Camping at South Carlsbad State Beach

This summer, I finally figured out the crazy reservation scheme employed by the California State Parks, and was able to score a couple of different weekends at the coveted South Carlsbad State Beach campground.  On our final beach campout of the summer, we were joined by some friends of Annika's.  Some may remember when Annika met her instant best-friend Joe at the SoCal Desert Rendezvous last March (written up on Dad's blog because it was more about camping).

At any rate, Annika has been asking about when she could "go camping with Joe" pretty much weekly since that trip.  We were finally able to oblige.  As a bonus, Joe brought his kid-sister along (and his Parents made an appearance, too).

Needless to say, the weekend was quite a hit.  Sand Castles were built.  Shave-Ice was consumed.  S'Mores were toasted.  Memories were made.  Campground camping isn't Dad's favorite, due to the proximity of, you know, people, but it was pretty hard to beat the amenities (Hot Showers & Facilities nearby, not to mention the beach immediately below).  Weather was warm and a bit humid, but all was perfect whenever the breeze came in off the water.

After two trips to this campground in as many months, we've determined that the bluff-side sites are definitely worth the extra money.  The inland side sites are great, but being just that little bit closer to the edge of the bluff means that the noise of the surf is enough to drown out most of the intruding audio of the rest of the camp and nearby road.  And then there's the view, which is pretty hard to beat:

Obviously, we've made some great new friends, though we'll have to wait a bit before heading out with them again - their camper #3 is on the way.  In the mean time, now that the "season" is over for a little while (until the desert cools enough to be fun), Dad is going to gut the rear of the van and rebuild the entire bed/bunk/storage system to work better and be more efficient.  Annika can't wait for Desert Season!