This was also an unreserved stopover to break the travel miles. You can’t get more convenient in terms of Interstate 5 access and there’s a lake to boot. Online reviews of the place were mixed, but we decided to risk it. I will say, whoever said the place was unsafe, was either nuts, or his negative review caused a security overhaul. It’s about the safest place I’ve ever stayed. There were sheriffs doing regular drive through patrols, brightly lit paths and parking areas, and a gated entry.
We arrived again after the early winter sunset and I really had to trust to the backup camera and Richard’s oversight of my backing. I was pretty much blind until I’d made most of the 90 degree turn. After almost six hours of driving, I was happy to be in a site.
We did another night walk after dinner and checked out the trail along the lake. It was all quite nice, even with a section of the paving collapsed and on the lakeshore. In the morning, we got to actually see the lake and it’s quite pretty. The part with the campground is actually a lower lake on the other side of a huge dam which forms Castaic Lake up above. The lower “lagoon” is plenty big enough for watercraft fun and seems like a popular recreation spot.
One fun surprise came when we were chatting with the owner of a cute trailer next to us. When you have a small trailer, you kind of get familiar with the other ones out there. I know them well enough that I was surprised to see the logo “Happier Camper” on the side because it looked different. Well lo and behold, the guy camping in it was Derek May, owner and CEO of Happier Camper and he was trying out a new prototype! We took a peek inside and it was pretty cute. They’re adding in a fixed shower and kitchen area, as well as increased head room. It’s a double wall fiberglass body, meaning it is a four season trailer. He and Richard swapped all kinds of technical information on batteries and heaters and stuff. It’s a nice trailer and Derek is a super nice guy who stands behind his product. If we didn’t love Dory so much… but don’t freak out. We do.
Minor discovery: if you put a dish drying rack between the bench seats and lay your towel over it while the heater is running, they will dry completely in about ten minutes. This really helps in the winter when it’s a challenge to get everything dry.
Richard rode up Lake Hughs Road in the morning and says that it would be a nice ride to go all around the lake. We took a quick trip up with Dory to see the big lake before getting back on I5 South. Onward!
Total miles from Los Banos Creek: 240.5, 14.9 mpg (windy), 5 hours 50 min. Site C7. No hookups. Good LTE for both.
