Located at the base of the Topatopa mountains in Santa Paula, California, the campground is clean, well maintained, and offers nature, wildlife, gorgeous views, and clear, star-lit nights. It also boasts camping accommodations for all outdoors types. There are plenty of sites for RVs, tents, teepees, covered wagons, safari tents and cabins. For our recent visit, we opted for a rustic cabin overlooking the mountains.

When we got to the KOA campground, the first thing we wanted was to get to our room, rest and freshen-up. But the plan quickly changed when we saw a giant, yellow jumping pillow in the middle of the camp beckoning us.

After getting our thrills on the bouncy pillow, we checked into a charming Camping Cabin, overlooking the nearby mountains. The cabin was covered in pine wood and featured everything we needed for two days of fun and adventure. There was a queen bed, a large loft for sleeping up to four people, bathroom with shower, microwave, fridge, kitchen sink, coffee maker.

The cabin also featured wireless Internet, a dining table and chairs, a porch overlooking the mountains, and a private yard with a fire pit.

When not in the cabin we explored the 76-acre, adventure-filled campground. A short walk from our cabin was the bouncy pillow, a large pool area, a zip line rope course, and a creek where kids and their families can pan for gemstones and ancient artifacts.

To search for the gems, we started at the camp’s general store, where we checked out panning equipment and purchased a bag of gems. We then walked to the camp’s gold mining station, where there is an old wooden flume and a sign detailing the kinds of gems we might find. We then walked to the stream and hid the gems in the mud, so our toddler could sift them out like a real gold miner.

Near the stream are the park’s teepees and covered wagons, which make for memorable family accommodations. The teepees are recreations of Sioux Indian dwellings. They are about 20 ft-tall and feature a queen and twin bed and a couple tables. They don’t come with electricity, but offer lots of natural light.

The covered wagons are also authentic and fun and provide the feeling of what it was like for the earlier settlers – but with a little bit more comfort. Sleeping up to six people, they come with two sets of bunk beds and a king or queen bed. There is no horse team to pull them through the prairie, and they don’t come with a bathroom or electricity, but they do have a battery-powered light inside.

The campground also features RV sites with full and partial hook-ups, tent sites with no electricity, and safari tents with no electricity.

After checking out some beautiful RVs, we met a few colorful KOA campsite locals. Standing about 3 feet tall, they were covered in feathers of bright iridescent blue, copper and brown and shades of green and yellow. They were friendly peacocks and they seem to coexist nicely with campers.

Back at the cabin, I played guitar on the porch, against a backdrop reminiscent of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. I then took a nap and began preparing for a barbecue salmon dinner.

Our cabin came with a propane grill on the porch and a fire pit / bbq in the small yard. Since we brought our own charcoal, we used the firepit to cook up the fish, along with potatoes, jalapeños, garlic and some tortillas.

With dinner we sipped sparkling water and watched the sun fall behind the Topatopa Mountains. We also discussed fall and what a wonderful season it is for camping. In fact, a recent report by KOA projects that this fall, 25 million camping households plan to go “leaf peeping.”

Across the United States, KOA says that 54% of campers indicate that they are planning a camping trip to explore the changing colors of fall foliage.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of fall campers,” says Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Kampgrounds of America. “Between the scenery and the weather, it’s a wonderful time to get out and explore. Last year, as COVID restrictions loosened in many areas, we saw a dramatic increase in campers “between early September and the end of the year registration revenues were up more than 25%.”

The next morning we made oatmeal and coffee in the cabin and walked to the campsite’s World Rock Labyrinth. This Stonehenge-type feature looks like it was made thousands of years ago. It is made up of hundreds of giant rocks placed in circles to create a one-of-a-kind maze for KOA campers.

Ventura Ranch KOA is located at 7400 Pine Grove Road, Santa Paula, CA 93060. For reservations, call 877-779-8080. For more information, call 805-933-3200 or visit: Ventura Ranch KOA

The post Fall Camping at Ventura Ranch KOA appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Men and Little Men

Father’s Day

I was just talking with my male friends and somehow our conversation gravitated to our need to keep busy at home … at least to have the appearance of keeping busy. One of the guys was semi-retired and he said his weekends were actually busier than his week days. He is forced to go shopping and do errands with his wife. Another said he would spend hours away from home because at least he was free to manage his time. Wives, did you know you have this effect with your husbands?

Why do house chores only come from the wives? Why don’t husbands have a list for their wives? One guy said that he was trained not to give orders. He found out early in their marriage that each favor he would ask of his wife was reciprocated with 3 from her. Another said he preempted everything that needed fixing rather than admit it was an order from his wife. When I mentioned it was Father’s Day this Sunday, we all laughed because now we would have to work double time to make our wives happy. Happy Father’s Day! Good luck!

Home Camping

Many have asked me to report on our Home Camping this past weekend. It was a huge success. Here are some lessons learned.

• Share your itinerary with the parents first to get their cooperation and approval.
• If you have a partner, be sure you are in agreement on what needs to be done. Lift each other up. Don’t disagree in front of the kids.
• Don’t be too strict with your schedule (thanks Rick of Covina, CA for your great advice). Allow the parents to hand them over at their convenience. Just go with the flow and remember to have fun.

Pickled Eggs:

• Do put your eggs in “one basket” – when it comes to boiling 13 dozen eggs, it’s easier to dump them in a vat and cook them at the same time.
• I was afraid I bought too many eggs but several dozen eggs was actually perfect. I got about a dozen 32 oz jars of pickled eggs.
• Make sure there is enough room in the refrigerator for at leat 2 weeks of marination.
• Letting the kids watch the procedures in a video helped get them interested.
• The hardest part is removing the shells. Immersing the hot eggs in cold water didn’t help that much. It was too delicate to trust my kids to do it and it took me 2 hours and my thumb was all sore.

More Lessons:

• We taught them to prepare all the meals. They learned to make salad and cook corned beef, pork chops, salmon, toast, bacon and eggs.
• No they did not handle the knife. They were afraid to.
• We let the kids pray before meals and we got some insight into their world.
• We learned subtle family dynamics — who’s the alpha child and who needed a boost in self confidence.
• We taught them how to act properly with our cats and dogs … how to always be in control.
• We shared Jesus’ The Parable of the Prodigal Son. They didn’t know what a parable was and that Jesus actually told stories. They learned to look below the surface of events. We assured them of our love and God’s love.
• I shared my Pink Ping Pong Balls joke (see last week’s TGIF Joke) and they kinda got it after I explained what was happening. Now it’s an inside joke between us.
• When my wife and I got tired, and needed to recharge, we were glad they could occupy their time with video games and educational cartoons like the Magic Schoolbus and audio stories like Paws and Tails.
• I gave each of them a riddle to find $10 for spending money.
• Then I showed them how to determine the best products in a grocery store. We bought chicken, ice cream and bananas.
• The highlight of their time was the video recording of my song (My Corgi and Me) which I am sharing below.
• After they learned the song, I showed them how to play it with their kid guitar. Who cares if we sounded terrible. We had fun. We recorded it.
• We realize this is just the start of a new (more meaningful) relationship because when they were leaving, they asked when we would do it again.

I encourage all of you to do your own Home Camping. It gave the parents much needed date time. If you have another parent willing to do this, take turns being the host. Hopefully, do it when your kids are still impressionable … when they still listen. Camp with no more than 2 or 3 kids at time so you get to know them individually. I can’t believe we accomplished all of that in one weekend (Saturday AM to Sunday PM). This is a weekend we will never ever forget … a weekend our boys felt special and loved.

Please share if you do your own Home Camping. You will have the opportunity to shape their character. Let’s start a generation of well rounded citizens.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. ” — Ephesians 6:1-4

TGIF people!
Raoul

Thanks to Mel of Washington, D.C.

Video of the Week

This is the recording of our Home Camping. It’s about Tonka and Tinker, our two corgis, who bring smiles to all who see them walking in the streets. My grandkids took the video and joined my wife in the singing. I hope you like it.

If you are interested, I put the lyrics and the chords HERE.

Father’s Day Parting Shots

Thanks to Kathy of Bend, Oregon

The post Reincarnation appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Coming up: Eggs-citing Weekend

This weekend is the big Home Camping weekend I talked about last week and I’m a bit anxious … actually I’m real nervous about it. I might have built it up too much and I’m afraid I might disappoint my grandkids. We’re all looking forward to it. I had the boys and their Mom (my daughter) over for lunch to plan our itinerary.

Last Monday I wrote a song about our 2 corgis — Tonka and Tinker walking down the street. The jingle has been playing in my head every day since. My wife loves it and my grandkids like it too. So we’re planning to do a recording of the song with them in the background. The kids will be taking the video of the corgis’ pendulous buttocks. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. And I hope to share that video along with the report of this bonding experiment.

The kids will help me prepare all our meals starting Saturday morning. My daughter isn’t too sure about their handling the knives so I’ll have to proceed with caution. She also said their tent might not fit the living room. I’m not too worried about that. What is keeping me up at night is my most ambitious plan — cooking a batch of pickled eggs. You know what’s really crazy about this idea? My Mom used to make them but I’ve NEVER cooked pickled eggs before. This could turn into a major egg-on-my-face disaster. Well, we only live once. No one has ever died of an egg overdose, right?

To my surprise, there was a sale at the grocery store — a dozen eggs for 79 cents — half the regular price! So I bought a lot of eggs — a lucky 13 dozen cartons of them. I didn’t realize what I had done until I loaded them inside the refrigerator (see picture). I think I’ll need a bigger refrigerator. I watched several videos from the pickled egg experts of the world: Boil for 13 minutes and dump into cold water to help separate the eggshell. Only then did I learn I needed to refrigerate the containers for at least 2 weeks. Did I say I needed a bigger ref? I think I’ll just leave them out in a cold area of our home. What do you think? If they turn into stink bombs, I will be ready for egg wars.

I plan to tell campfire stories. Today’s TGIF joke, the Legend of the Pink Ping Pong Balls, will be one of the stories I’ll be sharing. It’s the longest TGIF joke to date so if you’re in a hurry just skip it.

Finally, this weekend plan reminds me of an old edition of my TGIF joke which I posted back in 2008 about a boy who asked his Dad how much he was getting paid per hour. CLICK HERE if you’re interested. I remember this well because after I posted this my own Dad read it and asked me if I felt like that towards him.

Thanks to all of you who sent your comments about this Home Camping idea (you can see the comments of this article on the Travelingboy.com website. If you’re not doing anything in particular, why not do a little bonding with someone you love? Then tell me about it.

TGIF people!
Raoul

This is the campfire joke which I will share with my grandkids on Saturday.

Video of the Week

Thanks to Mel of Washington, D.C.

Thanks to Kathy of Bend, Oregon

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