Wish You Were Here

 

Mono Lake, near Yosemite National Park, is estimated to be one million years old; one of the oldest lakes in North America. It’s also one of the saltiest. Throughout its long existence, fresh water streams have fed into the lake but because there is no outlet, water can only leave the lake through evaporation which leaves salt and minerals behind. Mono Lake is a sister lake to the Great Salt Lake and is more than twice as salty as the ocean. But most visitors to the area don’t come to see the lake because of its age or saltiness. They come to see the tufa (too-fah) towers; unusual spires and knobs formed hundreds of years ago when calcium and carbonate combined to make limestone columns.

When Mark was 15 years old the band, Pink Floyd, released the album “Wish You Were Here.” In 1975, when Mark bought the album, he not only got some incredible music but the band included a postcard insert, made at Mono Lake, that said wish you were here. Today, he finally made it “here.” It was too cold to stage a dive in the water, in front of the tufas, to replicate that old postcard, but we did the best we could. To all the folks who have shown interest in our travels, these pics are for you…..wish you were here!

Towing and Tow Trucks

 

After spending two weeks in one of the most populated areas in the country, Mark and I made the decision to retrace our steps and resume our original route north, on Highway 395, now that the road has opened and the danger of avalanches have passed.We prefer backroads and highways when we are traveling, so altering our journey to travel congested interstates, for hundreds of miles, didn’t end up being a good fit for us. There’s also the fact that California has a law limiting towing speed to 55mph so there is no advantage to using the interstate if you are towing a camper. 

Backtracking has landed us at Millpond Campground in Bishop, CA. One thing I wanted to do in this area, that wasn’t a possibility when we were here three weeks ago, was a drive to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains, to see the oldest living thing on Earth- Methuselah; a 4,854 year old bristlecone pine tree. Hoping enough snow might have melted for us to get there, in our 4-wheel drive truck, we decided to give it a try. The sign at the entrance to the forest cautioned we would be on an unmaintained road and traveling at our own risk. We chose to push on. The road got pretty snowy on the north side of the mountain and before we knew it the truck was sliding sideways off the road into a gully. After about 30 minutes trying to get the truck out of the ditch and just as we were getting concerned because there was no cell service in the area, another truck came up the mountain attempting to get to the bristlecones too. He realized he couldn’t make it through the snow either so this Good Samaritan drove Mark down where he could get service and call a tow truck. It was a long day with no bristlecone pine sightings but we certainly had an adventure and were grateful for the kindness of strangers.

Joshua Tree

 

Joshua Tree National Park is only about 100 miles from where we are camping so Mark and I decided to do a crash and burn day trip there. Joshua trees are resilient, otherworldly, yucca plants that are the shape and size of trees. I really wanted to see these rare and protected plants where they grow and thrive the best. But because national parks aren’t particularly dog friendly (dogs are rarely allowed on trails) we’ve developed a system for exploring these beautiful places while still including Starbaby. 

One important thing we’ve learned is to get to the park early and head to one of the lesser visited sections to beat the crowds. About 60% of California’s population (around 23 million) live in Southern California so visiting a park in this area is a little more challenging than many of the places we’ve been. We did our homework and chose the Black Rock area located in the northwest corner of the park. The landscape around Black Rock lacks the well-known rock formations found in other parts of the park but at an altitude of 4,000 feet there are a wider variety of plants and cooler temps. This area also has a view of San Gorgonio Mountain, known locally as Old Greyback; the highest peak in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Getting to the park early allowed us to be the first hikers at our chosen trailhead. We came prepared with comfortable lawn chairs and snacks and took turns watching the dog while the other person hiked. By the time each of us had gotten in a decent hike it was lunchtime so we headed to one of the Park’s picnic areas. Through the years we’ve discovered that very few people seem to picnic anymore in national parks. I have to admit that in a park as busy as Joshua Tree I was worried that might not hold true but alas, we had it completely to ourselves! What a beautiful park! What a beautiful day!

Change of Plans

 

For the first time in the trip we’ve made a major change in our itinerary. From Lone Pine the plan was to follow Hwy 395 north until we eventually reached Lake Tahoe but because of the largest snow totals ever, in the Mammoth Lakes region, a better decision seemed to be to head south. The southern route brought us through Victorville, CA, and onto Route 66 long enough to stop for second breakfast at a wonderful diner called Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe. Our food was fabulous and we discovered the restaurant has been featured on the TV show “Diner’s, Drive-ins and Dives” twice!

Feeling good about our change of plans we traveled further south to Temescal Valley where we’d booked two weeks at a private resort called Glen Eden Sun Club. The name of the resort should have prepared us for the Goldilocks weather here; not too hot, not too cold but just right.

The surprise we weren’t expecting was the sea of orange and yellow flowers painting the hillsides all around us. Thanks to all the recent rain, this area is having a moderate super bloom. Super blooms are rare, well timed acts of nature that cause short bouts of wildflower blooms all at once in a particular area. We are so pleased we haphazardly ended up here in time to see this beautiful phenomenon.

Injustice

 

As you enter the Alabama Hills there is one rock where graffiti isn’t discouraged. In fact if you google, “Nightmare Rock”, you’ll find it listed as a historical landmark. The history of the rock isn’t clear but perhaps it’s meant to be a reminder that this beautiful area also has a dark side.

A few miles from the rock sits Manzanar War Relocation Center. It came into existence, in the spring of 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. War hysteria, race prejudice and a failure of political leadership resulted in 110,000 men, women and children, of Japanese ancestry, being forced from their homes and relocated to remote, military style camps across the United States.

Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where 10,000 people were detained. The majority of them were American citizens. Those 10,000 lives tell 10,000 stories. By preserving and reconstructing portions of the camp, the National Parks Service has made the effort to show what the experience at Manzanar was like and the challenges of daily life there.

In the 1980’s, the US government issued over 82,000 apology letters and redress payments to Japanese Americans impacted by this injustice in order of age, oldest to youngest. The letter stated, “We can never fully right the wrongs of the past. But we can take a clear stand for justice and recognize that serious injustices were done to Japanese Americans during World War II.”

Thank goodness places like Manzanar have been preserved and help us “remember, lest we forget”.

Eastern Sierra

 

After leaving Death Valley we climbed from sea level up and over the White Mountains and are camping in Lone Pine, CA, in the foothills of the Eastern Sierra. Lone Pine is a gateway community to Mt. Whitney; the highest mountain in the continuous United States. We are too early in the season to try to summit this snow capped peak but have enjoyed hiking and exploring within its shadow. 

The incredible scenery near Lone Pine is enhanced by the Alabama Hills; unusual rounded rocks, eroded hills and arches sitting at the base of the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Because of their uniqueness, the Alabama Hills have appeared in over 300 movies; mostly Westerns - although they’ve also served as the backdrop for exotic places like India, the Gobi Desert various parts of Arabia and even Africa in two Tarzan films. We loved touring the Film History Museum, downtown, and couldn’t believe it was dog friendly so Starbaby got to go too!