I was filled with dread as we arrived late in the afternoon, around 5:30 pm. We’ve visited Silver Lake Resort for several years and even though we'd never camped here, I had noticed that the lanes are very narrow and the RVs are packed in. Not a parking situation I was dying to take on with my son, who’s awesome but even newer than I am to all this. All day long I had been sweating having to back in to my assigned space. I may or may not have even lost some sleep over it the night before. 

Because we are members of a few vineyards in and around Los Olivos, we usually visit the area a couple of times a year to pick up our wines and visit the tasting rooms. In the past, we've always flown into San Ynez airport with a bunch of friends, rented a car (or Ubered in recent years) and stayed in a hotel, usually in Solvang or Buellton. (To read about flying in to San Ynez, check this article).

This time, we decided to take the Airstream, just the two of us. Novice-level stupidity first led me to check out Flying Flags as an option but seeing the concrete pads, all in matchstick-sized, parallel rows reminded me too much of the free nights I've spent in Walmart parking lots. Considering this, imagine my surprise to find that a night a FF will set you back $89. Not exactly a free night at  Walmart. So I expanded the search to other options.