The Lake Skinner Recreation Area is a lovely park and campground in the heart of the Temecula Wine Country. This quiet park has sweeping vistas of rolling California grassland and boulder-dotted hills. The park features many fun activities, like hiking, biking, running, boating, fishing, and equestrian riding, as well as picnic areas and the Splash Zone water park. This is a great base from which to explore the surrounding wine country.
The Silent Valley Club is a lovely members-owned and family friendly camping resort tucked into a 460-acre expanse of managed wilderness in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. This jewel of a park has 850 campsites, most with full hookup water, electric and sewer service. Campsites are in an open parkland of meadow with scattered live oak, sugar pine, sycamore and walnut trees; are nestled against weathered outcrops of mossy boulders; or are tucked into deeper stands of live oak forest. The park is open year-round and features many resort amenities and activities. The staff is friendly and welcoming. The campground has a real feeling of community, as members become friends and look forward to returning, year after year.
(Late September – Early October, 2017) Having bid farewell to my sister, Shirley, and brother-in-law, Craig, we headed south from Custer, South Dakota, toward southern California. Our goal was to arrive in SoCal by the second day of October, so we planned a route to get us there at a comfortable pace, with a daily drive of not more than 300 miles and a two-night stay at each stop. (This is a quick pace for us since we retired!)
(Mid – late September, 2017) After our short visit with my cousin in Lemmon, South Dakota, we made our way south into the Black Hills for a two-week stay near Custer, South Dakota. When planning this segment of the trip I found another instance where GPS directions and Google Maps differed – the later would have sent on us a shorter route, but down a poorly graded dirt road for some miles. Glad I double checked. This is one case where Google Street View came in handy to check out the dodgy looking section of the route. Opting for the slightly longer route on good highways, our dive was pleasant, taking us through rolling plains country, past crops of sunflowers, pasture land and hay fields.
(Late-August/early September, 2017) After our stay at Devils Tower, Wyoming, we wandered north for a week-long visit to Medora, North Dakota, staying at the lovely Medora Campground. This peaceful campground, set in the cottonwood-dotted lowland along the Little Missouri River, has a stunning backdrop of eroded badlands. The park was a great place to ride out the busy Labor Day holiday weekend and as a base to explore nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park and other area attractions.