summer vacation ideas

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

I'm going to do a week vacation with the boy in August. Originally I was thinking of going to Hawaii, but he'll be doing two weeks of beach camp when we get back, so that seems redundant. I was thinking of maybe a cabin up at Big Bear, as he's never been fishing. We could try camping too, but I'd have to buy infrastructure stuff, so I'm not sure about that.

Any other ideas? I don't mind flying or driving a couple of hours.

stevepaa · 05-10-2006, 02:05 PM

Yosemite. Tent cabins at Curry Village

scottmandue · 02:31 PM

If you don't mind a bit of a drive Utah has a bunch of awesome parks all near each other. Brice and Zion are breathtaking and they have lodges right in the park with lots of fishing, hiking, horseback riding at your door step. I usually do a one day drive into LV then it is about another day to Zion, Brice is a few hours down the road from there. If you want to drive further up into the state there is canyonlands and arches national parks plus a few others... or you could head south to the Grand canyon.

Big Sur has cabins for rent if you want to go up that way, there is a place up there that rents Yurts (check Treebones in the link), he might get a kick out of staying in one of those.

Bir Sur lodging

bigchillcar · bigchillcar's Garage

my learjet broke down on me in grand junction, colorado, back when i was doing air ambo work. had to spend an entire week there..there's a magnificent national park there. i'd love to go back..or monument valley..but i'm a huge fan of the 'classic westerns' that were all filmed in that region of the country..breathless.
ryan

Mr Beau · 05-10-2006, 02:29 PM

I'll second Zion. Drove through there once at sunrise, and is definitely one of the most beautiful landscapes around.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

I think Zion/Utah is probably a bit too much of a drive given the time factor. Big Sur looks like a good one. Just need to make sure we can fish, as the boy has bugged me about that specifically. Could be scary though...a lot of the Big Sur places have no phones and no TV.

EdT82SC · 05-10-2006, 03:24 PM

Try Lake Edison in the Sierras. They have rustic cabins for rent, there is a little food store, the fishing is great, and there aren't many people there because you have to drive over an hour on a dirt road to get there. It's about as beautiful as the Sierra's get. It's one of the stops on the John Muir trail.

scottmandue · 05-10-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nostatic
Could be scary though...a lot of the Big Sur places have no phones and no TV.

LOL!

Yeah... you may have to have a conversation... the horror!

Check the Big Sur link... one of the lodges has wifi for cripes sake!

Been to lake Edison, liked it a lot. There are some other very nice lakes off 395 but I can't think of them off the top of my head. Not too sure about fishing in Big Sur but I know rivers run through there so I presume it can be done.

artplumber · 05-10-2006, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nostatic
...We could try camping too, but I'd have to buy infrastructure stuff, so I'm not sure about that.

Any other ideas? I don't mind flying or driving a couple of hours.

Todd,
If you're a member at REI you rent almost anything, camp stoves, sleeping bags....

Is there much fishing near Big Sur? I think there's more in the Sierra above Bakersfield, Mammoth etc. Look at a town called Sonora, lots of Hx, close to fishing etc. You might consider panning for Gold up there too, that's kind of fun w/a kid that age.

jyl · jyl's Garage

http://www.vwsurfari.com/pages/1/index.htm

LeeH · 05-10-2006, 07:39 PM

Try a "car camping" trip. Buy a $100 tent from Target, pack some non-perishable food, a few things in a cooler, and take off. Look for state park type campgrounds that will have hot showers and flush toilets. Use the campground as a base for hiking, fishing, etc. It's a great compromise between a hotel or cabin and true camping.

Rot 911 · 05-11-2006, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeeH
Try a "car camping" trip. Buy a $100 tent from Target, pack some non-perishable food, a few things in a cooler, and take off. Look for state park type campgrounds that will have hot showers and flush toilets. Use the campground as a base for hiking, fishing, etc. It's a great compromise between a hotel or cabin and true camping.

Lee hit the nail right on the head for a plan for a first time camper. Make it a simple camping experience. Take some books to read, simple games to play. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive. It will be something your son will remember long after a beach camp, trip to Hawaii, etc.

scottmandue · 05-11-2006, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeeH
Try a "car camping" trip. Buy a $100 tent from Target, pack some non-perishable food, a few things in a cooler, and take off. Look for state park type campgrounds that will have hot showers and flush toilets. Use the campground as a base for hiking, fishing, etc. It's a great compromise between a hotel or cabin and true camping.

Now THAT is a great idea! (BTDT)

I know with gas prices this is a scary idea... have you considered renting a motor-home? Lots of places in our area that do that.

Another option is the Sierras three rivers area, the mighty redwoods are an experience unto themselves.

Burnin' oil · 05-11-2006, 07:05 AM

The June lake loop off of 395 has a number of lakes stocked with trout, boat rentals, a small town, quite a few places to stay and beautiful scenery.

cantdrv55 · 05-11-2006, 07:31 AM

Take a drive to San Francisco. Beautiful vistas, as you know. Plenty of hiking, fishing, sightseeing, bicycling, eating great food, lots of museums and people watching. That's what we did during Spring Break. Even though we live just 35 miles away, we've never really explored the city until we bought our timeshare there through a reseller. Cheap vacation.

vash · vash's Garage

i have done some thing similar before. taking a kid fishing for the first time. you have to pony up the money to get the kid to some spot where he can catch fish. nothing is more boring to a young person than sitting on the shore watching a action-less bobber. i would research an area where you can hire a guide. kids love boats. have fun you two.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I went to Vegas two summers ago, Death Valley one day and Zion the next. It was awesome.

Tomorrow I fly from Newark to Hong Kong non-stop to start my vacation in Guangzhou, then Chengdu, Kunming, Chongqing, Beijing and Qingdao. I don't like easy vacations, but this one will be another adventure.

Big Ed · 05-11-2006, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nostatic
Could be scary though...a lot of the Big Sur places have no phones and no TV.

No beer and no TV make Homer go CARZY!

bigchillcar · bigchillcar's Garage

also..come to arkansas..see the 'natural state'. go to the local libraries and check out their 'book'..

in all seriousness, we've got some beautiful state parks..loads of green and rolling hills. kurt's got some good places to see in missouri as well (but we're better down here).

ryan

artplumber · 05-11-2006, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee
I went to Vegas two summers ago, Death Valley one day and Zion the next. It was awesome.

Tomorrow I fly from Newark to Hong Kong non-stop to start my vacation in Guangzhou, then Chengdu, Kunming, Chongqing, Beijing and Qingdao. I don't like easy vacations, but this one will be another adventure.

I hope you get through Chongqing before it gets hot/humid. If you go to the zoo there, there are some bears that used to be in a circus or something. They love cola and will dance for it. The pandas mostly sit there. Somehow I don't think Todd will be taking the kid to PRC.