Spring Break Camping ~ Part 1

I had really been looking forward to this camping trip and it definitely did not disappoint.  I love exploring new towns and on this trip we got to do just that.   We camped in Buellton at the Flying Flags resort campsites.  It was one of the nicest spots we have ever stayed at.   The pools were very nice, they had live music and movie nights playing Friday through Sunday and the bathrooms were gorgeous, seriously they were like resort restrooms.

The drive up was also gorgeous and I loved seeing the ocean and then dreaming of living in one of the many farms we drove past as we got closer to Buellton.

When we arrived and were busy setting up the girls took off and went to the park to play.   We gave them a walkie talkie and told them to have fun and be careful.   Now at home there is no way I would allow them out of my sight but sometimes when we are camping I will let them loose a little and trust me I still have all of those mom worries the entire time they are away but I try to remember they can't live in a bubble forever.   Kayla mentioned while we were there how she thought it was just so cool they were able to just go off on their own like that because as I said it rarely happens.   It made me sad that it's something so rare because I have so many great memories of  exploring around in the fields across from my house growing up and just being outside playing with no parents watching us.   Just another reason I love camping so very much!

The playground was near the pool so they didn't play long until they were asking to go swimming.  Hubby and I poured ourselves a drink and then we were ready for our vacation.

Back at the campsite it was time for some more fun

I didn't last long until I was inside cuddled on the bed reading a book.  I'm always exhausted the first night we arrive anywhere, I mean there is a lot of prep that goes into camping!   The girls and daddy took off for a bike ride and then came back and literally made me go to the fire pit they found nearby.  I lasted for maybe ten minutes because it was cold and a book was calling my name!

Eventually we were all back inside and Kayla joined me in bed to read beside me.

We woke up the next morning ready to explore  Nojoqui Falls park.   We had a lot planned for the day and we were excited to start out with a short hike up to see a pretty waterfall.

We ignored the signs and went through anyway (sorry mom)  but don't worry we were careful.  It was very pretty.

Oh Kayla

This tree had been carved into a small slide so the girls each took a turn sliding down.

Love

After the hike we stopped to roam around the park because there was a classic VW car show going on.  There were hundreds of them and it was fun to look around at all of them.

On the way to our next stop we pulled over to look at some farm animals when all of a sudden hubby spotted some piglets!   The girls and I were oohing and awing over their cuteness and I would've happily taken one or all of them home but daddy said no so after spending a long time watching them we headed on.

Our next stop was the Old Mission Santa Ines.  It is located right next to the town of Solvang and since I do enjoy a gorgeous mission it was a no brainer for us to make the stop to check it out.  Sadly it was nothing exciting and very small.   I definitely would've been okay skipping this because it was just not quite as pretty as the other few missions we've seen.

The views however were beautiful but this could've all been seen from the parking lot without even going inside so there was no need to even pay to go in.

After the mission we walked around Solvang and shopped.  How cute is this shop?   Brooklyn and I spent way too much time in here.

When we came out Kayla and hubby were pretending to be sleeping

Nobody complained though when we found a bookstore and spent just about the same amount of time looking through all of the books inside.

The girls were eventually hungry and when I saw the line outside a little take out window at the Solvang Restaurant I knew we had to try whatever everyone was ordering.   Apparently it was Aebleskiver which we had no idea what that was but let me tell you it was very good.

Everyone was happy after and that berry jam that was on top was my favorite part!

A few more stores afterward and then the girls found a giant connect four game which just so happened to be outside of a wine tasting room so I popped in and grabbed two glasses of red for hubby and I to enjoy while the girls played for a bit.

Soon enough it was dinnertime and we were all hungry so we drove over to the Firestone Brewery to enjoy some beers and delicious burgers.

The waitress forgot our appetizer so she told the girls to pick out whatever dessert they wanted and just like that their evening was made!

Our first full day of exploring was packed full of fun and the girls were pretty excited for what was in store for our next day as well!