and I took a walk. There was a nearby stream and I quickly learned that next time I need to bring an extra pair of shoes for Lane, who immediately started tromping in the water. Someone came by to tell us that there was a beehive nearby so we didn’t stay long.
The kids did great that evening. I’d brought a ground cover for Paige to crawl on, and we had good digging toys for Lane. We went back and forth over who would sleep on the top bunk. It’s more isolated, so at first we thought Paige & I would sleep up there, since she would be ready for bed a good hour before anyone else. But it’s also colder up there. Lane really wanted to sleep up there, so we figured we’d try it. Lane & Daddy made s’mores outside while I put Paige to bed “downstairs.” Eventually we all turned in and although Lane didn’t go right to sleep, there had been enough excitement that it wasn’t too long. The sleeping arrangements were the right call, since Paige & I did get chilly.
Both kids did wake up once or twice during the night but it was far better than times past. That said, it was still a restless night because the wind was howling like crazy. We learned later that the folks camping nearby had their tents ripped apart by the wind. The next morning I even saw someone chasing after a tent that was blowing away! One couple left at around 4 in the morning – a shredded tent with an open Jeep for wheels makes for no-fun camping. Although the van was noisy and rocking, we definitely were lucky to be inside.
The next morning we expanded our “no eating inside the van unless it’s raining or very cold” rule to include all kinds of extreme weather. Tad had a camp oven breakfast planned, but we adapted it for a regular camping stove that could be used inside the van (we just had to ignore the van’s smoke detector). At one point I ventured outside, intending to take a walk with the kids while Tad packed the van, but decided we liked our skin and didn’t want the wind-blown sand to scrub it off. Tad took some pics on the drive out – I would have liked to get some action shots, but Paige had fallen asleep and so I was holding her head steady while we were bumping over the rough terrain — had to avoid the 4wd baby bobble head!