Hello Pasadena!

We managed to live in Woodland Hills for just over 1 year and with my wife accepting a new position from Santa Monica to Pasadena we did not want to have an even further commute so it was time to find a new home. One of the many benefits of living in Pasadena is the vast array of nearby camping options for us to explore. That being said, here is the first of many new experiences.

After reading about a potential VW weekend experience at Willow Springs International Raceway called Fastivus, we decided attending was a must. I believe this was originally a track event for the very rare and extremely capable Volkswagen R32 that has now blossomed into an event open to all VW enthusiasts with a weekend full of fun activities. Unfortunately we were unable to attend the beginning of this event, we did manage to arrive late on Saturday for a night of camping and a Sunday of VW racing.

Arriving just before the gates closed, we were happy to find spaces available and quickly set up for a good night's sleep.

The bright sunshine woke us up early enabling us to enjoy several hours of surprisingly fast VW racing.

Another day off allowed us to visit Red Rock Canyon State Recreation area as it was only an hour away and located where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Mountains. Being Memorial Day weekend, there were worries about availability but was surprised to find that the park was practically empty.

 

With so much stunning scenery, I can see why several movies were filmed in the area.

On to our beloved little girl who was a super trooper throughout the entire trip. Here she is just fitting in her infant sleeper. We will definitely have to think of other sleeping arrangements for her shortly....

Enjoying some quality time in the back of the Vanagon.

You may think we might have some poor parenting skills bringing a baby to the desert but you have nothing to worry about. Keeping Brooke cool was easy when she's half naked and we kept her properly hydrated.

A little blue mood lighting to help us see our way "home" after a night of star gazing.

Another fantastic family camping weekend complete left us in awe of not only the beauty there is to discover in this world but thankful of amazing people to share it with.