Washburne State Park, 2019

It’s been too long since those warm days in southern California last fall. We finally got out this past weekend to kick of the 2019 camping season. But first, the big news since then is that we traded in the old camper for a newer one! I don’t know the exact year the old Four Wheel Camper that we acquired in 2015 was manufactured, but it was built in the mid 1990’s. It was starting to show it’s age in a few areas. Although it served us well and was holding together just fine we were starting to look at a few major replacements to keep everything weather tight and functional. I wasn’t really looking in earnest, but then along came an ad for something pretty close to a perfect replacement. So, we pounced on it, placed the old camper up for sale and in a matter of days the switch was made.

The new 2012 Eagle (Silver Spur Edition)!!

Ever since then we’ve been ready to hit the road and give it a Maiden Voyage. Due to extensive snow in most of the state we decided we’d make our way over to the coast to take advantage of some better, non snowy weather. We found a bit of spring as we hit the other side of the Cascades. Daffodils were blooming!

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Joshua Tree, 2018

Note: This is a continuation of our California trip from here:  https://www.occidentalist.org/wandering-ca-395-2018-part-2/  After departing the Alabama Hills we struck off ever southward toward Joshua Tree National Park.  It was a transition day as the Sierra came to an end, and cholla cactus, creosote bushes and eventually Joshua trees filled the landscape before us.  It took the better part of the day to get there, but we did arrive in time to do some initial looking around. …

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Wandering CA 395, 2018, Part 2

Note: If you missed part 1 you can read it here: https://www.occidentalist.org/wandering-ca-395-2018-part-1/

After a day of checking out Bodie and Mono Lake we thought we’d spend the day hiking somewhere in the Sierras.  We headed south a bit and thought maybe a trail in the Mammoth area would get us up in the mountains for some good views.  As we pulled though Mammoth Lakes we started to notice that there were quite a few people about, and as we reached the main lodge area the parking lot was starting to look full.  Here it was well more than a week before Thanksgiving, and Mammoth Mountain was in full operation spraying ice on the mountain for people to ski on.  I was caught off guard with such a crowd flocking to ski on manufactured ice in the fall.

It always baffles me that people are so excited to ski when there isn’t any snow, but in the spring, when the snow is at its deepest and the weather is at its best, the crowds move on to other endeavors. 

Due to the resort being open the road was blocked and we were thwarted from our original plan.  We quickly broke out the maps and picked out another trail with a few lakes as a destination.  Before too long we were on the trail to Emerald Lake.

Emerald Lake
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