We enjoy camping in the fall better than any other season, with the exception of those desert wildflower “super bloom” spring-time years. We especially like to camp in the fall in areas that are popular in summer, but usually mostly empty in the fall. After Labor Day the crowds in these areas mostly disappear and the weather is still nice.

We left home a couple weeks after Labor Day and headed to the lower elevations of the Southern Sierra Nevada in the Sequoia National Forest. There is a US Forest Service campground we like that sees few people this time of year. The campground is in a transition zone where high desert meets fir and pine trees.

The weatherman forecasted daytime highs in the low 80° F range and declining into the lower 70s in his 10-day forecast.

He was wrong.

Trip Planning

We don’t do much planning for our camping trips. We go when we want to go. We do keep in mind that we do not like cold weather. We also keep in mind that our camper’s fresh water system doesn’t like cold (think freezing) weather either. That is our only concern when it comes to weather (frozen fresh water lines in the camper, which has never happened).

About 99% of the time we do not camp where there are “hook-ups” for campers. Hook-up being electricity, sewer, water, or even cable TV/Internet at the campsite. Most of the time we camp where water is available, but not at the campsite itself. On this trip there were a few water facets at the campground, but nothing else except a couple of pit toilets.

Our Travel Trailer

We have fresh water capacity of 100 gallons. Our black water and grey water holding tanks hold 50 gallons each. With a little care, we can last a month. For a two-week trip, there is no concern about capacities.

We have two 30 pound propane tanks, which run our refrigerator/freezer, water heater, stoves/grill, Wave 8 catalytic heater, and furnace. Enough propane to last at least a month depending upon the time of year. We wouldn’t need to heat the camper on this trip.

We have enough solar generating power and battery capacity to be comfortable in a week’s worth of rain — and actually longer. So weather forecasting isn’t that important.

Weather

Longish weather forecasting is sometimes not very accurate. The first two days of this trip were  spot on, then the daily high temps were in the mid 90° F range for the rest of our two-week stay. For us, since we live in the low desert, temps in the mid 90s is actually pleasant. Plus we don’t and usually can’t obtain current weather conditions and forecasts while at a campground. You see, we tend to camp where there is no cell service nor internet. The lack of these modern technologies at our preferred camping spots often deters others from camping where we want to go — ah, more solitude for us.

Campfires

I have often written about campfires, such as in this post  back in 2015. We rarely build a campfire, preferring to enjoy our surroundings without any man-made lighting. 

I have noticed, over the years, when there is a campfire ban, fewer people go camping when a ban is in effect. This year, many state and federal agencies have banned campfires in California. There was a ban in effect for our campground on not only campfires but also charcoal grills — good — this would also reduce the number of potential campers.

Fishing

We like to fish. I only like to fish for trout in mountain rivers and streams. Since we would be camping next to a river, we brought our fishing gear. The fishing wasn’t great, especially with the higher temperatures, but you just take what nature throws at you.

So that was our non-planning Camping Plan for this trip.

Our Camping Trip

Since nothing was planned, we just did what we wanted when we wanted. Sitting by the river in the shade of large trees. Going for walks when the urge do to beckoned. Fishing when it seemed like a good idea. Reading. Sleeping. Eating. A glass of wine now and then.

The Campground

On weekends about half the campsites were occupied. Most weekdays we were the only ones at the campground. Some days we would see one or two other sites occupied.

The Nights

Oh, the nights! Warm enough to sit outside until after midnight wearing just shorts and a light jacket. We spent hours simply talking and watching the night sky, along with the Milky Way, come into view. It was a very dark place, without any light pollution and the number of stars were exponentially greater than at home.

Fishing

It wasn’t great. However we caught some trout. These were dinner on our second night at the campground.

Time

Time flew by quickly. Suddenly two weeks had passed and it was time to drive to our next camping destination.