Last month, we went on a camping trip to Camp Edison in Shaver Lake, CA. This was our second time camping with our family. First time was in 2013, we went to Sequoia National Park. It has become bi-annual family tradition for us during summer time as we get to meet up with our family from Southern California. It really helped that we have some experienced campers in the family. Things were booked, planned and organized ahead. I had very fond memories of going camping growing up. But it was not a tradition as I just remember few occasions, but I remember having great time as a child playing by the creek and eating camping food! It’s always more fun to go with group of friends or other families where you can delegate cooking/meal duties and even delegate packing equipment.
The campsite that we went is called Camp Edison. It’s owned by Southern Cal Edison, and it’s right on Shaver Lake. It took us about 4 hours from Oakland and we took one break during the drive. We made a reservation in Jan (for June dates) by faxing the Reservation Request Form.
Camping is great not only are we able to enjoy the outdoor nature but also it forces us to go unplug. These days I feel like we have to force ourselves to go unplugging, away from all the electronics, emails and so on and so forth. It’s kind of sad, isn’t it? Kids had a great time exploring the area. We rented a boat one day to go fishing and play in the water. The lake was so clear and emerald, it felt like we were actually out in the sea. We also went to play at the Dinky Creek which is by another camp site nearby. The water levels were pretty low due to drought but we still had a lot of fun playing by the rock slide and diving into some deeper water spots. Here is some snaps from our trip.
I love camping food! and cooking outdoors! We delegated meals by family and we had some great food while we were there. Some of the menus that we prepared were Kimchi Jjigae (stew) with Bulgogi, Made-to-Order Omelette and Korean Street Toast, Packed Sandwiches / Chips & Drinks to take on the boat, Marinara Meatball Sandwiches, Choonchon Dakgalbi (Korean Chicken BBQ), Gochujang Jjigae and of course some Ramen and S’Mores by the campfire. I had a great time cooking with my sister-in-laws, mostly chatting and catching up on life.
We prepared this Made-To-Order Omelette bar and had a lot of fun as kids lined up to make their order. It was like we were some kind of street cart selling food. Fun!
My favorite Korean camping food growing up is Gochujang Jjgae (Korean Chili Pepper Paste Stew) with Corned Beef. I remember my dad making this for us when we went camping growing up. It was so good back then and it’s still good now.
We are definitely looking forward to go camping again and explore new places and spend time with the family and letting our kids run and play in the dirt, water and stay dirty.
Before I sign off, I want to share this ultimate camping packing checklist that you can download and print. This list was provided by Dan, one of my in-law, who is also a very experienced camper. For first time campers, this list will come in super handy! You can download the PDF HERE.
Hope you guys are having a great summer!
Selina