Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **3hansens** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:37 pm

Steve,
Pencil us in again this year. Same two trailers -- our Serro Scotty and Mom's teardrop.

Have you looked at Live Oak Camp near Cachuma Lake (I know Chris likes Cachuma Lake)? I don't really know anything about it, but it sounds plenty big enough -- might be too pricey, though. Their website doesn't give a price, but does have a contact number....
http://www.sbparks.org/2007/Parks/liveoak.html

Tim, Margaret, & Nicky Hansen (and Joanne)

by **Esteban** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:21 pm

Hi, Tim, Margaret, & Nicky Hansen (and Joanne), we'll enjoy having you camp with us again.

Campground suggestions are very welcomed. Ones with natural beauty that are quiet and peaceful are preferred. We'd want to stay away from ones with loud partiers, large RVs, and generators, for neighbors.

Live Oak Campground is a very nice large group campground. I camp there yearly on Father's Day Weekend for the Live Oak Music Festival which is wonderfully fun. It's probably too $$$ for a few dozen teardrops.

It's not looking like Montana de Oro will be the location again.

Chris and I are going to look over group campgrounds at Cachuma Lake next week. Several seem promising.

Lopez Lake Campground near Arroyo Grande, CA is in the running. If we go there their group sites are too small. So we'd want to make individual reservations near one another.

We like Paradise Campground off Hwy. 154 between Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez. It's well named with big shade trees around a grassy center, and just a short stroll to the river. It's small. With every camp site doubled up only about 30, or so, teardrops would fit. If we go there we'll probably need to change the date from Sept. 11-13 to an earlier, or later, weekend.

by **3hansens** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:06 am

Steve,

I should have read your previous posts more carefully -- you'd already mentioned Live Oak (sorry).

We really like Paradise. If you and Chris happen to be in the Paradise neighborhood checking out campgrounds this weekend, look for us -- we'll be there for our annual Hansen family campout. When planning for a campout there, though, be aware that it can be stinking hot late in the summer. We had our family campout at Sage Hill (group campsites about a mile farther in on Paradise Road) in August 2006 -- it was 106° at noon that Saturday and got hotter as the afternoon wore on (I stopped looking at the thermometer). Realizing that you can't plan for weather (we undoubtedly, unwittingly, picked the hottest weekend of the year), you might ask at the ranger station what is typical for that time of year.

All that having been said, hot or cold, we're looking forward to this year's gathering! Trying to organize something like this can be a thankless task -- if I said "thank you" at this point, would the job seem less thankless????

Appreciatively yours,
Tim

by **Esteban** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:02 pm

Tim,

I appreciate your thank you. Please let us know how you like Paradise after you and you family camp there. It's a very attractive campground. Maybe too small though.

Live Oak Campground's off season rate is $500/day. Plus insurance. It's much too expensive for us to consider using for our second gathering. (Maybe sometime in the future it could be a good location for a large gathering like Dean's IRG?)

I'm reminded, a little, of the fable of the three little bears. Paradise, like Baby Bear, may be too small. Live Oak, like Papa Bear, is too big and expensive. Our search is still on for a nice campground that's the right size. One that would fit 25 to 50 or so trailers seems about right. We're going to check out Cachuma Lake Campground's group sites in a few days. Maybe it'll be the Mama Bear of local Central Coast campgrounds.

by **Gage** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:38 pm

Esteban wrote:<snip>
Live Oak Campground's off season rate is $500/day. Plus insurance. It's much too expensive for us to consider using for our second gathering. (Maybe sometime in the future it could be a good location for a large gathering like Dean's IRG?)
<snip>

Maybe the wrong approach is being taken. What do regular campers pay for off season camping? Do they also have to buy insurance in case something happens while camping in their campground.

by **Esteban** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:49 pm

Gage,

Live Oak Campground is a large Santa Barbara County campground that's only available to groups. It's not open to individual campers. They require the group to have a multi million dollar insurance policy to rent the campground. That's way too spendy, and too much responsibility, for us to consider as a location for our second SLO, or Central Coast, gathering.

Nearby Lake Cachuma Campground has many individual campsites and several group campsites. It's a favorite of Chris and Dan. Chris says several of their group sites are fairly private with shaded tables and a BBQ for a getting together/pot luck area. We're going to go check them out later this week and talk to the rangers about the idea of doing a gathering there.

We'd be happy to attract 25 to 50 or so trailers. More people and trailers than that and it'd probably overwhelm Chris and me.

Live Oak campground could be a good location for a gathering on the scale of Dean's IRG or the upcoming Lake Perris event. Or maybe for a future Tearjerksers event.

I camp there each year for the Live Oak Music Festival that's coming up on Father's Day weekend, June 13, 14, & 15, 2008. It's a lot of fun, very family friendly, and a good bargain for a weekend of camping and music. I'm kind of biased because I was a volunteer there for many years. Now I buy a ticket and enjoy a much more relaxing weekend. It's put on by our local Central Coast public radio station KCBX. Last year I saw just one teardrop there.

by **Italia** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:38 pm

Hi everybody! I'm Dan and my wife is Chris, I just wanted to mention the good fishing at Cachuma Lake, They have a Trout Derby coming up soon. We camped in our teardrop at Cachuma two weeks ago, Rain,Hail, wind and snow on the mountain tops ,my friends Mr. skunk and Mr raccoon stopped in to say hello, we had a truely good time. I still managed some time to catch a couple 16" trout, these were the smallest fish and the fewest I've caught the last 6 visits to the lake. Paradise camp is excellent and only a short distance to the river that feeds the lake, fairly shaded with mature oaks. Paradise is only a short drive away from cachuma. Regardless on what is decided, I'm looking forward to seeing all of you that I met at last years gathering and cooking up some Dutch oven meals.
I'll be forever grateful to JoAnn and Matt for teaching us the fine art of D.O. cooking, Chris and myself cook a D.O. meal every weekend just to keep in practice.

by **Teardrp DeBono** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:24 pm

We had such a great time last year and would love to pencil in a date. I had no problem with last year's site it seems pretty central. It was also fun to motor into SLO for the evening.

by **jamesm** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:27 pm

Count me in. I'll have my benroy done by then!

by **Gage** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:32 pm

jamesm wrote:Count me in. I'll have my benroy done by then!

You will? Has a date been set yet? Did I miss it? :thinking:

by **zen** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:39 pm

I'm a new guy and building my second tear. I would love to get together in Slo its only two plus hours away. I signed up for the redwood gathering and cant wait.
Dan

by **mfkaplan** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:57 pm

I really liked the campground at Montana Del Oro despite the critters. We know they are there now so can plan for them. Raccoons might be at the next campground we pick also. We had lots of room, were right by the ocean and not too far from town. Showers are nice but I can get clean using a basin of water. Scenery is more important to me. What ever you pick, though, is fine with me.

by **jamesm** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:59 am

Gage wrote:
jamesm wrote:Count me in. I'll have my benroy done by then!

You will? Has a date been set yet? Did I miss it?

No date has been set but I am close to completing my TT!

by **Esteban** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:19 pm

Hi campers,

Here's a SLO 2.0 update. Sorry if it seems we're dragging out announcing the location and date of the second SLO Gathering. Tentatively we're planning for the date to be Sept. 11, 12 and 13. It's a weekend closest to the full moon. We're searching for the best available location. There are few good group locations right on the coast for another gathering. So our second one may be a little inland.

This coming Monday Chris "Italia" and I will check out group camp sites at Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County. We like Paradise Campground a lot, off Hwy. 154 near Santa Barbara, although it's somewhat small. If Paradise Campground is to be the location we'll need to change the weekend of the gathering because Paradise is partially booked already on Sept. 13. Lopez Lake Campground, near Arroyo Grande, CA is in the running. We may take another look at Morro Bay State Park - it's not on the governors threatened list of the state parks to close.

As much as we like Montana de Oro campground, despite the raccoons, it looks unlikely we'll be able to use it again this fall. It becomes first come, first served again in September. We were very fortunate last year because the camp host, Lana, "held" spaces for us. She's not returning again. Enough space may not be available for another gathering. Also the governor threatens to close Montana de Oro State Park, and others, for budget reasons. Locally it's widely believed to be a, mostly, idle threat. It could happen. Together they make planning to use MdeO again for a teardrop gathering too risky. Too bad. It was a fun place for SLO 1.0.

We want to use a location that's beautiful and enjoyable. One well worth your trip.