Our camp and the Desert Wolf
Friday morning found me hauling gear up from the house to the Desert Wolf, my family's Westfalia bus, in preparation for a 3 o'clock departure from our home in Oakland to Schoolhouse Canyon Campground in Guerneville, about a 2.5 hour drive. Leaving at 3pm on a Friday turned that into 4 hours, as 3pm generally marks the exodus from city to country for weekend getaways. Poorly timed, perhaps, but the mistake meant that as we sat in traffic my younger sister developed a need for the toilet, and a stop for ice cream and the bathroom at Powell's Sweet Shop became necessary. Powell's has really, really good gelato, which was just what we needed after sitting in the un-air-conditioned bus in 90F heat in stopped traffic.
The River
According to local lore, the redwoods in what is now Guerneville once grew in such quantity along the shores that the area had the greatest biomass density on earth. In the 1850s, the town was founded by the Guerne family and Guernville became a logging town. Early on, the place was called "Stumptown" because of how many trees were being cut down. Today, Geurneville's trees flourish, and the area is known for its natural beauty and adjacency to redwood forests and wine-tasting (we passed dozens of vineyards on the drive up).
Alligator Eyes
Our destination in Guerneville was a campsite near the Russian River, where we had planned a weekend of fun with our good friends and neighbors the Hawkeys. The Hawkeys, who are avid river rafters, brought up two inflatable kayaks and one hard shell kayak. Upon arrival at the campsite, we were greeted by a friendly ranger who showed us to our campground and gave my sister a sticker with the camp logo - a warm welcome. After parking the bus in our camp spot, my sister and I met up with the Hawkey girls and set off to explore a bit. Schoolhouse Canyon Campground is shaded by a canopy of redwoods, which spring up between individual camps and keep the whole area cool despite the sun's raging above the trees. In the center of camp, there are two deep sinks with soap and sponges provided for washing dishes (a luxury!!!) and a bathroom with coin operated showers and MORE SOAP. After spending hours just trying to find an appropriate bush during previous camping trips and foregoing soap entirely, these were welcome facilities. This is a luxury campground! It is also very kid friendly – most of the other campers were families with young children.
Exploring the river spot we found on third and final day
Peaches in a peach orchard the Hawkeys found across from our camp near the river
The biggest advantage of the campsite is its proximity to the river. All we had to do to get there for an investigation on our first night was cross the street (the downside is that said street is a minor freeway) and walk about 5 minutes down a narrow dirt trail made into a tunnel of sorts by overhanging trees and shrubs. That tunnel was like a portal; it transported us from the noisy, trafficy road to a hidden, magical gem: the river. The water is clear, blue-green, and refreshingly cool while at the same time warm enough to say in without getting cold. It is surrounded on all sides by trees which form walls to guard the river, hiding it from prying eyes and simultaneously blocking out all sight of civilization, tricking one into believing that the river is much farther from the human world than it actually is. Much of our first night in camp was spent marveling at the river's beauty.
The bus fleet - our Desert Wolf and the Hawkeys' white bus
Our second day, we spent a leisurely morning in camp eating a late breakfast and lingering over books and coffee. Between chapters, we walked to the river for a quick dip and a swim. In the afternoon, my sister, brother, and I, along with the two Hawkey girls, traveled about 3 miles down the river in the kayaks. Our destination was a second beach further down the bank. The river trip was beautiful. Amidst the trees surrounding the river stand a few houses, the ones closest to the river equipped with little docks or ladders for easy access to the water. The water is very calm, with no rapids and hardly any ripples, and we rowed at a calm and relaxed pace, enjoying the scenery and company. The only downside to the trip was that the section of river we rowed was very crowded. We passed a canoe tour group and multiple rowdy groups along the way. Even so, it was a great trip.
My brother and me facing off a wave
Seagull's snack
The third day, we drove home, stopping on the way at another section of the river. This section had a few small ripples, which we rolled down, leading into a deeper pool in which we swam for a while. We then headed up the coast into Bodega Bay, which is surprisingly close to the river – only about 15 minutes by car. There, we stopped at a beach for a picnic lunch and, for some, a dip in the ocean. This body of water, with its icy cold and crashing waves, is the opposite of the one we had just left, but just as bewitching. After a (very) brief dip in the sea, we all lay on the sand for a few hours, reveling in the warm sun and brisk sea air. Then, it was on the road again and back to Powell's (and home).