People would not believe me if they knew I’m “camping” off the grid, in rough roads and deep in the mountains. It is a definite contrast to my everyday lifestyle where I spend most of my time detailing designs for high-end clientele. Before that trip, my boss had asked about my weekend plans and I briefly mentioned about going camping. Her reaction didn’t seem at all pleased and asked what entails camping. lol It was quite an interesting conversation, to say the least. Speaking to someone who likely has never camped in her life, I summarized my camping details. Pick a location, bring your friends, make sure you have plenty of food and water and enjoy nature w/o a cell phone. I think I didn’t sell her on the no wifi zone part but, for me, it is a blessing. We drove to Lytle Creek at the usual time, very early in the morning. This was my 2nd time visiting but, my first time camping. The weather was quite cool around 60F and then, it dropped to 30-40F. It was very cold once the sun came down. Although, we had the best sunset that I’ve ever seen in the mountains. We were cooking in the camper when we saw the sky turned into this reddish purple. We all came out and were awed by the colors of the sky. It was breathtaking to be hidden behind the mountains and be surrounded by these large pine trees. Some of these trees have been around for years! We were drawn to one that had fallen and we made this our spot to sit or stand.Getting to this area requires a map or have friends who know where to go and what they’re doing. As a tip, the map we took from the center was actually missing some of the camping sites (pole 8 & 9) that was marked but, it did not actually exist. Trust me, we checked. Definitely, make sure you know where you’re going and that you have your own map that you trust. We used two, 1 from the center and 1 that showed the terrain. Also, the roads are pretty rough. It’s unpaved with lots of large rocks. I was glad to be driving there in a truck. Although, our friends ended up with a flat tire. Luckily they were prepared and had a spare tire to use. It’s not a place to be stuck in as you’re miles away from the center or even close to anything with a service. One thing that struck me as odd was not seeing any animals except hearing woodpeckers a few times in the day. Other than that, it was quiet except other campers partying nearby or trucks driving through.

What’s your favorite part about camping?