Pinnacles National Park is about an hour and a half south of our place, and the closest campsite that I could book two days before the weekend during school holidays.
You may think you know of the place from Post in which Page goes spelunking and other feats of derring-do. You would be mistaken. That adventure was to Pinnacles National Monument, which was but a pale shadow to Pinnacles National Park. Pinnacles National Park became a National Park this year and is way better!
This time, I took Page AND Katya. The girls’ job was to set up the tent while I … I did something really important ..
Once they had finished their jobs, the girls were let out to play with the local gang who were chasing rabbits.
I gave them a choice of going for a swim, or going for a hike. Page, of course chose the swimming pool, which was freezing. She only jumped in once and then spent the rest of the time lounging by the edge.
We then went off for a hike to a reservoir (which may be familiar to connoisseurs of fine art) and through some caves.
Throughout the weekend, Page was mimicking everything Kayta did, even if that meant running into dark tunnels.
I mentioned fine art earlier. Aunty Ayla took one of our photos from Post in which Page goes spelunking and other feats of derring-do and made a painting of it last year. Here I tried to recreate the scene.
It was bat mating season, so we weren’t allowed in all the caves. We still had enough fun.
In the evening after a hot dog and Rore Smore dinner, we trotted off to a ranger presentation about Condors which are being reintroduced into the wild at the Pinnacles. Page and I left early, leaving Kat to take it all in as a future veterinarian would.
Our biggest adventure was on the Sunday morning. After packing up. That is after Kat and I packed up (Page practised driving the car) we hiked 4km each way to the Balcony Caves.
While I had to crawl on my hands and knees at times, Kat was climbing up and over boulders and up and down slopes which would have given her Mother and Sister heart attacks. This is why I take the girls camping.
Both of them were very well-behaved and had a great time in the outdoors. It is much more fun hiking when you are accompanied by two singing angels, even if their trail mix eating habits are a bit weird.
