Art Beast

Jeff and Joey were off to their first Cub Scout Mt. Lassen Camping Trip so I had the pleasure of spending the day with my two youngest.  Determined to make the most of our day (so they wouldn't be too jealous of Joey's trip) we headed to Art Beast.  This very cool kid art studio is such a treasure!  We haven't been in a couple years so everything was new to the kids. 

Art Beast has everything a kid could need to create and use their imaginations - paint, clay, sand, play houses, instruments, the list goes on and on.

Logan set the table

Bat Watching

We heard you could see thousands of bats take flight at sunset from the Yolo Causeway and we were determined to see if that's true.  After some internet research we found out that there are bat tours you can sign up for all summer that take you on private land, but unfortunately they were all booked (and way too expensive for us).  So we researched places anyone could go, for free, and found out that the Vic Fazzio Wildlife Refuge also has a fair amount of bats.  There were conflicting reports as to where exactly to park, but we were willing to give it a shot.  

Mommy and Logan

Joey waiting for sunset when the bats are supposed to all wake up at the same time. 

Emmie

Emmie, Logan, Joey and Hunter

Since while the sun was up there wasn't a bat in sight, the kids went to explore under the causeway

Just as promised online, once the sun went down the bats all woke up.  It's really hard to see in these pics but thousands of bats were chirping and flying around under the causeway.  It was really cool and kinda creepy at the same time.  We weren't parked where they all fly out (that must be where the private tours go) but we still saw literally thousands flying under the road.

All in all a very worthwhile experience and will definitely be a summer tradition for us.

Big Basin Redwoods Camping Trip

I survived another camping trip!  This year we went to the Santa Cruz Mountains and camped in Big Basin Redwoods.  We booked this trip at the beginning of the year when we set out to explore California.  After some research we found out that this was a good "glamping" location since it has running water and showers.

We arrived Thursday and were so happy with the location!  The trees were beautiful and tall and the weather was perfect!

Emmie insisted on wearing rain boots camping.

Joey and Daddy put up the tent, but Joey wanted the tent at a different spot.  

We played lots of games while camping, including Disney Headbandz.

Of course we roasted marshmallows - which the kids love doing but none of them actually like to eat them!

This is my special s'more - jumbo marshmallow wrapped around a caramel filled Ghiradelli chocolate square.

While we banned all phone use for games, we did use the phone for photos, including these goofy shots...

At night, our nightlight was a carefully constructed glow stick chain in the tent.

More goofy pics

Clearly we had time to kill!

We played several rounds of chess.

We went for a beautiful hike, which the kids found completely pointless.  Lots of, "where are we walking to?" and "why can't we just look at the trees by our tent?"

Did I mention we played a lot of games?

Because a box to an adult is a boat to a kid.

Hot dog roasting for dinner.

Yes, that is a chicken nugget he is roasting.  It worked for him.

A game of Red Light/Green Light

Emmie didn't really understand how to play, so it was pretty much just a race.

Our raccoon neighbor.

We left the redwoods and headed for the beach before making our way home.  Our trip was just Thursday to Saturday which was perfect for kids this age and a non-camper like myself. I would definitely recommend this place for camping.  The bathrooms were not at all scary and the location was gorgeous.