The campground is full of mature sycamores and stately cork oaks and has a resident herd of deer that can be found near the camp store at almost any time of day. There is a large clubhouse with all the usual activities and a nice looking pool thy was closed during our visit. A nice playground is located in front of the clubhouse and close enough to use the free WiFi.

Located off of CA-25 between the Hollister and Pinnacles National Park, the landscape in January is a beautiful green oak woodland set in a valley of rolling hills. Acorn woodpeckers and California quail are abundant, and we also noted eurasiasian collared dove, starling, scrub jay, ravens, vultures and a few other types of birds. Wild boar inhabit the area, but we did not see any live specimens.

The main draw to the area was the opportunity to visit Pinnacles, America’s newest national park, upgraded from a national monument in 2013. The park features lush oak woodland, coastal chaparral, caves, and red rock formations loved by climbers. It is also part of the California condor’s home range and has played a vital role in their population recovery. Condors can be seen at some of the higher peaks, but we were not able to spot any.

We used our free weekend to visit Monterey for a day at the aquarium. Ben had fun, but was most interested in the kids play area and the seagulls. It was crowded and a bit overstimulating, so afterward we walked down Cannery Row to San Carlos Beach for some time with our toes in the sand. Then we stopped by Sea Harvest Restaurant & Fish Market and got a sampler of fried seafood. Ben ate all the calamari thinking they were chicken nuggets.

The valve in the shower that our brand new tenants need to use suddenly stopped working, Dottie needed an urgent vet visit, and somebody tried to steal our Kia. Apparently Kia theft is all the rage these days, but the would-be thief was relegated by their incompetence to the role of vandal, as all the damage they caused didn’t help them start the vehicle.

My cousin, who has been storing the 5th wheel in her pasture for us, was gracious enough to let us camp there for a few days while we took care of issues at home and got the RV ready for full time living again. It was nice to spend some time with her family even though it was an unplanned delay.

When we finally set out for Yosemite Lakes, there was just one last point of stress: Priest Grade on Highway 120. It’s a narrow, steep and winding road that sits on the edge of a ledge, but for me, the biggest concern was my transmission temperature. These types of climbs with a heavy load in tow are hard on the truck.

I’ve always enjoyed seeing Yosemite in different seasons, but this is the first chance I’ve had to make

Rancho Notso Grande is an orchard and berry farm with a roadside farm stand and a steady stream of boondocking visitors. The owner took us on his golf cart for a tour of the farm and a sampling of his wares. It was too early in the season for pick-your-own berries, but he offered an assortment of wines, jams, vinegar, and meat from lamb raised on the farm. We got a pack of lamb rib chops, some raspberry-jalapeño jam and a bottle of berry wine.

We spent some time letting Ben explore the orchard and various berry patches before cooking up the lamb chops for dinner. After dinner, Ben played in a weird little stick teepee that the owner said was built by previous guests and continually added to by others. It looked like something from the Blair Witch Project, but Ben couldn’t leave it alone. We added a few more sticks from the orchard to shore-up the teepee and then called it a night.

Once near Palmdale, we veered south toward the town of Acton and our destination, Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon. The campground is so named for the canyon in which it is located, which follows the Santa Clara River through the Angeles National Forest to Santa Clarita.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of a Thousand Trails in Southern California, and I was unfamiliar with this particular area of California. Upon arrival, the campground seemed a little beat-up. There is a dry river wash that you cross and some steep hills to get to certain sections. The sites and facilities looked a little run down, and I was getting a similar impression from many of the guests.

We found a spot that backed up to a bit of a ledge that overlooked a lower section of the campground. That’s when our huge rear window had its moment to shine. It perfectly framed Mendenhall Ridge and Magic Mountain, while blocking out the campground below.

(Yeah, I thought Magic Mountain was just a rollercoaster park in Santa Clarita.)

We spent hours staring out the back window while we were here, watching the clouds and the sun move across the mountain. Early in the mornings, the clouds would sock in the peaks and give shadowy texture to the mountain as the sun burned them off throughout the day.

The south-facing hills on other side of the canyon were golden with blooming poppies and the edge of the slope we were perched on was covered in wildflowers.

Ben watched the birds and the squirrels and we identified the dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis).

As California’s harsh winter continued into April, we even got a fresh dusting of snow to look at on the mountains.

This year was different because our traditional campground was closed for renovations. Instead we booked a large group site at a campground on the other side of the lake. Still, there were already several RVs in the lot from our group and the campground advises no RVs over 28ft. Not to worry, we had a boondocking spot pre-scouted just down the road. We could park the RV there and take the opportunity for a trial run at boondocking and still spend plenty of time with the family at the lake or around the campfire.