Campfire | Walking and Health

Jun
21
2010

Summer Fun is Here!

It’s the first day of summer. Any change in season is a great excuse to make adjustments in your own life. Nows the time to get out more and walk. Take advantage of the extra day light outside and make an effort to get the entire family out doors and more active. If you have a pool, vow to swim and play in the water. If you have a play area in the back yard or at a nearby park, take time to get the kids out for 30 minutes a day. Not only will they get in fun time and exercise, but they’ll release all that extra energy.

Summer fun is a time to plan a little R&R. Rest and relaxation. You don’t have to plan a huge, over-the-top vacation. Keep it simple and keep it stress-free. You have enough stress at work. Don’t bring it home while trying to plan out some extravagant minute-by-minute, we must be doing something fun at all times, kind of activity. Plan a series of short trips locally, or plan a Staycation. What’s a staycation?

A Staycation is a vacation the entire family can take together, however, instead of planning a trip to somewhere far away, you plan your vacation based on local attractions, up to and including your own back yard. Want to go camping? Set up a tent in the back yard. The idea is to keep it simple and keep it basic. Staycations are happening all across the country as the economy is on the re-bound. Don’t deny your family the anticipated summer vacation that you normally take every year. Plan your trips and stay local, get discounts, shop around, have a special treat everyday. Paln your vacation close to home and it will be as good as if you were hundreds of miles away. Keep an eye out on local happenings in your area and add them into your staycation. Look for free activities to do at the local library or marketplace and get out for the day. It’s all good and you’ll be more aware of all the many activities that your city has available.

Enjoy your summer and get back to the basics of life. Play Monopoly or Risk or a fun game of cards. Camp out in the back and after the BBQ, have S’Mores and do campfire skits for entertainment. The kids will enjoy and appreciate the quality family time. Keep all cell phones and other electronics away from your staycation area. The key is to ”feel” like your getting away from the day-to-day routine. Take plenty of pictures and involve the kids in event planning and use their imaginations and your own to take you to exotic places.

Written by in: Uncategorized, Walking and Diet | Tags: campfire, family outdoor activities, rest and relaxation, staycation, summer fun

Jun
26
2008

Lake Vail Resort in Temecula CA

I took a much needed vacation and took the family to Lake Vail in Temecula, CA. It’s official title on the website is Vail Lake Village and RV Resort. I wanted to get out of town for a few days and I wanted to travel just out of reach of the city, so it seemed like we were making a significant change in scenery even though it was only a 50 mile drive from our house, keeping the gas expense to a minimum. Lake Vail is located about 100 miles from Los Angeles off of the 15 freeway on Route 79 South. The resort is ideal for RV camp goers as well as those who want to rough it and use a tent. The campsites are large enough for the RV and a tent. Most of the sites have a table and a fire ring. We barbecued every evening. We cooked chicken, had salmon one night, did the usual hot dogs and hamburgers and the ever-important S’mores after the sun set while sitting around the campfire.

We went out to the area of the campsite where the pools are located. It was hot in the sun, but the water in the pool was refreshing. The bathrooms and the whole pool area were very neat and clean. I would recommend this RV resort to those interested in having a relaxing time with the family. The resort also has a water slide. The water slide has an attendant and they watch the kids go down. The resort also has a small gathering area where on weekends they serve up Carne Asada dinners for $8.00 a plate and they have a band providing entertainment. It’s a great place to take the family after a fun day in the sun.

We went miniature golfing on their green set up with 18 holes. It was a great time for the kids. This was the first time my six year old had ever experienced miniature golf and she had fun trying to master her swing. At one point she whacked the ball into the next playing field and another point she was so close to the hole, but the ball barely budged because she was learning control and she didn’t want to hit it too hard. Back at camp, there was plenty of space for the kids to play catch with a football, throw a Frisbee around, and play catch with a softball. There were exerting energy, and they were staying active. They didn’t even miss the play-station or TV which were left behind at home on purpose.

All-in-all it was a fun time had by everyone. The kids stayed busy and the adults could relax without the annoying phone ringing or deadlines pending. I spoke with several different “neighbors” who were camping nearby and they said this resort was a great place to camp on the weekends. Most visitors arrive on Friday evening after work and leave on Sunday. Lake Vail Resort a great place to get away. The outdoors promotes physical activity for all ages and all levels. In the evening, we took a walk around the campsite and enjoyed seeing the sunset and the smell of camping. If you have ever been camping, you know the smell. It’s a mixture of trees, fresh air and the smell of firewood burning at a campsite. Gotta love it!

Here are some helpful sites to link to while setting up a camping trip for vacation. We stayed five days, but a weekend getaway can help relieve some of the day-to-day pressure that builds up at work. We got a campground finder book from the Auto Club, we made our RV Rental reservations through El Monte RV and we booked our Lake Vail Resort reservation by calling the number on their website. The “website available” camp sites seemed to be a little out of sync with the available sites when calling a live person. I would recommend a call to them to confirm available spots before booking. We preferred the shade in the Oaks area. Happy Camping.