Camping-Beverly Beach

We spent part of this past week in Beverly Beach State Park camping.  Matt and I have been waiting for 6 years for our kids to be old enough to take camping without us being totally irritated.  And it was perfect!  Seriously, one of the most awesome family vacations we have.  And, luckily, our kids loved camping!  We drove to Newport on Tuesday morning and walked along the water.

 

And ate ice cream.  The kids didn't appreciate the smells that comes along with being on the waterfront.  And, unfortunately, the sea lions were not on the dock like they sometimes are so we didn't get to show them those.  Beverly Beach is just a few miles north of Newport so we headed up to our campsite after our ice cream. 

Levi and Wyatt checking out the site.

We rented a pet friendly yurt and it was absolutely perfect!  It had a bunk bed and a futon, a small table, a wall heater, electricity.  A great camping experience for our kids.  They loved the bunk bed....we had to keep chasing them out of the yurt to enjoy the out of doors!  We brought lots of trucks and buckets and the girls scooters and Levi's balance bike so they had a ton of play choices.  Of course, Levi's favorite toys were the fire pit, the lighter, and the ax.  Boy.

Laurel put herself in charge of keeping our camp site clean.

Erika spent a lot of her time documenting her camping experience with pictures and writing in her journal.

Hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.  Funny story....we were camping next to two single dads who each had a young son.  Our camp food included somewhat regular meals: bbq hot dogs, milk, carrots, cereal for breakfast, sandwiches, snack food.  Their food included corn on the cob for dinner, chips, and bbq shish kabobs for breakfast!  Matt assured me that when he takes Levi camping by themselves, they will also be eating the more "manly" way!

We headed to the beach after dinner the first night.  It was cold and windy!  I have spent enough time on the Oregon coast to know that it is usually windy, but I have seriously never been on the coast when it was as windy as it was this week!  Our buckets and toys kept blowing away, the kids kept getting sand in their eyes....but it didn't make them want to leave!  They love the beach!

After everyone was crying because they had sand in their eyes, we headed back to the campsite for smores. 

The kids loved sleeping in the yurt.  They had trouble staying in their sleeping bags....Laurel and Levi couldn't figure it out that you laid in it and didn't use it as a blanket.  I was up many times both nights putting kids back into their bag.  At one point, Laurel fell out of the bed through the slot between the mattress and the ladder to the top bunk.  Not sure how that happened, but she just climbed back into bed and fell back asleep!  The yurt had a sky light and at one point, Levi said he wanted to go lay down during the daytime and when I took him in to get into bed, he asked if I could turn off the light.  I said, "Levi, that's not a light, it is the sun coming through the sky light." "Oh, can you turn off the sun, then, please!"

Lots of bike riding!

There was a nature trail that walked the circumference of the park that we went on one morning.  Lots of really cool trees to climb on and explore.  There was a creek as well that the kids liked throwing sticks and leaves in.

This camp ground was seriously cool and totally kid friendly.  Including this amazingly large and fun play structure that we went to many times!

And an amphitheater area.  They showed videos at night, but our kids were usually already asleep by the time they started.  So Laurel and Levi performed for us instead.

 

2010

2011

2013

 

Obligatory family shots.  I try and take one every year of Matt and the kids.

 

 

The futon in the yurt.

Glamping.

 

 

A family talent night around the fire.

My beach babies!

I made Erika come with me one night to watch the sun set.  I told her how cool it was that we were some of the last people in the US to see the sun.  She found climbing on the logs and finding rocks more enjoyable than the sun set.

And, the sign of a perfect camping trip....sleeping on the way home!