Camping: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!
UpaDowna hosted it's 3rd "Adventure on Tap" speaker series this past Monday night and this time, we recorded it so that our fans nationwide could be a part of the discussion! Bear with us, it's our first recording but it does feature the slideshow the speaker used as well as him talking about each slide.
Our featured speaker, Dan Rodriguez gave us some awesome insight, tips and advice about camping including how to camp, where to camp, what to bring, things to do at camp and things NOT to do! Below are some of the highlights or, you can listen to it at the YouTube link below!
- You can just about camp anywhere! Some of his favorites were at music festivals and even on the side of the road at times!
- Play games to pass the time. Two of his recommendations are bocce ball and "butt darts" (sorry, you'll have to watch the video to understand how to play this one!)
- Create a "key for the bathroom". If your camping group has an outdoor bathroom setup, provide a reusable shopping bag full of items you might need (toilet paper, wipes, hand sanitizer, flashlight etc), then, hang the bag near camp. If the bag is available, the bathroom is "open" and you always have the items you need!
- Rafting on certain rivers is like car camping, you can take everything you need and camp on beaches along the riverbank.
- Look into buying a propane campfire. You don't need wood, it's cleaner and sometimes you can keep it lit while the Rangers tell campers to drench their wood campfires after campfire hours are over.
Places he recommends:
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes, UT. But be aware, it is a big ATV and RV location.
- Rafting the Moab River
- Moonflower Campground, BLM, UT. Be sure to look for the Petroglyphs and the ladder that takes you up to the top of a beautiful lookout!
- Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite Natl., Park, CA. Heads up! Most sites are filled for the year starting in Dec! Must book sites way in advance to ensure you get the nights you want!
- Angel of Shavano Campground, Salida, CO.
- James Robb State Park, Palisade, CO.
- Pueblo Reservoir, Pueblo, CO.
Here are some things he recommends to skip:
- Red Rock Canyon Campground, Las Vegas, NV. Skip the campground and stay at the Bellagio!
- Bad climbing advice at Yosemite. You don't want to end up on the mountain at dark without a safe way to get back.
- Skiing at the Sand Dunes. Looks fun but you can run down them faster.
- Bathroom tents that can blow down easily.
Dan was most excited about his camping trips down the river. Here are a few tips from that:
- take tons of beer
- river trips are tons of fun!
- sleep on raft, sleep with tent, no tent, there are many options!
- It does get windy at times, be prepared so you don't eat sandy sandwiches
- there is lots to do: great fishing, great hiking and bring games (bocce ball, board games, butt darts)
- Sleep without a tent but set up the poles in case you have to make a mad dash to cover yourself in the rain.
- be prepared to be hot, expect wind and not sleep well…BUT….you'll love it so much, you'll be ready to do it again the next day!
- Keep in mind, when taking a lot of camping gear, the only issue is loading everything off and on the raft.
- Steer clear of Steer Gulch Camp on the San Juan River! Tons of mosquitoes!
Camping Tips:
- if a tent manufacturer tells you a tent "sleeps 4", subtract 1, and that's the true size.
- Try a Big Agnes sleeping bag with an integrated pad sleeve so you never roll off your sleeping pad again!
- Invest in a 2 door tent to avoid having to climb over the other person.
Want to be a speaker and share your stories? Know someone that wants to share? Please contact Steve at steve@upadowna.org for more info! All outdoor stories are encouraged!
