Lake Cachuma March 2024
Well we tried an RV back in 2021 and loved it for the most part. But did not like having to drive the RV everywhere. Once you arrive at your campsite you are stuck there unless you repack everything back in the RV. So this year we tried a travel trailer. We inherited a nice, fairly new travel trailer this year and I wanted to give it a nice break in before we really went somewhere with it for an extended time. We purchased quite a bit of new equipment that we thought we would need as well as cleaned her up a bit here and there. So, we planned a quick trip to Mount Laguna in San Diego but the weather turned on us the day before we were set to go, so we headed north to Lake Cachuma for a quick 3-day trip.
Unfortunately, the weather just kept getting worse up there as well. When we arrived at Lake Cuchuma a large thunderstorm had just rolled in and boy it was cold, rainy and had a lot of wind. Got the trailer situated at our campsite and soon hunkered in the trailer to stay warm and dry. Didn't do much the first night due to the rain, wind and cold.
The next morning it was glorious. Still a bit cold, but no rain and no wind. I took the girls out for a quick walk while Stephanie slept in. This campground is very large and the site we picked had no power, water or sewer but boy what view. But that is what I wanted to have. We like to boondock the most so this trip was a quick test to see what this camper could do on its own.
We recently purchased a 3500 watt generator along with other, we thought necessities, to easily camp in the middle of no where. The camper has a small solar panel on it as well as two deep cycle batteries. The propane heater kept us nice and warm and it has a very large water tank as well as large black and grey tanks. It is a bit small but as long as the weather is nice you can hang outside and only use the camper to sleep, shower and dispose.
We went to Santa Ynez to get a nice breakfast the next day and then went on a few hikes with the dogs. It was beautiful. The lake was so high, at 101%, that some of the campsites were under water. We hung out at Hook'd bar and had a few bloody mary's and then cooked a great meal on the outside fire ring. Later that night the wind picked up again so back in the trailer we went.
All and all had a great quick trip. The trailer kept us warm, had a great hot shower and we watched TV at night while lying in the bed at night.
Things we learned we need before we take her out on a longer trip. Need a new mattress. Yikes! this one is hard as a rock. Need to get a 12 volt TV so we can watch TV easier while boondocking and not running the generator. And I need to get an Equalizing hitch with a sway bar. I didn't feel comfortable driving over 60 mph with the trailer. She started to sway at any speed higher than 60.
Here are some quick pics of our trip.
Unfortunately, the weather just kept getting worse up there as well. When we arrived at Lake Cuchuma a large thunderstorm had just rolled in and boy it was cold, rainy and had a lot of wind. Got the trailer situated at our campsite and soon hunkered in the trailer to stay warm and dry. Didn't do much the first night due to the rain, wind and cold.
The next morning it was glorious. Still a bit cold, but no rain and no wind. I took the girls out for a quick walk while Stephanie slept in. This campground is very large and the site we picked had no power, water or sewer but boy what view. But that is what I wanted to have. We like to boondock the most so this trip was a quick test to see what this camper could do on its own.
We recently purchased a 3500 watt generator along with other, we thought necessities, to easily camp in the middle of no where. The camper has a small solar panel on it as well as two deep cycle batteries. The propane heater kept us nice and warm and it has a very large water tank as well as large black and grey tanks. It is a bit small but as long as the weather is nice you can hang outside and only use the camper to sleep, shower and dispose.
We went to Santa Ynez to get a nice breakfast the next day and then went on a few hikes with the dogs. It was beautiful. The lake was so high, at 101%, that some of the campsites were under water. We hung out at Hook'd bar and had a few bloody mary's and then cooked a great meal on the outside fire ring. Later that night the wind picked up again so back in the trailer we went.
All and all had a great quick trip. The trailer kept us warm, had a great hot shower and we watched TV at night while lying in the bed at night.
Things we learned we need before we take her out on a longer trip. Need a new mattress. Yikes! this one is hard as a rock. Need to get a 12 volt TV so we can watch TV easier while boondocking and not running the generator. And I need to get an Equalizing hitch with a sway bar. I didn't feel comfortable driving over 60 mph with the trailer. She started to sway at any speed higher than 60.
Here are some quick pics of our trip.