Joseph Grant Park Camping Trip

As I mentioned in the previous post, our maiden voyage was to Grant Park near Morgan Hill (Lick Observatory sits about the park). A one night trip to test out the equipment, we picked a place close to home that also had availability. The drive up Mount Hamilton was steep, narrow and curved. As you reach the top, you drop in the valley behind and you find golden rolling hills spotted with oaks. We arrived before the 3pm check in and took a nice stroll in the valley bottom because there is no early check in. Our walk was flat and easy. The woodpeckers were very busy storing acorns in the giant oaks.

The van and our build worked great but where we lacked in “equipment” was in warm clothing. It was cold and windy and we did not bring the right clothing. The rechargeable hand warmers that Dennis bought were a warm blessing. The park and campground itself was very nice. We had a great spot with no immediate neighbors. The bathroom was a quick walk down the hill and was very clean with flushing toilets.

In the morning, we made a cup of coffee and went for a walk before breakfast to warm up. The nearby campsites were closed for the winter season but we were able to check them out as well as the other sites where we were located. We are now on the lookout for flat parking sites! Dennis cooked a fabulous breakfast on the Blackstone but the wind chill was insane. When we finally left the site at 11am it was 47 degrees with serious wind. We will be purchasing some winter active clothing before our next trip.

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