As I'm making this new entry I've got tri-tip smoking in the BBQ for our camp. I like to try and meal plan ahead of time and I always like the first night in camp an easy meal. This time I didn't want to make a cast iron meal, that will be the following night and I wanted something super easy so I decided on BBQ tri-tip. It'll smoke and cook for a few hours then I'll pack it up to be tasty dinner and lunches while we camp.
Low and slow, smoked with hickory and pecan.
When cutting trip tip, cut against the grain of the meat not with it to make it tender.
This is our first Father's Day camp and we are starting a new tradition. I booked our weekend online at www.recreation.gov and surprisingly they hadn't booked up yet. We're heading up to a new campground on a new adventure in Yosemite National Park. We're staying in high country at the Tuolumne Campground which sits along the river and meadow. This time of year is suppose to be the best time for this area with a lot of active wildlife and fields full of wildflowers. For this camp we did have to add a few things like bear spray as a just in case measure because we will be camping in bear country.
I've been doing little projects again because it's just too darn hot to work on the trailer. I ordered rubber rain trim to put on the trailer to help keep it dry. This is such a cheap and easy extra step that even makes it look sharp.
A 25 foot roll costs around $8.00 and would complete about 3-4 trailers.
The trim slides easily into the trim grooves covering screws and rivets.
Once it's on the shape helps the rain channel and run off keeping it from finding ways down into the trailer.
This is our first trip out with the cabin complete and we were very excited. The drive up was very nice and didn't take as long as we anticipated. We turned onto the Tioga Pass and after a 10 mile climb to the park gate, our campground was another two miles in. Tuolumne Meadows is breathtaking, at over 8,000 feet it is a mix of evergreen and marsh meadows along the Tuolumne River and too many creeks to name. Granite mountains rise up all around and glacier packs can been seen at their tops. This is truly God's country and the smell of the green and trees fills your whole body.
The road into the campground is narrow and a mix of pavement and very soft dirt. The road through the campground is only wide enough a car but has turnouts to pull in to allow passing. This is the largest campground in Yosemite and really doesn't have many spaces for anything over Scamp or Pop-up size, though it does have a few but I would call to make sure. Half the reservations are online and the other half is first come. The staff was very nice and gave us a great location up near the horse camp.
Every site has a locking bear box and you are required to put all food and toiletry items inside. While we were there we didn't see any bears but we followed the rules since the woods were only ten steps away.
Tioga Pass park entrance.
The sites are large in very soft dirt.
Each site is spaced so that you can stretch out and not bug your neighbor.
The new kitchen worked out so well, it was nice to have everything within arms reach.
Alex was able to use her Christmas present finally, she loved her hammock tent.
We used sage bundles smudging to keep the mosquitoes away.
Views from the Tuolumne River at the campground.
One of the many waterfalls throughout Yosemite.
Even parking on the road they have bear boxes so you don't leave food in the car.
Lembert Dome.
There are trout in the river so bring a rod and license.
Dutch oven jambalaya....YUMMY!
We took a day and drove a short way up to Bodie, a small mining ghost town. Alex has wanted to visit here since she was about 4 years old. She is a ghost hunter without fear and had heard of the many tales of bad luck and angry spirits of the town. The town was born in 1859 when gold was discovered. It began with 20 people and erupted into over 10,000. At one time the town had over 65 saloons and brothels. This was a very dangerous town and held the reputation as the murder capital of the state.
Many of the departed are buried in and around the Bodie cemetery while overs are told were thrown down the mine shafts. Gold dried up and everyone left the town, leaving behind many houses and buildings like they were frozen in time. I did check pockets before we left because I didn't want any of our party to upset the ghosts of the town and bring the curse home. If anyone removes anything from Bodie they will have bad luck until it is returned. The museum has many of the apology letters from folks returning items they had taken on their visit.
This is a state park now and the cost is $5 per adult, $3 per child, $2 for the walking tour map.
The general store was still stocked waiting for customers to return.
The Bodie firehouse is just missing the horses and firemen.
Table set for a meal and nobody around. It left a strange feeling to see everything as though the homes were waiting for the owner to return.
The empty pool hall in the Bodie Hotel.
The trip was great we met a lot of campers and staff, the Blue Guppy was the rock star of the campground and trip. The search and rescue group housed at the campground came by along with the campground host and many others for a tour of our tiny trailer. On the drive home it continued when we got buzzed by a F-18 fighter. We heard what I thought was a siren and we quickly looked in the mirror until we heard the engine noise and I looked over and saw the plane bank back and I was looking at the pilot and he was looking back. He flew along with us for awhile then when he saw enough he pulled up climbing and gone. It was the best feeling having folks admiring the trailer and all the hard work. I giggled because most thought the trailer was built in the 40's. When we got home my new sticker for the trailer was waiting.
Until next time, stay safe and enjoy the camp.
