A spring camping expedition to Olema, California

OLEMA, Calif. - The first foray to a campground for The Red Writer teardrop trailer started out like most of the sailing voyages Adm. Sylvia Fox and I ever took on our ocean-going vessels.

Hooked up properly (not!)

• It took hours longer to get ready than we had planned.

• We forgot a few key items - like flashlights and matches. (We did have two wine bottle openers.  And wine, of course.)

• In hooking up the trailer to the Toyota Tundra pickup, I neglected to: 

A. Put the safety lock pin through the trailer hitch 

B. Test the turn signals and brake lights.

But despite those little bumps it was a great trip which included two meals in Point Reyes eateries. Point Reyes is definitely a very cool town, culturally and temperature-wise.

Meeting a camper/neighbor

That was another little bump in the expedition. I hadn't read the manual sufficiently on how to start the heater in the trailer. Adm. Fox did figure it out - about an hour before we were ready to return home to Point Richmond after spending a very chilly night bundled up in sleeping bags and heavy comforters.

At the Olema campground we rendezvoused with Point Richmond amigos (and neighbors) Sallie and Jim Dewitt. We were all on a shakedown trip to ensure all trailer systems on our respective rigs worked properly.

While not trying to suss out exactly why our smoke-carbon monoxide alarms were screeching randomly, we discovered that most of the other campers at the campground seemed very friendly types. Even the wildlife stopped by for a look at us.

Early in the morning of our departure day, we woke up to a sound I had never heard: elk bugling. Not with bugles, but calling to each other.

The sound is impressive. (See the elk video after the photos below)...

We are safe back at Brickyard Landing and ready for another trip in a couple of weeks. And yes, we have matches and flashlights already in the satchel to take - along with a stack of instruction books on the heater, DVD player, water pumps, fans and everything else.

The deer arrived at cocktail hour

The Red Writer and the Dewitt A-frame camper - called 'Origami'

This g-normous tent cost less than $300, the owners told us. We could fit two Red Writers inside.