Tag: fossils

Top 10 October Activities for Your Glamping Getaway

October is more than leaf peeping, pumpkins and Halloween (although we will point you toward some Halloween fun). October is the tenth month of the year so we found 10 ways to celebrate when glamping with us.

Apple tree in Julian, California
  1. National Apple Month: Julian, California is considered the “Apple Capital of Southern California” and is about a half hour drive from Thousand Trails Oakzanita Springs, which makes it the perfect place to spend the day on your travels. For a list of orchards, check out visitjulian.com. If you want to just eat apple pie, consider Mom’s Pies or the Julian Pie Company. If you want to taste apple cider (the hard kind), check out the Julian Hard Cider Tasting Room (julianhardcider.biz). 
  1. National Dessert Month: Celebrate with dessert all month as October is National Dessert Month. If you’re glamping in the Florida Keys, then Key Lime Pie is the dessert du jour. Book a glamping stay at Sunshine Key RV Resort or Fiesta Key RV Resort and check out these spots, which according to authenticflorida.com have some of the best: Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shop in Key West or the Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar on Islamorada.
Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington
  1. National Seafood Month: Since 1990, October has been designated as National Seafood Month. Hmm – seafood. How about lobster in Bar Harbor, Maine while enjoying a glamping cabin at Narrows Too Camping Resort (Stewman’s Lobster is always a good choice)? If you’re glamping at Tall Chief Campground, take a drive into Seattle to taste the offerings of fresh seafood at the famous Pike Place Market.  
  1. Fossil Day: If you dig fossils (get it?), then spend National Fossil Day, October 14, searching for treasure. Some great glamping locations for this can include Florida’s Thousand Trails Peace River as the Peace River is a great place to hunt for shark teeth and marine and reptile fossils; Thousand Trails Lake Tawakoni in Texas, which is just under an hour’s drive from Ladonia Fossil Park, or California’s Pacific Dunes Ranch where nearby Pismo Beach is known for its marine fossils dating back to the Pliocene epoch. 
  1. Sweetest Day: Even though its original purpose was to perform random acts of kindness for those less fortunate, Sweetest Day, which falls on October 17 this year, has evolved to Valentine’s Day Part II in the US. So, whether your random act of kindness is to take a friend glamping or to spend the day glamping with your sweetie, rent a cozy glamping cabin or cottage at California’s Thousand Trails Idyllwild and spend the day glamping surrounded by the beauty of the San Jacinto Mountains.  
  1. Howl at the Moon: On October 26, people are encouraged to step outside and howl at the moon. Some of the best places to see the moon is over the ocean on a beach in Miami (glamp at Encore Miami Everglades); at Maine’s Acadia National Park’s Jordan Pond (glamp at Narrows Too Camping Resort) or in California’s Joshua Tree National Park (glamp at Thousand Trails Palm Springs) which is designated as an International Dark Sky Park. 
  1. Eat a Pretzel Day: Where better to enjoy Eat a Pretzel Day, October 22, than in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, known for their soft pretzels. Check in to a glamping cottage at Thousand Trails Circle M and check out the plentiful pretzel offerings in the area (check out discoverlancaster.com/blog/10-places-to-get-pretzels-in-lancaster-pa) head over to the pretzel master, the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, and take a class on pretzel rolling (https://juliussturgis.com/). 
Domaine Carneros, Napa Valley
  1. Global Champagne Day: Enjoy a glass of bubbly on Global Champagne Day, October 24, in California’s Wine Country which produces many champagnes in addition to all the wines. Book a glamping cottage at Thousand Trails Russian River and check out Domaine Carneros, Buena Vista Winery and Schramsburg Winery.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
  1. Visit a Cemetery Day: Well, it is October after all. And October 25 to be exact is designated as Visit a Cemetery Day. One famous burial places to visit when staying at Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon in California is the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the final resting place of Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino and George Harrison among other famous celebrities. Another is the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California which boasts 17 Academy Award winners and 5 US Presidents buried there. 
  1. Halloween: If you’re looking to get into the Halloween spirit, check out all the events at Florida’s Walt Disney World. Book a colorful glamping cabin at Encore Tropical Palms in Kissimmee and get ready for frights galore!  

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Can You Dig It? A short guide to fossil hunting sites in the US

Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon.

October 16 is National Fossil Day, which was established to promote the scientific and educational value of fossils. According to the National Geographic Society, a fossil is the preserved remains, or traces of remains, of ancient animals or plants. They are important in helping us discover the evolution of life and how life was lived thousands and thousands of years ago. Most fossils are formed when a plant or animal dies in a watery location and becomes buried in silt or mud. Celebrate National Fossil Day this year and see what treasures you can unearth. We’ve listed a few well-known fossil hunting sites here.

Capitola Beach, in Capitola, California, is a great spot to hunt for fossils during low tide. This little beach town can offer the motherlode of fossils thanks to the Purisima Formation, a geologic formation which preserves fossils from the Late Miocene and Early Pleistocene Era. Bones of whales and seals, as well as sea urchins and bivalves, and been unearthed here along with the rare shark tooth.

The fossilized bones of a mastodon, a camel, and a mammoth have turned up in Florida’s Peace River which has also revealed plenty of shark teeth, some as large as seven inches. Collecting shark teeth does not require a permit but if you’re digging for anything bigger, you need both a boat and a permit. There are plenty of guided tours available or you can go it alone, wading into the river from any of the public landings – but be aware of all the living flora and fauna!

Chesapeake Bay
Cozy cabins from Chesapeake Bay, about an hour from Westmoreland State Park.

Beverly Beach State Park in Newport, Oregon, is a beautiful beach with rock formations dating back millions of years that are filled with fossils. Winter is the best time for fossil hunting here thanks to the storms that dislodge several layers of sandstone unearthing new (old!) fossils. Petrified wood, dating back some 15-20 million years, and agate stones can also be found here.

Mineral Wells Fossil Park, in Mineral Wells, Texas, has an abundance of “Pennsylvanian Period” fossils, which date back some 318 million years! Thanks in part due to the erosion of the city’s borrow pit (which is a spot where material has been dug out for use at another location), fossils of ancient sea species have been found here which have included primitive sharks, brachiopods (marine animals in hard shells), crinoids (sea lilies), and pelecypods (clams and oysters).

Westmoreland State Park in Montross, Virginia, is a well-known location for fossil hunting and has been known to turn up shark teeth, whale teeth, and fish bones and vertebrae dating to the Miocene Age. There is a portion of the park known as Fossil Beach and it’s a great place to find shark teeth, including those of the megalodon. Situated between two towering bluffs, the beach is a short walk from the Visitors Center, and here you can sift through the sand using a colander or sand sifter (no major equipment allowed).

Pacific City • IG: @ofwildestheart
Yurt interior photo from Pacific City near Beverly Beach State Park. IG: @ofwildestheart