Our 4th of July camping trip to Sweetwater Campground.
We were invited to spend the 4th of July camping with some friends out at Sweetwater Campground in Bonita Southern California. We had no idea that you could get such a serene peaceful location and still be so close to everything!
When we got invited to go camping with some friends for the 4th of July weekend we were excited to go. Not to mention that we would get to use the TentCot we have that rarely gets used simply due to how big and heavy it is. However it is nice to be able to sleep a foot off the ground. This was exciting as we could practice packing up and the like for our upcoming trip July 15th, and I will admit that I’m a little rusty when it comes to camping as the BSA was years ago for me.
There was a small valley to the west that was just great to watch the sun set over in the evenings. But it was surprising how windy that made our campsite. However this was really handy when we got the smokers going the next day to start smoking ribs and beans for the traditional 4th of July cookout.
Luckily we had Sharon handy to help out with prepping the ribs for smoking and Dennis to get the smoker all fired up. Once all the hard work of prepping was done then came the hard part of managing the cooking process for the next 12 or so hours.
After a while it was time to wrap the ribs to continue cooking them and ensure they were tender, juicy and fall off the bone delicious. Luckily there were enough hands available to handle the task as it turned out to be a group effort.
Such an image of beauty. No 4th of July celebration is complete with out it.
With the ribs securely in place and us being pretty sure they knew what to do from here on out it was time for a snack. Sadly when camping snacks usually look something like the following.
While these are truly beyond delicious sadly they tend to end up putting me in the next situation…
Yes, the 3+ mile death march, errrr, hike, to try and abate the bad things that the cookies, BBQ ribs, cheese, chips, beer, will do to us if we let them. Sharon and I headed out for a hike to see what was around the area. We discovered quite an extensive hiking trail set up that has many horses on it as there is a stable close by that provides trail rides around the area.
Remembering that you always yield to the horses we were careful to stay to the side of the trail as they passed. When you aren’t around horses every day you tend to forget just how magnificent and big these animals are.
Then we came to a bridge that crossed the highway that was obviously made with the near by horse stable in mind as there was a padded surface installed across the bridge so that the horses hooves didn’t have to contact the hard concrete under neath.
After continuing on we found ourselves walking around the perimeter of a golf course that we could just see in the distance across the valley from out campground.
A little further down the trail we found that we were going to head under the bridge with the highway overhead. While nice to walk in the shade for a little bit I did wonder about bridge trolls.
Under the bridge there was another bridge. I was honestly amused, these are what I call concentric bridges.
Continuing our hike around the Bonita Golf Course we did encounter a few joggers also making the rounds. I do have to hand it to them it takes dedication to maintain an exercise program despite it being the 4th of July weekend. While I am no longer a golfer I do have to say that I would definitely want to be a member of the Bonita Golf Course as they definitely seem to be a welcoming and happy bunch.
The course itself also does look quite well maintained and well kept. It truly looks like a nice place to play a round of golf or 15.
The trail wound around past trees that lined the roadway above and ran behind a stables that offered trail rides along the several miles of trails that are present in the valley and surrounding area.
Looking at the horses as we walked by we noticed that they were wearing face masks that completely covered the eyes. Having never seen this before I initially thought that this was some sort of sun protection for the horses. But after a few more yards down the trail we came to a few people that worked at the stables and asked about the face masks. They are to keep flys out of the horses eyes as some will lay eggs on the edge of the horses eye and the eggs will then take hold and gestate in the horses eye. The masks keep the flys from being able to reach the horses eye.
The trail started back up the side of the valley as we were on the far side from the campground now. This path back allowed us to walk under the highway as it was built on very high supports to carry the traffic above the valley, I assume to help with noise reduction for the golf course and homes near by. I am always just amazed at the feats of engineering that are possible when I get to see construction like this up close.
Making our way back across the valley and back to camp took us over a near by hill that holds a water tower presumably for the campground below.
The hill side leading back to camp had a good number of switch backs on it to make the climb easier but there were a few places that definitely were a little steep. Nothing too bad but if you’re not used to the exercise it might take a toll. Once we got to the top of the hill it definitely provided a great view of the neighboring valley and the campground in the distance as well as the water tower.
The surrounding landscape was really quite beautiful and tranquil. I stopped and took some photospheres along the way. You might need Chrome to view them properly.
There is a short trail offshoot that winds around the NW side of the water tower on the hill and goes down to the fence that encircles the lake the is just North of the campground.
Making our way back to camp before sunset it was time to relax and enjoy a favorite part of the camping experience. Building a campfire and hanging out with a beer as the sun sets over the hills in the background.
You can’t have a camping trip without tarts made right over the campfire. It doesn’t get much more American than making apple pie tarts over a campfire on the 4th of July weekend. Sharon is quite content watching the sunset and patiently waiting for the apples in her apple pie tart to cook.
A perfect sun set for a perfect 4th of July weekend camping in Southern California.
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