Enjoying the Outdoors While Camping

The thing that was really difficult about camping this past week was not being able easily hang out at our campsite. Between the poison ivy, being on a hill (Connor trying to ride his bike around was disastrous!) and all the raccoons, it just wasn't a peaceful place. This left us scrambling trying to find things to do.

Because we were staying at a state park, our camping fees came with the bonus of admission into all the other state parks. This made going to the beach a breeze because it was "free" parking! And as an added bonus, the kids loved running around in the sand and playing.

^^ Isla wasn't into taking a family picture

 

^^ Isla kept laying face down in the sand and would end up with sand all over her face. At least she never ate it!


We also did some fruit picking, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Of course, I am always into that sort of thing. We drove just north of Santa Cruz to the Swanton Berry Farm. It's an all organic farm and operates totally on the honor system. You weigh your own berries, pay and even make change for yourself! They had a little store with fresh baked goods and drinks and it was operated totally on the honor system too. It was super cute and they had a bunch of wooden toys for the kids to play with! We really enjoyed ourselves.

 

^^ Connor ate every strawberry he picked. Well, so did Isla, but Connor was shoving them in his mouth like crazy. And don't you worry, I added a little extra to our bill to make up for what our kids ate.

When we were pulling up to the berry farm we saw a sign for u-pick Cal Poly apples just down the road. Supporting our school and picking apples was a win, win in our book. Fellow Cal Poly alumni, did you know Cal Poly owns more land in Santa Cruz than UC Santa Cruz?! We were the only people up picking apples and I think it made the experience that much better. We had to constantly watch out for Isla as she kept picking up half eaten apples and apples eaten by worms off the ground and starting to munch on them...yum!

 

 

^^ How cute is that tiny apple?! Connor totally ate it too.

Whether at home or on vacation, I always feel like when the kids are going crazy, getting outside and enjoying some fresh air is good for everyone!