Expert: Steve Summers - 4/21/2002

Question
Dear Steve...my wife and I like to get away from Oakland into the country. We are 62 and camping is a little too roughing it for us. (Hell, that was true when I was twenty)

Do you know of anything 2 or 3 hours from Oakland that is not quite camping but is still kind of roughing it and less than $50 per night.

I am thinking of "tent cabins" or private cabins you might know or something else we have not thought of.

We found something in Mendocino recently that is just what we are looking for: a tiny cabin in a field behind a big farmhouse. It was $55 per night.

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Answer
I do know of some cabins at www.reserveamerica.com. Price and availability varies by location, but there are a lot of cabins in the Sierras in that price range. Just select "cabin" and "California" too see what's available.

Of course, the tent cabins in Yosemite are only about $50 per night. However, I cannot recommend staying in Curry Village. There are too many people running around too late at night. I can highly recommend Tuolumne Meadows, however. Yes, it's a bit more than 3 hours, but the quiet and blanket of stars is incredible. It's at a high elevation (7000 feet), so the nights can be nippy. However, you can get a wood-burning stove that will keep you warm and toasty. You can make a reservation online at www.yosemitepark.com/html/accom_reservation.html or call 559-252-4848.

KOA has some Kamping Kabins in Kalifornia (sorry, couldn't resist) near Mendocino. You can check them out at www.koa.com.

Hope this helps,

Steve