Our First Trip

Dillion Beach, CA

We were originally going to camp for our first trip in the Westy in Bodega Bay, but got a call from our friends saying they were full. They told us to meet them at Dillion Beach, so we headed out with the kids, dog, and a rooster. The rooster is a whole different story, but basically we bought 2 chickens, bantams, and they both turned out to be roosters. This last one was a late cockle dooer, as he just recently started making a racket way to early. So we dropped “Frizz” off in Petaluma, and then headed out west to Dillion Beach. The weather was stunning, and so was the drive. Beautiful west marin landscapes, rolling green hills and lots of cute farms, and it looked even better from the new Westy we were in. The stereo was playing and the kids were singing and life was good…we were going camping in our new camper.

We arrived and our friends, also Westy owners, got us the last 2 sites in the place. It was packed. We pulled into our space, which was right near the dunes. Perfect. Rolled out new awning, popped the top, and setup the camp site. It was so fun, everything was so new and exciting. And as a bonus, our camp mates explained all the things we didn’t know about camping in a Westy.

We got everything setup and headed out to the beach with the dogs and kids. They both had a blast. Our dog Sheeba had sooo much fun. She loved the fact that she now fit in our van and could go camping. She didn’t want to get out. We played for a while and then headed back to get warmer clothes on and start dinner. We planned on cooking, so Teresa lit the stove, but then said she couldn’t get it to work and could I help her. I tried, and the flame kept going out. Dang it…don’t you remember the guy saying he filled it before we bought it? Yeah..me to. So we figured we were wrong, and that we went camping without checking for gas. Lesson learned. So we were going to have sandwhiches or granola when Kyan told our camp mates we weren’t cooking anything as we were out of gas. They quickly volunteered their stove, and then asked if we turned on the gas. I said yeah, I did, but then the flame kept going out. He said no, I mean the gas, under the van. I quickly said no, jumped up as he led me to the other side of the van and showed me where the gas was and we turned it on. And Vioala! It worked, we had a whole tank of gas…woo hoo. Teresa made an awesome dinner, Kyan and I made a fire, and everyone was feeling pretty good.  We then got Kacia ready for bed, her and I were to sleep downstairs, and Kyan and mommy were going to try out the upstairs. I went and laid down with Kacia, and that was the last thing I remember. Slept great except for the generators from all the big rigs around us. I think only 1 or 2 left it on all night, but geeze, why would you need to run one all night long? Kyan and Teresa slept good as well, much better than we would have slept in our tents.

We woke up on Sunday late, as the time change was today…falling back. We ate breakfast, played at the beach, and then broke the camp down. There was a lot more to remember than when just dealing with a tent, but I liked the ease of use of all the features like the 2 swing aways on the bumper for back hatch access, the awning, pop-top, and the room in all the cabinets. We have yet to figure out all the storage and what should go there, but I like that we have so many possibilities. With everything packed and neatly stored, we said goodbye to our fellow Westy campers and hit the road.