Travelogue

Day 1 - Shafer Trail Switchbacks / Potash Road

Just before the Shafer Trail SwitchbacksOur main reason for coming to Moab, besides its being an awesome place, was that we had been fortunate enough to get Overnight Backcountry Permits for two consecutive nights along the highly coveted White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, a 100-mile rocky, twisting road down from the rim along switchbacks to the Colorado River, which is done by both 4WD vehicles and mountain bikes. We, of course, were doing it in our 4Runner.

I will explain our travels along the White Rim Trail in the next stop, but for now we had four nights to spend in and around Moab before hitting the White Rim Trail.

Shafer Trail SwitchbacksSince we had stayed in a hotel last night, we decided that tonight we would try to disperse camp somewhere on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. This is something we could never do in the Lazy Daze, but now that we are doing much of our travels in our 4WD 4Runner, the camping opportunities are endless.

Most people don’t know that the BLM maintains and manages over 73,000 miles of roads compared to the measly 47,000 miles in the Interstate Highway System. With that many miles, it’s easy to find an incredibly scenic spot and have it all to yourselves.

Along the Potash RoadWe have several guides to 4WD Trails that we use to select dirt back roads that are scenic, but won’t require us to do ridiculous feats of rock crawling. The Shafer Trail Switchbacks to Potash Road to Moab checked all the boxes for what we were looking for.

After checking in at the Canyonlands Visitor Center to find out about dispersed camping options along the way (and getting contradictory answers from two different rangers), we started our journey from the rim of the canyon zigzagging down the exciting and dramatic switchbacks 1,500 feet to the junction of the White Rim Trail and Potash Road. It actually looks a lot scarier from above than it actually is.

At our campsite at Thelma and Louise Point on the Potash RoadFor now, we would take the Potash Road to Moab, but later this week, we would have to descend these switchbacks again to take our 3 day trip along the White Rim Trail. An overnight backcountry permit is required for that, but the Shafer Trail and Potash Road can be done without one.

The Shafer Trail / Potash Road trail began as a cattle trail in 1917, but when uranium ore was discovered in the late 1940s, the old cattle routes became truck routes to bring ore to Moab.

View from our campsite along the Potash RoadOnce done with the switchbacks, we were on flatter ground tracing the Colorado River and looking up at Dead Horse Point State Park. The road was fairly rough, but very doable in our 4Runner. The scenery was incredible.

It was hard to believe that just this morning we had been cruising along at 80 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and now here we were bouncing along the Colorado River with canyon rims towering above us.

Colorado River from Pyramid ButteThat also meant that we were pretty exhausted and wanted to find a place to settle down and camp for the night. Dispersed camping is not allowed in national parks, so we had to get beyond the boundaries of Canyonland and into BLM land before we could start looking for a campsite for the night.

Herb had done a lot of research before leaving on this trip using Google Earth and Gaia to scout out potential camping spots. His work definitely paid off. That night we camped all by ourselves on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River in the location where the final scene of the movie Thelma and Louise was filmed - the one where they drive their car off the cliff.

The next morning we continued along Potash Road, taking a side trip to Pyramid Butte and another awesome overlook of the river, where we watched several boats cruise by below us.

Herb playing in the potashNot long after that we came to the potash evaporation ponds, owned and operated by the Intrepid Potash company. Potash is a potassium rich salt which is used to make fertilizer and as a component of feed supplement to enhance cows’ milk production.

The way it works is miners pump water from the Colorado River about 4,000 feet underground to reach the potash ore. The water dissolves the soluble potash into a brine, which is then pumped into underground caverns. Once it is fully dissolved, the potash brine is pumped to one of the evaporation ponds.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The water in the ponds is dyed a bright blue to help it absorb sunlight and heat, thereby reducing the time it takes for it to crystallize and be removed for processing.

We have arrivedSo these were the psychedelic blue ponds we had seen in the distance as we drove along the Potash Road. The stark contrast of the dazzling electric blue water against the surrounding red desert was pretty amazing.

There was also quite a bit of the white powdery potash on the ground near the ponds. And here we thought we had left the salt flats back in Bonneville.

Soon we were back on the pavement of Utah 279, which winded its way along the Colorado River to our right, and rock walls filled with climbers on our left. There was even a wall with petroglyphs along the way.

Since we would be doing a lot of camping in the truck later in the week, we decided to set up a Moab base camp for the next few nights at the Expedition Lodge in Moab.

Day 2 - Arrival in Moab and the Fisher Towers hike

Fisher TowersIt felt good to be back in Moab, one of my favorite towns of the West. There's just something special about this place, especially if you love the outdoors. The scenery is incredible, the recreational opportunities are endless, and the town itself is full of life, not to mention some great shops and restaurants. Moab has a personality of its own. We had been to Moab several times before, but it’s the kind of place that you can come back to time and time again and always find something new to do.

Climber atop the corkscrew summit of the Ancient Art formationHowever, Moab had changed a bit since our last visit in 2005 - many more hotels and crowds. Perhaps part of the reason for the crowds was pent-up demand for travel because of Covid easing, and the fact that so many people had come to appreciate outdoor activities when indoor ones had been restricted. We would definitely have to get off the beaten track a bit.

As I mentioned in the overview, Herb and I have been transitioning our mode of travel away from the motorhome towards camping in more remote areas in the 4Runner. However, since there are only so many nights I can take without some basic creature comforts, we try to alternate with stays in nice hotels.

Along the Fisher Towers hikeSince later this week we would be camping out two nights on the White Rim Trail and probably a few nights afterwards, we decided to spoil ourselves and use the Expedition Lodge in Moab as a base camp for the next 3 days and to day excursions from there.

Another change in our usual routine is eating out more often. When convenient, we like to get the big meal out of the way during lunch so that we are freer to wander around and take photos during the evening golden hour.

So, after checking into our hotel, which they very nicely let us do early, we looked at Tripadvisor for nearby restaurant recommendations and chose Arches Thai, which had excellent reviews.

Onion Creek Canyon and the La Sal MountainsAfter lunch, and a brief nap, we set out for our activity of the day - the Fisher Towers hike, which I had selected during my pre-trip research as a must do. Our younger son Tommy, who like his brother is an avid rock climber, climbed this tower a few years back with his girlfriend. We, however, would be admiring it from below.

To get to the trailhead, we drove north on 191 to Highway 128, which we followed for 21 miles along the Colorado River to the turnoff for Fisher Towers Road on the right. The 2.2-mile dirt road to the trailhead is in good condition for passenger cars.

The hike back along the Fisher Towers trailWe were worried about finding parking at the trailhead for this very popular hike, but it was 4:00 already, so we had no trouble finding a spot.

The trailhead is at the base of the towers, so we didn’t have to hike very far before being rewarded with these amazingly stunning hardened-mud monoliths, which look more like ornate baroque architecture than geological formations.

After 1 mile, we reached the base of the 900-foot high Titan, the tallest of the towers. This is the turn around point for many hikers, as it is the most dramatic, but there was still so much more good stuff to come.

Stormy skies on the hike backBy far my favorite rock formation was the corkscrew summit of the Ancient Art formation. This was the climb that my son and his girlfriend had done, and I remember seeing photos of them finishing that climb, on what really did look like a corkscrew. There was a climber on it now.

After about 45 minutes, we reached a metal ladder which we used to climb down into a gully from which we then climbed out of via a short set of rock ledges.

From there, we ascended to a level saddle on a peninsula that brought us to an overlook above Onion Creek Canyon with sweeping vistas across the Colorado River Canyon and into the La Sal Mountains. It was absolutely lovely.

Golden hour along Onion Creek RoadFrom there we retraced our way 2.5 miles back to the trailhead. I never mind out-and-back trails because the views coming back are always different. In this case, the lighting had completely changed, so everything looked different - not the brilliant red of golden hour that we were still too early for, but some pretty dramatic storm clouds over the towers.

Rather than head directly back from Moab, I convinced Herb to stick around for the golden hour, when the rocks light up a brilliant red. To do that, we drove a short distance down Onion Creek Road, which was just a few miles down the road from the Fisher Towers Road. We made sandwiches for dinner and watched as the nearby formations put on a bit of a show. I kept wondering what was happening now at the Fisher Towers, but you never know.

Now back to the Expedition Lodge to rest up for the next day’s adventure.

Day 3 - Mountain Biking the single-track trails of Dead Horse Point State Park and Off-roading through Onion Creek

Mountain Biking the single-track trails at Dead Horse Point State ParkI love mountain biking and Moab is pretty much the definitive mountain biking capital of the United States, with hundreds of miles of epic trails and slickrock to ride, including its world famous Slickrock Bike Trail.

However, we are now pushing 65 years old, and although we are in good shape, I think the time for riding those trails has long passed.

While researching the trip, I came very close to giving up on finding a mountain biking option, both for fear of killing ourselves and also the logistics of getting a rental bike to an appropriate trailhead.

View along our mountain bike rideThen, while searching for easy mountain bike trails in Moab, I came up with the ultimate solution - the Intrepid Trail System at Dead Horse Point State Park, which has 17 miles of singletrack trails with beginner to intermediate trails. My joy was complete when I further discovered Bighorn Mountain Bikes, a rental facility located within the Park right at the trailhead. I was very, very excited.

May is high season in Moab, so just to ensure that we wouldn’t be disappointed, we called two days ahead of time to reserve our bike rentals.

Overlook along the mountain bike trailWe got there around 9:30, anxious to take full advantage of our day. The bikes had to be returned by 3:00. It was a perfect weather day, not too windy and about 10 degrees cooler than in Moab, since we were about 1,500 feet higher.

The guy that was running the shop was very helpful, both in terms of setting us up with very good mountain bikes and with making recommendations as to the trails we should start out on.

We soon found out that Moab’s view of a beginner trail is different from ours. Fortunately, we are pretty experienced mountain bikers, so although some of the trails might have been a little challenging, they were certainly doable - and lots of fun!

Grand View Point, Dead Horse Point State ParkThe trails on the east side of the main park road were easier than those on the west, so we started off on the Great Pyramid, a beginner/intermediate trail that took us to the lovely Pyramid Canyon Overlook, where we dragged our bikes to the rim’s edge for a photo opp. It was sort of like standing on the rim of a mini Grand Canyon.

I think the intermediate parts were the rock ledges that we had to navigate. The scariest ones for me were when there were a series of them, like steps. If it got too challenging, I just got off and walked the bike through them.

Setting out on the Onion Creek RoadBack on our bikes, we continued on the Great Pyramid Trail to the Desert View Overlook, another awesome spot where we once again dragged our bikes.

Rather than continue on to the Visitor Center, we headed north on the Raven Roll trail, which was rated Beginner - no big ledges to climb here.

When we got back to the Great Pyramid junction, we took a right so that we could do the Big Chief Loop in the recommended counter-clockwise direction. This trail was rated Intermediate/Beginner as opposed to the Beginner/Intermediate Great Pyramid trail, which I guess meant that it was a little harder. However, now we were warmed up and ready to handle a bit more challenging situations.

This trail brought us to the Big Chief Overlook, another amazing view, where we took a break and ate our lunch and took in the scenery.

Along the Onion Creek RoadRather than head directly back to return our bikes, we came to the Crossroads (Intermediate/Beginner) trail 8.8 miles into our ride and decided to take it. It was called Crossroads because it crossed the main park road and brought us towards the more difficult trails on the west side of the road.

That trail was so much fun, roller coasting along a sandy trail through sagebrush and pinyon trees. No big views of canyons and rivers, but just a fun ride. I’m not sure why this was rated Intermediate at all, as it was probably the easiest trail we had been on.

Along the Onion Creek RoadWe went about a mile and a half out and then back again, before taking the right on Raven Roll which led us back to Bighorn Mountain Bikes.

Our total distance for the day was 12 ½ miles with a 750-foot elevation gain.

It was absolutely awesome. Definitely a trip highlight for us.

After we returned our bikes, we drove our car to the Dead Horse Point Overlook, which is the main attraction at the State Park because of its incredible views. From the overlook parking lot, we walked a short distance in both directions to take in the breathtaking views of an oxbow in the Colorado River and the adjacent canyon country.

Along the Onion Creek RoadWe could even see the Potash Road which we had driven on two days ago and Thelma and Louise Point where we had camped. So, I guess this was the view we were looking up at.

That evening, rather than just relaxing in our hotel room, we decided to drive back up HIghway 128 along the Colorado River to drive the off-road portion of Onion Creek Road up through the Canyon. We certainly were running this vacation at a pretty frenetic pace, and it was only Day 4. Hopefully, we could keep this up without crashing and burning.

Dinner with a viewAlthough we had been on Onion Creek Road last night, we hadn’t driven the off-road portion which starts near the Onion Creek Campground. The road follows the creek, crossing and recrossing it about two dozen times. Fortunately, the water was low enough to not be an issue.

After a couple of miles, the canyon got quite narrow, surrounded by red sandstone walls and tall spires. After about 7 miles the canyon opened up to a lovely valley, the same one that we had looked out on from the end of our Fisher Towers hike.

The dinner viewAt this point, we turned around and retraced our steps back out through the narrow canyons, crossing the stream another two dozen times.

The light was getting good, so Herb and I pulled over on the main on-road portion of Onion Creek Road to make dinner - weisswurst and roasted vegetables that we had made and vacuum sealed before leaving (very very handy for a healthy meal).

I would say that it was a pretty full day, and we had one more before starting the real reason for us being in Moab - driving the 100-mile White Rim Trail.

Time to get back to base camp at the Expedition Lodge.

Day 4 - Grandstaff Trail hIke to Morning Glory Natural Bridge and Arches National Park

Setting off on the Grandstaff Trail hIke to Morning Glory Natural BridgeThis was our last full day in Moab before hitting the White Rim Trail. Originally, I thought I would like to spend a day in Arches National Park, but because of the big surge in tourists in Moab, the lineup of cars to get in each morning extended all the way back to Highway 191. Crazy!

Instead we chose the Grandstaff Canyon hike to Morning Glory Bridge. The trailhead is three miles east on HIghway 128.

Along the Grandstaff Trail to the Morning Glory Natural BridgeIt was a wonderfully cool morning, the perfect day for a hike. This is a very popular hike, so we were pleased to find that there was plenty of parking at the trailhead.

We set off on the trail, which briefly led us over slickrock before becoming a sandy path that ran through lush vegetation (mostly cottonwoods, Gambel oaks, and poison ivy) along a lovely perennial creek. About a mile into the hike, we had to cross the stream, for what would be the first of about ten crossings.

The beautiful steep canyon walls of Navajo sandstone provided us with shade throughout most of the morning.

Rappeller descending from top of Morning Glory Natural BridgeAt about 1.3 miles, there is a brushy tributary canyon to the right, but we continued on along the sandy main trail towards the Morning Glory Natural Bridge.

At 1.9 miles we came to a junction, where we left the main canyon and took a right into the tributary canyon at the end of which lay the Morning Glory Natural Bridge. The trail climbed a bit and soon the Bridge came into view.

Since it crosses the back of the canyon and is narrowly separated from the rock wall behind it, it was difficult to appreciate until we stood directly beneath its very impressive 243-foot-long span. In fact, it's the 6th longest rock span in the U.S.

Rappeller descending from top of Morning Glory Natural BridgeWhen we approached the bridge, we noticed some people rappelling down from the top of it. I spoke to one of them, who informed me that they were on a guided trip in which they were bussed to a trailhead, hiked to the top of the arch, rappelled down it, and now would hike out on the path that we had just hiked in on. In Moab, there are guided tours for everything.

Although Morning Glory looked very much like an arch, it is more correctly a natural bridge. The major difference is that arches are formed by weathering and erosion, while natural bridges are formed by water. While most bridges are formed by streams, Morning Glory is a bit unique in that it was carved at the base of a waterfall. That is why it is so close (15 feet) to the cliff behind it over which the waterfall once cascaded.

The waterfall doesn’t flow much these days, but there is a seep spring near the bridge which feeds Morning Glory pool.

From there, we turned around and retraced our steps 2.5 miles back to the trailhead. It was much hotter and more crowded on our way back - two reasons to get started early on a hike.

Poison Spider Mesa Dinosaur TracksBack in Moab, we stopped for lunch at the Moab Brewery, a place we had visited on past visits to Moab. It has good food, great beers, an upbeat atmosphere, and friendly service. They brew their beers right on site and most of them are quite good. I personally enjoyed the Juicy Johnnie IPA while Herb had a Hefeweizen.

We had an afternoon to kill, so we decided to take the advice of our favorite trip planning book - Photographing the Southwest, as it has never failed to take us to beautiful places. This was a questionable one, however, in that it required us to drive a short portion of the Poison Spider Mesa 4WD road, one of the most challenging trails in Moab. The author assured us that the first 2 miles weren’t that bad and that it would bring us to an amazing set of rocks and fins known as “Behind the Rocks.”

Poison Spider Mesa PetroglyphsWell, after crawling along over rocks of all shapes and sizes at about 3 mph on the first mile, we said it just wasn’t worth it. It’s not as if we had had a shortage of beautiful rocks and fins.

We would just have to settle for the dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs that could be reached via a 0.3-mile hike from the Poison Spider Mesa parking lot. The petroglyphs, which were similar in style to the others we had seen along the Colorado River around Moab, were easy to find

The dinosaur tracks were a little more challenging, but still pretty obvious. Herb, who has a much greater love for dinosaurs than me, was extremely pleased when he found them.

Fiery Furnaces - Arches NPThe tracks represent up to 10 different individual animals. The rocks containing the tracks fell from the cliffs above us, spitting along the bedding plane where they were preserved.

The larger tracks were from a dinosaur called Eubrontes, which was just over 5.6 feet tall at the hip. The smaller ones were that of a Grallator, which was just 1.5 feet tall, similar in size to a modern-day turkey. Not exactly T-Rex. Still it was quite cool.

Sand Dune ArchOn the way back to the hotel, we passed the entrance to Arches National Park at around 5:30 and noticed that there was no long line of cars like we had seen on other afternoons, so we decided to drive in. We had no real agenda, as we had been here many times before, but we felt it was definitely worth a drive through again.

We drove directly to the Fiery Furnace section, where a group of huge red sandstone fins form a maze of narrow canyons and dead-end passageways. It is so confusing, that visitors are only allowed in the maze on a ranger-led tour. We had been on one of these tours back in 2005, and it was pretty awesome. For now, we satisfied ourselves with looking at the exterior of them from the overlook.

Balance Rock with a Lenticular "fish" cloudBased on our photo guide, we did discover a new place that we had never known about - the Sand Dune Arch, a hidden arch, just a mile and a half before the end of the park road.

From the Sand Dune Arch trailhead, we followed a path for a short distance toward a section of sandstone fins. At the junction, we turned right onto a sandy path which brought us between two rows of sandstone fins to a beautiful arch flanked by the fins. Beneath the arch is its namesake sand dune.

On the drive out of the park, we noticed a lenticular (flying saucer like) cloud hovering over Balanced Rock. It looked like a giant fish. I told Herb to pull over as soon as he could, and I proceeded to run up and down the road like a maniac trying to position the cloud so that it would appear to be sitting atop Balanced Rock, like a cap.

North Window ArchOur last stop on the park drive was a side trip to the Windows section where there are a series of easy to reach, impressive arches. We were starting to lose the light, so I made a mad dash from the car up to the North Window, hoping to capture the iconic shot of the Turret Arch framed within the arch’s opening. Too late. Also, I forgot that it is a bit precarious positioning oneself on a rock behind North Arch to capture this shot.

Well, Arches National Park had definitely been an unexpected bonus to an already action-packed day.

Tomorrow we would start the 100-mile drive along the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park.

Travelogue

Lolo looking very please at the Salt Flats CafeOur first real destination this trip was Moab, Utah, but 17 hours of driving is just too much in one day. However, rather than have the first day be a total waste, we decided to shoot for reaching the Bonneville Flats in the town of Wendover, Utah, just over the border from Nevada, so close that we could still see the neon lights from the casinos.

We had been here once before in 2015 during our migration West when we moved from New Jersey to California. Seemed so long ago. Now we were true westerners.

Plus, we knew of a great Mexican restaurant called the Salt Flats Cafe, with ample portions of delicious food at a very reasonable price. It was nothing fancy. In fact, it was located in a Sinclair station truck stop back near the entrance to the Flats.

I was still a little nervous about eating indoors in a restaurant, but we were fully vaccinated and it was quite empty at this late hour right before their closing. The food and service did not disappoint.

Evening at the Bonneville Salt FlatsHerb ordered the Pancho Special which featured a chile verde burrito, steak tostada, steak enchilada, rice and beans - all for $7.95. This was the exact meal he had ordered 6 years ago, except then it cost $6.95. Herb tends to stick with a good thing when he finds it. I’d like to think that that is why we have been happily married for 35 years.

The ambience is great as well - rustic, casual, with photos of Salt Flats racers covering the walls. The colorful chairs with Mexican motifs were really cool as well.

Morning on the Bonneville SpeedwayAfter dinner, we took a drive to take a peek at the Bonneville Speedway, which is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks because of its contribution to land speed racing, which has been going on here each year in August since 1914. It was on this 12-mile long salt flat that the 300, 400, 500, and 600 mile-per-hour land speed barriers were broken.

It was dark, we were tired, and the last thing we wanted to do today was drive some more, so we went back to the hotel.

The next morning, we returned to the Speedway and drove out onto the salt. The last time we were here there was a shallow layer of water covering much of the flats, so cars were not allowed on. In fact, the races were even canceled two years in a row because of too much water.

Lolo vs. 4Runner on the SpeedwayToday the flats were dry and a brilliant white - after all, they are 90% table salt. Near the center of the flats, the salt crust is almost 5 feet thick, but it tapers off to about 1 inch along the edges.

Herb got up to about 80 mph that day - not quite the land speed record, but still fun.

It was only after we got off the flats that we saw that the running boards and back bumper of the truck were completely encrusted in a thick coating of salt, which wouldn’t come off no matter how hard we tried.

Oh well, now onto the red rocks of Moab.

Travelogue

20 Lakes Basin HikeWe had managed to get a Yosemite day permit so that we could drive through Tuolumne Meadows to get home. These day permits were implemented during Covid to restrict the number of people visiting the park each day. It does not, however, allow you to stay overnight in the park, for that you need a camping reservation. The Tuolumne Meadows Campground wasn’t even open this summer anyway, so there really was no place to stay.

I suggested we do a hike on the way home, so we chose an old favorite from many years ago - the 20 Lakes Basin hike, a very popular 8.4 mile loop hike route past 8 beautiful alpine lakes. Not sure why it’s called 20 Lakes Basin, but I imagine you can lengthen the hike to find the other 12.

The hike is technically not in Yosemite, but just outside its eastern boundary in the Hoover Wilderness Area. Since it was outside the park, we thought maybe we could camp there after we finished our hike.

20 Lakes Basin HikeHowever, apparently, so did everyone else. Every possible spot there was to pull over was already taken by someone that obviously planned to spend the night there. Oh well. We would just do the hike and then continue on home.

The trail begins at the southern end of 10,087-foot-high Saddlebag Lake near the Resort parking area. There is a water taxi which goes between the Resort and the far north end of the lake, saving hikers about a mile and a half. Back in 2015, the cost of the ferry was $8 one-way or $13 round-trip. Not sure what it is now.

Since we were there to hike, we skipped the water taxi and headed off along the suggested eastern shore of the lake, which although slightly longer than the trail along the western shore, offers more scenic views.

Once we reached the ferry dock at the northern end of the lake (at about 2.2 miles) we chose to do the loop in a clockwise direction. The trail gradually began to ascend as we approached tiny Wasco Lake at 10,325 feet.

20 Lakes Basin HikeThe trail continued on relatively flat terrain to the larger Steelhead Lake with breathtaking views of North Peak and the granite summit of Shepherd Crest.

After passing a small, unnamed lake (I was still counting it though), we continued through a pretty meadow along a talus slope to Shamrock Lake whose shores were ringed by rocky meadows and stunted white-bark pines growing amidst its granite ledges. North Peak and Mount Conness loomed towards the southwest.

At 4.5 miles, we were slightly past our halfway mark and we had already passed 6 lakes. At this point, the trail got a bit sketchy as we descended the headwall to the basin that cradles Shamrock and Steelhead Lakes towards Helen Lake, which would be the northernmost point of our hike before heading back towards Saddlebag Lake. The trail required a bit of rock scrambling on scree-covered slopes and the crossing of a creek to get around the northern end of Helen Lake. We were back at 10,107 feet, about the elevation we had started at.

20 Lakes Basin HikeAt the northeast end of Helen Lake, we came to a trail junction. To the left, was the trail towards Lundy Canyon and to the right the continuation of our loop hike back to Saddlebag Lake.

From the trail junction, we turned right and proceeded up a steep rocky gorge towards Odell Lake, another pretty alpine lake tucked in a rocky bowl and surrounded by steep multi-hued cliffs.

Then it was on and up through Lundy Pass at 10,345 feet before descending once more to pretty little Hummingbird Lake nestled in a shallow bowl beneath Tioga Crest.

We continued descending to a trail junction near the northern end of Saddlebag Lake. Although we were quite tired, we didn’t even consider taking the ferry back as we wanted to complete the loop as a hike.

Up the rocky gorge on the 20 Lakes Basin hikeThe trail along the western shore was nothing like the smooth dirt road we had started out on along the eastern side of the lake. It was very rocky and not exactly what I was looking for at this late point in the hike.

However, we soon were back at the Saddlebag Resort, pleasantly exhausted after what was a really spectacular hike – 8.8 miles, 928 feet of elevation gain, 9 beautiful alpine lakes, and breathtaking views all along the way.

All in all, a very good day, except for the fact that we still had to drive home.

Travelogue

Mono LakeHello again Mono Lake! We’re back!

Herb just loves this place. I do too, but probably not quite as much as he does. Brine flies and gnats tend to like me more than they do him.

As I mentioned in our previous stop in Bishop, the Neowise Comet was appearing in the sky every night after sunset, and we thought if we could capture it over the tufas, that would be pretty awesome. Spoiler alert - that didn’t exactly happen, but we still had a good time and got to see it again. I don’t think we’re going to make it to its next appearance in 6,800 years.

Just like Neowise, which appears in the same spot just under the Big Dipper each night, we appeared back at the same camping spot we had stayed at earlier this trip.

Tufa furniture storeAfter learning the hard way, and getting muck up to our knees, we now knew the way to navigate our way around the springs and marshy parts to get down to the water’s edge without mishap.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the area between our campsite amongst the tufas along the lake’s shore.

During an attempt to get back to the truck without getting mucky, I took a different way back and discovered a very different strange-looking type of tufa. Rather than grandeously rising towards the sky like a castle or tower, these were low and boxlike, more like furniture than castles.

Mono LakeSometimes it pays to have a bad sense of direction, because it leads you to new things. When I showed Herb the photo of them later, he said, “where did you find them?” Sometimes you just have to wander aimlessly, and even cluelessly.

As the afternoon wore on, some clouds moved in. Usually, this was a good thing because they made sunsets more dramatic, but not so good if you were trying to see a comet move through the night sky. Oh well, it is what it is. We would just have to wait and see what unfolded.

Our campsite on Mono LakeSunset wasn’t until 8:15 tonight, so we had a lot of time to kill before finding out. While we’re waiting, let’s talk a little about the Neowise Comet.

First, what is the difference between a meteor and a comet, although they are both very exciting things to see in the night sky.

A meteoroid is a lump of rock or iron that orbits the sun. Occasionally, they crash through the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up (usually before reaching Earth) resulting in a streak of light across the sky. When that happens the meteoroid is now called a meteor. It happens quickly and you can miss it if you blink.

Neowise over Mono LakeComets on the other hand are frozen leftovers from the formation of the stars and planets billions of years ago. They are composed of ice, rock, and dust and range from a few miles to tens of miles - much larger than a meteoroid. When one of these large balls of ice gets close enough to the sun, some of the ice melts, and that melted ice becomes a gaseous tail that extends away from the Sun and is pushed out by the Sun's solar wind. Unlike a meteor, a comet takes its time as it crosses the night sky. That is because it is millions and millions of miles away from us.

Also comets are predictable, in that we know when they are passing through again, and repetitive, in that they will re-appear, in Neowise's cast, just below the Big Dipper, after sunset for nine consecutive nights. In this case, from July 15th through July 23. This was July 18th, so we should now be in the thick of it.

Okay, enough of that. Now let’s see if we can see the real thing.

The skies were still quite cloudy, but Herb did manage to get a photo of Neowise in a clearing. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he had also managed to capture a meteor streaking through the atmosphere, up and to the left of the comet at about 11:00. Really tough to see in the photo, but it was there.

Travelogue

Along the drive up Silver CanyonAndrew and Celeste were working, so Herb and I decided to go to the the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest for an overnighter.

The Bristlecones are due east from Bishop, about 15 miles as the crow flies, but a much longer 40 mile drive south to Big Pine on 395 and then right back up north on 168. However, with a High Clearance 4WD there is a much more direct way up Silver Canyon. It might not save much on time, but it certainly was more scenic.

So rather than going south on 395 to Big Pine, we drove 4 miles north from Andrew’s on U.S. 6 and made a right onto Silver Canyon Road.

During the drive up Silver CanyonThe road was very steep, climbing from 4,200 feet to 10,400 feet in elevation in just 11.4 miles. We had to make several stream crossings, but the water wasn’t too deep. The last part of the drive became steeper and narrower, with tight switchbacks, but nothing really technical.

We stopped a few times to look back at the tremendous view out over the Owens Valley with the Sierra behind, which is why the 4WD book recommends taking this road down rather than up.

Eventually we came out onto the White Mountain Road which would bring us to the Ancient Bristlecones, the world’s oldest known living organism, some of them dating back as far as 5,000 years ago.

Lolo and the Patriarch TreeThey are very photogenic, each of them individually sculpted by thousands of years of wind, ice, and extreme exposure to the elements. Their twisted and contorted shapes are evidence of their ability to not only survive, but to thrive in adverse living conditions. It’s funny how the harshest growing conditions produce trees that live the longest and are the most contorted and interesting. There’s much to be said for tough love.

There are two groves in the Park: the Patriarch Grove and the Schulman Grove. We decided to go first to the Patriarch Grove first, hoping to be able to camp somewhere nearby, to catch the evening and morning light on the bristlecones. The Grandview Campground, the only official one in the Ancient Bristlecones, was closed due to Covid.

Lolo wanting a different perspective of a bristleconeWhen we got to the Patriarch Grove parking area, a sign very clearly stated “No camping,” so, so much for that. Herb mentioned that another camping possibility was the White Mountain trailhead about 5 miles up a dirt road. Since it was outside the boundaries of the Ancient Bristlecones and used as a starting point for backpacking trips, camping was permitted.

There are two short trails in the area. We set off first on the quarter-mile long Timberline Ancients trail, which loops through the grove containing the Patriarch Tree, the world’s largest bristlecone pine, with a 36-foot diameter. I made Herb take a picture of me happily nestled within its gnarly arms.

Afterwards, we took the half-mile long Cottonwood Basin Overlook trail, which led up to a vista point looking out over Cottonwood Basin and back overlooking the Patriarch Grove, which we had walked through earlier. We could even see the ranges of the Great Basin to the east.

Along the ride from the Patriarch Grove to the White Mountain TrailheadWe were still unsure what to do about camping, so while waiting for the light to get lower, we took a drive out to the White Mountain Trailhead, where Herb thought we might be able to spend the night. The 5-mile drive there was worth it, even if just for the beautiful scenery along the way.

When we got to the parking lot there were half a dozen cars there and room for plenty more. We would have to see what we felt like later.

In the meantime, we drove back to the Patriarch Grove to see it in the changing evening light. As the sun got low, so did the temperatures. After all, we were at 11,300 feet.

Lolo sets out on the Methuselah TrailThe debate about camping here got a little tense. I like to follow the rules and didn’t feel at all comfortable staying in a parking lot that clearly said, “No Camping.” Herb felt like others were doing it and that it really was the only way to get good photographs after dark.

I won, and Herb very begrudgingly agreed to move the car to a legit spot. He didn’t want to drive the windy road up to the White Mountain Trailhead in the dark, so we just drove a few miles down White Mountain Road to a pullout with a really nice view over the mountains. Herb informed me in the morning that we were still within the boundaries of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, so this was probably not allowed as well. Oh well.

Along the Methuselah Trail in the Schulman GroveThe next morning we drove to the other grove in the park, the Schulman Grove, where the Visitor Center is, although it was closed now due to Covid. From the Visitor Center there are two trails: the 1-mile Discovery Trail and the 5-mile Methuselah Trail

We took the Methuselah Trail, named for the oldest documented living tree in the world which lives along this trail. It is estimated to be over 4,750 years old. Unfortunately, although we would most likely see it, we wouldn’t know when, because its location is kept a secret, for fear that someone might cut it down or harm it in some way. How sad is that?

The trail was lovely, winding its way for 4 ½ miles through bristlecone pines, both ancient and new – some of the baby ones were probably only about a thousand years old.

They are truly beautiful trees, with a rich red-brown colored wood, and their twisted and gnarled branches, shaped by the extreme wind and harsh environment they grow in. They thrive under adversity - what a wonderful trait.

Old Miner's cabin made of railroad ties along the Wyman Creek RoadWe decided to take a different way back to Bishop, along the 4WD Wyman Creek Trail, an old mining and pole line road that would bring us down to 168 and eventually Big Pine.

The trailhead, which was at 10,500 feet, wasn’t far from the Schulman Visitor Center - just a few miles on White Mountain Road, then a short distance on Silver Canyon.

We weren’t on the Wyman Creek road for even a mile before we came upon a quaint old miner’s cabin made of railroad ties and a tin corrugated roof. When I peeked through it’s open door, I felt like an old silver prospector calling on a friend.

The road passed the now abandoned White Mountain City, an old 1860s silver processing town. All that remained were some stone walls and smelter stacks.

Crossing Wyman CreekThe road continued steadily downhill through gentle switchbacks into Wyman Canyon, passing the now abandoned White Mountain City, an old 1860s silver processing town. All that remained were some stone walls and smelter stacks.

After this point, the road started to criss-cross the canyon’s stream several times, but fortunately it was fairly shallow and mellow. I can imagine that after a storm, it is a very different story.

After a few miles more of following the stream, we came out into an open boulder field before arriving at Highway 168. Asphalt again.

Unlike our shortcut from Bishop up Silver Canyon to the Bristlecones, we had really taken the long way around this time. It was an hour drive from here back through Big Pine and then up to Bishop.

What a great road. It felt like a journey through time.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival

Our sons climbing at Pine Creek CanyonWe were unbelievably excited to see the kids, and very happy to be back in Bishop, a place that Herb and I had discovered years ago, never thinking we would have a son that would actually move there. Although we did miss them terribly, now being 6.5 hours away, it did make for some high-quality family time when we visited - which was quite often.

Day 2 - Sport climbing in Pine Creek Canyon and Offroad Motorcycling in the Buttermilks

Whenever we come to Bishop, we know that we’re going to spend a good deal of our time rock climbing.

Lolo attempts the GimpenatorBishop is famous for its climbing, and people from all over the country come here to climb at one of its numerous premier climbing crags: the Buttermilks, Volcanic Tablelands, Pine Creek Canyon, and Owens River Gorge. In fact, the excellent climbing opportunities are the major reason Andrew and Celeste chose to move here.

This morning we chose to go to Pine Creek Canyon, a stunningly beautiful canyon nestled between Mount Tom and the Wheeler Crest, famous for its large collection of sport climbs - the only type of climbing that Herb and I now do in our senior years. Even if you don’t climb, the hike into the canyon itself was worth the trip.

However, climb we did - all of us, even me. They got me to try to do a repeat performance on Gimpenator, a 5.8 that I had successfully “sent” in the past. This time, however, I ignored all their instructions (better known as “beta”) as to staying on route, and continued going where I felt more secure. This resulted in a more dramatic fall when it inevitably happened and I swung and wound up upside down. Nothing hurt, just my pride. Maybe next time, I will take their “beta” more seriously.

Andrew and Celeste along the Buttermilk LoopWeekends are precious to the un-retired, so Herb and I have to keep up with them on what are often multi-event days. No time for naps. Tommy and Erin had to get back to San Francisco, so we said our goodbyes to them, and then discussed what we should do with the rest of our day. Andrew and Celeste suggested going off-roading out in the Buttermilks, them on their motorcycles and us in our 4Runner.

Since they moved to Bishop, both Andrew and Celeste have bought off-road motorcycles to enjoy the hundreds of miles of off-road trails in the area. The opportunities are endless. Today we followed them for about 20 miles along the scenic, bumpy Buttermilk Loop. Celeste has only been riding for a very short time, so having a support vehicle following was probably a good idea. Celeste did great - very impressive.

Day 3 - Hike to Duck Pass

Along the Duck Pass TrailToday Herb and I were on our own, which meant that rather than rock climbing, we could choose a more age-appropriate activity, like hiking.

It gets very hot in Bishop in July, making it too hot to hike. However, the really nice thing about living in this area is that if you want cool temps, you can just drive an hour from Bishop (elevation 4,150) to Mammoth Lakes Basin (elevation 9,000 feet) and feel like you’ve entered a new season.

The Mammoth Lakes Basin is absolutely gorgeous with over a dozen lakes and 50 miles of hiking trails. Today we planned to do the hike over Duck Pass to Duck Lake, a 9.5-mile out and back with over 2,100 feet of elevation gain.

Looking down at Barney Lake on the way to Duck PassWe probably should have known better than to do this hike on a weekend, because this area is extremely popular. There was absolutely no parking at the trailhead, which is located in Coldwater Campground near Lake Mary. We almost gave up, but then found a spot about ½ mile away along the side of the road near the lake. I guess we were turning our 9.5-mile hike into a 10.5 one.

The trail climbed pretty steadily from the start and didn’t let up for 5 miles until we reached Duck Pass. The scenery, however, was beautiful enough to be distracting. The first two lakes we passed - Arrowhead and Skelton, each had spur trails down to its shores. We did not take them, but admired them from afar.

Crossing the scree and rocks on the way to Duck PassThe main trail did, however, come right alongside the northeastern shore of Barney Lake, but then veered further away from the lake before leading up a steep series of switchbacks to a wonderful view back over Barney Lake.

Another ¾ of a mile or so of more steep climbing brought us to Duck Pass (elevation 10,800 feet), located on a broad saddle along the Pacific Crest.

Atop the Pass we came to a fork. To the left was Pika Lake, about 1-mile further around the northern end of Duck Lake, tucked beneath rugged cliffs. To the right was Duck Lake, also set surrounded by jagged peaks.

Finally, Duck LakeI think we couldn’t go wrong, whatever we chose. Herb had read somewhere that Pika Lake was really beautiful, so we started off to the left. However, when we hiked about a tenth of a mile down the steep Pika Lake trail, which we would have to hike back up later, we both decided that after 5 miles of steep uphill climbing to get to the Pass, we were pretty done with the uphill stuff.

Instead, we retraced our steps back to the Pass and turned onto the Duck Lake trail, which led us along a ridge overlooking the lake, with no elevation change. Eventually this trail would lead down to and along the western shore of Duck Lake, but we stayed up on the ridge and had lunch overlooking lovely Duck Lake, cradled in a huge cirque of jagged 11,000-foot peaks.

From there we retraced our way 5+ miles back to the trailhead. I never mind out-and-back trails because the views coming back are always different.

Day 4 - Overnighter to Ancient Bristlecones

See next stop

Day 5 - More Offroad Motorcycling

Offroading through the Sierra FoothillsAfter our return from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, we spent a few more days hanging out with Andrew and Celeste and enjoying more of the great outdoor activities Bishop has to offer, which are pretty endless.

Andrew and Celeste had to work the first day we got back, so Herb and I just hung around the house doing laundry and sorting through all the photos we had taken.

When they finished work, we took another trip out the Buttermilks with their offroad motorcycles to follow them in our 4Runner along the incredible dirt trails of the Sierra Foothills. Celeste was getting better and better each time she went out. It was fun following them and I think they felt more comfortable having a support crew along, especially since Celeste was pretty new to this.

Day 6 - Hike to Lake Sabrina, Night climbing at the Buttermilks

Hiking the rock steps on the way to Lake SabrinaThe following day Andrew and Celeste had to work again, so Herb and I went off on our own to hike to Lake Sabrina, pronounced "Sah-bry-nuh" by the locals, which my now “Bishop local” son kept trying to reinforce in me every time I said "Sah-bree-nuh".

The trailhead was only 20 miles from Andrew’s house, just up Highways 168, through the town of Aspendell. There was no parking left along the road, so we parked at the end of the road in the parking lot for the boat ramp, and walked back down the road a short distance to the dam to the trailhead.

Lake SabrinaFrom here we hiked south along the east side of the lake which remained pretty flat for about a mile, after which it began to climb steadily and veer away from the shore. As the trail steepened, we crossed over several open rocky areas, and at around 2 miles we came to an awesome view of Lake Sabrina and the ridge of the Piute Crags to the northwest.

Blue LakeWe continued to climb, leaving the forest behind and proceeding through rocky areas, over granite slabs and up a series of rock steps.

After more switchbacks, at about 3 miles we reached the outlet stream for Blue Lake, where there were a series of logs we could use to maneuver across. I’m not great at balancing on logs, but fortunately I made it across without drama.

From there we walked about a quarter mile along the western side of lovely Blue Lake and found a sunny rock slab to have lunch. We were at an elevation of 10,400 feet, but we had been acclimating over the past week, so we felt fine.

Evening at the ButtermilksAfter lunch, we retraced our steps back over the outlet stream crossing, and hiked down the steep trail we had ascended. Lake Sabrina was in even better light on the way down, so we stopped again to gaze and take a photo.

The entire hike had been 7.6 miles with an elevation gain of 1,534 feet, and at elevation, so we felt it was a good workout.

When we got back to Bishop, Andrew and Celeste were just finishing up work, and wanted to have some fun too, so after dinner we headed out to the Buttermilks for some night-time bouldering.

Night time bouldering in the ButtermilksSounded good to us. The Buttermilks are absolutely stunning in the early evening. The sunsets over Mt. Tom are quite dramatic, especially if there are a few clouds to light up the sky.

We had watched them boulder many, many times before, but never in the dark. It was kind of cool to watch them finding their way up the rock with the light from their headlamps. It actually seemed very effective.

When they were finished, and we were walking back to the car, we saw a bright light (with a tail) in the sky just below the Big Dipper. That’s right! Comet Neowise was in town. As if this scene wasn’t already breathtaking enough, now we were throwing an every 6,800 year astronomical event into it.

Sunset over Mt. TomUnlike a meteor, which just zips through the sky so fast that if you blink your eyes you miss it, a comet takes its time as it crosses the night sky. That is because it is millions and millions of miles away from us.

A major difference is that comets are predictable, in that we know when they are passing through again, and repetitive, in that they will re-appear, in Neowise's cast, just below the Big Dipper, after sunset for nine consecutive nights. In this case, from July 15th through July 23. This was July 16th, so we would have more opportunities to see it all next week.

An added bonus is that since Neowise is an especially bright comet, it is visible in the night sky with the naked eye.

Neowise Comet over the Buttermilks

Day 7 - Camping out at the Buttermilks to photograph the Neowise Comet

We decided to stay another night in Bishop, so that we could camp out in the Buttermilks and watch Neowise cross the night sky. There was a hill just beyond the climbing area that we thought would be the perfect spot.

The hill is short but steep and is best done in a 4WD. When we got to the top there was another couple already up there already with a tripod set up, but we knew they weren't camping overnight because they had left their car at the bottom of the hill.

It was a lovely night and Neowise was punctual as always.

The next morning, we stopped in at Andrew and Celeste's to stay goodbye before heading towards home, with one more night camping at Mono Lake, which we thought would be a great location, with its very dark skies, to see Neowise once more.

Travelogue

Our campsite by Mono LakeThe drive along the Tioga Road east to Mono Lake is dramatically beautiful, with views of Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs, Ellery and Tioga Lakes, and the Lee Vining Canyon along the way. I feel bad that Herb, as the one driving the motorhome down this precariously steep and twisty road, doesn’t get to appreciate the scenery. We always breathe a sigh of relief when we Mono Lake comes into view and we know we have reached flatter ground.

For anyone traveling through the Eastern Sierras, a stop at the Mono Lake to see the “tufa castles” is a must. It’s a place like no other.

We absolutely love Mono Lake. It is such a unique and otherworldly place. Besides being over a million years old, and probably the oldest continuously existing lake in North America, it is 2 ½ times saltier than the ocean and 80 times more alkaline.

A little mucky to get to the tufasThe other unique feature of this lake is its mystical “tufa castles” formed when carbonates in the water combined with calcium from freshwater springs feeding into the lake. As the lake levels dropped over the years, these extraordinary-looking knobs, spires, and minarets became exposed. Most of the towers visible in the lake are from 200 to 900 years old and rise as high as 30 feet above the water. The largest concentration of them can be found along the southern shore of the lake at the South Tufa State Reserve, just ½ mile west of Navy Beach.

Our kayaks weren’t along this time, so rather than paddling out to Paoha Island like we usually do, we drove our 4WD 4Runner along the sandy southern shore to find a place to camp. We were hoping to get to the remote tufa area that we had kayaked to in 2016, where there is a spring and interesting shaped tufas. There’s even one that looked like a giraffe.

Herb's Mono Lake PJsWe knew it was about 6 miles beyond Navy Beach, because that is how far we had to kayak to get to it, but we hit deep, soft sand well shy of that, so we had to turn around and look for another place to camp. The road doesn’t go too close to the lake, so we wanted to find something where we could at least walk down to it fairly easily.

After settling into a spot with a decent pullout off the main sandy road, we headed off through much sand and sage grass towards the water’s edge where we saw some tufas.

Morning view of Mono Lake tiny tufasIt wasn’t long before we discovered that the sage grass was not always on as firm ground as we expected, and we found ourselves frequently sinking down into knee-deep muck. I have had this experience at Mono Lake in the past, one time sinking thigh-high deep in the sand bringing by iPhone, which was clutched in my hand, down with me. The water table is a pretty high here.

After about ¾ of a mile, we got to the tufas, and were able to wander around on the beach without sinking.

I am used to always suffering from the heat at Mono Lake, so I was a bit surprised how cold it got that night, forcing us to don our long johns and winter jackets. It was plenty warm though sleeping in the truck that night.

An osprey with some tufasThe next morning, now that we knew a bit better how to navigate around the minefield of muck, we strolled back down to the water to photograph the tufas in morning light.

Our next stop was Bishop, where our son and daughter-in-law lived, and our other son and fiancee were visiting - in other words, Mommy heaven.

Rather than take the usual route down 395, we decided to try something different - east on Highway 120 to Benton Springs and then south on 6 into Bishop. It was a very nice road, and it is always fun to see something different.

Land tufas wondering where the lake wentNot too far on 120 we stopped at Crater Mountain, part of a chain of craters, domes, and lava flows that stretches 25 miles from the northwest shore of Mono Lake to the south of Mammoth Mountain. This is, or at least was, a very active geothermal area.

We continued on 120 but rather than go all the way to Benton Springs and down 6, we decided to take the Bentron Crossing Road, an inviting-looking dirt road off to the right, that would bring us past Crawley Lake and the Long Valley Hot Springs, before delivering us back to 395 and down to Bishop.

I was so excited to see the boys (and girls)!

Travelogue

Herb setting out on the Tenaya Lake LoopThere are many routes over the Sierra to Bishop, each of them steep, winding, and beautiful, but my favorite is the drive along Route 120 through the Tuolumne. Tuolumne is very different from Yosemite Valley, and usually much less crowded. At an altitude of 8,600 feet, it is high country and therefore, considerably cooler and wetter, resulting in it only being open generally from May through early-November, as the rest of the year it is covered in unplowed snow. It is also usually much less crowded.

We were fortunate to get one of the newly required day permits to drive through the park, a policy implemented during Covid to restrict the number of people visiting the park each day. Despite the restrictions, It still seemed pretty crowded. The pass does not allow you to stay overnight in the park, so we were just passing through on our way to Mono Lake.

Lolo navigating the Lake Tenaya outletThere are so many beautiful stops along the drive through Tuolumne, but our plan for the day was to hike around Tenaya Lake, an absolutely stunning glacial sapphire-blue lake, surrounded by glacially-carved granite domes, giving it the honor of being referred to as the “Jewel of the High Country.”

We have kayaked this lake many times, but had never in all our years hiked around it. Well, it was about time.

There is always a crowd here and the parking lots fill up early. However, we managed to find a parking spot along 120 at the eastern end of the lake.

The trail around the lake is an easy 2.5-mile hike, especially by Yosemite standards, in that it is flat. Almost every other hike requires some significant elevation gain. This one started at an elevation of 8,150 feet and didn’t get much higher. That’s the nice thing about lake hikes.

Lovely Tenaya LakeThe only possible challenge on this hike is during spring and early summer when the water in the lake’s outlet on the western end might be high enough to require some fording. This was July, so we would probably not have a problem.

The hike was fun and uneventful and the water in the outlet was low enough to just require some rock hopping. Our feet didn’t even get wet.

Having knocked that hike off our bucket list we continued on towards Mono Lake, regretfully having to just drive by lovely Tuolumne Meadows without time to stop. The drive down the steep and windy section of 120 out of the park and down to Lee Vining was as scenic and dramatic as always.

Travelogue

Captain Herb entering Reflection CanyonNot knowing yet that this would be our last day on the lake, we decided to try to catch the morning light in Reflection Canyon. Surprisingly, it was not as good as it had been at noon time when we were here a few days ago. Much of the canyon walls were still in the shade. Still, it was quite beautiful.

We cruised back out to the main channel and thought about where to go. It was 60 miles back to Wahweap, so we figured we would head south covering some of that distance today and the rest tomorrow morning.

There was definitely a shift in the weather. Every day so far had been still, with clear blue cloudless skies. Today the wind was picking up and there was sort of a gray haze blocking out that bright sun we had gotten used to.

Then we realized that it wasn’t smoke, but smoke from one of the many fires in California, and that wind was blowing it right to us.

One last cruise into Reflection CanyonAs we continued down the lake, the water was getting really choppy, both from the increasing winds, as well as from the greatly increased boat traffic - it was Labor Day Weekend. This was not good - crowds, winds, and smoke. We decided to pull the boat today.

The roughest part of our 70-mile cruise back to Wahweap was going through the narrows by Antelope Island, where the wakes from all the boats were bouncing off the canyon walls, churning up the water. We later learned that two boats actually capsized going through this section.

The boats lingering around the Stateline Ramp to pull their boats was fairly sizable, but it went pretty efficiently. The way it worked was, someone from a boat would get off at the dock and go retrieve their truck and trailer from the parking lot up the hill. Whoever got down to the water first with their trailer would get to pull out next. It probably took us less than a half hour.

Back to Wahweap Campground before the long drive homeFortunately, we got a campsite at the Wahweap Resort and Marina Campground, so we didn’t have to start driving home tonight. It was really, really windy now and getting to be quite unpleasant.

I am so glad we pulled today.

It took the next two days to drive the long 900 miles back to Santa Rosa. The drive was surreal. When we stopped in Barstow to get sandwiches, we couldn't open our doors because the wind was blowing so hard. We didn't feel comfortable driving through the Tehachapi Pass with these winds, so we just sat in the truck and waited for awhile for it to die down a little.

As if that wasn't crazy enough, our entire drive the following day up I5 felt like we were on Mars. It seemed like most of California was on fire and the winds were blowing ash and coloring the sky with a dark orange haze. Our son said that in San Francisco, it was completely dark (orange) at noon. It was both beautiful and frightening.

It was so good to be back home, even if everything was orange and smoky. Hopefully, the fires would stay away from us.

P.S. The fires did come to us and we were evacuated from our home for 10 days just 3 weeks later. Three homes in our development burnt down, but our house was unscathed.