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Old 02-16-2015, 09:16 AM   #1
Dia
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Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

We've christened the van with our first camping trip, a short one-nighter on Figueroa Mountain up in the hills above Los Olivos. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/lpnf/rec ... 1&actid=29

We went with about five other families, and a good time was had by all. We've all got teenage boys, so the boys set up a campsite of their own, had their own fire and shot a good 10k rounds of AirSoft before the trip was done.

Since we don't have beds in yet, we set up a tent and nobody slept in the van. That said, we're already loving how much better the van is for camping. Easy to pack, not crowded, nice to lounge in, good for naps, etc.

The campground is beautiful, spacious sites with lots of trees. It's also not overrun with people thanks to the vault toilets and having to pack in your own water. Another plus is that after you buy an Adventure Pass ($30/yr), camping is free. The road leading in is narrow, and has some tight hairpins. No prob for SMBs, but I wouldn't want to try it with a big Class A/C.

Here are a few pics.





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TopUp1.jpg   IntheTrees.jpg   FigueroaMtn1.jpg  

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Old 02-16-2015, 09:19 AM   #2
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

And a few more.

Our current set up is a little like an RB50 plan - living area up front, gear in the back. I can see why people like it. We might convert to an aisle at some point, but we'll stay pretty much like this for the foreseeable future.





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Breakfast.jpg   FigMtnLookout1.jpg   FigMtnLookout2.jpg  
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Old 02-16-2015, 09:26 AM   #3
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Very Nice!... bet that sausage tasted better out there
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Old 02-16-2015, 10:06 AM   #4
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Nice camp spot, Dia. Looks like you enjoyed the crazy weather we are having now. Did your boys clean up the 10K polluting plastic pellets they deposited in my beautiful backcountry? Hopefully they chose the biodegradable ones. Usually not.
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Old 02-16-2015, 10:25 AM   #5
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

We got as many as we could - handfuls and pocketfuls. Initially, we were thinking we could re-use them, but dust jams the guns so we ended up throwing them away with our trash.

The AirSoft gear belongs to the other families (we're Nerf people), and they just discovered the biodegradable pellets. They'll be switching to those in the future. They're more expensive, but totally worth it. For them, this trip was about using up the regular ones.
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Old 02-16-2015, 10:58 AM   #6
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Great time of year to visit the foot hills. Looks like it was a great trip. The van didn't come with a two piece PH bed?
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Old 02-16-2015, 11:05 AM   #7
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Nope, no bed. We bought it from a Toyota dealer, so if it had a bed when the PO traded it, it went missing while it was at the dealer. Our plan is to purchase a PH bed from SMB West, then DIY a rear platform bed.
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Old 02-16-2015, 09:37 PM   #8
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Congrats!

Thats a great area.

We've stayed at eh Davey Brown (?) site a couple times, its a little farther in but well worth the drive...
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Old 02-17-2015, 08:42 AM   #9
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Looks like a great trip Dia. Thanks for sharing.

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Old 02-17-2015, 12:01 PM   #10
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Re: Shakedown trip to Figueroa Mountain

Quote:
Originally Posted by blupaddler
Congrats!

Thats a great area.

We've stayed at eh Davey Brown (?) site a couple times, its a little farther in but well worth the drive...
If you haven't been in a year or two, you may be surprised to find the road paved 100% of the way back passed Davy Brown all the way to Nira camp! There is still a mile or so of graded dirt if coming from Happy Canyon (at least it was dirt when I went through ~6 months ago.)
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