Morro Bay SP - Review and camping share

Good morning!

Today I wanted to come back and give a review and share some camping info, I don't want this to only be about the trailer because well once you have one where will you want to take it out and it's always helpful to share information.

We camped at Morro Bay SP which is one of our favorite campgrounds.  It is close to a lot of activities and our put in spot for kayaking is just across the road so we don't have to haul very far.  Morro Bay sits at the mouth of an estuary and if you are mindful of the tides is a great paddle to bird watch.  There is a sandbar in the middle that you will get stuck on if you aren't careful when the tide is going out.  Our brother-in-law has done the drag when he let his guard down one year.  There is a lot of wildlife to see including harbor seals, sea otters, and California sea lions.

Town is just down the road and it has a lot of cute shops and restaurants to cover anyone's tastes.  If you want to travel about 40 miles up the road you will encounter the elephant seals at their sanctuary.  As far as the eye can see they are stretched out sunning themselves or sparing at play.  During the new year the mothers are giving birth on the beach but during this time of year it is the young males and pups enjoying the protected bay and bountiful fishing away from predators.

Morro bay offers beautiful campsite from tents to pull through trailer spaces.  This is an older campground and the evidence of the bygone craftsmanship of the pioneering Forestry Service which includes the stone cooking pits, tables, and wash stations. In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps was created to help upgrade campgrounds and new construction projects.  After WWII there was another huge boom in the camping world and many teardrops were born then.  Take a walk and look around at the next camp you are on, chances are you will see the handy work of an era gone by.  They used natural materials that were found locally to create the fire pits, camp ovens, tables, and buildings.

CCC enrollee putting finishing touches on stone fireplace at Allegheny Forest Camp, Pennsylvania, 1937.

Our camp location did not have shade but we came prepared with our easy-up.  The sites range from the standard with fire pit and table to full hookup sites toward the front of the park.  The huge eucalyptus trees host beautiful monarch butterflies and Morro Rock is home to countless sea hawks.

The park is very clean and the staff has always been extremely friendly and helpful.  They are improving the showers and restrooms.  On busy weekends remember to keep a roll of TP with you, you may need it on a midnight run to the loo.

This was our first camp in the lower campground and I was a bit nervous because we call it the war zone with all the kids.  It was remarkably quiet and we loved having the kids come over to chat about the trailer and pirate flag.  Some of the great things we saw when we were out for those camping with kids is the older ones brought their folding scooters and zipped from one end of the park to the other.  As we looked around some of the camps had smaller children and utilized camping carpets and the portable dog playpens as a safe toddler area.  We saw folks with bouncer saucers and the johnny jumps attached to trees.  I would recommend a bumbo and tray for feeding time, they are super soft and weight nothing but are super convenient when feeding a little one in camp or on the go.

There were larger trailers camped with ample room and privacy.

Camping with kids you can come up with some fun entertainment even when the sun goes down.  We saved our empty water and soda bottles and filled them with water and dropped a glow stick into them.  We used the glow necklaces as rings and had a blast playing glow in the dark ring toss.  They come in packs and are inexpensive and after the fun is over and it's time for bed they become great nightlights for the kids tent.

One of the best things about camping is the food!  What doesn't taste better when cooked over an open fire.  We brought our meat frozen which helped keep everything in the cooler cold until we needed to thaw.  I recommend heading into town and look for something that may be local.  Corn and veggies fresh from the farm are always better than from the store.  When we are up around Tomales Bay we love going and getting fresh oysters from the local farms to BBQ.  Oh so yummy.  Whatever your food choices try some local flare you won't be disappointed.

Okay here's a bit of camp cooking 101.  :)  Leave your corn in the husks and cook them over your coals (away from them on the grill) keep turning them then when they are hot and ready peel them back and enjoy.  Good sweet corn doesn't even need butter this way.  Potatoes you can wrap in foil (I like to add a bit of butter and stab them with a fork so it can soak through the skin) place them in the hot coals and rotate them a bit, they are done when you can squeeze them and they are no longer hard.  Now when we are doing steak I like to add my sea salt and sear them in my cast iron skillet then put them on the grill, this keeps them from drying out and gives a great flavor.  After they are cooked I top with a touch of butter then I add my season salt and pepper and let it rest a few minutes so everything has time to settle and so when you cut into the steak all the juice doesn't pour out.  

We brought s'more fixin's and instead of the normal graham crackers I brought some tasty soft cookies.  Our next camp out I'm going to bring some fruits and some other goodies to mix in instead of the norm.  Flavored marshmallows are great and the coconut ones are the bomb when you pair them with chocolate and caramel.

Freeze some of your water bottles before you leave and use them as part of your ice.  Make sure you empty some before doing this or they may explode.  We also keep a shopping tote with us in the trailer, we have come to towns that are very green and you have to supply your own so it's good to have on hand.  Morro Bay is one of these towns.  

I'll leave you with the Cajun duck with dirty rice recipe for your dutch oven (you can use chicken and regular rice if a little spice isn't your thing.)

Cajun Duck and Dirty Rice for the Dutch Oven

4 boneless duck breasts skinned

1 package of Zatarain's Dirty Rice

2 TBSP butter

water as directed on rice package

breakfast sausage in the chub 

cajun spice

Start your coals, you want them ready when your pot is filled.  Line a medium size dutch oven with parchment paper to prevent the rice from scorching.  Add the rice and water according to directions, add butter and pieces of the uncooked sausage.  Place the duck on top and sprinkle with cajun spice.  Cover the pot and now it's time to take it to the coals.

Make sure that the coals are placed evenly around the bottom and top of the dutch oven to ensure it cooks correctly.  Ours is a rounded top and a bit trickier to stack coals on than the flat top ones but it makes a mean meal.  Here are a couple of charts to help you.

I kept this at about 325* for about 45 minutes (while we set up camp), keep an eye on your coals and replace them for longer cooking times.  I only checked this once to give the rice a quick stir then let it cook until the duck and rice were tender.  It had been over 15 years since the last time I used mine and it's like setting up your crockpot and one of the easiest ways to make a camping meal or dessert.  Cornbread and chicken dumplings are divine in the dutch oven, I highly recommend adding this to your chuck box.

Have fun and stay tuned for more!