Camping weekend at Figueroa Mountain Camp 7/10

This past weekend (7/23/10-7/25/10), Addy and I went camping north of Santa Barbara. We'd been wanting to get out of town and camp and got our opportunity. We've camped in Los Padres National Forest before, but up north by Big Sur, so I was winging it. I have never been so annoyed at LA traffic as I was during the 4 hrs it took to get up to the Santa Barbara area (it should take 2). It was almost dusk by the time we looked at the first candidates for a place to stay. All 4 campsites along Paradise Rd, SE of Lake Cachuma were full. So, after stopping by the Lake Cachuma Rec Area to find it full as well, we decided to head further north to the Figueroa Mountain Area. A seemingly treacherous (in the dark) 30 min drive later, we arrived in at a great campsite at 4,000 ft. We pitched the tent and crashed under the stars, on top of our air mattresses.

The next morning, we woke early and got a good look at the campsite. It was great, only 30 or so sites, maybe 12 of them full, all given some privacy by the stand of trees the campground was tucked into. We got a small fire going, made coffee and Addy made some delicious breakfast burritos. After breakfast, we went looking for a hike. We first drove up to the day use areas near the campground. We stopped at Alto Pinos, before continuing up the mountain to Figueroa Mountain Lookout. We got some great photos there, but they can't quite capture the wild expanse that we saw. We found a hiking trail, closer to the Ranger Station, that started out cutting across a tall grass field, reminding us of a western plains prairie. We followed it as it followed the ridgeline down the canyon to a steam. We only passed one other group coming back up from the canyon floor. Apparently, we could have followed the stream to another canyon and from there hike to the top of Zaca Peak. That would have to wait for another day as we had not packed all the gear we would need for that long of a trek. Having gotten nice and sweaty, we decided it was time to find some water to cool off in. We drove back to Lake Cachuma Rec Area, only to be told that swimming is prohibited in the lake. We made the best of it, by relaxing lakeside, in the sun, with our books and then showering before heading to our Wine Club winery, Roblar. They are our favorite winery in the area for several different reasons, not the least being that their wines are delicious. The grounds are also beautiful, pastoral and comfortable. We have great memories there from visiting with my parents to sitting on the veranda planning our wedding. This time we sat out on the porch reserved for wine club members and sat enjoying the sun, the wine, and each other's company. Once we enjoyed our tastings and picked-up our wine shipment, we decided to head to Los Olivos and do at least one more tasting at another favorite in the area, Saarloos & Sons. Unfortunately, they had stopped doing tastings for the day, but we were able to have a mini cupcake each, which was almost as good. We walked down Grand and found another tasting room to try, Coquelicot. By the time we finished our tastings there, hunger had come over both of us, so we headed back to the campground. The drive was much less treacherous in the light and provided some great views. Addy had been marinating some great looking rib-eyes that we grilled over the fire with some asparagus and made an amazing dinner, camping or not. The syrah from Roblar was a great pairing as well. We retired after sitting by the fire for a little while, bathed in the silvery light from the full moon.

Sunday started out similarly to Saturday, a bright, sunny morning with coffee and breakfast. We broke camp and left the site better than we found it. We took the road we had not taken yet, which ended up leading us along the ridgeline, over a pass to Cachuma Saddle and provided some amazing vistas of the surrounding wilderness. The road from Cachuma Saddle led us down the other side of the ridge, then through some ranching lands, then vineyards on Happy Canyon Rd. We ended up back at Saarloos & Sons, this time enjoying the wine tasting and their adirondack chairs in the sun. Since we didn't get to go swimming in the lake the day before, we decided we wanted to go to the beach in Santa Barbara for the afternoon. After the drive back to town, we found the beach at Arroyo Burro Beach to still be overcast. We decided to give it some time and hope that the marine layer was still burning off. Luckily, we were right. The sun came out and it was gorgeous. It was not too crowded, which added to the relaxing environment. We just enjoyed the sun and read some more of our books, occasionally pointing out sailboats or paragliders to each other. After a few hours in the sun, I was ready for a cold one, so we headed to the Brewhouse. We had been here the summer before and really enjoyed it. It did not disappoint, providing great beer and delicious food, with outdoor seating. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to relax there, as we needed to get on the road before traffic got increasingly worse. We must've beat some of the traffic, since it only took us 2 3/4 hrs to get back.

Trip to Black Bar June 28th 2009

Since we've met, Addy's been telling me about this lodge in southern Oregon on the Rogue River that she used to work at late in high school and early in college and saying that we should go down to see it. Its called Black Bar and its is mostly used as a lodge for people rafting down the Rogue River, which has up to class I-V rapids along a 16 mi stretch that has been designated as a Wild and Scenic River, so it is protected from development. It sounded awesome and I was excited to finally get to go this summer. Addy got in touch with her old boss, the owner, John and he graciously arranged for us to stay one night in one of the cabins at the lodge.

We drove to Grant's Pass on Friday, taking the dog with us, so Addy's parents could watch him, while we were on this little trip. We arrived at their house and Addy's mom had dinner ready, carne asada and "chopped-up" (her amazing, super fresh, chunky avo, tom, onion, cilantro salsa). After eating way too much of her good food, we just hung out, talking and laughing having a beer. The next morning, we got up, had a little breakfast, and heading out to the trailhead. They had to drive us through the country to a river dock, where many of the river rafting outfitters put in to start their adventure. They left us their with our backpacks and water and plans to rendezvous back in 30 hours.

The hike in to Black Bar is 10 mi along a ridge trail that follows the river and is not busy, at least that time of year. The preferred method of getting down the river canyon is by boat or raft, but some do it the way we did. The weather was hot and clear and made for breathtaking views and a refreshing journey. On the hike we saw few other people, particularly once we past a small campsite near Whisky Creek Lodge. It was my first time, so I marveled at the natural beauty (which Addy likes to make fun of me for) in the canyon, from the different types of trees to the little lizards that were constantly running across our path, to the vistas of river, tree-filled valleys, and stone-sided canyon. The 10 mi went quickly and we arrived at the sand bar, where we were to meet John to get rowed across the river. We got in the water to cool off and laid in the sun, like the lizards, for a short time, then he showed up, with two cold beers all ready for us. What a great welcome!! He showed us to our cabin, we got settled in and then Addy gave me the tour, narrating as we went. It is a pretty amazing place. The lodge was built back in 1912(ish) and until recent years, the only way to get there was to hike, boat, or fly in. John has added a few cabins and added a better kitchen, but the main cabin is still original and has that distinctly rustic feel. We hung out on the lawn, which used to be the landing strip, until dinner was ready. Dinner is served family style around a large table. That night we were the only ones that weren't part of the large party that were rafting and the guides that were leading them. They shared their wine with us and we all shared conversation and fried chicken. John spoiled us, making us truly feel like guests of honor, by bringing Addy extra veggies and keeping a full beer in front of us the whole time. After dinner we shared beers with John, while he and Addy caught up and he got to know me enough to approve. Addy warned me that it got dark there, but with no power after 10pm and being in the canyon dark is not a strong enough word, it got blindingly dark. It was so dark, I nearly went blind, trying to see my hand when it was held six inches in front of my face. It was so quiet and still, that it had a certain effect on me, which my friends would recognize (I slept like a rock, a really, really old rock).

The next morning, we arose and had breakfast with everyone (John gave Addy 3 pancakes compared to everyone else's 2). Again, spent some time with John until it was time to get packing and start hiking back. He rowed us across, we thanked him profusely and we got back to it. It was another hot, clear day, but the views going the other way were just different enough to make it worth going back the way we came. We stopped a few times, because we knew we were going to get to the rendezvous early, but still got there way early. So, we kept walking back toward the little "town" on the way to her parents house. Shortly after we started, we realized that we were not going to make it all the way there without water, so we hitched a ride with an old hippy couple. They were really nice and were just out for a drive near where they had once lived. They dropped us off at the resort/lodge/restaurant/gas station where we had the weakest nachos I think I've ever had. They were more like chili fries, but nachos. Weird. Addy's parents met us there after a little bit and we headed back to their place for dinner.

I had taken Monday off, so that we could have a little longer weekend, so we decided to go out to Applegate Lake. We tried to stop by an old corner market that Addy used to get sandwiches from, but when we got there, they were in the act of tearing down the building that used to house it. We went into the new building next door and found that they had moved into that building. The sandwich was great, but Addy could not get over the building being torn down. The drive out to the lake was interesting. We apparently went the back way, as it was nearly all gravel roads with lots of "No Trespassing" signs. We ate our sandwiches as we travelled this long-cut, enjoy each other's company. We eventually came to the lake, greeted by an amazing view of the lake, cradled by the valley, the peaks snow-capped in the distance. We followed Addy's directions by memory, which led us not to the beach on Applegate lake, but eventually to a mountain lake called Squaw Lake. I swear it is the lake where they filmed "Indian Summer". It is so picturesque, it is only fitting that we forgot the camera. We didn't forget Jackson (the dog), though, and he had a blast. We all got in the cool, refreshing spring-fed water and it felt great. Jackson was hesitant at first, but once we got him in, it was hard to keep him out. We taught him to swim and fetch, to rescue (acting like we needed his help in the water), and to put his head underwater to get a rock. After spending an hour or so there, we got in the car and headed back home. This time, the fast way, on paved roads. We had dinner at Circle J, the local artisan pizza joint with the best sweet potato fries ever!

We had to head home after that, but it was another great weekend adventure for the Dergmuttons!