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Posts tagged ‘Sierra Nevada’

Getting Our Groove Back

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Ahh … back to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It’s been a long time coming.

Having returned her long term rental car after work, Kelly arrived to the trailer Friday night signifying that our visit to Half Moon Bay was over.  Seven weeks after we arrived, we were finally free to resume what has become to us a ‘normal’ way of life.  With urgency that cannot be explained, later that evening we finally got the hell out of the Bay Area, and in the process began what will be a realignment to our previously planned 2017 travel route.

We didn’t get too far that night – 90 minutes of driving was all.  But symbolically we made huge strides.  Once again we were mobile.  All that mattered as we pulled into a Camping World parking lot for the night was that we were moving towards greener pastures – no more RV park, no more daily commutes into the office, no anchor keeping us stationary.

Our destination was the town of Lone Pine, a sleepy little community nestled into the bosom of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains.  As we awoke Saturday morning 400 miles lie between where we were and where we wanted to be.  Covering that amount of distance in a single day has become nearly unfathomable for us, however in this case, the push seemed like a fair trade off considering the raw beauty that awaited us.

As you can see in the picture above, we’ve done just fine for ourselves.  Our BLM boondocking spot provides us with all we could ask for, especially when considering the cost is free. We’ll sit here for a week, then hopefully sync up with a few friends further east.  Until then, this is location will be a fantastic place to call home.

 

 

 

Ahhh …

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On Friday we pulled-up anchor from the Bay Area and hauled-ass as quickly as we could … our destination being a rendezvous with friends in a rather non-Bay Area like location.  About 4.5 hours later and we arrived to a national forest campground outside of Portola, CA (about an hour NW of Reno, NV) with plans to spend the week with friends.

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Away from the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, and nestled in at just under 6,000 feet of elevation, we are back in our happy place.  With friends and surrounded by a massive mountain lake, clean alpine air, and lots of tall pine trees, this spot is just the first of what will be a long string of national forest campgrounds we will be visiting over the next three months.

Just perfect.

Visiting The Sierra Nevada Mountains

Over the years I have heard countless praise for the Eastern Sierras, but have never had a good opportunity to visit.  Specifically, I’ve been itching to spend time wandering the highly acclaimed Hwy 395 (California) corridor, which travels from suburban Los Angeles northbound through Oregon before terminating at the US-Canada border.   Over a distance roughly 560 miles, this scenic  byway boasts some of the most beautiful mountains in the west.

On the heels of a stay in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows, our first stop was the popular Oh Ridge Campground, a national forest campground adjacent to June Lake.

Descending Tioga Pass

Descending Tioga Pass

I’d heard that the descent out of Yosemite along Tioga Pass can be a bit harrowing in tow.  As this was my first big mountain decent with the Airstream, 12 miles of mostly shoulder-less, steep grade with just enough sharp turns included had me sufficiently stressed out.  In end, the descent wasn’t too bad, but I was plenty happy to have that portion of the trip behind me.

Tioga Pass road officially ends at Hwy 395, but on a strong recommendation from my neighbor, we stopped a bit short of its termination point in order to spent a few hours hiking through Lee Vining Canyon.

Winding next to a small creek, the canyon trail connects a number of wonderful forest service campgrounds.  Primitive, quiet, solar-friendly, and offering cheap prices (especially if you have an interagency pass), these campgrounds are a jewel.  Given their close proximity to Yosemite’s east entrance, coupled with a fraction of the crowds, you can bet I’ll likely stay at one of these sites when I next visit Yosemite.

Lee Vining Canyon

Lee Vining Canyon

Lee Vining Canyon

Lee Vining Canyon

Lee Vining Canyon

Lee Vining Canyon

Brother-in-law Chris, Kelly, and Dave

Brother-in-law Chris, Kelly, and Dave

Arrival to Oh Ridge was about as easy as I could hope.  The park was nearly empty and excluding the handful of direct waterfront sites, we had our pick of the campground.  Oh Ridge is lovely and I’d highly recommend it as a “home base” for many excursions.  Within an hour’s drive to the north or south, many day hiking options are available across a wide variety of terrain.

Our Oh Ridge Campsite

Our Oh Ridge Campsite

Playing with Lilly in June Lake

Playing with Lilly in June Lake

Mono Lake

Mono Lake

Mono Lake

Mono Lake

Mono Lake

Mono Lake

Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes

Brodie Ghost Town

Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie Ghost Town

Brodie Ghost Town

Bodie Ghost Town

Brodie Ghost Town

Bodie Ghost Town

Having concluded a few nights at Oh Ridge, it was time to push about 1.5hrs south to our boondocking site north of Bishop. Using social media insights from other bloggers, we narrowed into a section of BLM land and snagged a great site about 15 minutes north of town.

Bishop Boondocking Site

Bishop Boondocking Site

Bishop Boondocking Site

Bishop Boondocking Site

I’d heard a lot of good feedback regarding the town of Bishop, but I’m still not sure if I can give a strong endorsement.  That said, the surrounding area is A+ and for that reason, I’d highly recommend Bishop, less for the town, but more because of the abundant surrounding outdoor playland.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Tyee Lakes Trail

Also, there is a Ford dealer in Bishop, which provided me an opportunity to test-drive a new truck.  I was very pleasantly surprised with the ride quality of the new diesel-powered F-250, which now has me thinking upgrade …