Our area tends to be a little crazy during 4th of July, but surprisingly, we were able to snag a campsite at an area we have not explored very much: the Lakes Basin of Sierra County in California. It's only about two hours from our house, but full of US Forest Service campgrounds, lakes for kayaking, hiking trails and some really tall pine trees.
We spent a few days with our Stargazers friends hiking, kayaking and hanging around the fire. Even with the California drought, we did get a few bouts of heavy rain from some passing rainstorms. The Sunflower is very waterproof, so our bed stayed nice and dry.
This area has a few towns that cater to Pacific Crest Trail backpackers, so it was fun to see their mail stops, a "Free Stuff Pile" at a local store, and hike on parts of the PCT ourselves.
We spent a few days with our Stargazers friends hiking, kayaking and hanging around the fire. Even with the California drought, we did get a few bouts of heavy rain from some passing rainstorms. The Sunflower is very waterproof, so our bed stayed nice and dry.