Sunday E-dition: Camping out near home
By Dave Stoneberg
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — My wife, Joni, and I have had an interesting time lately. Last week we decided we wanted to get away for a day or two, go camping in our 1971 VW bus, in part because it was just too darned hot at home, especially for early October.
Normally, we would have headed to the Sonoma County coast, but we’ve found camping there nearly impossible as you’re required to make reservations for any of those state parks weeks or months in advance. On Friday, when I was writing this, I looked for two nights at Wright’s Beach, a favorite place with campsites adjacent to sandy beaches and the Pacific Ocean. The next available dates were Monday, Nov. 13 and Tuesday, Nov. 14. Two campsites were available for $35 a night.
A buddy of mine told me he used to jump in his pickup truck and head over to the beach and was always able to find a camping site for the night. No longer, I’m afraid, as more and more people are getting outdoors, driving their RVs or pickup trucks pulling trailers and looking for a camping spot.
The last time we stayed at Wright’s Beach, a family had brought their RV and a pickup truck, a large tent, camp chairs, a noisy generator, solar panels, a satellite dish so they could watch TV, and a portable firepit. As I walked by their campsite, I wondered why they even bothered … they could have just stayed home instead of bringing all the conveniences of home to the campground.
One of our first dates
On Tuesday, we loaded the VW bus and headed south over Mount St. Helena from our home in Hidden Valley Lake. We went to one of Joni’s favorite places: Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, halfway between Calistoga and St. Helena. Joni started running there at the urging of Don Frazier and Tom Rinaldi when she lived in a small garage/apartment on Hunt Avenue in St. Helena and worked at Hurd Beeswax Candle Factory, which was located at Freemark Abbey. That was in 1976 and Joni ran in the park for years. In fact, one of our first dates was a run in early morning fog on the trails at Bothe.
Even after we were married and moved away from St. Helena in 1983, Joni kept running in the park, often alone and sometimes with friends. Sometimes she would run and I’d bring my bike to ride a few miles on Silverado Trail. We’d meet back at the park or maybe in Calistoga at the glider port, when it was still operating. One time when Joni was running on a trail, she saw two young raccoons, curled together and rolling down a hillside.
There is something spiritual about being in the state park, with its majestic redwoods, lovely forest and three hiking trails, including Redwood, Ritchey Canyon and History Trail, which passes the Pioneer Cemetery and leads to Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park. Additionally, there are nearly 50 campsites, 10 yurts and five cabins to rent for the night or for several nights. Cost for a campsite is $43 a night, a little higher than the state-run parks ($35), but unlike Wright’s Beach, we were able to book a lovely campsite for that night. The ranger told us there were nine sites available and we picked one nearest to Ritchey Creek and the trail that follows it through the park.
You may not know this: Although the park is called a “state park,” it is no longer run by the state; instead it is operated by the Napa County Regional Park & Open Space District.
Napa Valley hotel prices
Forty-three dollars a night to camp in the Napa Valley is inexpensive compared to a hotel room, which range from $169 (Aurora Park Cottages in Calistoga) to $1,405 per night for a five-star experience at Four Seasons Resort.
Prices at other hotels include $206 per night at the Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa and $367 per night at Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort. These were found online for two guests for one night, Monday, Oct. 16.
According to Budget Your Trip, the average cost per night for a California hotel is $221 with a median price of $170, which means half are above that figure and half below it. The lowest was $81 a night; the highest was $746. The website compiled the figures for 5,075 hotels with prices reported to Kayak, one of several online sites for booking hotels. The average for a luxury hotel is $508.
Looking back
In the past week, in the third part of his examination of the Napa Valley wine industry, Tim Carl questions whether the industry is in trouble and whether the current environment indicates an economic bubble.
Also, this past week:
Virginie Boone updated us on Karen Williams and her new digs at ACME Fine Wines;
Sasha Paulsen sent a report from her latest road trip, this time to Barcelona, Spain, where her daughter, Ariel, lost an earring and was helped by an international crowd;
Rosemarie Kempton reported on three of 12 Napa County artists — Scarlett Woolsey, BJ Thrailkill and Michael Fitzpatrick — whose works are part of The de Young Open 2023;
Paul Franson continued reporting on Wine Down Media and its news team;
This reporter discussed the appeal of a proposal by Duckhorn Vineyards, part of The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE: NAPA), to dramatically expand its footprint on the Silverado Trail and Lodi Lane; also on Saturday, he told the story of Calistogan Linda York, who escaped from Israel after the terrifying Hamas attack;
Master Gardener Donna Woodward reported on a timely subject: landscaping with wildfires in mind;
And, because you’ve been hard at the grindstone, on Friday we gave you a huge list of things to do this weekend and in the weeks to come.
I’m looking forward to next week; the continued cool weather while patiently waiting for this year’s rains to begin, and more stories from our contributors and collaborators. If you haven’t yet subscribed, please join me here. As you may know, we’re an online information source based in the Napa Valley. We don’t accept advertising of any kind and our writers are supported by paid subscriptions. If you are able, please subscribe — it costs $5 a month, less than a fancy cuppa coffee, or $50 a year. Thank you.
Dave Stoneberg is an editor and journalist, who has worked for newspapers in both Lake and Napa counties.
Another fun read and love that VW!