Jane’s first camping trip!
The three of us went on a two night trip to nearby [Big Basin Redwoods State Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Basin_Redwoods_State_Park) in the Santa Cruz mountains for Jane’s introduction to sleeping outdoors. Overall it went great and Megan and I think Jane really was amazed by all the lush vibrant greenery we saw walking around the park over the course of our three day trip.
I selected Big Basin specifically because the park has tent cabins which I thought would be a good first hybrid between actual camping and a hotel. The [cabins](https://www.bigbasintentcabins.com/tent-cabins/) are a hybrid in the sense that they have the traditional cabin layout with a woodstove and sleeping platforms inside, but with the addition of a canvas roof and upper wall sections similar to wall tents. This would give us more room to move around and explode our baby gear without the constant struggle of keeping a small tent orgainzed. We also read that mosquitos can be a problem in the area so having a screened in cabin meant we could hang out inside without Jane exposed to the bugs if they got too bad.
Booking any campground in the area can be challenging due to the high demand and relative low supply. The tent cabins are no different. Luickly most of the poor working shmucks in the area (myself included) are limited to weekends and holidays so we were able to find a two night Wednesday / Thursday avaliablilty despite only booking a few months ahead of time. I took a few days of vacation to make the mid week slot work out and Megan was still on maternity leave. A few days ahead of time she got everything organized and packed including our food, supplies for Jane, and 12 carefully allocated diapers.
On Wednesday, we drove over the hill, leaving just after noon, and enjoyed the scenic and windy road from Saratoga. We timed our arrival for the 2pm check-in and more importantly, Jane’s second nap during the drive.
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/big-basin-driving-map/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/cabin-interior/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/camp-overview/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/img_1879/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/img_1888/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/nap-1/)
The cabins were great and our site had some fallen Redwoods which made a great divider providing a feeling of privacy and a nice environment to hang out. The cabin interior was dark with little natrual light making its way inside but overall it was comfortable. We set Jane’s bassinet on one of the sleeping platforms and Megan and I had the other.
Wednesday afternoon we spent hanging around the camp with the exception of a short walk on a nearby trail. Luckily I had purchased a bug net made for cribs because the mosquitos were out in force. When not being held, Jane sat around in her car seat with the bug net over it which worked out great. That night Megan had planned Chili Mac for dinner as a throwback to our memorable Potato Harbor meal in the Channel Islands.
[IMG_1904_720](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1904_720-1.mov)
The weather was mild Wednesday evening so I didn’t make a fire in the woodstove for the first night. Jane went to bed at her ususal 8pm bedtime. We used the bug net over her bassinet as well. She has been a really great sleeper for the past few months and she fell right asleep despite the new environment. She woke up once, as is her normal routine and Megan added a blanket as the night had gotten a bit cooler.
On Thursday morning we went for a long meandering hike after taking a wrong turn on the road exiting the campground. Jane rode along in the front carrier with me and stayed awake almost the whole time despite being carried during her normal nap time. Normally even outside her nap time she would have fallen asleep when carried. She was wide eyed and looking around the whole time and we think she was just too enthrawled by all the trees and greenery to think about sleeping. After returning to the cabin for lunch and a nap, we went walking again and this time made it to the park headquarters (our original morning destination) for a coffee.
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1909/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1918/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1912/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/nap-2/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1946/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1941/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/nap-1/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/img_1885/)
Thursday night we had fun hanging out in camp again. We had hotdogs and pudgy pie pizzas on our little grill. Jane had milk. The evening was cooler than Wednesday, so after [batoning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batoning) some firewood with Megan’s favorite green kitchen knife, I made a fire in the woodstove around 7pm. I soon remembered that heat regulation with a woodstove in a small cabin is no easy task. Jane went to sleep in an 80 degree smoke chamber that night.
The stove troubles continued when I woke up around 1am and checked on Jane. The fire had burned out and her hands and arms were cold. I set out to make another fire and was finally successful after about thirty minutes and three trips out in the dark in my boxers for kindling. Thinking back on the whole thing, I’m not sure the smoke exposure was worth it but I was determined to warm it up in there.
Friday morning we woke up and didn’t linger too long. Megan’s precise allocation of 12 diapers had been quickly consumed, and we were running on spares which were luckily stashed away in the car and our backpacks. We hit the road shortly after breakfast and a stop at the camp store for a second coffee. Jane camped like a natural and I’m glad we took the chance to take her out for a few nights this early in her life. I know she won’t remember the specifics of the trip, but hopefully the exposure to the woods and enjoyment of nature will be imprinted in her brain for the long run.
6/19/19-6/21/19
—
## Media URLs recovered
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Big-Basin-Driving-Map.png
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cabin-interior.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Camp-overview.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1879.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1888.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Nap-1.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1909.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1918.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1912.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Nap-2.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1946.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1941.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1885.jpeg
* . * . *
. * . *
. * . . *
. * . * .
. * . . * .
… Lost to the sands of time… –> recovered 20260907