Travelogue

Ladder Slot Canyon HikeOur drive today took us past the stark and mostly abandoned Salton Sea, a very different reality from the vision that developers had of creating a California Riviera, a place where Hollywood movie stars would vacation. To attract tourists, the lake was stocked with fish, which in turn attracted birds, making it a bird watcher's paradise as well.

However, irrigation runoff from the surrounding agricultural lands brought high quantities of fertilizer, pesticides, and salt into the lake, polluting the lake and killing off most of its fish. Needless to say, the dream of the area becoming a California Riviera never happened, and the area is quite economically depressed today, and pretty much abandoned. The lake is actually beautiful, and if you squint, you can almost imagine what it could have been.

There are some very interesting attractions to see in the area, especially if you are interested in desert art, such as Salvation Mountain and East Jesus. We visited both of them during our trip here in 2017.

Herb coming out of Ladder SlotHowever, today we were just passing through on our way to the Ladder Slot Canyon hike in the Mecca Wilderness outside the small desert city of Mecca, just north of the Salton Sea.

This is an extremely popular hike with Palm Beach area residents, so it was not great that we would be hitting it on a Sunday. Sure enough, the trailhead parking at the end of the dirt Painted Canyon Road was almost full. However, since it was early afternoon, most people were returning to their cars and leaving.

From the trailhead we walked about a quarter of a mile before we came to a small trail sign pointing left to the entrance of Ladder Canyon.

After making our way around a rockfall, we came to our first ladder, where we unfortunately had to wait about 20 minutes while a family of 5, including grandma, two children, and a small dog made their way down the ladder before we could go up. Grandma had to be cajoled a bit before taking that first step. In all fairness, it actually is harder going down than up these ladders. When they were finished, we asked another large family coming down to let us scamper on up before they began their god-knows-how-long descent.

The trail then bends into the canyon itself and we climbed a few more ladders, with less waiting this time. The entire narrow section of the slot canyon continues for about ¾ of a mile, where it then continues up the wash to a ridgeline and an awesome view of the Salton Sea.

I was a bit concerned about warnings from people about getting lost once you got out of the slot because there were so many trails to choose from. My concerns were relieved when Herb pointed to a large 12-foot arrow on the trail built out of rocks, which pointed us in the direction we wanted to take to go down Painted Canyon. He also had the trail loaded onto his Garmin watch.

Hiking down Painted CanyonThe trail went along the ridge for awhile with views down into Painted Canyon on our right, where we would be headed next to complete our loop hike. We passed several more huge rock arrows along the way.

Painted Canyon was lovely, with its multi-colored rock walls. It reminded me a bit of our hike out of Golden Canyon in Death Valley. After two more small ladders to deal with, we were back to the part of the trail where we first turned left into the Ladder Slot. Before we knew it, we were back at the car.

What an Excellent hike!

We drove on to the larger town of Indio where we stayed in a Days Inn in walking distance to a great Mexican restaurant called El Mexicali

There was so much variety in texture and experiences today - just the way we like it.

Travelogue

Day1 – Borrego Springs Resort and Spa

Borrego Springs Resort and Spa dining roomWe got to the park just in time to stop at the Visitor Center to get information about 4WD road conditions so that we could plan our next couple of days. It was a bit late to start looking for campsites along one of the washes, so we decided to spend the night at the Borrego Springs Resort and Spa. From there we would plan our next couple of days off-roading. We must be getting soft.

The hotel was very nice and quite luxurious compared to what could have been for this evening. The resort restaurant had just reopened, so we were happy that we could have dinner without having to get back into the car.

It was our very first indoor dining experience, but there was only one other table in the large dining room occupied, so I felt very comfortable. Apparently the etiquette for indoor dining is that you wear your mask until you sit down, but then you can take it off. However, out of habit, any time the waitress came near, I grabbed for it. I just felt it was the courteous thing to do. The setting was very nice and the food was pretty good. The menu was a bit limited because they were just starting up again. It must be really hard for these restaurants to respond to the closures and re-openings.

Day 2 – Coyote Canyon and Sheep Canyon

Alternative to bushwhackingThe next morning, I stepped out onto our patio and saw about a dozen ladies being led in a aqua aerobics class in the pool below us. I was getting a little embarrassed, as we had told our friends that we were going on a remote camping trip in our truck to the desert and the mountains. We would eventually get there. For now, we were enjoying the novelty or normal life.

The following morning, based on a knowledgeable friend’s recommendation, we let some air out of our tires and took the 4WD road through Coyote Canyon to Sheep Canyon, where we were able to get a campsite in the primitive campground. It was about a 14-mile drive of sandy and rocky roads.

One of the prime motivators for camping here was a hike described in the Anza-Borrego Desert Region guidebook (referred to as Bible by the Visitor Center staff). On page 98, the author described a 1-mile (RT) hike which went from the campground to a lovely spring grotto with a 20-foot waterfall and tree-shaded pool. It sounded lovely.

To his credit, he did describe the trail as steep and rugged, requiring several stream crossing, and scrambling over large boulders. Oh, and thorny plants all over, very anxious to poke you in the same of self defense. There was no real obvious trail. Occasionally, we would come across a cairn to encourage us that we were going in the right direction.

Camping in Sheep CanyonFinally we found it, but with the water levels being low this spring, the waterfall was not quite as inspirational as the photo in the guidebook. Still, it was quite nice.

I was not looking forward to bushwhacking through more cacti and climbing over boulders, so we decided to just get our feet wet and follow the stream down to the campground. It was a fairly good plan, with just one minor faux pas, when I misjudged the depth of the stream when stepping off a rock into it and did a faceplant. Fortunately, the only thing hurt was my pride. I was now totally soaked, but the day was warm enough to make it refreshing. Plus, that would be my shower for the day.

We managed to get back to the campsite without any further mishaps, and had a nice evening cooking out and sipping wine while watching the sun set.

Day 3 – Fish Creek Wash, Olla Wash, and the Mud Palisades

Split Mountain GorgeThe next morning we watched the sun come up and then headed back, continuing along through Sheep Canyon and Coyote Canyon back to the Visitor Center.

Our plan for today was to explore and spend the night in Fish Creek Wash, which we had been to and liked on a previous trip, seeing some new things we had not had time for the last time.

From the Visitor Center it was about a 40-minute drive (on asphalt) to the beginning of the Fish Creek Wash. To get there, we drove on Route 78 to the town of Ocotillo Wells. From there, we went south on Split Mountain Road for about 8 miles to the beginning of the Wash. At the entrance, we reset our odometer to 0.0, so that we could follow the mile by mile description of the drive in Lindsay’s “Anza-Borrego Desert Region Guide.”

Along the Olla WashAfter about a mile and a half of relatively easy driving, we entered Split Mountain Gorge, a narrow cut in the mountains where cliff walls, several hundred feet high, towered above us. The split separates the Vallecito Mountains on the right and the Fish Creek Mountains on the left. It’s one of my favorite spots along the wash.

At mile 3.8, we stopped to admire the fascinating anticlines on the canyon walls, where the rock layers had been bent and twisted into U-shaped bows and curves by tectonic activity millions of years ago. They were beautiful.

At mile 4.4 is the trailhead for the very popular 1.3-mile (RT) hike to the Split Mountain Wind Caves, where there is a collection of sandstone formations with wind-eroded pockets, some of which are large enough to crawl through and sit in. It is truly worth doing, but since we had done it last time and wanted to see some new sights, we continued on.

We continued along the Wash, bypassing the choice at mile 7.2 for the Loop Wash spur. At mile 10.7 we came to an interesting sandstone rock formation known as the Layer Cake, because of its multi-colored bands of green and gray.

Lolo amongst the ChollaA little bit further, at mile 12.5, we reached Sandstone Canyon, a high wall, narrow slot canyon that was drivable until 1992, when thousands of tons of debris came tumbling down near its mouth. You can park at the entrance and walk for about a half mile into the canyon. We did that last time, so instead we continued on. This was now all new territory for us.

At mile 13.2, we came to the turn off for the Olla Wash, where we planned to camp that night. For now though, we passed it and drove another 0.4 miles to the Fish Creek Overlook, where we scampered up to an awesome view across the Fish Creek and Carrizo Badlands.

From there we drove back 0.4 miles and entered the Olla Wash, which goes for 2 miles, ending at the very impressive Mud Palisades. The ranger at the Visitor Center had told us that this was one of her favorite places in the park, so since it was something we hadn’t seen, we decided to try it.

During the 2 mile drive, we scouted out possible campsites for the night. This was a very lightly traveled Wash, so there were several good options. We chose one that was set against a colorful rock backdrop with my very own cholla garden.

Morning light on the Mud PalisadesFrom there we walked the mile to the Mud Palisades, but unfortunately they were already in the shade, so we decided to come back at sunrise, during the golden hour.

Back at the campsite, we read, sipped wine, strolled amongst the cholla, and watched a full moon rise over the rocks behind us, without another soul in miles.

The next morning we rose early, skipped breakfast and coffee, and drove the 1 mile to the Mud Palisades to catch the sunrise. As we had hoped, the dull tans of yesterday afternoon had become a brilliant red. I could see how they got their name, as their deeply eroded cliff faces, made of mudstone, made them look like the defensive walls of an old fortress or castle.

Description

Borrego Palms OasisWith over 600,000 acres, Anza Borrego is the largest state park in the California state park system and the largest desert state park in the U.S. Its spectacular and undeveloped Colorado Desert scenery extends from the edge of the coastal mountains east to the Salton Sea and south almost to the Mexican border. The park is located about 2 hours northeast of San Diego

The elevation in the park ranges from just 200 feet near the eastern edge to 6,200 feet, resulting in a variety of ecosystems and a temperature range as high as 30 degrees.

Major activities in the park include:

• Four-wheel driving on its nearly 500 miles of dirt and rocky roads (of varying difficulty)
• Mountain biking along those same four-wheel drive trails
• Hiking along its 50 miles of trails with a variety of scenery palm oases, waterfalls, slot canyons, badlands, desert gardens, etc.
• Wildlife viewing - bighorn sheep, deer, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, Jackrabbits, desert cottontails, 50 species of lizards and snakes, hawks, etc.
• Enjoying the spring wildflowers
• Camping – there are 12 campgrounds inside the park, but it is one of the few California parks that allows open camping throughout its 600,000 acres

Layer Cake formation in Fish Creek WashThe small town of Borrego Springs lies at the center of the park and has ample services – lodging, restaurants, gas, grocery store, etc.

The park’s Visitor Center and the Borrego Palms Campground are just 5 miles west of the town of Borrego Springs. Be sure to pick up a copy of their ‘At Home’ magazine, which is a great source of things to do in the park.

Travelogue

Pups at the Elephant Seal RookeryCambria is a lovely little seaside town along the Central Coast, just south of San Simeon and the much-visited Hearst Castle (unfortunately closed due to Covid during our visit). Besides the natural beauty of its beaches, there are plenty of art galleries, shops, restaurants, and walking paths to enjoy.

Rather than crawling into the back of the 4Runner for our first night on the road, we decided to start our first post-vaccination journey with some socially distanced human activities - staying in an Inn and going out for dinner. Needless to say, I was very excited.

Rather than stay in town, we booked a night at the Castle Inn, right across the road from the picturesque Moonstone Beach, where a mile-long boardwalk traces the coastline, with several options to get down to the beach itself. However, we would save that stroll for sunset.

Elephant Seal RookeryFor now, we hopped back in the car, and drove up Route 1, passing the turnoff for Hearst Castle, to the Piedras Blancas Light Station, just 12 miles north of Moonstone Beach. Unfortunately, access to the lighthouse was closed, because during Covid tours are only given on Saturdays.

Oh well, we returned down Route 1 for about 2 miles to the Elephant Seal Rookery where we were treated to dozens of northern elephant seals lolling about on the beach. The number of seals, and what they are doing, will vary based on the month you visit. The following is a very brief description of what you can expect based on the month you are here.

January through mid-February is when the females give birth, usually just a few days after their arrival on the beach. The moms will bond and nurse the pups for about 5-weeks, during which time she loses about 40% of her body weight. At the end of that time, she comes into esterus and mates with the harem master and then returns to the sea, leaving her weaned, one month-old pups on shore to fend for themselves.

Moonstone Beach in CambriaIn March, the adult males, who have also lost 40% of their body weight, boogy out as well, leaving the beach to the pups, who now start venturing down to the water to begin their self-taught swimming lessons. Because much of their swim practice occurs at night, we didn’t get to see this. When they feel ready, they head out to sea where they will forage until their return to the rookery in the fall.

Between late March and July, the elephant seals return to the rookery to undergo their annual moult, where they grow a new layer of skin and hair, as the old layer falls off in patches. Once that is complete, they head off to sea for their second migration of the year.

Outdoor dining and the Moonstone Beach Bar and GrillThe cycle starts all over again when the first adult males return to the rookery in late November through December, ready to breed again. Only the strongest and most aggressive will become a harem master, so competition gets pretty tough at this time, and the battles can get pretty bloody.

The pregnant females arrive in December as well and will give birth from mid-December through January. About 5 weeks afterwards, she will get a visit from the harem master and it starts all over again.

We were at the rookery at the end of March, so we saw lots of already weaned pups as well as some adults who had returned for the moult. Quite fascinating and interesting to watch. It would be great to catch them in either the mating or birthing process, but what they are doing most of the time is lying like lazy sunbathers with the occasional flipping of sand onto themselves to keep cool.

When we got back to the Castle Inn, we walked to the nearby Moonstone Bar and Grill to check out the menu. It was only 4:30, but a line was already forming outside for its 5:00 opening, so we returned to the Inn for a quick shower and change, and hurried back to place ourselves at the end of what was now a quite formidable line. Wow! This place must be good. We were concerned that we might not get in and would have to wait for all those ahead of us to finish their dinners before we could be seated. However, the place was pretty big and open for both indoor and outdoor dining, and most seemed to choose indoor. This left room for us on their lovely outdoor patio, complete with ocean view, which we would have chosen anyway. Plus, we were more comfortable eating outdoors, as this was our first dining-out experience since the start of Covid.

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Bluff TrailIt was wonderful. We were so excited to finally be out dining and feeling normal that we would probably have enjoyed even a mediocre meal, but that was not our experience. The food was delicious, the glass of wine was an extremely generous pour, and the view was lovely.

A post-dinner stroll along the mile-long Moonstone Beach boardwalk during sunset completed what I consider a perfect day.

The next morning, before leaving the Cambria area, we went for a hike at the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, a 364-acre property with 11 trails, bounded on each side by lovely residential areas. We took the bluff-trail, which had stunning views and a scattering of interesting driftwood benches to sit on to just relax and enjoy the scenery.

Pretty awesome start to a post-vaccination road trip!

Travelogue

My favorite Morro Bay OtterOur drive from Cambria to Pismo Beach took us right through the town of Morro Bay, a place we had visited two times in the past, but always with bad weather. Today was perfect, and reinforced my desire to someday kayak out to Morro Rock, a 576 foot volcanic plug that stands at the entrance to the harbor.

However, since we didn’t have the kayaks along, we satisfied ourselves with gazing at it from the Morro Bay T-Pier, where the cuddly little otters like to hang out. If reincarnation is a thing, I want to come back as an otter, because I have never seen a more carefree and playful creature than an otter. They are utterly adorable, as they playfully float on their bags, resting their cute little heads on each other’s bellies. You can just stand there smiling, watching them for hours.

We made one more stop at the Monarch Butterfly Grove before getting to Pismo Beach. Timing is everything, and we knew that we had missed the October - February window for the gathering of 110,000 butterflies on the eucalyptus trees in this grove. We, and a dozen or so other ill-timed tourists, saw one either dumb or very independent monarch fluttering around the grove. I wonder what he was thinking?

Our next and final stop for the day was Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area (or OHV), a 5.5 miles stretch at the southern end of Pismo Beach that allows off-highway dune buggies to play in the huge sand dune complex. Racing around dunes is not exactly the 4Runners specialty. We were just there to be able to drive on the beach and camp.

Pismo Beach camping4WD is highly recommended, not just because of the deep sand, but also, to get to the camping area one has to cross the Arroyo Grande Creek, which is only passable at lower tides. There was very little water in it when we drove over it in mid-afternoon. The other recommendation is to make sure you camp above the high tide line, or you might wake to find yourself with the sound of the surf a bit closer than you would like.

We found a place to settle for the night, and spent the evening watching dune buggies zipping up and down the beach after returning from their more adrenaline-pumping ride through the dunes.

There was one near calamity when a pick-up truck pulling a trailer with a dune buggy on it got too close to the surf and got stuck. The next hour involved some frantic detaching of vehicles and desperate pushing onto the drier sand. Thankfully, they made it in time.

The next morning we got up early because we had a 6 hour drive ahead of us to get to Anza-Borrego State Park. Unfortunately, the tide was too high to cross over the Arroyo Grande Creek, so we had to wait about an hour for the tide to fall.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Launch at Packers Bay and camp in cove on Sacramento Arm

Herb enjoying his first sunset on Shasta LakeSince we moved the boat West in 2016, we had been anxiously searching for a place to use our Grady White. Of course, there is the ocean, and I’m sure we will eventually get to that, but we were more interested in finding a place to waterski, swim, and camp.

We would have loved to put the boat in Lake Tahoe, but they are quite strict as to what types of engines can be used. The lake is incredibly pristine, so I can see their motivation for keeping it so. Unfortunately, our carbureted, two-stroke engine is not allowed on the lake.

So that pretty much pointed us to Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir, which because of the heavy snows the last two winters was pretty close to capacity and back to having over 300 miles of shoreline and dozens of coves to explore and camp in. As a result, it is one of California’s top recreational destinations.

Another thing we think about when trailering our boat is the drive. For example, Lake Berryessa is nearer to us but requires us to drive up some pretty steep, twisty hills. The drive to Shasta Lake, on the other hand, is pretty straightforward - just under 4 hours and most of it on I5.

Our cove in O'Brien's InletThere are seven boat launches on the lake, but we chose to launch at Packers Bay, as it was the closest and had the biggest parking lot.

Our only mission that day was to find a place to camp for the night, so we cruised a bit up the Sacramento Arm before finding a little rocky cove to camp in, where we tied up to some dead trees near the shoreline.

Later that evening, a deer climbed down the steep rocks surrounding the cove to visit us. We had know idea as to why - there was no food and he didn’t even take a drink in the lake. However, he did take a swim to the other side of the cove. Strange.

Even stranger, after it got dark we noticed two shiny circles at the top of the rocks surrounding the cove, which we eventually realized were a pair of eyes staring down at us. As far as we knew, it had to be some kind of cat, as they are the only animals I know whose eyes glow in the dark. Mountain lions are found around Shasta Lake, so we were pretty sure that that was what was looking down at us. I just hoped he didn’t know how to swim and climb a boat ladder.

Day 2 - Cruise Sacramento Arm, select camping spot, and swim

Tommy and Erin's home for the nightTommy and Erin were planning on joining us for the weekend, so we set out today on a cruise to look for shoreline for them to camp on, as our 20-foot Grady White is not big enough to fit four people - although if necessary, they could sleep out on the back deck.

It wasn’t long before we realized this was going to be harder than we thought. Unlike Lake Powell, where there are miles of flat, sandy shoreline upon which to set up a tent, the shores of Shasta Lake are not only steep, but thickly forested with pine and oak trees.

Finally we found something that might work up the Sacramento Arm, along the O’Brien Creek Inlet. It had a small sandy beach with a small hill with a flat enough spot on top to pitch a tent. Not perfect, but workable. Plus, the cove was really nice for swimming.

We continued our cruise to see if we could find something better, but there really wasn’t, so we came back and anchored for the night. The rest of the afternoon was quite relaxing, as we spent it reading, swimming, and floating.

Day 3 - Set up Camp and relax in our cove

Lolo enjoying her floatWe were kind of afraid that if we left someone would take the camping spot we had found for Tommy and Erin, especially since it was Friday and flat shoreline was extremely scarce. So, pretty early in the morning we cruised back to the Packers Bay boat launch to pick up our tent, so we could set it up on the spot we wanted to save. That way we wouldn't have to hang out and guard our spot the whole day.

Once that was done, we pretty much just chilled the rest of the afternoon reading, swimming, snorkeling, and floating.

Later in the day, two large houseboats invaded our private cove and anchored along the shoreline about 50 yards north of us. Still, it wasn’t too invasive in that we were at the very end, so no boats would be cruising by us, kicking up a wake. Plus, there was a large tree in the water between us and them providing quite a bit of shade and privacy.

Day 4 - Pickup Tommy and Erin, Birthday Lunch at Bridge Bay Restaurant, and waterskiing

Tommy and Erin have arrivedTommy and Erin had driven up the night before and camped in the van nearby, so they were ready for us to pick them up at the boat launch bright and early.

We brought them back to our home in the O’Brien’s Creek Inlet, where we spent the morning swimming. Afterwards, we headed out on the boat for a cruise around the lake and a stop at the Bridge Bay Restaurant to celebrate Tommy’s 28th birthday, which was coming up next week.

The view from our table on the outdoor patio of the lake was fantastic, and the food was quite good as well. We each indulged a bit with a celebratory cocktail, something we normally wouldn’t do mid-day, but it was after all Tommy’s birthday.

After lunch, we went for a cruise up the McCloud Arm of the lake. Shasta Lake has three major arms, each created by a river that flows into it: the Sacramento River, the McCloud River, and the Pit River. Taking it a step further back, The Sacramento River's source is the Klamath Mountains, the McCloud River's source is Mt. Shasta, and the Pit River flows from Alturas.

Tommy slalom skiingI think Tommy was anxious to waterski, as he had done it, on our boat at least, since he moved out West in 2013. We headed back up the Sacramento Arm and into O’Brien’s Inlet where the water was a bit more protected and calm as it wasn’t out in the major channel.

I had forgotten how much fun water skiing can be. It was quite a successful afternoon, as each of us got up the very first time - Tommy and I each on a slalom ski and Erin on two skis.

I used to try to slalom at least once every year just to prove that I still wasn’t old. With the boat living on the opposite coast for the past few years, I hadn't had a chance to try, so I was quite excited (and relieved) that I could still do it.

Then it was back to our campsite in the cove for more swimming and fun with Tommy and Erin. Not a bad life.

Day 5 - Waterski some more, drop Tommy and Erin off, and camp in Pit Arm

Our new campsite near the mouth of the Pit ArmBefore dropping Tommy and Erin off to at the Packers Bay Boat Launch so they could go back to their real working lives, we did another round of waterskiing in O’Brien’s Inlet. Another successful session as we each got up first time again. I still got it!!

After saying our goodbyes at the boat launch, Herb and I decided to cruise around the lake and find a different spot to camp. We would have a lot more options now that we didn’t have to worry about a flat shoreline to set up a tent. All we need was a place to toss an anchor.

We found a nice spot to anchor near the mouth of the Pit Arm where we were oriented towards the sunset. Sure enough, it put on quite a show for us. Lovely

Day 6 - find camping with view of Mt. Shasta

View of Mt. Shasta from our campsite on Slaughterhouse IslandThis morning we went in search of a view of Mount Shasta from the lake. We had seen it the other from near the Dam, but wanted to see if we could find a campsite with a view.

We did find a pretty cool spot near the mouth of the Sacramento Arm on the north end of Slaughterhouse Island - it had a nice ring to it. I think this is only an island when water levels are high as Google Maps showed it as a peninsula. Whatever it was, it was a good spot with a nice view up the lake of snow-covered Mount Shasta. Plus there was even a nice pine forest behind us that we could take a stroll through. It was good to use the legs after sitting in a boat so long.

There was even a small bluff with a flat top where we set up our chairs and a beach umbrella - the sun was really quite hot. It did require us, however, to step through some pretty mucky quick-sandy like stuff at the shoreline - tough to keep the sandals on

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, reading, and looking at Mt. Shasta.

Our campsite on Slaughterhouse Island (with view of Mt. Shasta on the right)

Day 7 - Cruise up McCloud River Arm and home

After 6 nights sleeping on a small boat, I get a bit antsy, especially when there was really no place to anchor and hike, as we had been able to do in Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

We decided to take one more cruise, this time all the way up the McCloud River Arm before pulling the boat and driving home.

Description

The first mateShasta Lake, located near the town of Redding, is California’s largest reservoir. When at full capacity it has 365 miles of shoreline and dozens of coves to explore and camp in.

Shasta Lake was created in 1948 when the Shasta Dam was constructed across the Sacramento River. As a result of the dam, the lake has four major arms, each created by an approaching river: the Sacramento River, the McCloud River, Squaw Creek, and the Pit River.

In addition to providing electrical power, flood control, and water storage, the lake has become one of California’s top recreational destinations. There are nine marinas offering a variety of services, including houseboat rentals and seven boat launches.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival in Bishop

Andrew and his birthday surpriseThe last half of our 7 hour drive to Bishop is always a treat - starting with Route 50 through South Lake Tahoe, and then down 395 through Bridgeport, Lee Vining, June Lake, and Mammoth Lakes. It’s an incredibly scenic drive.

We arrived around 4:30, just near quitting time for their remote workday. Celeste had planned a big surprise from all of us for Andrew’s birthday - a new Weber Gas Grill for their backyard, something never possible when they were living in a small apartment in San Francisco.

Wanting to support local businesses rather than Amazon, Celeste had ordered it from High Country Lumber, a nearby hardware store that Andrew had come to love. I never thought my son would have such a fondness for hardware stores, but Celeste said he was always finding excuses to go there during the week.

Hike into Pine Creek CanyonThat was the problem. Bishop is a very small town and everyone knows each other’s business. Celeste was so afraid that if he walked in there, they would spill the beans on the BBQ they were assembling for him. So, all week long, every time Andrew said he was going to High Country Lumber, Celeste would make some excuse to stop him, and say let’s do it when your parents and Tommy get here - as if that was a way to entertain your guests who had just driven 7 hours to see you.

Climbing in Pine Creek CanyonSo, when we arrived, we pretended we needed a hose clamp for the car and asked Andrew if he knew where we could get one. Of course he said High Country Lumber, and quickly volunteered to join us. So off we went - me, Herb, Andrew, and Tommy to shop for a hose clamp. Celeste said she would stay behind, but actually she was going to drive their van over after we left, as that was the only vehicle that would fit the grill.

When we got to the hardware store, we spent a ridiculously long time stalling in the hose clamp aisle waiting for Celeste to come. I think Andrew was starting to get suspicious that something was going on. When she pulled into the parking lot, he got even more confused.

Finally, an employee rolled out a beautiful new Weber Grill and placed it by the van. I think it still didn’t sink in that it was his until we all herded him towards it. Let’s just say he was very, very pleased.

After getting it home, we tested it out with marinated chicken kabobs, the ingredients for which Celeste had gotten ahead of time. They were delicious and just the beginning of many more delicious meals to come.

Day 2 - Climbing in Pine Creek Canyon and the Buttermilks

Tommy climbing in Pine Creek CanyonWhenever we are away with the kids, we know that climbing is going to be a big part of it. Plus, Bishop is a premier climbing destination with numerous areas to do all types of climbing - trad, sport, and bouldering.

This morning we would start in Pine Creek Canyon, a stunningly beautiful canyon nestled between Mount Tom and the Wheeler Crest, less than a half hour from Andrew and Celeste;s apartment.

This is just one of the many climbing areas near Bishop. It alone has over 630 routes, including multi-pitch trad climbs and one of the largest collections of sport climbs in the state.

Even Lolo hits the walls of Pine Creek CanyonJust the hike into the canyon itself was worth the trip, even if I personally didn’t get to climb. I just love the beautiful scenery and watching them do what they love. However, they ignored my usual chant of “I don’t have to climb,” and informed me that indeed I did and that they would find something appropriate for my abilities. Oh boy.

We started off on “Mustache Wall,” the first wall on our left when we entered the canyon. True to their promise, they set up a top rope on Gimpenator, a 5.8 which is considered a warm-up by everyone else but me. However, we all “sent” it, including me.

Next they set up on B-Gizzle, a 5.10d climb on a left facing corner with a thin crack. Crack climbing requires jamming your fingers and feet into various sized cracks and hauling yourself up. It’s really rough on the fingers. They all successfully completed the climb and made me get on it too. I didn’t get very far, but I did get further than anyone expected, especially me.

While climbing B-Gizzle, the boys noticed that the man on the route next to us was Marty Lewis, the climber who authored most of the climbing guides for the Bishop area. He quite a legend in climbing circles.

Tommy bouldering in the ButtermilksAfterwards we moved on to Gateway slab, just to the left of Mustache Wall where they did a 5.9 called Vanadium Miner’s Daughter and a 5.7 called King Dirtbag. I think the main motivation to be the first one to ever do a specific route is that they get to give it a creative name.

You would think that one climbing area per day would be sufficient, but oh no - not with this group. Now it was time for the Buttermilks, their favorite climbing area and one of California’s premier bouldering destinations. It too was just a half hour from their apartment, out along the bumpy, washboard Buttermilk Road.

First, a very brief primer on bouldering. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that does not use ropes because it is done on “boulders” that are not too high. To protect from injury, crash pads are placed on the ground to soften the climber’s fall. In addition to the pads, other climbers stand at the bottom with arms extended upward to catch or slow the climber down if he falls. However, in the Buttermilks, the boulders are pretty darn big, some as high as 45 feet.

Andrew bouldering in the ButtermilksBouldering is not Herb and my thing, so for this portion of the day, we would just be spectators - not a bad thing as the landscape is amazing, with hundreds of huge boulders (or more technically, glacial erratics) strewn across a vast hillside with the snow-capped Sierra in the background.

It was a great place to just hang out, enjoy the scenery, and watch Andrew, Tommy, and Celeste puzzle out the “problems” they were working on. The word “problem” is used in bouldering because climbers often spend weeks and even months, working out all the moves to complete a particular bouldering route. The difficulty of a bouldering problem is graded on a scale from V0, being easiest, to V16.

Celeste’s “puzzle” for the day was a climb called Junior Achievement, a V7/V8 that can be pretty rough on the fingertips. She made significant progress before her finger skin ripped a bit, shutting her down for the rest of the day.

Late afternoon in the ButtermilksTommy worked for awhile on a boulder problem “Checkboard,” a V8 described on Mountain Project as having an “exciting last move high off the deck.” I'd say. He made some great attempts and came really close, but fell on the last big move.

The last puzzle for the day was “Zen Flute,” a V10 that requires a sizable dyno (short for "dynamic") finish where the climber has to make an all-out leap of faith to a jug (big hold) - quite exciting for both the climber and any spectating moms. Tommy came so so close, and Andrew did “send” it, complete with a primal scream. I think he had a little bit of a home court advantage.

I was exhausted from just watching them. Time for a beer at the Mountain Rambler.

Day 3 - Skiing at Mammoth Mountain

Mammoth Mountain SkiingYou can’t climb hard every day, so today was declared a rest day, which apparently is defined differently for twenty-year-olds than sixty-year-olds.

Our “rest day” was skiing Mammoth Mountain, which despite the fact that it was May, was still open for business, with most of their trails still open.

One of the many nice things about living in Bishop (elevation 4150 feet) is that you can enjoy a warm, sunny day pretty much all year round, and still just drive 45 minutes up to Mammoth Mountain (elevation 7,800) to ski, pretty much any day from November until June. Not bad.

Apres ski celebration in Andrew's vanI’m not the best of skiers, but still, there were plenty of intermediate trails for me to enjoy, and the conditions were perfect - not a bad first time spring skiing in the West! I felt a little bad that the rest of them felt compelled to ski the same trails as Herb and I, so I kept telling them to go play on the black diamond runs. However, they sweetly said that they could do that anytime, but it wasn't everyday that they could ski with us. Awww…

It was a fabulous day, followed by “celebratories” (alias cold beers that you have earned) back at Andrew and Celeste’s van in the parking lot, and then a night of BBQing chicken kabobs back in Bishop on Andrew’s new birthday grill. Pretty perfect day.

I could get used to this.

Day 4 - Climbing in Owens River Gorge and the Volcanic Tablelands

Hike down into the Owens River GorgeCeleste had to work today, but Andrew took the day off and suggested we go climbing - what a surprise! Today we would go to the Owens River Gorge, a third climbing area, this one with more options for me and Herb to climb, in that it has 416 sport climbing routes, which is the kind of climbing we like to do - none of this dropping a few feet down onto a crash pad when falling from a boulder. The time of my life where I would have considered that a positive experience passed quite some time ago. I’ll stick with a rope.

As with Pine Creek Canyon and Buttermilks, the drive to the trailhead to hike down into the Gorge was less than a half hour from Andrew and Celeste’s apartment - no wonder they moved here.

Andrew climbing in the Dilithium Crystal area of the Inner Gorge.The drive along the Gorge Road was pretty unspectacular – flat and brown with lots of power lines. Usually when you approach a climbing area, you know it, because you see beautiful rock walls, and it’s exciting, but a gorge kind of sneaks up on you, and you don’t know it’s there until you are at its rim, and even then you might not see much until you hike down into it.

The hike down into the gorge is quite steep and a little bit intimidating, but no steep drop-offs so it was okay. The gorge itself is over 10 miles long and has many different areas to climb in. Today, we were headed to the Dilithium Crystal area in the Inner Gorge.

As I said, Andrew and Tommy were anxious to get me on a climb, so they set up shop at a 5.8 called Lava Java. I hoped I liked the climb as much as the name. 5.8 is about my outdoor limit, although I think I did do a 5.9 and 5.10a once. I love gym climbing but I am much more intimidated by outdoor climbing.

As must be done in sport climbing, somebody (Tommy in this case) had to lead the climb and set up a top rope on top for the rest of us to use. This was a very easy climb for the boys and for Herb, but just about the right amount of challenge for me. I “sent” it with a minimum of whining. The rest of them used it as a warmup.

Tommy bouldering in the Volcanic TablelandsGreat, now that I did that, I thought they would leave me alone, but they weren’t done with me yet. The next climb we set up on was a 5.10b called Coffee Achiever (hmm...I’m seeing a coffee theme here). Andrew did the leading and set up and tried to convince me that I should at least try it. I did make fairly good progress, and made it about half way up, before taking a few falls and giving up. An outdoor 5.10b is a bit over my pay grade. The rest of them made it look easy.

Now, I was officially done, but they continued on, setting up on a 5.11b called Photon Torpedo, which Andrew successfully led. Herb did well, getting it after taking (hanging on the rope) a few times.

It was starting to get too hot, so Tommy decided to skip it and save himself for climbing at the Volcanic Tablelands next. That’s right, we were going to another climbing area, where Celeste would meet us now that the workday was over.

Andrew bouldering in the Volcanic TablelandsThe Volcanic Tablelands is another one of Bishop’s popular bouldering areas. It’s located just north of Bishop in a stunning area where the floor of the Owens Valley rises abruptly, forming a 300 foot-high volcanic plateau. It’s quite beautiful and only 20 minutes from Andrew and Celeste’s apartment.

Climbers refer to this area as the Happy / Sad Boulders because those are the two areas where the most routes have been established. The Happy Boulder area alone has 418 routes and the Sad Boulder area has 187. We went to the Happy’s, and that is pretty much describes the way I was feeling that evening.

To get to the Happy Boulders, we had to walk up a steep path to the top of the plateau where we were greeted with hundreds of boulders strewn throughout the plateau. They all looked pretty much alike to me, but the boys knew them all by name, features, and grade of difficulty.

Hiking out of the Volcanic TablelandsIt was beautiful up here, so Herb and I had no problem just following them to their boulders and watching them work out their “problems.” They had a very successful evening. They started off on a V6 called The Hulk, and did back to back “sends.” Next up was Acid Wash, a more difficult V9 route, which they didn’t “send” but made significant progress - in other words, this would become one of their “projects.” They finished off with back to back “sends” on a V6 called the Gleaner.

Not a bad day’s work. They pretty much were done after that. The rock in the Volcanic Tablelands is volcanic Bishop tuff, which is a solidified volcanic ash. It has a lot of sharp edges, pockets, and cracks, so after a few climbs their fingertips were pretty raw.

In fact, Celeste didn’t climb at all this evening because her fingertips were still too raw from her efforts on Junior Achievement the other day.

Well that brings us to the conclusion of what had been an extremely active and fun Birthday Bash - 4 climbing areas and downhill skiing at Mammoth Mountain. Time for us to go home while we are still able.

Description

Bishop is my favorite town in the Eastern Sierra. It is located along US 395 between the towns of Mammoth Lakes and Big Pine. It lies at the northern end of the Owens Valley with the Sierra Nevada mountains to the east and the White Mountains to the west.

One of the town’s claims to fame is that it is the "Mule Capital of the World," holding a week-long festival each May called Bishop Mule Days. Part mule show, part test of skills, and part Wild West Show, this annual event has been attracting crowds for over its 47 year history, growing from a crowd of 200 in its early days to becoming an international world class event with more than 30,000 fans. Over the course of a week, more than 700 mules compete in 181 events including calf roping, steer roping, barrel racing, flat racing, carriage driving, team chariot racing, and even dressage.

The reason we go to Bishop is for the excellent rock climbing. The three major climbing areas in Bishop include:

The Owens River Gorge is a steep 10 mile long canyon just north of Bishop that is a very popular destination for rock climbing. With 416 sport-climbing and 52 trad routes it is California’s most concentrated sport climbing area. The climbing is on volcanic tuff and features edges, pockets and cracks. Although there is a full range of difficulty level, the best climbs are in the 5.10 to 5.11 range. The most popular walls are located in the Central Gorge – Warm Up Wall, the Pub, the Social Platform, and the Great Wall of China, which feature tons of 5.8 to 5.11 sport routes. Summers get a bit too hot to climb in the gorge.

Buttermilk Country, one of California’s premier bouldering destinations, is located southwest of Bishop along the western edge of the Owens Valley. These massive glacial erratic boulders sit in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada under an impressive backdrop of high peaks just a mere four miles to the west. There are 243 bouldering routes, many of which top out at over 20 feet.

The Volcanic Tablelands, another popular bouldering destination, lie just north of Bishop in an area where the floor of the Owens Valley rises abruptly, forming a 300 foot-high volcanic plateau. Along the southern tip of the plateau there are numerous canyons and washes containing thousands of boulders. The Happy Boulder area with 418 routes and the Sad Boulder area with 187 routes are the most popular. Because of its 4,500 foot elevation, the Volcanic Tablelands are climbable year round.

Pine Creek Canyon is a beautiful canyon nestled between Mount Tom and the Wheeler Crest with over 630 routes, including multi-pitch trad climbs and one of the largest collections of sport climbs in the state.

Travelogue

Lovely scenery on our detour around the Kern Canyon fire near BakersfieldNormally I don’t have much to say about the final drive home on one of our trips, but this one was a little more eventful than most.

We woke up really early deciding to not even make coffee, but to just hit the road and pick some up on our way through Bakersfield, less than an hour away. Well, that plan didn’t work. We were about halfway to Bakersfield on Highway 178, when we were stopped with a road closure due to a fire in the canyon between us and Bakersfield.

We asked the nice gentleman blocking our progress how we should get to Bakersfield then, and he told us we had to go all the way back to Lake Isabella and take Highway 155 up its western shore and then White River Road. A quick check on Google Maps showed us that our 15 minute drive to Bakersfield had now turned into a 2 hour one along roads which looked like an xray of someone’s intestines.

Lolo enjoying pea soup at Pea Sour Andersen'sWhat choice did we have? We have learned since our move to California that a road being out can often mean miles and miles of extra driving, unlike New Jersey where you just go around a problem, because there’s always another road nearby.

I have to say though that the drive certainly was scenic and we saw places that we would never have seen otherwise. Up close Lake Isabella is a really beautiful lake and the drive along the road down from Glenville to Bakersfield was alongside an amazing series of beautiful rolling hills.

Finally we made it back to I5 and everything was pretty much straightforward from there. Since we hadn’t seen a fruit or vegetable in a few days, we decided to stop for lunch at Pea Soup Andersen’s in Santa Nella. You can’t miss the windmill beckoning from the highway. A bowl of delicous pea soup and a salad put our digestive tract and expectations back on track.

From there it was a smooth 3 more hours home.

Travelogue

Along the Jawbone Canyon to Lake Isabella 4WD RoadWe were pretty much committed at this point to the southern route home from Bishop, which would bring us to Bakersfield and then up I5, but Herb wanted to do it in a more creative way, via the 50-mile (and 4 to 5 hours of bouncing) Jawbone to Lake Isabella 4WD road - another “Easy” route according to our off-roading gude.

Our route from Lone Pine brought us along Highway 14 past the reddish desert cliffs and spectacular rock formations of Red Rock Canyon State Park, which we had had the good fortune to explore last year.

However, today we would go a short distance past the Canyon and turn onto Jawbone Canyon Road, where we would begin our journey up and over the Piute Mountain Range.

The lovely colors along Jawbone Canyon RoadThe road began in an OHV (off-highway vehicle) area, where many come to play on the crazy steep hills and rocky terrain. We, however, were going to skip that and just drive the Jawbone Canyon Road.

The drive took us through several climatic zones, starting in the semi-arid foothills of the Mojave Desert and climbing, first past Joshua trees, then pinyon pines and junipers, and finally oak woodlands and conifers.

In about 13 miles we descended into Kelso Valley before turning west and ascending from 2,500 feet to over 8,000 feet along a series of steep and narrow switchbacks up and over the Piute Mountains inside the Sequoia Natioal Forest.

Dilapidated old sawmill chip burner now used for target practiceWe stopped for lunch at a rusty teepee-like structure that was once a chip burner from an old sawmill. I believe now its purpose is target practice as it was riddled with bullet holes. Time to move along.

After about another 6 miles we began our exciting descent to Lake Isabella along a very dramatic and steep series of switchbacks with occasional steep dropoffs.

Finally, after 5 hours, we reached the paved Bodfish Road. Whew!

Herb was too exhausted with driving to even consider driving the remaining 7 hours it would take to get home, so we decided to look for a place to camp along the Kern River, which was on the way to Bakersfield along Route 178.

Twisty road down to Lake IsabellaHerb had heard about a nice hot spring along the Kern River called Remington Hot Springs. We turned off 178 onto Kern CAnyon Road to check it out. After walking down a very steep hill from the parking area to the river, we came upon what I expected to find on a Friday late afternoon -- two pools filled with about a dozen people half or a third our age. We decided to skip the soaking and go back to the Sandy Flat Campground, which we had passed a few miles back on the Kern Canyon Road.

We managed to get a site in an already pretty full campground. It was nice enough and had access to the river. We both were pretty tired and ready to be home, so we made it an early evening so we could get an early start in the morning.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Alabama Hills

Our camping spot in the Alabama HillsAfter completing our bumping and bouncing on the Papoose Flat 4WD road, we continued down 395 with the intention of camping in the Alabama Hills.

The Alabama Hills is one of our favorite places in the Eastern Sierra. They are both unique and stunningly beautiful, with hundreds of oddly-shaped boulders and towers set against the backdrop of Mount Whitney (the tallest mountain in the continental U.S.).

For people our age, some of the scenery in the Hills might even be familiar from watching old Westerns. Hollywood filmmakers discovered this dramatic scenery back in the 1920s and filmed hundreds of movies (particularly westerns), TV shows, and commercials here, such as “How the West was Won,” “Rawhide,” and “Gunga Din.” And, it’s not just about old westerns. Plenty of current day movies, such as “Gladiator,” “Django Unchained,” and the new Lone Ranger have used the surrounding hills as a set as well.

Moonrise through Mobius ArchThere’s a wonderful Film History Museum in Lone Pine where you can learn all about the film history of the area. They also provide a “Movie Road Touring Brochure” that has a detailed map of the nearby 5.7-mile unpaved Movie Flat Road (2WD friendly) that shows where many of these movies were filmed.

Normally, people get to Movie Flat Road by driving into the town of Lone Pine and turning onto the Whitney Portal Road. We, however, were familiar with the area, so instead of going all the way into town, we turned off 395 onto the Moffat Ranch Road on the northern end of the Alabama Hills, and started looking for a good place to camp for the night. We pulled into what we thought was a nice spot, surrounded by cottonwood trees and shrubs, but we soon found out that the reason there was so much greenery here was that there was water, and where there is water, there are bugs.

Good morning Mt. WhitneyRather than going back onto 395, we continued south along the dirt roads through the Hills, eventually finding a nice spot to camp right off Movie Flat Road near the iconic Mobius Arch, where photographers love to photograph Mount Whitney framed by the arch. Of course, we have taken this photo in the past and will most likely do so again. Each photo can be different, based on weather conditions and time of day.

Herb said up his tripod to photograph Whitney and the surrounding peaks in the evening light, while I set off on a walk to visit Mobius Arch, planning to get back before it got totally dark. The trailhead was just a hundred yards away.

The first arch I came to was the less famous, but equally interesting, Lathe Arch, a rather unique arch in that it is perfectly flat and really doesn’t arch at all.

Lolo unknowingly walking into my shot of Mobius ArchJust past Lathe Arch, I rounded a big rock and came upon Mobius Arch, which at this hour I had all to myself, so I could take my time composing a photo rather than waiting in line, as can happen here. I tried to get Mt. Whitney framed within the arch and the rising crescent moon above. Not bad, but probably would have been a lot better if I had a tripod, rather than just a cellphone.

It was getting pretty dark, so I picked up the pace a bit to get back to camp. I thought that the only trail here was the Mobius Arch Loop and couldn’t possibly get lost, but I have amazingly poor navigational skills, and wound up adding a mile to my .6 mile hike by veering off onto the Alabama Hills Trail. Fortunately, I could see the 4Runner and Herb off in the distance and was able to get back before he started to worry too much about his navigationally-challenged spouse.

The next morning, Herb got up before 6:00 to take photos of the sunrise by Mobius Arch. I dragged myself out of the truck about a half hour later and walked over to try to find him. I think I surprised him as I climbed up the back side of Mobius Arch and popped up into the window of the arch through just as he was taking a photo of Mount Whitney through it from the other side. See, I said every photo of Mobius Arch can be different.

Day 2 - Horseshoe Meadows

The road up to Horseshoe MeadowHorseshoe Meadows was another discovery I had made when reading the “Tales Along El Camino Sierra” book that Andrew and Celeste had given me for Christmas. It’s an easy, delightful read about the people and places that over the last century have made Highway 395 (alias El Camino Sierra) such a special place.

In this book, I learned how this amazing zigzagging road, blasted out of granite rock came to be.

As I mentioned in the Bishop stop, in the early 1900s, the Inyo Good Roads Club began promoting the beauty and recreational opportunities of Inyo County and were able to obtain federal dollars to build roads.

The first of many lakes on the Cottonwood Lakes hikeOne of the more ambitious road projects they came up with in the 1920s was building a 20-mile road up to Horseshoe Meadows, high above Lone Pine, at an elevation of 10,000 feet, which would make it the second highest paved road in California.

The LA Department of Water & Power, in their endless quest for water for their growing city, saw potential in the Horseshoe Meadows area, and joined in the effort. However, road-building technology of that day was not equipped to deal with such serious mountain terrain, so construction was stopped after 5 miles of road were completed - far short of their goal.

Along the Cottonwood Lakes TrailIt wasn’t until 1964 that Inyo County resumed work and built another 6.7 miles, still a few miles short of the meadow. Then in the late 1960s, the U.S. Forest Service initiated an effort to develop the Horseshoe Meadows area as a ski resort, and the road was completed. Cooler headers realized that this was not feasible, and the ski resort was never built.

Today, Horseshoe Meadows is a serene and lightly visited paradise with access to some of the most sublime scenery in the southern Sierra - and that was where we planned to spend our day.

The Horseshoe Meadow Road begins about 3 miles along the Whitney Portal Road and climbs and climbs for the next 20 miles, from 3,727 feet in Lone Pine up to 10,072 feet. Along the whole drive, we could see the road ahead of us, steeply zigzagging its way up the mountain.

Cottonwood Lakes TrailWe parked in the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead parking area near the end of the Horseshoe Meadow Road and set out on what was probably one of the nicest hikes we’ve ever been on.

For the first few miles, we hiked through a sandy pine forest, and although it consistently climbed, it did so at a pretty gentle grade. At 3.7 miles we came to a junction - Cottonwood Lakes to the right and New Army Pass Trail to the left.

We took a right, and after about a mile we came to the first of the beautiful Cottonwood Lakes. Later we found out that we actually took the loop in the reverse direction and hit the rather mundanely named Cottonwood Lake #3, Cottonwood Lake #2, and Cottonwood Lake #1, in that order at the end.

Further along the Cottonwood Lakes TrailWell, I don’t care what number this lake was, because it was absolutely beautiful, with the backdrop of the Sierra behind it, as well as reflected in the lake. I looked at the Forest Map for this hike afterwards and see that this is Unnamed Lake. Perhaps its beauty left them speechless.

We continued on and eventually came to Cottonwood Lake #3. We followed a path down to its western shoreline and had lunch. Herb’s Garmin G5X watch, which has trails loaded onto it, showed a trail along the northern shore of the lake that would bring us to Cottonwood Lake #2.

However, there was no such trail, so we improvised and had to bushwhack (although thankfully, there were no bushes) a bit to get to a sort of trail between Cottonwood Lake #2 and #1. Each lake was different and beautiful in its own way.

Looking down on the Alabama Hills from Horseshoe Meadow RoadWe found the main trail and hiked back down through the lovely pine forest to our car.

All in all, we hiked 13 miles with an elevation gain of 1,500 feet, my third hike over 11,000 feet this week, and this time zero altitude sickness.

Rather than disperse camp in the Alabama Hills again that evening, we decided to live it up and stay at the Tuttle Creek Campground (elevation 4,944 feet), just off the Horseshoe Meadow Road back near Lone Pine. Like our campsite last night, it too had beautiful views of Mt. Whitney and the surrounding Sierra.

The Cottonwood Lakes hike is definitely worth a repeat, especially since I read afterwards that Cottonwood Lake #4 and #5 are the most beautiful, and we never got to those. I’m not sure how they could have been any better, but someday we’ll just have to find out.

Description

The Lone Pine Film History Museum houses memorabilia from the hundreds of films, commercials, and television shows that were filmed in the nearby area over the past 100 years. Since the early years of filmmaking, directors and actors have made the 3-hour trek from Hollywood to the tiny town of Lone Pine to use the dramatically beautiful Alabama Hills as the backdrop for their films. Although mostly known for the “westerns” filmed here, with such cowboy heroes as John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers, it has also been the site for early silent, post-war, and science fiction films. The museum has an 85-seat movie theater where visitors can watch an interesting 15-minute documentary, “Lone Pine: Where the Real West Becomes the Reel West.” Admission is $5 for adults.

Mt. Whitney through Mobius ArchThe Alabama Hills are a range of hills and rock formations, just west of Lone Pine, that lie at the foot of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental U.S., towers over the hills. Although the same age as the sharp, glacially chiseled ridges of the Sierra, the Alabama hills are more rounded as a result of chemical weathering. When the hills were still covered with soil, percolating water rounded the granite blocks and sculpted the interesting arches and potato-shaped boulders you see today. These interesting formations make it a popular rock climbing destination.

The outstanding and dramatic scenery of the hills has also attracted Hollywood filmmakers from the 1920s to the present. Hundreds of movies (particularly westerns), TV shows, and commercials have been filmed here over the past century. The Lone Pine Film History Museum is a great place to learn about the film history of the area. The 5.7-mile unpaved Movie Flat Road through the Hills goes past the filming locations for such greats as “How the West was Won,” “Rawhide,” and “Gunga Din.” A “Movie Road Touring Brochure,” is available online or at the museum.

The origin of its name is quite interesting and surprising. In the 1800s, prospectors in the area sympathetic to the Confederate cause named their mining claims after the confederate warship Alabama, which was wreaking havoc on the Union fleet.

Whitney Portal is the gateway to Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental U.S., and the main starting point for treks up to its summit. It is located at the end of the 13-mile Whitney Portal Road, which begins from 395 in the town of Lone Pine. Although hiking into the Mount Whitney Zone requires a permit, there are several day hikes that can be done within the John Muir Wilderness section without a permit, such as the hike to Lone Pine Lake.

The Manzanar National Historic Site marks the site of the former Manzanar Relocation Center, one of ten internment camps into which the U.S. government forcefully interned more than 110,000 Japanese American citizens during World War II. The Manzanar facility operated from March of 1942 through November of 1945, housing and holding without their will over 10,000 Japanese Americans. Today this site, which is preserved and operated by the National Park Service, informs visitors about the legacy of this shameful period in U.S. history. Inside the Visitor Center there are extensive exhibits as well as a 22-minute informative film. Adjacent to the Visitor Center are two reconstructed barracks and a mess hall, the only three original camp structures that remain. A 3.2 mile auto tour takes you past remnants of orchards, gardens, and building foundations, as well as the camp cemetery, located at the foot of the majestic Sierra. Admission is free.