Glamping It Up With Toyota

Do you ever wake up in the morning and think “How did I get so lucky?” That happens to me pretty often, but a few weeks ago, it happened in an extra-super-special way.

I went on a great adventure, but I have to admit my brain was a little AWOL due to That Thing That Shall Not Be Mentioned happening just 5 days before, so I didn’t get around to writing about it until now.

Toyota invited me and my TWIN sisters to go camping in a glamorous style, or “Glamping” in El Capitan Canyon, up near my childhood home. Can I mention here that I hate the word “Glamping”?

While I may hate the ugliness of the word, I do not hate the activity. Glamping involves being ensconced with all the comforts of home in little cedar cabins out in the hills. No tents, no cooking over open fires (unless it is s’mores).

My cabin. Roughing it, Suebob-style.

Beats sleeping on the ground.

Every detail was planned for us. We had information packets. We had liaisons. We had drivers to take the cars out and wash them for the next day’s use. We had staff, people. I could get used to having staff.

Tent? Who NEEDS a tent?

Due to some logistical issues, I didn’t get to join the TWINsters until halfway through the adventure, and I got to El Capitan Canyon before they did.

I’ve rarely been part of a team, outside of work, so it surprised me a bit how excited I got to see my TWIN team pull up in their gleaming Toyotas. My GIRLS! And their CARS!

They’re here! They’re here!

It was the craziest trip ever. As soon as we got settled, they piled us on a big bus for a wine-tasting dinner at Sanford Winery, over in Buellton, where I had lived as a kid.

At Sanford Winery, in the vines

Team TWIN. Photo credit Kristi Bonney, Live and Love Out Loud

Then the next day, some people went to look at llamas and about 20 of us went ocean kayaking with Santa Barbara Adventure Company. I got partnered with Amy Bradley-Hole, who, I am contractually obligated to say, is the best kayak partner ever. (Though I’m not so bad, myself). She’s also pretty and hilarious, so all in all, a good pick.

That afternoon Glennia of The Silent “I” and I spent some quality time together driving a cute little Prius C up to Santa Barbara and going to the botanic gardens.

Glennia at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens

After driving the car up there and back – about 50 miles round trip – I’m thinking I might need one. It uses hardly any gas, it’s cute, it has great cargo space, and it has a cute little space-age console that looks like something out of the USS Enterprise.

Prius C. Not the one I drove, but pretty, no?

The gardens are beautiful, but it WAS 94 degrees, so after buying the vending machine out of Dasani water, we headed back to “camp” for a barbecue dinner and the aforementioned s’mores around a fire, while we listened to Amy tell her famous pregnancy story. If you ever meet her, ask her to tell it. It’s worth listening to.

Thanks to Toyota for making my life so crazy excellent. If you want to read some posts by other women who were there –

Amanda from Parenting by Dummies
Kristi from Living Out Loud
Fadra from All Things Fadra
Linz from Linz Loves You
and an amazing, touching post from Elena at CiaoMom

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.