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.