Yes, I used an outhouse on my wedding night...

... and lived to tell the tale. Derek and I were married on July 20 at the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder's Office in Oakland, and then headed up to Calaveras Big Trees State Park for our honeymoon. We stayed just two nights and saw so many amazing sights. Someday we will have to go back and see more.

After the wedding ceremony, we took our sweet time getting our stuff packed up and ready to go, stopping at Subway for a shared footlong sandwich, etc. By the time we left the Bay Area, it was about 4:30 pm, so we hit rush hour traffic. Otherwise it was a lovely drive through the rolling Sierra foothills. Also, I love the fact that California has a town called Copperopolis. Isn't that a fun word to say? Cop-per-o-po-lis. Yeah.

By the time we finally arrived in Arnold, it was starting to get dark. We turned off of Highway 4 onto a side road, which turned out to be the wrong way and ended up lost for a good 20 minutes or so (thanks, Google Maps). Finally we pulled over and asked a woman standing along the side of the road talking on her cell phone (which mystifies me still, since AT&T gave me absolutely no reception up there), who told us to stay on Highway 4.

We found the park easily after that, but by that time it was really starting to get dark, and there wasn't anyone in the kiosk at the park entrance. The map of the park gave no inkling of where our campsite, "Beaver," might be. So, we started driving around looking for it. Beaver is an "Environmental Campsite," meaning you have to park your car up to a quarter mile from the site and hike in. In exchange for the serenity of a secluded site, you get... no running water. I was initially a little upset when I realized this, but the park is so incredible that I couldn't be cranky for long.

Big Trees is absolutely awe-inspiring. The Stanislaus River runs through it, creating a dramatic view as you drive through the park. Even in my travel-weary state I found it captivating. We spent a good half hour driving around the park, which is about 8 miles from end to end. Anywhere we saw a sign for an environmental campsite, we stopped, hiked in, and did not find our assigned site. This is my sole complaint about this park: Why can't they list the names of the campsites in the parking area, so campers don't have to walk all the way in only to find out their site isn't there? Also, the sites need to be listed on the park map. It's a teeny, tiny, bone to pick given the utter majesty and splendor of Big Trees. But we were tired, hungry, and it was almost dark. And it was our wedding night, goshdarnit. Oh, and we were being seriously chewed up by mosquitoes! I was absolutely miserable at that point, scratching and slapping at myself and trying to dig through all the camping equipment to find the bug repellent. Never did find it, by the way. I was on the verge of tears and remember saying something to Derek like, "I want to sleep in a bed on my wedding night," and suggesting we drive back into town and see about spending the night in an inn there, with a bed and indoor plumbing and everything. I'm glad we didn't.

Eventually we found Beaver Creek, and based on the name we figured the Beaver site must be somewhere nearby. Makes sense, right? Well, we never did find it. But we did find a site named "White Fir" which seemed to be vacant. At this point we were carrying flashlights because the sun had finally gone down, and we decided to set up camp there for the night and explain to the rangers what had happened the next morning. We made a fire to keep the mosquitoes away, set up the tent in the dark and started cooking. We must have started eating our Boca burgers and corn somewhere around 10:00 pm. At some point during our meal, I saw two eyes glowing in the dark just behind "our" outhouse. I started to panic, remembering all the signs I'd seen earlier about bears and mountain lions. Derek grabbed the flashlight and revealed the terrifying creature: a deer. Yeah, I was just a little on edge after not being able to find our campsite!

The next morning we awoke to find that by daylight, our campsite was indeed beautiful. It was truly a joy to open my eyes at daybreak and hear Beaver Creek burbling along nearby. The environmental campsites are remote enough that it felt like we had the whole park to ourselves. I don't think we saw any other humans walk by our site during the two days we were there. We passed the time by exploring the impressive Sequoia trees (the "big trees" the park is named for). Many were so big we could even walk through them!

My husband inside a Giant Sequoia tree

We also spent time soaking in a calm part of the Stanislaus river. The water was deliciously cool, even in July. At a wilder part of the river, I tossed my bridal bouquet into a swift-moving current and silently made a wish as the roses and rosemary began their long journey to the Pacific Ocean.


To sum up, despite the initial frustrations we experienced, Calaveras Big Trees was a magical experience for our honeymoon. There is no place more sacred to me than being in the wilderness with few people around. Spending time in this secluded spot with my new husband was truly a blessing.