MTBing Fort Ord
This post is really about the camping, but before we went camping we went riding in Fort Ord. Fort Ord is a former military post which is now a part of the National Conservation Lands in Monterey County, California. We thought the ride started out a bit dull. Lots of hard pressed clay and sand on what appears to be low level sparse scrub. We took a fairly easy ride up to the top of the hills, and stopped to look out over the views.
However, once we rode into the valley, the path became surprisingly beautiful. May/June is a wonderful time of year in California. Not long after the winter rains, but before the dry season stretches out. The flowers were blooming; the bush and grasses were green, and the pathway that wound us through this terrain was stunning.
Camping Arroyo Seco
We were running short on time unfortunately, and didn’t get to explore as much we’d have liked. However, we were keen to get to our camping spot.
We’re thinking about getting our bikes on the road again for another tour, so are starting to update some of the gear. Lindsay recently decided to purchase a new light weight tent, the Big Agnes Copper Spur with lights.
So we’ve decided to do some vehicle camping to try out the new gear, and for our first last minute trip we decided to head to Big Sur. But every campground in Big Sur was all booked out unless we wanted to pay $100 + taxes to pitch our little tent.
A friend told me about a place to stay on the east/back side of Big Sur called the Arroyo Seco Camping Ground. It was all booked out, but with seven drive up spots, we thought we’d try our luck. Luckily we got the last spot. We were thrilled with the $25 charge, and they also sold ice and firewood. Perfect.
We drove through the park to the ‘primitive sites’ where we pitched our tent for the second time, this time outside! The ‘primitive’ sites at this campground came with long drop (aka ‘pit’) toilets, a camp site with parking for one car, a camp table, bbq/grill and fire pit.
Feeling hot and dusty from our ride earlier in the day, and from mucking in at the camp site, we decided to go for a swim in the river that ran through the bottom of the campsite. We braved the cool waters, and took a refreshing dip.
Lindsay was the star of this camping show. One would hope so considering how much camping he’s done! He built a large fire, which we then spent the night attempting to escape as the smoke seemed determined to follow us, no matter where we sat. He taught me to use his small portable stove…I burnt the porridge the next morning!
We had to buy suitable bedding for me. I’m a stomach sleeper and I’m in love with my pillow. A lot of campers sleep on their back and use some clothes to rest their head on. Not me…I need a little comfort. We settled on a light weight Therm-a-Rest Neo Air XLite sleeping pad & Compressible Pillow. I slept okay but I think this sleeping/camping thing will take a little while to get used too!
I’d noticed the evening before that truck’s tyre was a little deflated. By morning the rim was almost on the ground. We took turns using the bike pump to inflate it to see what the problem was. It was leaking around the value, so we put the spare on, so now Lindsay is an expert truck tyre changer! Fortunately Rodney (The big red truck) has a lot of clearance for Lindsay to climb under, to sort the spare.
Unfortunately this all took some time. We’d hoped to head back into Big Sur national Park to do some exploring but were out of time. So we headed out of the valley, through this amazing part of California with its sprawling agriculture, and went exploring in the coastal towns of Carmel and Capitola on the way back home to San Francisco.
