Knowledge on Camping in SF, NorCal or EastBay? (August, Bodega Bay: hotels, beach)

[zugor]

I've only had a couple of encounters with bears, several times on back packing trips (no cooler) at high altitude in national parks so we hung our food from a tree when possible and when above the tree line we separated it into several smaller caches (so that we might not loose all the food) and "buried" them under a good pile of rock. Then we left our scent all around those caches. We did hear and see a bear but it left our food alone. Several other trips were in national forest and I had 3 big dogs with me who barked up a storm and luckily the bears decided to leave with a confrontation.

I have also seen a momma bear bring her 3 cubs right into a camping area that was at a crossroads of several very popular back packing trails. It was dinner time and there were about a dozen multiperson camps set up and most everyone was cooking. She headed for the nearest pot of food and simply knocked it off the camp stove and the stew was strewn across the dirt and cooled quickly. Even though many of us were up and banging pots and pans and hollering at her she ignored us and brought the cubs over to eat. Perhaps the fact that it was late summer and they were not super hungry was the reason she left after just that one theft and left the rest of us alone.

Best wishes for bear free adventures.

[PeixeGato]

Originally Posted by Stacy From Cali

Make sure that you pee before it gets dark...because once the bears show up the bathroom becomes a no-go.

Man, I didn't even think about going to the bathroom at night. If I can't get up to go until it gets light again, then how am I supposed to get my drink on during our nighttime campfire??? LOL

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by PeixeGato

Man, I didn't even think about going to the bathroom at night. If I can't get up to go until it gets light again, then how am I supposed to get my drink on during our nighttime campfire??? LOL

Lol...This is just one of my long list of irritants with the whole camping thing..(I only do it for the kids/husband). I try to stick with vodka or perhaps wine..beer's definitely not a great idea for this reason!

I just saw a funny article...http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/28/national/a164506D29.DTL&tsp=1 (broken link)

Bears really go for sweets over healthy stuff!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Some ones I've been to:
- Mt. Diablo State Park
- Henry Coe State Park
- Big Basin State Park
- Portola State Park
- Butano State Park
- Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- Hendy Woods State Park

I've also seen during day hikes at various County / Regional Parks, camp grounds.

Bottom line, there are many places to car camp in the Bay Area proper, let alone going further afield.

[Need2KnowWhy]

Based on my experience in Grizzly and Black bear country , I'd suggest the following: 1) Learn to not have a cooler or fresh food. I use freeze dried and granola type bars. This avoids odors. You may not feel as satisfied eating, but it is camping. 2) Cook and eat somewhere other than your campsite. Go to a designated picnic area - eat there. Clean up, go back to camp. 3) Do not sleep in the clothing you cooked, or ate in. Keep the dirty clothes in a well sealed duffel, maybe in the car. Basically don't leave any scent of food on you. 4) Don't wear deodorants or perfumes. Again - no scents. 5) Fear not, your black/brown bears aren't as mean as Grizzly so relax. You likely won't have one enter the tent and maul you. Sleep well. Remember the bear is out for the evening looking for tasty left-overs. 6) They're not looking for a confrontation, so don't give them one. 7) Keep your campsite clean; clear out trash from others. If a bear comes by, you want it walking through your area going somewhere else. Don't give it a reason to stay in your campsite. 8) Finally, the bear is not your enemy, it's just a neighbor. Enjoy. If one ruins your weekend, so what. You have a great story and a well fed bear.

May the Force be with you

[BayAreaHillbilly]

9) Weatherby.

[Momma_s]

Whoa! Glad I finally remembered to check my post. LOL

Peixegoto~I'm glad you asked your questions regarding bears! I didn't realize they were an issue in this area. No going camping for us where bears are concerned! Not with little kids, especially. I would fear bears smelling a lil one's sticky fingers that didn't get cleaned enough, and the bear getting a little too curious...

WBClark~ Tahoe sounds wonderful, but driving that far with a toddler would be a little too much for him... In a few years, we'll be there!

We went ahead and made reservations at Bodega Bay... We ran into our son's teacher, and she really liked it there, and it's available for the weekend we're going.

BayAreaHillbilly~Are those places you listed your preferred camping sites? Which did you like the best? Did you have any issues with mosquitos/bugs at Big Basin? I heard they like it there...

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Yes, I've had issues with skeeters at Big Basin, but only at one of the trail camps (I think it was Sunset Camp - IIRC) in a mid June time frame. I don't recall serious issues elsewhere but as always it's good to be prepared when camping in anywhere heavily wooded. The parks that have a more arid environment, from that list, are:
- Mt. Diablo State Park
- Henry Coe State Park

The rest are essentially located in Redwood forests.

[Cassino]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

9) Weatherby.

Weatherby will definitely do the trick.

Originally Posted by Momma_s

We went ahead and made reservations at Bodega Bay... We ran into our son's teacher, and she really liked it there, and it's available for the weekend we're going.

I think you made a great choice and I hope you have fun there. Be sure to do some hiking across the dunes and down to the beach. I would recommend packing some warm clothing as the nights can get chilly, even in the summer.

Bodega Bay is one of my favorite costal areas in the Bay Area and I will certainly miss it when I move.

[Momma_s]

Is there a spot(s) in Bodega's campground that we should try to get? Can we even choose, or are we assigned when we arrive?