Wow!  So sorry it's taken me well over a year to 'friend' you!  Scouting is keeping us VERY busy!  Well, that and soccer and school and church and.....well, you know.

Hiya Eric, always glad to swap ideas, tips and techniques, keep in touch

Hi Eric, I just noticed you asked who my cousins in Hawaii were. I have a cousin Bobby (Robert) Soto and Lauri Ann Soto (I can't remember her married name). I have two younger cousins who were born around the time you were there so you probably wouldn't have crossed paths with them.

Gosh darn it Eric -- Talo and Russ are both in southern Cal... what are we going to do about a meeting place? Can you just move to so Cal for a few years lol? You guys in no Cal must be shy 'cause I've heard from a number of no Cal people who want to go camping, but no one is getting it together. I volunteer you, 'cause you are the most assertive, active, and a natural organizer.
How far south are you willing to go?

Yep, I lived on Oahu in Kailua. Both of my parents were born and raised in Hawaii (Ohau and the Big Island). I have an uncle and a bunch of cousins on Maui and my grandfather was born and raised on Kauai, though I haven't been to either island since I was a teenager. I've spent most of my time on Oahu and the Big Island since that's where most of my family resides.

Hi Eric,

Not a problem on the late reply. Thanks for the additional information. It's your decision where you finally end up, I'll just help by doing some research for you and making some suggestions. Like I said, this is something I enjoy doing. I was looking in the Mammoth Lakes area, specifically Devils Postpile National Monument. It's secluded and campsites are available (first-come first-serve) with the exception of holiday weekends. The campground normally will not fill up, even Loop B , which is closest to the river, San Joaquin I think. They list hiking, fishing and wildflower and wildlife viewing as things to do. You can also hike to the monument, which is "one of the worlds finest examples of columnar basalt."

http://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/camping.htm

Convict Lake is also in the area:

http://www.convictlake.com/campground.html

1/3 of the campground is on reservation, the other 2/3 is first-come first-serve and there are activities available including fishing, hiking and horseback riding. There are also hot springs nearby.
I'll get back to you soon with some more info.
-Laurene

Seems to be more availability around mid to late September for many campgrounds. Any idea what kind of services/amenities you would like to have?
-Laurene

Stanislau National Forest Camping:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/visitor/camping.shtml

Richardson Grove State Park is 197 miles North of San Francisco off hwy 101 ( 7 mi. south of Garberville). Like I said, they have a group site. Starting the 10th of September is will change to a first-come first-serve (non-peak season). According to the person I talked to you'd have no problem getting the site. There's also a group campsite at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (max. 55 people/max. 17 vehicles). That's just outside Crescent City (355 mi. north of San Francisco) I've never been to this park, but would like to go. You can find some of the oldest redwoods in the world there. I also know of group sites in Stanislau National Forest (Spicer Reservior), not sure about availability, reservations are only by phone and it seems like a small outfit. We have friends that have a house in Pinecrest and they love it.

I just spoke to the gentleman from Spicer Reservior, he said group sites book up in January, but he said he'd put together a few family sites for you. Just to give him a call and remind him that we spoke. Not trying to be pushy, this is just something I love doing. Planning camping trips is one of my favorite pastimes.
-Laurene

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/Richardson_Grove_Sp/r/campgroundDetails.do?page=details&contractCode=CA&parkId=120076&topTabIndex=CampingSpot

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/Jedediah_Smith_Redwoods_Sp/r/campgroundDetails.do?page=details&contractCode=CA&parkId=120044&topTabIndex=CampingSpot

http://srmgocamping.com/spicer_group.htm

Hey there!
Do you know when you want to plan the campout for? How far north would you be willing to go? The first locations that come to mind are Yosemite and Richardson Grove State Park. Yosemite has group sites in most of their campgrounds and you can't beat it for beauty and things to do. Most of the group sites are 12 person max./3 car max. (There are exceptions) The only drawback is you need to make your reservations 5-6 months in advance. Richardson has a group site with a 40 person/10 car max. It can't compete with Yosemite for things to do, but not many places can and you will be camping in an old growth redwood forest. I'm gonna think about it some more and do a little research, see if I can come up with some better or additional suggestions. Thanks for asking.
-Laurene