State parks and many private parks have started catering to the technology era. If you want to really experience camping, your goal should be to find a park that does not have Wi-fi or good cell phone reception. If you are having trouble locating one that will work for you, do the unthinkable and leave the technology at home. You probably won’t understand the benefits until you get home.
This includes the RV or travel trailer. There is no place for modern day luxuries in tent camping. If you are sitting in an RV watching TV, you miss the shooting star overhead, or the draw of the campfire and the deep relaxation the flames from it provides. Can you recall the last time you played a board game with the kids? By the second day, after they have digested the fact that text messaging is out for a few days, they will be begging for you to take a hike or a bike ride with them.
The chores are another worthy trade off to the dishwasher and maid service. Get the kids involved in setting up camp and rotating the chore schedule. Creativity is limitless when they are faced with the inevitability of hand washing dishes from a bucket, cooking on a tiny stove, hanging laundry on a line, taking out trash and building campfires.
Some great locations for a three-day (or less) trip:Joshua Tree, far off the beaten path offers a star filled night sky, be sure to bring in water, there is no supply there, which means, you guessed it, no showers. You might want to just do an overnight trip. Pitch your tent during the day, climb some rocks, go to dinner in Pioneertown and get back to your site in time to watch the star show around the fireplace.How about fifty yards from the beach? El Capitan or Refugio State Beach are great three-day spots. The beach at Refugio is better for hitting the water; El Capitan is better for shell hunting. Solvang is right up the road for a fun day trip. They both have markets and showers.
These are just a couple of spots that are open to campers year round. So pull your tent out of storage, dust it off, pack up the kids and have some great, inexpensive fun. Build wonderful traditions for your family that will carry on for generations.
