Dave and Jan took advantage of the final opportunity, before the busyness of late summer and early fall months fills their weeks once again, for another short camping trip in the Santa Ana Mountains in south Orange County.  The Blue Jay Campground is near the top of the mountain range three miles north of the Ortega Highway which goes from San Juan Capistrano (not San Clemente as their last blog had it) to Lake Elsinore.  The campground is a beautiful but fairly primitive US Forest Service campground, where an overnight stay costs twenty dollars, but people with senior passes pay ten dollars.  What a deal!

The weather was fairly warm during the middle of the day, but nights were pleasant, and Dave and Jan found the perfect shady spot under mature oak trees to make their tent trailer more comfortable.

The campground has fifty camp sites (most of them unoccupied – so it was very peaceful), with space for an additional 140 campers in three group sites at the Falcon Group Campground.  The trail between the two sites offered views of colorful nearby hillsides.

Evening walks were very pleasant – with the the full moon lighting up the night.

Other creatures out for their evening walk each evening included quite a number of tarantulas crossing the paved roads – to prove, perhaps, that it could be done!

The only full-day-stay at the campground included a morning hike along several miles of the San Juan Trail which makes its way eventually back to the Ortega Highway, through primarily oak forests with nice views of surrounding mountains.

Much of the trail was shaded by the oak forest, and there were plants indicative of both shady forest and warmer desert-like conditions.

The trails displayed a variety of fruits and flowers native to the area.

It is always good to get away for change of scenery, if only for a few days, but it was nice to get home again to some of the conveniences of life – like showers – which most Americans take for granted.  Dave and Jan consider themselves to be richly blessed with the Lord’s good provisions in their lives and relationship – and they like it that way!