Chris' thoughts and things to do near Schoolhouse camp ground

Camper Chris?

21/02/2022

Thought I’d get in a quick camping trip myself before the season starts at Schoolhouse. Colton was on spring break and Corina had a week off so we headed south. Great trip - camped at Big Sur and Santa Barbara on the way down to Joshua Tree and then on to Anza Borrego State Park and Red Rock Canyon. The desert is great in the spring and with so few campers out, we got a spot every time. Everything was starting to bloom and it was t-shirt weather most of the time. I heard it rained here while we were gone, but I guess I was lucky as we missed the storms everywhere we went.

The picture above is a vista leaving Anza Borrego with the Salton Sea in the background. California is such a great place. There is so much to do here. I could have kept going for weeks. Every time I met someone, they had a new place for us to check out. There is a fantastic feeling of freedom in not having any place you have to be and no reservations. We just hit the road and let the trip unfold. We did the full southern California beach experience, deserts, the forgotten Salton Sea and a living ghost town called Randsburg.

Spring Bloom

Flowering Cactus

Corina & Colton

Corina Corina

21/02/2022

Meet Ranger Corina, my new coworker at the camp. Yeah, she’s hot. I know.

Corina and I have been married 15 or so years. She will be taking a more active role at Schoolhouse this year as our son Colton is now going on nine and needs less supervision every day. Corina is new and she does not know everything about the camp yet so go easy on her. She is doing a great job and is a real sweetheart. I know you will all love her. She will bend over backwards for you.

I’m hoping she can learn to drive the old Willys Truck on Sundays to help me do the garbage runs. The truck has no power steering, no power brakes and no seat belts. You have to stand up on the brakes if you need a quick stop. It’s really cool looking though and is very much in keeping with our vintage theme.

Anyway, I hope you will all welcome her and give her a big thanks for the bathrooms. She is the reason they are spotless and the nicest of any camp on the Russian River.

River Tubes!

21/02/2022

We’ve had so many people end up with popped floaties and sunken rafts that we decided to start renting the real deal. These are the best tubes money can buy (well at least the best ones on our river trail). These are the huge semi-truck inner tubes and are nearly indestructible. They are perfect for a lazy float around the camp beach or an all day affair down the river.

The valve stems are bent in a curve so they won’t scratch you and we rent them affordably. When you are done with the tube at the end of the day, just return it to the office.

Fire Crew Visits the Camp

21/02/2022

The California Department of Forestry Hilton fire station is right next to the camp. On Saturday, I spotted a couple of the CDF fire fighters checking out our river trail so I sent Cathy over to chat with them. She came back with a big grin on her face and said that they were going to bring the fire truck down for all the kids in the camp to check out.

It was great. We had a bunch of kids and the fire crew passed out Frisbees and let them shoot the fire hoses at a couple of our trees. Everyone was laughing and jumping around. I think even a few of the parents stood in line to give it a try.

Thanks CDF – you guys made it really fun for us.

The Return of Camper Dave

21/02/2022

If you have not already familiarized yourself with Camper Dave, you can do so here. True to form, I caught Dave the other night with what appears to be a giant pink squid lashed to his car. When I asked what was up he said “what do you mean?” as if it was perfectly normal to be driving around with a giant squid rigged to your car. Classic Camper Dave. Just priceless.