Airstreaming at Lake Casitas.

Last month, we made a quick trip up to Lake Casitas for a weekend away in our Airstream. It would be a last one for awhile… since we are awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to our family.


Ventura has been so overcast all summer. Well past the June Gloom phase we usually don’t look forward to all year. But Lake Casitas? Lake Casitas was nice and sunny and hot… and just a short drive up the hillside. As soon we found our campsite, Ava and I ditched Dan for Casitas Water Adventure! It’s located just inside the park’s entrance and it usually costs $12 a person, including kids over the age of 1. But we got there during their afternoon discount hours. Only $5 after 4pm. YEAH!

It’s a small sized water park but it had more than enough to keep us occupied. A larger fun area for the kids, as you see above. A smaller fountain area for smaller kids. And lazy river for kids of all ages. It was a little awkward to fit my large pregnant belly in a tube and balance Ava on it too. But we did it. And got a lot of high fives from the crowd too.

Once the park closed, we headed back to check on Dan. Our chef had dinner and a movie ready for us…

… and had the Airstream all set up at our site. WHAT A NICE GUY! We managed to get a last minute reservation at Campground B, which is right next to the entrance but was centrally located for our weekend needs. The site was a basic hook-up site that offered electricity and water.

We were excited to get this spot because there was no one to the left of us. Well… we were excited about our spacious spot until 5am rolled around the next morning… and we woke up to lots of diesel trucks pulling their boats to the boat ramp down the street that faced our bedroom window. Grrrr.

One thing that Lake Casitas has a lot of are playgrounds. The ones by our site all had the same layout but that didn’t bother our little one. A slide is a slide to her smiling face.

Just be careful of the static electricity on the swirly slide. It made Ava’s hair stick straight up each and every time. Hehe.

And I guess I should mention the lake. There were peek-a-boo views of it from our campground and the playgrounds too.

And a short walk from our site, lead us to the boat ramp. We contemplated renting a boat for a few hours but ultimately decided against it. Since the lake was so close to our house, we could enjoy a boat rental at any time. We decided to focus on what the campground had to offer instead.

We did stop by the Lake Casitas restaurant for a quick bite to eat… and for dessert too.

Ava and I decided on an orange flavored Push Pop.

And Dan choose a Choco Taco. WTF? Are we at Taco Bell, Dan?!?!

Some people had fancy transportation to get them around the lake. And some people had red plastic wagons.

I’m not sure that our kid appreciated sharing her wagon with our dinner supplies. But I guess it’s good practice for what she should expect when the next kid pops out. Well, sorta kinda.

Campground B had a large grassy area lining one side of the sites that was perfect for running around. It might not seem worthy to write about… but when your kid has to play in dirt all day (like some other places we’ve been too) you start appreciating the little things in life that make your life easier… and your Airstream cleaner. Who wants to clean all the time during vacation? Not me!

Not sure what it was with this patch of gravel… but the kids loved sitting in it and making gravel angels. Silly kids.

A few years ago, I dragged Dan to a morning bird walk at this same exact lake. Boy was he excited! Not. Well, I was. I got to see over 30 different types of birds during that excursion. During each Airstream trip, I tell myself that I will make time for a quick morning bird walk but it never seems to work out for me. By the time we eat and get Ava ready for the day, the birds have gone into hiding from the heat. But we did get to see a flock of Canada geese this time.

The remainder of the trip involved a visit to the water park again. Ava really loves the smaller water fountain. She crawled around meowing like a cat for some reason. And the soft tire material that made up the floor left stains to prove it.

And we also made smores with Ava for the first time… because this place actually allows real campfires. And what did she think of marshmallows? In her words… “Mama this is yucky!”.

Thanks for reading. We’ll see you again soon… as soon as Baby #2 makes his or her entrance. Bye!

the end,
marlene