Eastern Sierra Mountains - Mammoth Lakes & Tahoe

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

McGee Creek Campground

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!

Click here for funny cold river video (no alcohol involved)

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!

Central to Southern California

When we left Big Sur (headed to Pismo Beach) we were in some significant fog that we thought would make that long slow coastal drive even slower. Luckily after a short bit it began to break up mostly and we got to enjoy some incredible views one more time.

Pismo Beach - We checked into our campsite at Pismo Beach state park and immediately began to explore the area....we were a short walk to the beach.  We were finally in a beach area with sand (versus rocky cliffs) so it is a much more populated area. When Kathy and I came into the area we missed a turn and ended up in a traffic jam of vehicles (campers, four wheelers, dune buggy's, etc....) waiting to get onto the beach so our curiosity was up about that. We all decided to take a walk and it was pretty cool - hundreds of people flocking to the beach for the week-end (it is Friday night) and looking like an amazing party brewing.

Party brewing on the beach

Breaking News - we spotted a republican in California!

Paso Robles - a popular wine producing region is only about 40 miles away so our plans for the day are to visit that area - wineries, wine tasting & music. We first stopped into the Chamber of Commerce/Visitor's center on the square in Paso Robles where we met a nice young lady named Cally from California. She loved her job and it showed, and we benefitted from her advice. She shared maps, ideas, etc... and we left with a plan. She was disappointed that we only had a day and we quickly learned that she was right - we'd only scratch the surface.

Wine producing country

We identified four wineries to visit in our limited time. First up was Sculptera - a beautiful environment with nice wine and live music. The grounds there, in addition to nice gardens, are decorated with some pretty interesting sculptures. We enjoyed the live music there so much that we hung around there a good bit longer than scheduled......at least we had a plan ;-) Next we stopped at Cass wineries for lunch and a sampling - best hamburger we've ever had :-)

Sculptera Vineyards

Most of the wineries charge for the samples but we'd met a guy in Flagstaff who recommended one called Tobin James that offered free wine tasting, a great old bar, and just a good/fun environment so we had to check that one out. Our bartender there was Char who was very good and we had her take a couple photos for us. BTW - free wine sampling increases sales!!

Pour us another one!

Char dealing with a tough customer 😎

Last stop scheduled was J. Lohr wineries since that is actually one we buy and drink back home we wanted to visit there - bad news is they were closed by the time we made it there.....we'd had a busy and fun afternoon but that part of it was now over. Took a photo in front of the J Lohr sign and back to town for dinner.

Paso Robles is a cool town with a nice town square with many shops and restaurants in that vicinity - although still a pretty small town feel. They had a very small farmers market there that we enjoyed when we arrived in the morning and we returned to a recommended restaurant "The Catch" for a nice dinner that evening to end the day.

As we left Pismo Beach we headed further south on a route that includes a drive (with trailers) through the city of Los Angeles to San Clemente State beach for our next stop. The dreaded drive through LA, although heavy traffic, was not as bad as we had anticipated. I expected something like Atlanta where you may spend hours at a standstill but it moved pretty good....although slow at times.

San Clemente State beach is a very popular campground for families and children so it was a very busy place but also very nice. The campground sits atop a cliff area on the coast with a couple of steep walkways down to the water. Interesting is the fact that there is a train track near the coast and in several different locations (including this park) they have pedestrian tunnels under the tracks to allow beach access.

Metro Link commuter train passing San Clemente Beach

First night camping there while we were eating & just sitting around the camp visiting in the evening,  Kathy noticed something moving  - we thought it was a cat but as it got closer (actually too close) we realized it was a skunk! We all froze hoping to not startle him like he did us.😬 The nice family camping next door said there were several in the campground - as it turns out they wander around the campground in the evening scavenging for food...pretty amazing but everyone just gives them space. Can't we just all get along!

Pepe Le Pew

Weather - since leaving Big Sur we've been anticipating better weather as we head farther south but it is still cool days (low 60's) with clouds and cooler nights. I spoke with a local guy that said this is normal for June - in fact they call it "June Gloom." He said that the weather in August and September is beautiful but we should expect more of this unless we move farther inland. (maybe at our next stop). There is hope though - we were able to actually see a sun set while there and it was the first one visible since arriving on the coast.

San Clemente beach Sun set

With one day of resting and enjoying the local area - (lunch on their nice pier and walking the downtown shopping district) and another for touring we decided against Catalina Island in favor of a full day narrated bus tour of Los Angeles. This included a one hour drive north to Anaheim where the tour began. Our bus driver, Albert, was an amazing source of knowledge about the different locations, places where movie scenes were filmed, where celebrity folks had died or been arrested, etc.... In all we visited (drive by) a lot of places but only got out and walked four or five spots.

A popular star to find in Hollywood

Santa Monica pier and the end of Route 66

Venice Beach

We saw many celebrity homes (from the road and through the window) and were entertained quite nicely as we rode around. All in all it was a great day but very long and a bit bumpy. This tour was a good way to get the highlights of the area and help determine where you'd like to spend more time (maybe) on a subsequent visit.

San Diego (Ramona) - We had the luxury of a few hours to rest the next morning (much needed) before moving on to the next destination....Dos Pico County park in San Diego County near the town of Ramona. The campground is about 30 miles northeast of San Diego and nestled in a little valley with beautiful rock covered hills (think big rocks) surrounding it....but the best part, according the girls, who have been looking for the sun for weeks is the weather. We rolled in to 80 degrees and sunny which felt pretty nice. For the next several days we get upper 70's to lower 80's in the daytime with nights in the cool mid-50's PERFECT!

Plans here are to see all we can in San Diego and the Coronado Island along with a possible day trip into Tijuana, Mexico. We had purchased tickets (a few days back) to a San Diego Padres baseball game (vs St Louis). The game time was 7:10 so we decided to go into town mid-afternoon to see a bit of the town before the game since it would be a late evening. We parked and did the waterfront walk near downtown - USS Midway (but didn't go aboard) and eventually made our way into the Gaslamp district for some, as we learned at the game, cheap beer and dinner.

USS Midway on the San Diego waterfront

The game was great entertainment and the Padres who are in next to last place actually won the game. Beers in the ball park were from $12 to $16 dollars.....that will make you sip one slowly!

Petco Park

We spent the entire next day doing a "hop on" - "hop off" tour of the town (first time ever) and that was a great way to see the town and spend the day. Since we'd already done some of the things on their tour we decided to just enjoy the "very well done" narrated ride for the most part and we only explored two areas - Coronado Island and Old Town.

Coronado Bridge

Downtown San Diego from the Coronado Bridge

On Coronado Island we visited a museum, had lunch at an Irish Pub and then walked to the Hotel Del Coronado and had a look around at that old (1870's) facility and the beach area around it. Then we caught a bus to the Naval amphibious base where there is a small Viet Nam memorial with some river boats (like our father was on in Viet Nam) on display there. Nice memorial park!

Hotel Del Coronado

Viet Nam era River Boat

Viet Nam Memorial dedicated to the Navy and Coast Guardsmen that lost their lives in the conflict

Our last day in this area was set aside for half day visit to Tijuana, Mexico and the other half doing chores (laundry/shopping) and preparing for our early departure....the Tijuana portion got cancelled - some locals camping nearby said it was not safe to go there....they said there are large tent cities of hopeful migrants on the other side and it is just a mess right now. In addition to that, the waitress in Old Town also said emphatically "Don't Go". That left more time for doing chores and relaxing.

But.....before we got out of Old Town we ended up in jail 😡

This wraps up the southern end of the West Coast for us. From here we head north on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains to an area called Mammoth Lakes.....stay tuned!