Arizona (Sort of)

Today's Photo - Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, CA














Well, I'm in Arizona, I think.  The AAA guide says the "Campground" I'm in is in Mesquite, Nevada, but the registration envelope says they are physically in Littlefield, Arizona. In any case, it sure is different from the places I've been staying,  All concrete, utilities on the wrong side of the slab, sites on all sides, and the bathrooms (and, if they are really there, showers) behind a coded door for which I don't have the code.  Seems the office closes at 2:00PM & doesn't reopen until 9:00AM the following day. To top it off, at $50.00 it is the most expensive site so far. I did try for the only other campground listed for Mesquite in the AAA guide, but although I found it, the signs stated you had to register at the hotel, and the hotel seemed to be closed.

Oh well, it is only one night.  I did have one interesting stop today - Zabriskie Point in Death Valley.  You walk up a hill that overlooks some incredible views.  The one in the photo at the top of this post is only one of them - no matter which direction you look it is different & dramatic. It does make you thing what the settlers that moved west went through.  Although I doubt that too many of them went through Death Valley (the name might suggest a different route) but the idea of walking or driving a wagon through those formations completely surrounded by mountains gives one something to think about.  Definitely worth a stop.

I did end up buying 4 gallons of $5.75 gas at the Furnace Creek station, just to be sure I made it to the next gas station.  After getting out of the park I followed CA 127 & CA 178 to Pahrump and 160 towards Las Vegas.  The plan was to stop at the Red Rock Canyon Campground for the night but I never found it.  It wasn't listed on the GPS, and although I followed the AAA guide directions, the only things 4 miles west of I215 on Highway 159 seemed to be new houses.  I did find Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area which is a very pretty drive, but the woman at the entrance stop had no idea where the campground was.  So, I gave up, got on I15, about the only practical route to Utah from Death Valley and a reminder why I hate interstates, and wore out at Mesquite.  So, here I am for the night! I'm having trouble loading anything on my Lakeshore Images web page, so the additional images will have to wait.

After many tries & a phone call to 1&1, my web site host, I got the latest page to post.  If you want to see more images of Zabriskie Point, check it out.

Till tomorrow

A Day of Firsts

Today's Photo - Some Trees at Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA














I would have to call today a day of many firsts. Although I drove the RAV4 to 8300', the trailer wasn't attached. Today it went over Conway Summit, 8142', the highest it has been. To top that, it also managed to hit the lowest altitude I expect to see - 236' below sea level here in Death Valley.

Another first was pretty exciting. Although one morning in Hoh, WA it hit 23°F, it was only for a few minutes & I didn't have any hookups. Last night I woke up around 3:00AM & it was 22°F, and stayed that way until 7:00AM. And, I had water hooked up. The term "had" is a good one - although it was hooked up, nothing was coming out of the taps. The hose was frozen solid, along with the faucet feeding it. I was a bit nervous whether any of the trailer plumbing was also frozen, but there was no way to find out until things thawed. I finally managed to unhook the hose, roll it up, listening to the ice inside crack, attach the ends to each other so that when it thawed it wouldn't flood the storage box, and hook up the trailer to the RAV4. I'm glad I had gloves when I was attaching the spring bars...

That left the problem of the water faucet. I couldn't close it because it was frozen, but as soon as it thawed, it would flood the campsite. No problem; as I was unhooking the electric, the ice plug in the faucet blew out, soaking me! At least I didn't have to wake up the campground owners to let them know the problem.

By the way, the Willow Springs campground is a great place to stay in the Mono Lake /Bodie area. Very nice people, and lots of activities, at least a bit further into the season.

After getting hooked up I headed south on 395. The road parallels hills & mountains on both sides - a beautiful drive through the Owens Valley. Just a few small towns to stop & get gas, and the price is exciting - I paid $4.37 a gallon at Lone Pine, CA, but managed to drive by stations in the upper Death Valley area on CA 190 that were selling regular for $5.75.


There are some interesting passes in the park. Not all that high, at least compared to those in Northern California or Montana, but the steepest grades I've driven. We made it up a 9 mile 8% grade; at times at 40mph, but no overheating. CA 190 is quite narrow & has many twists & turns through the park, but gorgeous scenery. I did hit light mixed snow & rain on the earlier parts of the route.

I made a couple of stops in Death Valley - the first at Padre Crowley Point - quite a trench! After that it was the Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station to get my entrance sticker (free with the Senior Pass) and a bit later the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. Although they were difficult to photograph because the sand was blowing, I did get a couple of photos of some interesting trees. I also took a photo of three bus loads of tourists that were lined up to use the bathrooms. I thought they had them on the bus - glad I didn't have to wait; just hop into the trailer! They will be available at my lakeshore Site when I find a fast internet connection.

I quit for the day at Furnace Creek campground. Fairly empty with 136 sites (I'm in 123) and maybe 5 campers at 4:00PM. It is windy, but I found a site that has trees blocking most of it. Only bad part is the trees also shade the solar panel, but I came in fully charged, so I don't think it will be a problem. By the way, I'm in Death Valley, a dry place and, for the second time today, it's raining! Oh well, I have had great weather for most of the trip, at least since I picked up the trailer...

Another interesting point - I've been told that Verizon provides better connectivity than AT&T across the US, and for the most part that seems to be true, but here at Death Valley I have a strong AT&T signal (at least for voice) and nothing for Verizon data. I don't think I'm going to be able to post this.

Well, I was right.  I tried to do a post from my iPhone on the AT&T network, but never got the photo to load.  It is now 4:02PM & I'm posting from Arizona.

Till Tomorrow - actually later today!

Bodie State Historical Park, CA

Today's Photo - The Methodist Church, Bodie State Historical Site, CA














I decided to go back to the south shore of Mono lake to retake some images - the sun was strong enough to blow out some of the clouds & this morning the direction was better & a little more even.  And yes, the water is actually that green!

Mono Lake, South Shore

After that it was off to Bodie State Historical Site.  I'm not sure why they don't call it a ghost town, but they don't.  In any case, just like Tumalo Falls in Bend, the road is only partially open.  At least they put a sign up at the start of the road that warns you that you will have to walk 1 1/2 miles to the site. It was mostly uphill, since the park is at 8375'  A mile and one half isn't all that long a walk, however at that altitude & uphill it takes a bit out of you.

In any case, this is a gem of a ghost town.  Many buildings, machinery, automobiles, etc all looking like the owners walked away from them in the 40's.  According to the brochure for the location, it was a town of 8500 people & 2000 buildings in 1879.  By 1886, the the gold had run out and the town was down to 1500.  The final residences left in the 1940's, and it became a park in 1994.

The Western Part of Town

Bodie Ghost Town, Stamp mill

I'll post a page devoted to Bodie at lakeshore Images when I find a fast enough site to load the 40 of so photos I took. Well for what ever reason, things are fast enough here to load all the images, so if you want more, check Bodie.

After that it was back to the trailer.  I registered for another night here at Willow Springs.  I'm heading east tomorrow.  Don & Anne and I will work out where we are going to meet after they are done visiting in Phoenix.  I'm sure we will work something out...

Till Tomorrow-

Mono Lake, CA

Today's Photo - Mono Lake, CA















On the way out of Burney Falls campground I stopped once more to take a couple of photos from the viewing overlook at the parking lot.

Mono Lake is an interesting place.  Starting in 1941 the City of Los Angeles drew more water out of the lake than nature put back into it.  The result was a drastic lowering of the lake level, an increase in salinity, and dust problems for areas around the lake.

Although it is being restored, the luffa formations that remain above the lake present an unusual spectacle.

I prefer the formations on the south shore of the lake, but they appear in many areas.  In any case, I spent most of the day driving down US 395.  After making it through Reno, I stopped at a McDonald's in Carson City to post yesterday's photos.  I guess I'm going to have to do the same tomorrow since the cell connection here at the campground is too slow to upload the larger versions of the images I post at the Lakeshore Images site. I think this post will load.

Note - I did manage to load the rest of the images at Lakeshore Images Sunday morning.

I drove 277.4 miles to the campground, then added 56 more miles going to & back from Mono Lake.  I'm in site 12 at the Willow Springs Motel & Campground.  I pretty location about 20 miles north of Lee Vining (Mono Lake), although right on US 395.

Since it was already 8:45 by the time I got back to the campground, for the first time since getting the trailer I decided to eat in a restaurant.  The campground owner suggested the one across the street - I suspected it was just because they were neighbors, but the meal was excellent.  If you are ever in the area, check out The Virginia Creek Settlement. Well worth a stop.

Well, it's late, I'm tired from my various hikes from the parking lots to the lake shore, so I'm calling it quits.

Till tomorrow -

Burney Falls, CA

Today's Photo (Well, actually yesterday's) Burney Falls, CA















Well, it was bound to happen - I have no internet connection - both WiFi & Verizon Cell service (at least data even with the Wilson amplifier) has failed to connect here at Burney Falls. I do have 2-3 bars on my AT&T iPhoneI did stop & take a couple of photos of Mt Shasta on the way down US 97. I wasn't that good a day for pictures, too much haze & clouds obscured the top of the mountain, ut I did include the RAV4 in the photo to prove I was there! After a short stint on Interstate 5, it was onto CA 89 heading for Burney Falls. This is one of my favorite waterfalls. I think my overall favorite is still Chittenango Falls in NY, but this is an awful close second. The many different sections that include a main falls and hundreds of smaller parts, many of which come out of the face of the cliff, not over the top make it different from most. There is more water coming over the falls than the last time I was here. The spray makes it difficult to photograph from the bottom, and the late afternoon sunlight produced flare on the slightest water drop on the lens. I'll try for some more tomorrow morning.

Note - I went back to the falls after dinner around 7:15PM and found the light much better. I also used my B+W 8 stop ND filter rather than the variable ND filter I used in the afternoon. I have a tendency to over dial the variable filter (they warn you not to) and the results is blotchy color. I like the evening results  much better. The image above is from the evening session.


It is warm here. 75°F. I would finally get the chance to try the trailer's air conditioner, but there is no electricity, or water, or sewer. California definitely has expensive camping. $30.00 for a dry site is a bit steep (well, I did get $2.00 off as a senior citizen so I only paid $28.00). I did include a photo of the campsite. If you look carefully, you will see a guest sitting on the passenger mirror. I'm in site 13.

Till Tomorrow or when ever I get to post this!