Crane Flat Campground

This post was written previously for my other blog, The Rockabilly Socialite, but I thought it was more suitable on this blog, so here it is for your viewing pleasure! 

Zack and I had a whole week and a half off of work last year after Labor Day, and we decided to take a trip-just the two of us! Yosemite National Park is about a 5 hours away and is one of our "special places", so it was an easy choice. Yosemite offers a lot of bang for your buck so to speak, as camping is so affordable, but the location has so much beauty to offer.  There is so much to do there that even a week isn't enough! 

The first day we took the long route in to stop in the little mountain town of Mariposa. I would say we "took the scenic route", but in reality, any drive into Yosemite valley is a scenic route. If I could live anywhere, I would live there. It is like a little sleepy mountain town you see in movies-just precious! We stopped for lunch at this old fashion family burger joint called Happy Burger. The food was delicious! They also had vintage record sleeves all over the walls and ceilings-my kinds place! 

On the way to our campsite we pulled the car over for a photo op! We are all smiles in the fresh air and sunshine!

This was my last chance to wear vintage for a whole week, so I used the opportunity to wear my red and white gingham top. I thought it was camping appropriate. We then were on our way to our campsite- Crane Flat (elevation 6,200 feet) on the Big Oak Flat Road about 30 minutes northwest of Yosemite Valley. Campsites here are much easier to get then sites in the valley, and a great value at $20 a night, so we decided to give it a try. The drive in was beautiful, affording views of the Merced River. 

The site was large, clean and partially shaded. The neighbors were close, but luckily they were quiet and kept to themselves. The site had a picnic table, fire pit and bear box. We had a few comforts like a big tent,  BBQ, and vintage Coleman stove.

 If you are not familiar with camping in Yosemite, then you may not know about the strict food rules. Food and anything scented has to be locked in a bear box at all times unless you are eating or cooking it. Food is not save in a cooler, tent or even your car. Bears are the biggest concern, but raccoon, squirrels, and other little animals have been known to steal food too. In this photo you can see that the bear boxes are very large and can easily fit all of your foodstuffs. 

We love this vintage camping chest that is a Simpson family airloom. It has been used for 50+ years of camping trips and been all over the US. We are excited to continue the family camping tradition and use of thos chest. Camping is a classic American vacation after all!

The chest has all of these cool vintage stickers on it from Zack's grandparent's travels. I love this Vegas one!

And the Disneyland one of course!

I also like these LA ones. 

After we set everything up we took a little stroll around the campsite. 

Wild flowers!

We also observed the wild life! 

After we built up an appetite I made us dinner on our vintage Coleman stove, also passed down from Zack's grandparents. 

Me, being a Bettie and cooking organic baked beans for my husband! 

After our dinner of hot dogs and baked beans, we made smores! Not a bad day at all! 

I have to break down this vacation into multiple posts, so look out for the next Yosemite vacation post soon! 

-Dollie the Backpacking Bettie