When we planned the trip we knew the drive from the San Diego area to the Mammoth Lakes area would be a long day pulling the trailers and more than we like to do in a day but off we went. We departed pretty early in anticipation of the long drive and wanting to get set up in the mid to late afternoon. As we got closer the huge mountain range was growing to our left (Eastern Sierra). We had reservations in a Forest Service campground called McGee Creek and boy did we strike gold.....what a beautiful place to camp!! & we're there for four days!!!
 |
| Headed up to McGee Creek |
After we get set up Donald runs to the nearest commercial RV park where they sell ice to get us a bag or two and gets a wealth of information from the lady there about things to see and do in the area. He returned excited with a full page listing and he said she declares each one to be a "must see" in this area. Obviously we don't have the time to do all so he had her prioritize them for us.
We head out with the prioritized list to explore this beautiful area. First stop was farther up the mountain from the campground where there is a hiking trail and a pack station for trail rides - just looking, as we are not going horseback riding 😟 afraid these old bones couldn't take it. We did manage to catch a group heading out and it looked like a lot of fun!
 |
| Giddy up! |
From there we headed for some Hot Springs - they are not marked by any signs on the road but the list came with directions on how to find them. It was a pretty cool place - in the valley floor in the middle of nowhere there was a parking area and a short hike to the springs. On the way we noticed a "clothing optional" sign - no problem we were not planning to get in now anyhow, just checking for maybe a later visit
with bathing suits. As we got there we found two springs - one fairly small (think larger hot tub size) with several folks enjoying it (with swimsuits). Not far away was the larger one (think small pool size) with one naked old man sitting by himself 😖 Needless to say we didn't stay long -
no pictures - you can thank me later!
Next stop was Convict Lake, a beautiful mountain lake with a hiking trail around it (three miles) that we set out on. We were warned by some folks in the parking lot that the trail bridge where the creeks feed in had washed out during some unusually high volume of snow melt this year and we'd either have to turn around or wade through the creek to continue. We decided to take off our socks and shoes and wade through the very cold water to continue the hike....there were others there doing the same thing. It was a very pretty scene and a great hike.
 |
| Convict Lake |
 |
| Crossing flooded area |
 |
| Kathy on the trail |
We drove over to Mono Lake - a salt lake that has had some spring activity that created some interesting looking deposits (called Tufa's) that protrude above the water surface - they almost look like some kind of coral reefs but they are not living things. The water level fell significantly when water was diverted for use in Los Angeles creating the scene but there is a plan underway to bring the water back to original levels. It was an interesting place.
 |
| Mono Lake |
We left Mono Lake for a scenic drive called June Lake Loop that proved to be a very pretty drive. We also had our sights set on "June Lake Pie" which is a pizza shop in the town of June Lake that was recommended....they were closed at lunch time 😡 ...didn't open until 4:00 so we settled for lunch at the Tiger Bar and Grill.
Yosemite - although a pretty long drive day, we decided to (and always planned to) enter Yosemite from the eastern side via Tioga Pass. This pass is closed much of the year for winter weather but it is open now and offered very pretty views as we made the drive in. Yosemite, like the Grand Canyon, was very crowded - especially in the valley. They have shuttle busses, which we used, but you have to find a parking spot first and that was a major challenge.
 |
| Views from Tioga Pass |
As we pulled into the valley we stopped at a viewpoint for El Capitan, a large granite rock and we were entertained (using binoculars) with some rock climbers scaling the face of the massive rock. It is 3000 feet high - no thanks. We talked amongst ourselves about how long that must take (we speculated days) and a search on the internet told us that someone had done it in 2 hours and 19 minutes (record) but mostly a couple days.
 |
| El Capitan |
 |
| Yosemite Falls |
 |
| Half Dome |
4th of July - Last day in this area and we still have a lot on the list to see but running out of time. We decide to go separate directions from Don & Deb with plans to meet later in the afternoon - Don and Deb went back to Mammoth Lakes to hike the trail to Rainbow Falls and also spend some time in the ski lodge at Mammoth. The day before we were there (late afternoon) and there was not much activity but they said in the morning it was packed with skiers and bustling with activity. We learned that they can only ski til 1:00 - assume because the snow turns to slush because of the heat of the day (upper 60's).
 |
Rainbow Falls
|
 |
| Rainbow Falls |
Kathy and I decided we wanted to see Bishop, Ca and head up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The Pine forest at 10,000 feet elevation was pretty interesting - we saw some trees that were over 4000 years old (and still living) and we learned a lot from the visit. We also did a one mile hike with a lot of elevation change that left us gasping for air....not enough oxygen up there for us!! On the way back thru Bishop we stopped at a bakery that was amazing - we had lunch there and took home some goodies.
 |
| Very Old Trees |
 |
| View from Bristlecone Forest |
We met up with Don & Deb in the late afternoon at "The Mobil" - it is a gas station/restaurant near Lee Vining where we learned they had entertainment from 3:00 - 7:00. The beer was good and the entertainment was free. Back at camp for the last night at this stop we enjoyed a nice fire and prepared for our departure.
 |
| McGee Creek Campfire |
Headed to Lake Tahoe - while we were at McGee Creek we also wanted to visit the Bodie California ghost town which was about 65-70 miles to our north but since we ran out of time, we decided to make that visit (with the trailers) en-route to Lake Tahoe since it was on the way with a little deviation. This extended that drive day by a good bit but boy was it worth it.
Bodie - when we left the highway (395) to travel to Bodie we learned that the road turned to gravel a few miles before we arrived at the park - turned out to be a very slow, bumpy (think washboard with potholes) ride in there. Our trailers have never been so dusty/dirty.
 |
| Road into Bodie |
The town of Bodie sprung up rather quickly to a population high of 8000 and only thrived from 1877 to 1881 during it's heyday following a gold mine strike. And almost as quick when the gold played out the town turned into a ghost town. There was still some mining thru about 1930 and only caretakers of the town after that. Since then, the state of California has taken the area over as a state historic site - they said the town is in an arrested state of decay. They only repair roofs and otherwise let the town age and decay. At the town church a historical speaker greeted us with a nice informative talk and we spent the next few hours walking the town and looking at the cemetery. Pretty Cool!
 |
| Bodie Ghost Town |
When we left Bodie we entered Nevada while driving along Lake Tahoe's east side and then back into California near Truckee where we set up camp at Granite Flats campground. We are camped side by side - both right on the Truckee River which is really nice. Based on the river view and the plentiful chipmunks, Debbie declared this the best site we've had yet.
 |
Granite Flat Campground - River in the back
Zoom in to see one of Deb's chipmunks under the rock beside the red chair
|
 |
| Tunnel view on the Nevada side of the lake |
First order of business here is to try to get some of the dirt/dust cleaned up. Since you cannot wash campers/vehicles in most campgrounds (including this one) we used 5 gal buckets and pulled water from the river to clean the campers. It really made a big difference!
We spend the day (after cleaning) riding around the lake and just taking in the views. Since this is 4th of July week-end this place is crazy with traffic/tourist....too crowded for us.
 |
| Tahoe City Marina |
 |
| Rafters on the Truckee River |
Last day in this area and we are only about 30 miles from Reno - we considered going but opted for a down day by our campsite beside the river after a trip to do laundry. We had a nice relaxing day and even ventured into the "cold river. The day started our sorta cloudy but the afternoon brought periods of sun so Don and Deb ventured into the water at first and then persuaded me to give it a try. Kathy only agreed to take photos and laugh. Below is a link to a funny video of us freezing in the water!
We wrapped up our stay here with a visit to the town of Truckee for some shopping, dinner and drinks. This has been a great stop but we're off tomorrow - back to Monterey and Pebble Beach Golf Links!
No comments:
Post a Comment