Lessons in Cold-Weather Dry-Camping = Our Sierra Nevada Week-end

At least I have fur -> You should see the other guys!

It was going to be the COLDEST 4 nights we’d ever spent in the RV and for a wimpy-butt-chill-kitty like me that meant serious stuff. We were headed deep into the Sierra Nevada Mountains at about 7,900 feet near Mammoth Lakes. Day-time running temps were forecasted at a civilized 55-60°F  (13-15.5°C), but the nighttime thermometer was going to hit a MOST barbaric 18-20°F  (-8 to -6°C) and we were dry-camping without hookups {{swoon}} ! If it weren’t for the incredible views and stunning hikes (and the fact that everyone else thought it was a good (?!) idea) I wouldn’t be here, but as things stood I was ready to bear it out and take it as a learning experience. Very magnanimous of me, I thought…

It's all worth it for a view like this!

And a learning experience it was. As with all life experiences it turns out there were a few things we knew, but a lot we don’t know about cold-weather dry-camping. Now, we were lucky that it didn’t snow during our time in the Sierra’s and moisture levels were super-low (so, no real ice/sticking/condensation issues), but we did pick-up a few tid-bits for our next time (should I ever be so insane again) in the chill:

1/ Lead-Acid Batteries Lose Capacity In the Cold

Rough graph of Battery Capacity vs Temperature

Being an avid photographer I’ve always known that batteries go faster in the cold, but for whatever reason I hadn’t thought about it for the RV. Lead-Acid batteries are “cold-blooded” which mean they slow down (i.e. internal resistance increases) and they actually lose capacity as temps drop.  The loss is pretty dramatic and gets faster the more load you draw (something called Peukert’s Law). What that means practically is your 220AH battery bank may only be worth ~150AH at 32° F (0° C), and even less than that if it’s colder and/or you’re drawing a lot of power (e.g. running a furnace). This little tid-bit explained why our 440AH battery bank was more than 50% discharged after a chilly overnight spell, even though we only drew ~150 AH from them. It was colder and so they had less to give! For more accurate graphs see the Lifeline Battery Technical Manual (Appendix section, page 34)

2/ Windows Are Major Leaky Cold Points

I love having large windows for views in the RV, but they sure are temp-suckers. Being nice, handy radiant conductors in summer they heat up the rig to a greenhouse boil while in winter they leak warm air out and manage to allow nice, chilly leaks to ooze inside. Closing out those leaks can mean MAJOR heat savings and as temps dropped below freezing we quickly realized we were woefully unprepared in this category. Here’s a couple of ideas we put in our back-pocket for our next trip:

• Insulation Material – Our RV partners have a nice, handy foil-based Reflectix insulator on their big, front window and have Polartec material that they’ve sewed and velcro-attach to the inside of the smaller windows. Both these things made a huge difference in their rig (compared to ours) and we’re definitely stocking up on insulators before our next trip. Bubble wrap is another great, simple idea.
• Plastic Shrink Film – I’ve talked to hard-core cold-campers that swear by those window insulation films that you shrink-fit to your windows. The positive is that they really seal things up. The negative is that you can’t open for air. Not sure we’ll need to go this route, but it’s a handy tip.
• Better Shades – There are lots of shade options that do a much better job than the day/night jobs that we currently have in our RV. Old-fashioned Cellular shades or sleek, modern MCD shades can make a difference to both appearance and heat/cold tolerance. The MCD shades are on our “wish list”.

3/ Portable Heaters Rock

Our "Big Buddy" Heater

We have a Mr.Buddy (“Big Buddy“) that’s a great back-up/support heater to our furnace. We’ll often run it for a few hours before we go to bed to get a snuggly, warm temp and it turned out to be a major bonus for our Sierra week-end. You always, always need to remember to crack a window/provide ventilation with these guys (and make sure your CO detectors are working), but they’re portable, cheap and easy to use. The
Olympian Wave Catalytic Heaters  also get great reviews from RVers.

4/ Furnaces Can Suck You Dry

The fan in our furnace has a pretty significant power-draw (~10 Amps with both front and back going) and running it all night can easily suck us dry, especially when combined with other phantom draws and less battery capacity at low temps (#1). We managed to go below 50% batteries one night before we got wise to this one! We fixed this by switching to the portable heater (#3) before going to bed and sealing off our bedroom with only the back furnace on to keep us (and the pets) comfortable at night. As an additional back-up Paul set-up the auto-gen start on our generator to kick-in at 12.2V (~50% discharge point) on the batteries.

5/ Tanks Can Freeze, But It Needs To Be Reeeally Cold

It's not cold enough here for a tank freeze...yet

If you’re consistently in freezing temps you’ve got to think about tanks and hoses. Typically cold-weather RVers will insulate or disconnect/put-away hoses and keep tanks warm with a small heat source or padding. Since we were dry-camping our hoses were already safely in the bay, but we did make the mistake of turning on our tank-warmer one night which (once again) almost drained our batteries. Duh! In reality our day-time temps were warm enough that we needn’t have worried about any kind of tank freeze, and if we’re ever in a situation that we do…well…I think it’s time to move the rig.

Who wouldn't want to be here?

There are LOTS of other things that I’m sure we have yet to learn about. The good news is that our solar panels rocked the challenge (we managed to re-charge our batteries fully each day even though we didn’t bother tilting them), the cats did not turn into feline ice-cubes, and yours truly managed to survive with all fingers and toes in-tact. Oh…and it WAS worth it. The hikes, the views and the whole week-end rocked!

 

 

SP Campground Review – Washoe Lake State Park, Carson City, NV

The gorgeous beach at Washoe Lake

A primitive, but simply gorgeous state park off Hwy 395 between Reno and Carson City in W.Nevada.

Link to campground here: Washoe Lake State Park, NV
Link to map location here: Washoe Lake State Park, NV

1. Site Quality = 4/5
   Although this is a primitive (non-hookup) campground it gets absolute tops marks for sites. All are paved, large very flat sites with good separation and lovely sitting areas. Mostly back-ins with a few pull-throughs. Most have shelters with picnic table, grill and fire-pit. Lovely views of surrounding hills from every site. Both loops are very similar although the front (sites 1-24, nearest the beach) loop seems to have the best selection of pristine sites.
2.  Facilities = 3.5/5
   Facilities are decent. Flush toilets and individual (very large) shower stalls. Only main ding is the showers are a tad older and have timer-buttons and those annoying spray heads. Lots of surrounding space incl. day-use area, boat ramp, hiking trails and beach/lake access. On-site dual dump station and potable water.
3. Location = 5/5
   This is a great location in my opinion. You are conveniently close to Hwy 395 and to two major cities (Reno & Carson City), yet far enough off-road to have a sense of complete nature and quiet. The campground is wonderfully natural and seems  way “out there”.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another great park for pooch. Many miles of hiking trails on-site including a wonderful trail to the lake right from the front campground loop to walk & play by the water.

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Camp with sweeping 360-degree views and quiet right near Hwy395!

Summary: We chose this primarily as a convenient stop-over on Hwy 395 south, but ended up absolutely delighted by the campground. Although it’s only a few miles off the highway and close to two major cities (Reno and Carson City) it feels incredibly remote, quiet and natural. The sites are simply pristine. Huge, flat paved surfaces with lots of separation, beautiful “sitting areas” and lovely 360-degree views of the surrounding hills. A cute 1/2 mile trail takes you to the lake-side, plus there are several miles of other trails in the area. Overall a really lovely campground and we would most definitely come again.

 Extra Info:  Good Verizon signal on cellphone and datacard. Sites cost $17/night no hookups. 49 sites, all first-come-first-serve. On-site dump station and potable water.

Pull-through site view (#16 shown)

Typical back-in site (#12 shown)

Another back-in site view (#9 shown)

View of our rig (site #14)

Typical "sitting area"

View of facilities

The "pack" walking on the shoreline

Boondocking Site Review – Rocky Point, Eagle Lake, CA

Lovely Eagle Lake as viewed from the side of our rig

A lovely, natural BLM boondocking area on very pretty Eagle Lake in NE California.

Location: Eagle Lake, CA (info on camping HERE)
Coordinates: 40.68785,-120.747605 (approx.). Link to map location HERE . Also see HERE
Cost: FREE (2 week stay limit)
How We Found It: I initially found the developed BLM campground (North Eagle Lake) on uscampgrounds.info, but it was too small for us (and we confirmed this on arrival), but I then discovered that the BLM allows dispersed camping in two other areas (Rocky Point East & Rocky Point West) which looked like they might be a possibility. A call into the local BLM office regarding road conditions & access confirmed it was worth a try.
Nearest Dump/Water: Water is available at the BLM campground (North Eagle Lake) just past the turn-off to Country Road A-1. Several dump-stations near Susanville, CA.

1. Access – 3/5
   There are 2 main boondocking areas at Rocky Point -> one on the east side and one on the west of the “point”.  Access is good except for short areas of each point:
   -> Rocky Point East - From Hwy 139, take County Road A-1 (good, paved road) around 5 miles to the left turn-off at Lakeside drive (very wide, firm & flat dirt road). Follow Lakeside ~1/2 mile down to a smaller dirt road that turns right along the east shoreline of Rocky Point. This last road is the only “difficult” access. It is fairly narrow and bumpy in spots, but there are no trees and you need only drive ~1/2 mile to get a good, wide parking area with a view. I would not advise big-rigs to drive further than the first 2 parking spots since road conditions get much bumpier plus turn-around could be difficult after this point.
   -> Rocky Point West - This area is only ~1 mile further on from Rocky Point East. So, from Hwy 139 you take County Road A-1 ~6 miles (all paved). After you’ve crested the hill at the end of a long downhill you’ll see a road go along the west shoreline of Rocky Point to the left. The only major obstacle here is the initial 50 feet of the road is a rather steep, S-shaped downhill (but do-able, I thought). After this the road is a decent dirt road with some mix of sand, but firm enough to support bigger rigs. Lots of sites along this road once you get down here, all quite large with ability to turn-around.
2. Nature – 5/5
   Simply beautiful nature here. You have sweeping views of Eagle Lake, with a background of hills from the “point”. Lots of space to explore and hike including all along the shoreline. Fishing on the lake available too.
3. Isolation – 4/5
   Very good isolation here. The only folks that seem to come down to Rocky Point are campers and fishermen. The dirt roads are off the main road and very quiet. You’ll have a distant view of the small villages on each side of Rocky Point, but nothing else man-made.  While we were there no-one was in sight and only ~2 cars travelled down the road to go fishing.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5 
   Great pet spot. You are right next to miles of shore-line walking by Eagle Lake including lots of space around your campground. Plenty of areas to explore and let doggie run.

Overall Rating = 4.25

Summary: Well, this spot was simply lovely! It’s the kind of boondocking spot that you (or at least I) always dream about. Lots of surrounding nature, beautiful lake views, isolation and quiet, yet you still have excellent internet signal and a space large enough to allow not just one, but two “beasts” to hang out. The BLM area at Eagle Lake covers most of the NE portion of the lake (the west side is actually covered by the Forest Service, which has camping too). The best dispersed BLM camping (in my opinion) is at Rocky Point which you can access from either side on dirt roads along the shore. There are a few small access difficulties (see above), but very decent considering the area. We found a simply lovely spot for both our rigs only ~1/2 mile down at Rocky Point East and were the only folks in sight during the time we were there. If you go I’d advise scoping out the area in your toad (or other vehicle) before bringing in the rig since the road can get bumpy in areas. This is a great spot and I’d most certainly come back.

Extra Info: No water or facilities at either boondocking location. FULL Verizon 3G signal at Rocky Point East (!) so great data & voice access.

Extra, Extra Info – EASIER BOONDOCKING? The entire NE corner of Eagle Lake is BLM land and this extends down south from Country Road A-1 along Hwy 139. So, if you’re not keen on driving to Rocky Point you can actually pull directly off Hwy 139 at several easy boondocking spots (quite easy to spot too) with decent lake views. Not as isolated as Rocky Point, but an easier alternative for those who need it.

View of our spot at Eagle Lake (Rocky Point East). We had full lake views along the side.

Another view of our rig

The two rigs and the main, dirt road

View of the two rigs from the shoreline

View down the shoreline road from our boondocking spot

Alex driving his rig on the dirt road from Rocky Point

Hanging out with Polly by the lake-side

General map showing the 2 BLM boondocking areas around Rocky Point

A Perfect Photo Kinda Morning

Oh....what a perfect morning! (click for bigger view)

There was something in the air that day. Usually I don’t wake up before sunrise, being far more sane than that, but for whatever reason it was pitch black when I opened my eyes and some nutty inner voice said “get up”. It really made no sense. Temps had dropped to near freezing overnight, there was undoubtedly a crisp lining of frost on the grass and…well…it was waaay, waaay to early.

Despite the apparent insanity of the situation I got up…painfully. 4-5 layers of clothing later a silhouette resembling the Michelin Tire Man was bush-whacking down a very deserted, very dark path with camera and tripod in tow to our private boondocking beach. Polly of course, was blissfully unaware of any thermometer issues and was bouncing happily at an approx. Doggie Energy Level of ~100,000 around the very exciting chilly lake.

Something was about to happen….

Which was a good thing because I was about to turn into the Michelin Tire Man Ice Cube…

The Michelin Ice-Cube at work...

And there came the colors. Long, gorgeous fingers of red stretched across the horizon reflecting themselves in pairs of two on the perfectly flat lake. The foreground opened up in a pale violet harmonizing with the light behind. Blades of grass caught early rays creating morning fireflies of glow on the earth. It was a veritable operetta of color being played just for me in live view. 

What a moment!

 

A very different view just a few hours later

We were out there, doggie and I, for at least 40 minutes and completely forgot both time and temperature. I experimented with double exposures and other cool techniques becoming completely absorbed in the moment. In that period we woke up with the sun in a perfect yoga union of colors and light. It may not have been a perfect photo, but it was most certainly a perfect photo morning and I’m very happy I listened to that crazy inner voice to participate.

P.S. Where IS this wonderful spot, you may ask….oh, it’s coming….patience, patience…..:)

CP Campground Review – Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds, Tulelake, CA

The Tulelake Fairgrounds

A green and convenient stop-over on Hwy139 just south of the CA/OR border .

Link to campground here: Tulelake Valley Fairgrounds, CA
Link to map location here: Tulelake Valley Fairgrounds, CA

1. Site Quality = 2.5/5
   Very simple sites here. There is one central dirt entry-road to the fairground camping area with large strips of grass on each side lined with RV hookups. No particular separation or privacy, but lots of green view. Grassy area is decently firm, but bumpy/uneven and has the potential to get soft with rain. Biggest bonus is full hook-ups (30Amp/water/sewer) at all sites. There is one nicely separated 50Amp site at the very end of the dirt road and RV’s are allowed to dry-camp for a reduced price around the rest of the grass area.
2.  Facilities = 4/5
   Facilities are good. Toilets are spacious and kept nicely clean. Showers are large with bench and very good pressure/temp. Plenty of green area in the surrounding fairgrounds. No on-site dump station.
3. Location = 3.5/5
   Tulelake is somewhat in the middle of no-where so it’s not exactly a destination location. However the fairgrounds are very easily accessible off Hwy 139 plus you are within 15 miles of the fabulous hidden gem of Lava Beds National Monument.
4. Pet Friendliness = 4/5
   Great park for pooch. Although there are no particular hiking trails here there are tons of green, grassy fields and dirt tracks to play around in. NOTE/ There is a large sign saying “no dogs” when you enter the park, but this is only during events. I was assured by all that dogs are welcome for non-event camping.

Overall Rating = 3.5
BONUS ALERT = Camp within 15 miles of the Lava Beds National Monument!

Summary: We chose this campground primarily for price and convenience on our route south, but ended up liking it more than we originally thought. The sites themselves are very basic -> just two long rows of hook-ups on green slices of grass as you enter the fairgrounds. There is no particular separation/privacy, but the sites are spacious with the bonus of full hook-ups (30Amp/sewer/water). Only ding is that the grassy surface is somewhat bumpy/uneven and could get soft during rain (big-rigs take care). The surrounding fairgrounds are lovely and green with oceans of space to play with doggie. The other bonus is that you’re within 15 miles of the Lava Beds National Monument, a little hidden gem of a visit in this area. In the full-season sites go for $36 which is too pricey (in my opinion) but if coming in the off-season or using Passport America you can get $18 which is about right. If coming through the area, we’d stay again.

 Extra Info:  Good Verizon signal on cellphone and datacard. Sites cost $36/night in full-season or $18/night in off-season or with Passport America (full hookup), all first-come-first-serve (no reservations). Dry-camping for $16/night. Dump station at nearby Tulelake RV Park.

Extra, Extra Info – CHEAPER? There are several other camping options around the Lava Beds National Monument. The two most often reviewed are the on-site campgrounds within the Monument itself (Indian Well Campground, $10/night dry-camping) which is nicely situated but not suitable (so I’ve heard) for bigger rigs. There is apparently also some lovely National Forest campgrounds ($7/night dry-camping) at Medicine Lake,  but again only rated for smaller rigs. We did not check out either so let me know if you go!

Typical slice-of-green site view

View down RV camping area. Main dirt road with RV sites in the grass on either side.

View down one side of camping area

View of end-site (appeared to be 50Amp) with background of green into the main fairgrounds

View of main facilities

Playing in the fairgrounds

Back-Roads & Caravaning to The Sierras – NE California

A pretty lake Caravaning stop on our tour south

A few weeks ago I had a cunning plan…in fact a brilliant, one might even say genius plan. It was the scheme of a camping route, a journey of elegance and pure beauty carefully crafted along the back-roads and by-ways down south with the promise of fantastic drives, stunning vistas and…yes…even a secret absolutely-to-die-for boondocking spot.

Alex & Paul relaxing in perfect weather by Upper Klamath Lakes

But alas, all went awry with our little slide delay, I ended up flying to Mammoth instead of driving there and the best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men twas not to be.

Or was it….

Turns out one delay encountered another. People showed up, or rather more specifically Alex and Ellen popped up (seems we just can’t seem to get rid of those folks), the weather, in a surprise move, co-operated and we decided the plans should be brought back to life. Only this time we were going to caravan the whole thing. Two big, happy 40+ foot “beasts” for a few weeks on the road in one big monster-fest. What could be cooler than that?

The route south...a brilliant plan indeed!

So we decided to make a go of it. Since our little visit at Henderson’s we’ve been on a journey of sweet 2-lane back-roads down to Reno. We’ve driven through the southern dry forests of Oregon, the Medoc valley of Northern California, stopped at several lakes and ended up in a gorgeous State Park in Nevada. Along the way we even managed to discover the hidden gem of the Lava Beds National Monument, a huge park in the NE corner of California packed with more than 700 lava-caves, remnants of the Medoc war of 1872-1873 (“Captain Jacks Stronghold“) and one of the biggest concentrations of Indian Rock Art in North America at Petroglyph Point (who knew?).

Our awesome, fabulistic, secret boondocking spot

And so far all is well. We still like each other (those sticky caravan buddies and us, that is), the boondocking spot WAS amazing and we’re well on our way to the scenic drive south on 395 in California. I’ve teased you with just a few shots of the drive, so in the next posts I’ll relieve the tension and give you details of where we actually stayed. If I’m feeling particularly generous I might even tell you about the boondocking spot. Well….errr, okay…I admit it, I’m a total push-over and will tell you all anyway. So, stay tuned. Secrets like this don’t get out everyday…

Petroglyph Point in the Lava Beds National Monument. This rock was once an island in the sea.

The medicine flag at Captain Jack's Stronghold

Wonderful rock art at Petroglyphs Point in Lava Bed National Monument. These are thought to date from 4500-2500 years ago.

Getting The Ultimate RV Ride -> Henderson’s Line-Up, Grants Pass, OR

The two MH's eagerly await their morning test drive

I’d heard about Henderson’s ages ago. Actually our very first week in the RV an old-timer in a Monaco told us that if ever we wanted to thoroughly trick-out our ride Henderson’s Line-Up in Grants Pass was the spot to do it. Since then I’ve seen their name on forums and a bunch of other spots. These guys are THE place to check, analyze and upgrade your RV ride whether it be a motorhome, truck or a trailer. In fact they’re the guys that train the other guys on how to do it, and they’d been on our “wish list” for quite some time.

Alex & Ellen in the pit with the tech

Now we’ve gone a bit bulky on our RV repair budget this year so getting a tricked-out ride as compelling and droolingly luscious as that would be, wasn’t exactly in the $$ count. But we WERE curious…..and it turns out Henderson’s provides an excellent little service for the likes of us, the Road Performance Assessment a complete go-through including 15-mile test drive, 4-corner weighing, and 50-point pit analysis of steering, tire wear & alignment, shocks, disc-brakes, drive-train and more for only $150. 

Kenny checks the wheel track on our home

Although we weighed our rig (front/back totals) back when we first got it and have always been careful about maintaining our tires we’d never had 4-corner weigh (weighing each wheel individually) and that little perk together with the full analysis was enough to get us over to Henderson’s for the package. Add-in the bonus that Henderson’s offers a free hook-up (30Amp) for the night and WE WERE THERE!

Our 4-corner weighing

So, off we went. We spent a peaceful evening in the on-site hook-ups and woke bright and early for the 8AM drive-test. Our tech Kenny was a friendly and informative guy, patient enough to go through all our questions as well as invite us into the pit for the underneath analysis. Our overall grade was a very good one (1′s on almost everything) with good handling, good weighting (we’re within a few hundred pounds on each side), even tire tread wear and absolutely no leaks or seeps underneath. Our RV caravan buddies had a few small issues they needed to fix (one of which was critical and made the entire trip for them worthwhile), but were in good shape otherwise too.

The two rigs ready to enter the pit

After the review we got a bunch of info on potential safety upgrades (the Safe-T-Plus Bar), drive upgrades (Koni shocks being the gold standard together with sway-control bars) and even interesting info on stuff I’d never heard about (mercury balancing for wheels -> what a cool concept!). We declined the work this time around, but given the good feedback I’ve heard from others it’s pretty much ALL on our wish-list for the future. And in case you’re curious as to the cost of completely tricking out our ride to sail the road like a 30,000lb monster-smooth-mercedes? About $5K…not bad at all for a rig our size, and yet another reason to come back to Oregon.

On the test drive with Kenny

Paul discusses upgrade options with the owner

Bye Beautiful Oregon

“Well Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz
If that ain’t love then tell me what is”
Loretta Lynn, 2004

Portland teases us with one last, glorious sunset

When Loretta sang this duet she was smitten with Portland (and perchance a touch of gin), but I have to admit we’ve been smitten by the whole state. We’re coming to the end of a much-extended stay here in Oregon. What started as a forced repair drive of ~1,000 miles for our slide turned out to be a fabulous journey in a varied and naturally beautiful state. We’ve been here 2 months (believe it or not) and in that time we’ve gawked at the pine and volcanoes in the “dry” side near Pine, revelled in the farmer’s markets in Eugene, made new friends, made even more new friends, managed a few silly adventures and spent a rich month on the northern coastline by the beach. We’ve seen every kind of weather, gorgeous lighthouses, even more kinds of views and enough to let us know we’ve got to come back and see the rest.

Oh, you ain't seen the back of me yet....

From here we head south. We’ve got ONE last stop in Oregon…of a techie nature…which you techie geeks will thoroughly enjoy (I’ll tease you and leave you in rapt anticipation for that one), after which we high-tail it to sun and drier climes. As with every great voyage there will also be a cross-roads, a point where we’ll either decide to take the scenic route or a more direct road (depending on weather), but either way we’ll have plenty to tell along the way.

Bye beautiful Oregon. You are well worthy of your motto Alis Volat Propiis (“She Flies With Her Own Wings”). Making use of equally infamous words (albeit without any fancy latin) I can only say “we’ll be back”.

Friends & Fall Colors – Mammoth Lakes, CA

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
John Muir

A gorgeous cascade of yellow

I was reaaallly hoping for just a tinge of fall colors, perhaps a few good hours of sun and a couple of hikes. After all, this trip was about getting together with friends, not photography….but you know how I am.

What we actually got was nature’s miracle in brilliant gold at the very PEAK of fall. A dusting of snow just a few days before (giving that picture-perfect peak of white), followed by some cycles of heat and near-freezing temps had caused all the Mammoth Lakes Aspens to shed their green chlorophyll and break out in grand, fabulistic yellow.

OH…IT…WAS…AMAZING!!

The happy clan gathered at Mono Lake

But I’m getting ahead of myself. What happened in Mammoth Lakes was a reunion of beautiful memories. Four years ago (this week) I was completing a life-long dream of trekking in Nepal. The images of that time still linger in my mind, but the people created something even deeper and we became fast friends with the history of a fabulous common experience. This was our mini-reunion with 5 of the originals (including our indomitable leader Leo, and his lovely wife Elaine -> all the way from Hong Kong no less) travelled to the house of my hiking buddy Lauren to re-cement our ties.

 

Lauren and Neil pose at Convict Lake

It was the gathering of a tribe and our self-nominated sirdar Lauren, together with vivacious wife Susan, had been scoping out sweeet hiking spots for almost 2 weeks. Add-in two more friends with Susan flying in from Vermont and Neil, who drove 8 hours overnight to join us, and we were an eager and happy bunch.

Hiking in stunningly golden McGee Canyon

And we really couldn’t have picked a better location. Mammoth Lakes sits in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, a land sculpted by volcanic activity and glacial movement. Gorgeous mountains of granite, ancient salt-lakes (Mono Lake), basalt columns (Devil’s Postpile), volcanic craters (Inyo Craters) and a slew of other natural splendors simply abound in this little gem of the world. This is also the setting for the John Muir Wilderness, the very landscape that inspired John Muir to spend his life working to preserve it.

Lauren ponders the beauty in Lundy Canyon

But what made it even better was the fall. Once a year the mountain landscape transforms itself into a golden waterfall, with colors starting from the higher elevations and cascading down the mountains in grand snakes of yellow over just a few weeks. 

Aspens of gold

Last year we experienced the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains, but I’d never seen the color-song of the Aspens in the west. What surprised me most was that it happened so fast (colors changed rapidly within just a few days) and, perhaps even weirder, there were so few people to see it! Most of the RV parks in the area were less than half full and most of the hiking trails all but empty. Compared to the barrage of folks we’d seen on the east coast the year before, this was a 5-star show with a 1-star audience. What a treat!!

Morning serenity at Convict Lake

Overall it was the best possible week-end I could have imagined.  Stunning scenery, eye-popping colors and simply fabulous company. Turns out we may be coming back here in the RV (very soon in fact), but colors (and friends) will have faded away by then. In the meantime the memories are stored in more shots that I know what to do with (there were simply too many). As a tribute to good friends and gorgeous nature I give you just a few…

A magnificent show of Aspens

Morning reflections in Lundy Lake

Zanna, Neil and Leo stop for a chat in Lundy Canyon

Evening mountain glow pinks the sky atLauren's condo

Nature's palette on the ground

Back-lit peaks eerie in black & white

A barren landscape due to CO2 release from Mammoth Mountain

Morning light on the South Tufas at Mono Lake

Zanna provides a photographically gorgeous spot of red on the trail in Convict Lake

Early morning sun touches the brush at Mono Lake

Back to Portland & Flying Off Again

The RV is fixed (whoo hooo!! And happily humming!!), the sun is out (quite the event in Oregon this time of year) and we’re back in Portland so I can fly off to my week-end reunion in Mammoth Lakes. With that thought in mind I leave you with a few shots of the setting sun and the knowledge that I’ll be back in a skip and a jump with sweeping pics, humorous stories and on-going tales of the road. See ya soon, folks! 

Afternoon by the Columbia River, Portland

Late PM by the river in Portland