Dripping Springs Campground at The Cleveland National Forest.
Dale and I took off for the first camping trip of a the season on a very nice warm sunny weekend in February to a desert campground 11 miles east of Temecula, CA, about a 2 hour drive from Long Beach. The site had a beautiful stream, the Aroyo Tiaga stream running through it, (seasonally) and miles and miles of hiking trails up in the mountains nearby. It was fun to get away, camping under a clear sky and an almost full moon gave so much light it seemed like the sun was moving over the tent at night. It also got quite cold, with a touch of frost, and our dishwater had a quarter inch of ice on it when we left it out overnight. Once the sun was up, it warmed up quickly, for a beautiful day. The Dripping springs campground is also home to the endangered Aroyo Toad as well. It's habitat in Southern California is nearly destroyed due to all the development. We didn't see any, but were able to hear one croaking late at night while around the campfire. I was glad they didn't keep us up all night!
