Our 1 year anniversary was great! We spent 6 days in Northern California away from the daily grind; no TVs, no computers, no work, not even cell reception.
We decided to go camping for our anniversary about a month ago. We really don't have much money right now and realized that camping would be a very affordable, plus a nice relaxing get away. We really didn't set a plan. We just got out a map and started searching for places to go. We knew we wanted to be surrounded by pines and visit somewhere new!
We had traveled up the 1 hwy into Northern California about 5 years ago for my brother's wedding and remembered how beautiful it was. We knew we wanted to be in that neck of the woods...literally! We had a few campgrounds in mind, but because it was Memorial Weekend, we knew we wouldn't have an easy time finding a place.
After about a 6.5 hour drive, we found our campground. Trent had taken us on a pretty gnarly course. We were looking for a campground called Hendy Woods. The map he was using led us on almost a 2 hour detour to the coast and then back to where we started. We eventually found Hendy, but were turned around because they were full. On our way back to the coast we managed to find a small campground with about 25 sites surrounded by pines. It was called Paul Dimmick Campground. It was located on the Navarro River between the 101 and the 1 hwys. I was surprised we didn't see it on our map because it appeared to be a state park.
The weather was good most of the week. It was definitely cooler at night. The dogs did really well. They managed to sleep soundly every night; they would crawl between us under the covers and sprawl out as far as they could barely making a peep! Through out the days, they would wander the campground and bark at passerby's. Lulu really loved chewing on twigs, bark and pine needles. We figured we'd let her explore "camping" out on her own; it was her first time.
During the day, we visited a few beaches and spent a few days in the town of Mendocino. We really enjoyed "Mendo," (as the locals call it.) We went to their farmer's market and picked up some fruit to grill. We also went there for our anniversary and ate at a cute bistro called, Moosse Cafe.
Trent and I love to visit new places as well as try new things. We had a really great time! I posted some pictures of our campground as well as a few others! Enjoy!
