As promised, a few more camping photos, as well as the recipe for the grilled tofu and soba noodles I made the second night out. As I mention down in the recipe head notes, aside from grilling the tofu, I prepped everything before we left for Salt Point State Park. The pre-cooked soba noodles hung out in the cooler in a plastic bag next to the garlic-cilantro dressing, which stayed bright green, ready to go in a little jar. It worked out great, dinner came together in no time, and for the most part I could sit around and read, or wander about with my camera.

This (above) wasn't far from our campsite. Just a walk down the hill. You can't see them here, but there were seals lounging around on rocks just off-shore, and seagulls cherry-picking stranded critters out of the tide pools. A walk in the opposite direction led to Gestle Cove, a protected area, where we sat with the sun setting behind us, looking at all the different seaweed, driftwood, and rock shapes washed up on the beach.

If you find yourself in that neighborhood (Sonoma/Mendocino coasts), but aren't necessarily the camping type, I also love the Mar Vista Cottages. We stayed there last year for a couple nights. Each cottage has a kitchen, and you can pick fresh produce from the organic garden to cook with. Fresh eggs from the hens on the property are delivered by basket each day. It's a great base to explore that part of the coast.

A number of you were asking about past camping trips. This adventure to Whiskeytown Lake in Shasta County was particularly painful memorable. Aside from that, I posted a few cooking/camping links a few years back. And for those of you who missed the last write-up, here's the Soup au Pistou on the dinner menu the second night we were there. I have to say, as much as I enjoy camping on occasion, I do feel the need to balance them out with slightly posher get-aways ;)...

So, now it's my turn to throw things back in your direction. What's your all-time favorite camping memory, best meal, or absolute favorite campground?? If you had to pick just one to share. Looking forward to hearing some of your stories. -h