What’s better than going riding?  Riding to camp!  This weekend I’ll be heading up Hwy 49 and setting up camp at Cal-Ida National Park.  It’s a humble little campground with just 19 sites and it sits along the North Yuba River.  The beauty of it, is it’s located right in the middle of one of the best places to ride in Northern California.  Here’s a photo of the falls just above the campground.  Likely I won’t be seeing any waterfalls though in this drought.

Courtesy of tedmuller.us
Cal-Ida Waterfalls

Here’s a list I’ve compiled of what I feel is important to bring along:  Disclaimer:  this is just my list, meant for beginners to get a general idea.  Modify it to fit your needs and preferences. This campground has drinking water but no electricity or showers, so I’m planning accordingly.

First, I lay everything out on a tarp so I can see what I have/need.  Then I categorize into groups:  1) Food, 2) Shelter, 3) Clothes, 4) Hygiene, 5) Cookware 6) Misc creature comforts.

Food–I’ll be close to a fabulous little restaurant in Downieville where I plan to have a nice breakfast.  The rest of the time I have some freeze-dried meals, fruits, jerky, trail mix, and most important–coffee.  I use a collapsible coffee cone that works great and packs small.

For this weekend’s short trip

Shelter: Tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, inflatable pillow.

Hygiene:  Think face, butt, teeth, pits, and soft bits.  Sunscreen, lip balm, Advil

Cookware: Jet Boil, fuel, collapsible kitchen sink, camp soap, pack towel, spork, titanium insulated mug

Misc comforts: ENO Hammock, a good book, electric candle for the tent at night, dark chocolate and a flask of something special.

I may attempt to carry a small bundle of firewood I have left over from last years camping excursions.  However, Cal-Ida has a vendor there that sells wood so, if I don’t have space, I’ll just buy it there.

Some of you may wonder how I keep my food safe.  Many places have bear lockers but Cal-Ida does not.  Bear canisters are just too bulky to carry on a motorcycle. It can be done but, it takes a lot of space.  Instead, I just put my food in my Jesse bags–those are pretty much bullet proof unless maybe a 1,000 lb. Grizzly was trying to stomp on it but…I don’t think I’ll see one of those at the camp ground.

I also carry a big ass can of bear spray just in case I meet up with an aggressive, hungry bear or, a human that tries to mess with me.

That’s all for now, stay tuned this weekend when I do a review of Cal-Ida campground, some of my gear, and take you on a photo tour of Northern California.