After a few prior attempts trying to visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park, we finally were able to get past the visitor kiosk to walk among some of the oldest and largest living organisms on the planet. This amazing state park protects the endangered giant sequoia and provides recreation and education to the park's many visitors. There are dark sky programs as well as a fun junior ranger program for ages three and up.
On a cloudy Sunday in Amsterdam, we paid a visit to the Anne Frank House. From the summer of 1942 through 1944, the Frank family and four companions his in the secret annex as the Nazis occupied the Netherlands. They were discovered in 1944 and sent to concentration camps in Germany. Only Otto Frank survived. To honor Anne's dreams of becoming a writer, Otto published his daughter's diaries, now translated into 75 languages and read by millions. The house was dedicated a museum in 1960 and can be visited today with timed entry tickets.
In this short post, the Cranky Camper family travel take a day trip to the largest castle in the Netherlands: Kasteel de Haar. This restored castle features many opulent rooms, extensive grounds, with moats and water features.
After re-opening following the Bridge Fire in 2024, we return to Shoemaker Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains to explore the spooky Cold War-era escape tunnels. The project was abandoned, but the tunnels remain a testament to a time gone by marked by fear and hysteria. In this post, we also cover trail conditions at time of writing along with some safety considerations.
Old Sacramento, the historic waterfront district and National Historic Landmark, offers up a fun adventure for families and history nerds alike. We learned so much about California history and the trans-continental railroad's impact on the culture and economy of the Golden State at the California State Railroad Museum. All aboard!
The Cranky Camper 