June 20, 2007

June 20, 2007

Seaside, OR is the official endpoint of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.  Just off the beach is a recreation of their saltworks. Salt was a vital food preservative for the long return journey.

Further north on a tributary of the Columbia River is Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. The expedition spent their second winter here. They have a small museum and a replica of the temporary Fort Clatsop they built. We view two movies about the experience and watch a flintlock demonstration.

For lunch we drive into the nearby town of Astoria. It was the first US town settled west of the Rocky Mountains. It is named after John Jacob Astor who made his fortune in the fur trading business. It is also a cute little town nestled on a peninsula jutting into the Columbia River, so I tag along while Aimee does some shopping. In its early days most of the town was built on top of wood pilings driven into the riverbank. After a few fires they landfilled much of the pilings making them permanent.

It must not be sunny here often because several people in town suggested we go see their Astoria Column right away while it is sunny. So we do. It is in the center of town on a hilltop. Modeled after Trajan's Column, it has a spiral frieze illustrating the town’s long history. We climb to the top for a great view of the mouth of the Columbia River.

We decide to spend the evening at Fort Stevens State Park at the mouth. Before hooking up we drive around the park. We stop at the wreck of the Peter Iredale. It was an iron sailing ship that ran aground on the ocean beach here in 1906. Much of it has rusted away or is still buried below the sand. The skeleton of the bow still projects eerily out of the surf. Pretty Cool!

June 19, 2007

June 19, 2007

We are sorry to be leaving Aimee’s cousin’s home. Todd and Bonnie and their son Noah have been feeding us very well and they have good taste in wine. It would have been no problem to stay longer. We could have easily hidden amongst their four horses, five goats, four dogs, three cats, and 44,000 Christmas trees. We don’t eat that much.

Since we arrived in the Portland, OR area, we have been having problems with the RV refrigerator. It is an ammonia absorption system that can operate either on electricity or propane. The RV needs to be level for it to work efficiently. Thinking the RV was not in balance, I moved the RV around to try and compensate. Today it is clear it is busted so we take the RV into a repair shop. This is the first major problem we have had. There we learn the fridge was under a recall for a defective heating unit. Unfortunately the repair shop can’t get a replacement for almost three weeks. We are going to have to make arrangements to have it repaired further down the road at a future destination. In the meantime we are going to have to do some real camping. On the way out of town we stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a couple coolers to store essential food items. It looks like we are going to be eating a lot more canned food for the foreseeable future. Wonderful!

We spend the night on the Oregon coast just outside the town of Seaside.

June 18, 2007

June 18, 2007

In the afternoon we drive north across the Columbia River to Vancouver, WA. There we take an audio tour of historic Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. In the early nineteenth century the border between British Canada and the United States was heavily contested. The British Hudson Bay Company built Fort Vancouver here to push British dominion of the region and to exploit the fur trade opportunity. Since hostility was minimal, the fort was more of a commercial center than a military fortification. By the 1850 silk was replacing fur in men’s hats and British interest in the area declined. Also Oregon Trail pioneers were starting to pour into the area. As a result the US and Britain negotiated a truce that set the border further north ceding this fort to the US. The tour is mildly interesting. I do however learn a little about blacksmithing from a very knowledgeable demonstrator at the fort.

We again spend the evening with Aimee’s cousin.

June 17, 2007

June 17, 2007

This morning we drive west along the Columbia River Gorge towards Portland. The gorge is scenic with barren cliffs and steep hills along both sides of this wide river. In the distance we can see Mt. Hood directly before us. This conical volcano disguised as a pretty snow-capped mountain towers above the surroundings and threatens nearby Portland.

Our first stop is at the Gorge Discovery Center. It has very nice exhibits on the Lewis and Clark expedition that followed the same path we are doing today. It also has a bunch of information about the history of the area. The item I find most interesting is that scientists have discovered that periodic floods ravaged the Northwest US during the Ice Age. An advancing glacier would temporarily block river flow out of NW Montana until the resulting lake grew to monstrous proportions and nothing could hold it back. These biblical floods gouged huge canyons (coulees). Grand Coulee, WA, now a dry falls, was during these floods the largest known waterfall ever to have existed on earth. It was almost four times wider than and more than twice as high as Niagara. Grand Coulee and the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington are now on my must-see list.

On our drive west we are running into a fierce headwind that is slamming the RV around. Aimee read in the Gorge Discovery Center that a constant west wind blows thru here like a wind tunnel because it is the only open gap across the Cascade Mountains. There are a bunch of windsurfers in the river taking advantage of our misfortune. As we travel farther west the gorge is getting higher and steeper and greener. We are also seeing waterfalls now cascading from the southern cliffs.

Our next stop is the Bonneville Dam where we take a dam tour. The dam ranger shows us the dam power plant. He also leads us to the fish ladder that lets salmon return upstream to spawn. We are a little early as the spawning period peaks in August and September. We mostly see monster shad jumping upstream. These shad though are the size of Coho Salmon. They are dam big. Some huge Pacific Lamprey Eels have attached themselves to the fish counter windows. Like salmon, these parasitic fish migrate from the ocean to spawn at the end of their life.

It is still Spring in the Pacific Northwest. So the grounds of the Dam site are abloom with wildflowers of all varieties and colors. I have a grand time trying to capture their beauty.

Ten miles further West, we stop to see 600-foot Multnomah Falls. It is a quick photographic stop as the parking lot is completely full. We spend the rest of the afternoon south of Portland visiting Aimee’s cousin Todd and his family.

June 16, 2007

June 16, 2007

On the way out of Bend, OR we stop to fill up with gas. Before I can get out a man asks what kind of gas I want. Ah, this guy knows a VIP when he sees one. He then tells me that according to Oregon law he has to fill everyone’s tank. Unfortunately I can’t get him to check the oil or clean all the windows on the RV.

From Bend we drive northeast to Clarno, one site in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. On the way there the terrain goes from pine forest to rolling pasture to dry ranchland. This small park consists of a line of exposed outcroppings resembling the Badlands of South Dakota. We hike the couple short interpretative trails here. The outcroppings are the eroded remnants of some volcanic mudflows (called a lahar) from 6-50 million years ago. Paleontologists have found early horses and rhinos from the Cenozoic Period buried in the mud.

Along the hiking trails we are able to discover some petrified logs and leaf prints in the rock. I am pretty impressed that somebody was able to find these fossils hidden within the rocks of the cliff wall. Aimee and I were able to spot them only with the help of detailed interpretative signs. There are two more locations in Fossil Beds Park but they are way farther east and Aimee convinces me to save them for a future trip. Uncharacteristically I agree.

From John Day we head north to the Columbia River gorge where we spend the night at Deschutes River State Park. The RV is parked where Oregon Trail pioneers forded the Deschutes River on their journey west. Lewis and Clark also stopped here on their journey down the Columbia River. There used to be large rapids here which they had to portage around. I wish we had stayed at more state parks in Oregon. They are great. Not only super scenery but hookups for the RV as well; and they take credit cards!

June 15, 2007

June 15, 2007

A half hour north of Crescent, OR is the Newbury National Volcanic Monument. The park has several separate locations in the region. We stop first at the Newbury Caldera. The National Forest Service runs this park for some reason and they don’t have their act together on signage. We keep passing the turnoffs and have to backtrack. The caldera area has two medium size lakes and a lot of pine trees. I am not seeing any volcano anywhere and the Visitor Center is closed. That is a common theme around here. We stop first at the Big Obsidian Flow. From the parking lot we hike atop a monster-size lava flow. I am surprised how high off the surrounding ground level it is. I am also surprised to see Hawaii-like lava flows in Oregon. What makes this flow rare though is that it has huge sections of obsidian. Most lava flows are of pumice, which is lightweight and has lots of gas bubbles in it. Lava that cools slowly loses the gasses and becomes glassy black obsidian, an uncommon find.

Before leaving the park we decide to do a short hour hike on the Little Crater Trail for exercise. I am glad we did because it put the park in focus for us. Little Crater turns out to be a conical volcano after all. We didn’t recognize it as a crater at first because it is overgrown with pine trees. But the outside walls are steep and the inside is steeper. Atop the rim we can now recognize the Newbury Caldera all around us. It is miles wide. We can see a line of forested hills that wrap around us. On the way back down the trail we run into a huge number of Gray Jays (also known as Camp Robbers) in the trees around us. A chorus of shrill cackles comes from all around us. We feel like we are in the horror movie “The Birds” just waiting for them to swoop down.

On the way out of the park we stop at Paulina Falls where water escapes the Newbury Caldera. Newbury would be another Crater Lake except its rim was not as high, which allowed streams to empty it. So instead of one deep lake there are just two shallow lakes.

Now that Newbury has piqued my interest we drive north and stop at another site. This one is the Lava River Cave. It’s an ancient lava tube through which lava used to flow out of the volcano. Now it is a mile long cylindrical cave. With a constant temperature of 42F and no lighting Aimee decides to pass on the experience. I take a flashlight and walk the first 100 yards. The path is rocky and my light is not very bright. I turn it off to experience pitch-black vertigo for a minute and then turn back to rejoin my waiting wife.

We finish our Newbury day by stopping at the Lava Land section. There we find we can’t drive atop the Lava Butte in an RV. We have to make do by visiting the Visitor Center where we watch a video about the mountains in the Cascade Range. Unfortunately for the people living in Oregon and Washington, most of the major peaks are active volcanoes and it is only a matter of time before the next one erupts and paves over their house. Aimee and I were thinking on the way north what a nice place central Oregon would be in the summer. We might have to rethink that. We also do a short stroll behind the Visitor Center on the lava field. It is huge. It stretches as far as we can see towards the west. I never realized how volcanically active this region is.

We spend the night in a very nice private park in Bend, OR. I got the evacuation route all worked out in case I hear some geologic rumbling tonight.

June 14, 2007

June 14, 2007

In the late morning, we left Ashland, OR and drove north to Crater Lake National Park. On passing thru the south entrance, the ranger tells us that the eastern rim drive is closed and won’t be open for another week or so. Oh No, I am thinking this is another Lassen and it is too early in the summer to visit. The ranger does mention that back outside the gate just to the east are some pinnacles we should see first. We do that and find some strange conical rock formations that are the fossilized remains of fumaroles, volcanic steam vents.

Back inside the park we stop at the Information Center next and watch their 20-minute film. It has a short intro clip about why part of the park road is still closed. It says the park gets over 40 feet of snow annually and it takes four months for them to plow the roads. I am a little shocked since the entire park is only open for maybe two months. Seems to either be a big waste of time or they work very slowly. I am also a little skeptical because while the park still has some snow on the ground it would only take a good Chicagoland snowplow about a day to clear this road. The rest of the movie talks about how 7700 years ago this was the site of a monster volcanic eruption. So much magma was released that the volcano sunk forming a huge crater. Since then water has filled the crater forming the US’s deepest lake.

After the movie we have lunch and drive up to the rim to see the lake. WOW!! The water is an intense, vibrant shade of blue. And it really looks like a crater with steep sides on the inside and outside. The lake has no access for boats or swimming so it is very serene. It has a small volcanic island off to the side for accent. Now I know why Oregon made this the centerpiece of their state quarter. It is truly stunning. There is no way a single photo is going to adequately show this. I am hoping I can put a panorama shot together. Aimee and I spend the next hour or two walking along the south rim looking for the ideal spot and taking multiple pictures hoping to stitch them together into a panorama suitable for putting on the wall of our house (when we get one!).

After staring at the lake longer than we planned we drive the only open road along the west shore. We stop a few more times. Finally we leave the park, head north and stay at a private camp outside of Crescent, OR. Even though half the park was closed, I am so glad we made the trip to Crater Lake. This is another spot I would like to come back to, maybe even in the winter. I think a visit here and to Yosemite in the winter would provide some spectacular views and photographs.

June 13, 2007

June 13, 2007

We get a slow start this morning. Both of us are just happy hanging out in the nice summer weather here in Ashland, OR. Finally a warm, dry climate again! After lunch we head back into town. Ashland appears not only to have nice weather but an upscale bohemian community. Ashland is another town we could enjoy for the summer months. Aimee does a little shopping and then we head over to the theater for a matinee performance of Shakespeare’s “As you like it”. This time it is in one of their indoor venues. We enjoy it much better as we have closer seats and can understand the performance easier. This play also has a number of now-famous quotes including “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Aimee, ever the critic, thinks Shakespeare should have edited the play shorter, but I suspect she really just wants to get back to doing some shopping in this cutesy, artsy town.

June 12, 2007

June 12, 2007

Jedediah Smith State Park sits along the Smith River. In the morning I take a walk along it looking for a nice photo op. A passing fisherman tells me there is supposed to be Cutthroat Trout in it. I know the river is famous for salmon runs in the fall but we are too early for them. I decide to give it a shot anyway. After getting a license I give the fly rod a workout this time. The river ends up being deeper than I thought because the water is crystal clear. I get a few bites but I am not near fast enough to pull any in.

After lunch we head northeast to Oregon and stop for the evening on the outskirts of Ashland, OR. We were told by some acquaintances about a Shakespeare Festival that is held here. After an early dinner we head into town to get tickets for one of tonight’s performances. They have several plays running every day. We opt for “The Tempest”. It is performed in an outdoor Elizabethan-style playhouse. Aimee and I both find it very difficult to follow. Partly because of the Old English and partly because we both don’t hear as well as we once did. Surprisingly the performance is near sold-out for a Tuesday. This Shakespeare Festival is very popular. Tourists flock to this small town for these performances all year-round.

June 11, 2007

June 11, 2007

A little farther north of Patrick’s Point is the beginning of Redwood National Park. It stretches 45 miles along the coast of Northern California almost to the Oregon state line. We stop at the southern Visitor Center and watch their movie about the Redwoods and the formation of the Park. Logging was threatening the extinction of the Redwoods near the turn of the century. Early on, California and a group of concerned citizens bought up some of the timberland to form a series of scattered state parks in Redwood country. In 1969 the feds bought some of the in-between land to form a National Park that tied the state parks together and protected the wider ecosystem.

Just north of the entrance we stop at an open meadow along the road. Aimee spotted some Roosevelt Elk cows lying in the field. They are probably hiding newborns next to them but the grass is too tall to tell. Roosevelts are the Pacific version of the North American Elk. On the opposite side of the meadow in the distance we can see several bulls with their large antlers grazing on the grass. I climb the ladder on the RV and use the roof as my own Elk Viewing Platform.

A mile north we stop at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove for a mile-long loop trail amongst the redwoods. This grove is a little more open and it is easier to see the treetops. Like the Giant Sequoia I am amazed how so many of these larger trees are almost completely hollow due to fire and yet they continue to live and grow and not tumble over.

The center of the park has a nice scenic drive right down the middle of an old growth forest. We stop and walk around a little but by this time we have lost our fascination with the redwood. Many are big, big as a medium-size sequoia, but not nearly as beautiful because of their dingy red exterior. Plus Aimee and I are tiring of this damp cold climate. We stop at Jedediah Smith State Park on the northern end of the Redwood Highway and get a campsite for the night. The campsites are nestled in an old growth forest. We are parked directly beneath a giant redwood. In looking up at the high branches all I can remember is that they call them “widowmakers” because if one falls on you, you’re a goner.

June 10, 2007

June 10, 2007

After a lazy morning we drive over to Patrick’s Point State Park on the California coast to see the seals we have been listening to all night. We first stop in the visitor center to get a map and recommendations. When Aimee asks the volunteer ranger whether it is always rainy here, he responds “no, but when it isn’t raining, it is foggy”. He also tells us that the average high here in the warm summer months is 67F. Aimee and I are starting to get homesick for some hot dry sunny weather.

After this introduction we park the RV at one of the day use sites and hike along the Rim Trail to the west side of the park. The coast here is a very rugged with high cliffs, lots of rocks, and pounding surf. The rocks below are scattered with seals and sea lions. An interpretative sign helps us identify them. The Harbor Seals are the smaller brown ones that aren’t moving much. The Sea Lions are the larger cousins that won’t shut up.

From the point we hike down to the surf on the side opposite the seals. It is almost low tide and this tidal basin is supposed to be teeming with life. I look around and all I can see is a bunch of kelp that was washed onto the rocks. I convince Aimee to tiptoe out onto the rocks to help me. She is usually better at spotting wildlife than I am. With her help we soon identify lots of sea snails, crabs, hermit crabs, anemones and two sea stars. I am starting to feel like a naturalist.

We are getting hungry so we walk back to the RV, have a sandwich and drive to the other side of the park. From there we hike down to Agate Beach where we are supposed to be able to find agates in the sand. Unfortunately I am not quite sure what an agate is. I ask a couple local ladies searching the beach to show me what one looks like. After a little guidance Aimee and I give it a shot. This beach is all multi-colored pebbles. Finding an agate is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Nevertheless after a half-hour I find two nice specimens. Alas I also found a big kink in my neck. Next time we will search the rock store instead.

We spent a lot more time in this park than we had planned so we decide to find an empty campsite and stay the night. We don’t have a problem finding a site but surprisingly the park is pretty crowded. Camping is very popular in California.

June 9, 2007

June 9, 2007

After waking we start our day at the nearby Humboldt Redwoods Visitor Center. There we learn a little about the Redwood tree and get some recommendations for the best spots to visit. We drive up the Avenue of the Giants so we can hike the Founders Grove loop trail. The northern section of this large park has some of the few old growth redwood forests left in the country. At one time in the age of the dinosaur, when the earth was warmer and wetter, the redwood tree dominated the forests of the northern hemisphere. Now the redwoods only occur naturally on the pacific coast in northern California. We take a very leisurely stroll around the short loop. It is peaceful but not quiet. Motorcyclists are having their annual Redwood Run here this weekend and they all ride noisy Harleys.

The redwoods here are huge. They are the tallest trees on the earth. They are so tall they span three climate zones and have to have different leaves at the top versus at the bottom. We can tell they are tall because they shade the forest floor so well it is dark. It is also noticeably more humid here. Green ferns cover the ground. It looks so otherworldly it starred in the scooter chase sequence of the third Star Wars movie, “Return of the Jedi”.

In the old growth area many of the redwoods are giants of enormous width. The Coast Redwoods look like a dingy version of their cousin, the Giant Sequoia. They share the same resistance to fire and insects. They are so decay resistant that the fallen trees take centuries to decompose. I can vouch for that as I saw a large mature tree growing atop one downed giant.

After lunch, we drive farther up the Avenue of the Giants to a side road that takes us into the Rockefeller Forest. We hike around this grove and see the current record holder for the tallest tree in the world.

After a nice day with the redwoods, we drive Hwy 101 north past Trinidad, CA and stay at a private park outside Patrick’s Point State Park. We have a spot high on the property overlooking what should be the ocean. Unfortunately it is cloudy and starting to drizzle making visibility poor. Undeterred we have a little party of wine and cheese and do a little nature watching from the comfort of our picture window. In a bush outside Aimee scores another bird on her list, a pair of Cedar Waxwings. They look like rust colored cardinals, and they are stripping this bush of its berries.

A little later after I start reading the new photography book I bought, Aimee yells out, “Slug”. I am feeling offended. I know I was supposed to be BBQ’ing tonight but it is raining so I should get a reprieve. She clarifies by saying “not you, that slug” and points to the picnic bench. On it is a huge yellow slug, the biggest I have ever seen. It is at least four inches long and as big around as my thumb. Aimee says she saw a postcard describing it as a Banana Slug native to the redwood forest here. From what we can observe, it climbed atop the picnic bench to lunch on a piece of bird do-do. This is the kind of stuff we would miss if we stayed in hotels on our travel adventure.

June 8, 2007

June 8, 2007

We have been on long roads and winding roads but seldom on long winding roads. The route from Redding, CA to the coast was one of these. It seemed like it would never end. The only saving grace was that it went thru pretty territory. Redding looks like it would be a nice place to live in the summer with hills and forests and lots of streams surrounding it. Also just outside town is the scenic Whiskeytown Lake.

Finally at the coast we head south on Hwy 101 to Humboldt Redwoods State Park where we spend the night in a nice secluded campground. The RV is parked underneath a large Redwood Tree.

June 7, 2007

June 7, 2007

From Quincy, CA it is a 100-mile drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park. As we approach we can see Lassen Peak and it is almost completely snow-covered. It is a nice contrast to the pretty rolling pine forests through which we have driven. When we arrive at the Lassen entrance station we are told that many of the trails in the park are closed because of new snow. Shortly down the road we stop at the first turnout, Sulphur Works. There are two steaming vents just off the road. Lassen looks like it is going to be a junior Yellowstone Park. We miss the next turnout because it is unmarked and have to backtrack a little. A worker drives by and resets signs into the snow. I mention to the guy that it might be worthwhile to have permanent signs installed but I guess that would cut into his job security.

We end up driving all the way thru the park with only a few short stops. The visitor center is even closed. I am starting to realize summer doesn’t start in this region until late June. I also get the feeling that Lassen is a detour we could have skipped even if everything was open. Lassen was a volcano that erupted in 1914 and devastated the local area (ala Mount St. Helens). It quickly became a National Park. Since then it has been virtually dormant and most of the tree devastation has regrown. Lassen is probably what Mt St. Helens will be in seventy years (that is until it blows again). Right now it is just a pretty Sierra Mountain forest.

From Lassen we drive west out of the mountains to warmer weather and spend the night in Redding, CA. This will be the first night in awhile that we can leave the heat off and the windows open.

June 6, 2007

June 6, 2007

It rained last night and got pretty cold. Looking around this morning, we can see a dusting of snow in some places. This is the second time Aimee and I have been to Lake Tahoe. The first was during the winter several years ago to ski. I think the temperature today is the same as back then. When I think of California I think of hot weather. Our experience so far has been mostly the opposite.

In the RV we head clockwise around the lake. We stop at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center but it is closed; it’s only open on weekends this time of year. There are interpretative signs outside where we learn some interesting facts about Lake Tahoe. The lake formed when a lava flow dammed up one end of the canyon here causing it to fill with water. As a result it is the third deepest lake in the country at over 1600 feet. There is enough water in it to cover California to a depth of 14-inches. That is a lot of water!

On the southwestern corner of the lake we stop at the Emerald Bay vista for a picture. Lake Tahoe is very pretty but we like warmer weather in the summer. I think briefly about doing some hiking in the area but it is way too cold. We continue our drive north past the rest of the lake.

Just past Truckee, CA we stop at a picnic area to have lunch. It is snowing. I can’t believe it. Appropriately though we are at Alder Creek where the Donner party also couldn’t believe they were having a blizzard. The Donners were a group of pioneers from Springfield, IL who journeyed west on a wagon train along the California Trail in 1846. They were one of the first to do so. Unfortunately they split from the main body and took an untried “short cut” and didn’t make it over the snowy Sierras in time before the early onset of winter. Half of the party died. The survivors resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. This picnic area has an interpretative walk around the area describing their ill-fated struggle.

We continue north along Hwy 89 through a very picturesque part of the Sierras. We eventually stop in Quincy, CA at a private campground.

June 5, 2007

June 5, 2007

We spend the morning taking care of odds and ends. In the afternoon we head into the center of Carson City, the state capital of Nevada. It seems like a quaint little town. The capitol building is actually pretty small and is the first I have seen without a dome. We stop at the Nevada State Museum and Mint. It is only mildly interesting and I don’t learn much new. After the California gold rush, prospectors headed to nearby Nevada. A silver rush developed after George Hearst, William Randolph’s father, hit upon the nearby Comstock Lode. Nevada quickly became a state and a mint was established here to coin all the silver being mined. The state's and the mint's fortunes stumbled when the US settled on the gold standard instead of a silver one. Nevada compensated for the loss early on by being open to easy weddings, easy divorces and gambling. The rest is history.

After the museum we point the RV west and drive an hour to Lake Tahoe. We stop at the first public campsite. There are a string of them around the lake. This one is in a pretty pine forest with a sand lakefront. Our plan was to check out some of the campgrounds on the west shore but we end up talking so long to the two rangers here that we decide to stay. After parking we walk along the beach. The weather is not so great. It is windy and quite chilly. We go back for warmer clothes and then walk the meadow path leading into town. We stop at a casino for a drink and a little poker. After almost doubling my stake we head back to the RV for the night.

June 4, 2007

June 4, 2007

We have seen lots of references to fishing in the area. I just assumed Mono Lake must have been a fishing lake until I learned that it was so salty that it didn’t support anything but shrimp and fly larvae. When I asked a fellow camper about angling, I got an earful about how the trout fishing in this area is world-class. Being a trout god I had to give it a shot.

After unhooking the RV, I pick up a license and some worms at a local bait shop and head back up the Tioga Pass road towards Yosemite. Lee Vining Creek runs alongside the road. There is a string of forest service campsites along the creek and we pull into the first one. I put on my waders, assemble my fishing gear and head off for the stream leaving Aimee in the RV for some quality Mike-free reading time. Lee Vining Creek is only about ten feet wide but is a gully washer. This is not going to be easy to fish. I hike upstream until I find something that resembles calmer water. It takes me awhile but I get the hang of the stream and end up catching a half dozen trout, all rainbows and all about 12 inches. Not huge but they still give a good fight. Once I start catching fish, I am able to appreciate the scenery. The creek is pretty and runs thru a Jeffery Pine forest littered with their characteristic giant pinecones. In the background are the snow-capped Sierras. Pretty nice! I probably would have caught more fish but after yesterday’s Bird Watching walk every time I hear a bird call I now instinctively look up in the trees. Very distracting!

In the early afternoon, we set out north on Hwy 395. After several hours we arrive in Carson City, NV where we spend the night in a private campground.

June 3, 2007

June 3, 2007

Aimee is in heaven. She loves birds. Every time she sees some bird on one of our hikes she comments it would be fun to go bird watching. She got her wish today. A Mono (pronounced like NO-NO) Lake park ranger is conducting a bird watching walk at 8:00 this morning and I reluctantly agree to take her. I must admit the ranger ends up being amazing. He has an unbelievable ear for birdcalls. Amidst all the normal sounds of nature he would pick out a sound, say it was some yellow-bellied sapsucker and then point in the distance to the bird. Sure enough, we all aim our binoculars in that direction and there is the bird. He reminded me of the character “Radar” on MASH who could hear the chopper coming before anyone else. We saw a total of 28 different birds on the walk. If I had been on my own I would have seen three.

After lunch we stop at the Mono Lake Visitor Center. They have a nice movie and nice exhibits about the lake. At 1PM we head to the south shore of the lake for a ranger walk by the same bird expert. About sixty years ago Los Angeles started stealing water from the area causing Mono Lake’s water level to drop precipitously. Unexpectedly this exposed strange chimney-like mineral deposits called “Tufas”. The Tufas formed when Calcium-rich spring waters bubbled up into the highly alkaline lake water causing Lime to precipitate.

In addition the lake supports a weird biological population. Because of the high salinity no fish can grow in the lake, but brine shrimp and alkali flies flourish. As we walk by the lakeshore, we chase away thousands of flies. Oddly they don’t bother humans at all and the local Indians considered the fly larvae a delicacy (supposedly they taste like bacon bits, although none of us were willing to verify it). The lake draws huge populations of migratory shore birds that feed on these flies. Mono is the second largest rookery for the California Seagull.

Several small volcanic craters surround the lake. On a recommendation, we stop to hike the closest one before leaving the park. On the short hike to the top of the crater we pass lots of pumice rock. It is either very light or my working-out has paid big dividends. Down into the crater we run into a huge lava plug of black obsidian or volcanic glass. The local Indians used to trade obsidian widely thruout the region. It was a prized material for making arrowheads.
We spend the night again in Lee Vining, CA.

June 2, 2007

June 2, 2007

We could easily spend more time in Yosemite but there is still a lot of country to see. We have Yosemite high on our list of places to come back to. Aimee is even thinking she would like to do a one-month volunteer stint here. They told us August is open.

This morning we head out east on the Tioga Pass Road. This is one of the few roads that cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It’s mostly an uphill route thru the pine forest until we hit the 9000-foot elevation where the trees thin out almost completely leaving a bare granite surface. We stop first at Olmsted Point where we can see another side of Half-Dome. With binoculars we can make out the cables that hikers use to complete their journey to the top. In every direction here is solid granite, most of which has been polished smooth by the glaciers that once slid across here.

A little farther down we stop at Tuolumne Meadow. We make a brief stop at their small Visitor Center before heading to the Lembert Dome trailhead. It’s a short hike to the top of this small granite dome but at 9000-feet we are gasping for air. The last several hundred yards is a scramble atop bare granite. I guess it is a taste of what we should expect if we get the opportunity to climb Half Dome.

Back in the RV we climb over Tioga Pass and then straight down the backside of the Sierras. The terrain here is steep, dry and barren. I am feeling a little depressed. I am thinking why bother with the rest of our travel. After Yosemite everything else is going to look weak.

At the bottom of the road is the town of Lee Vining on the shore of roundish Mono Lake. We stop for the day at an RV park here. On the way to the grocery store we stop at the Tourist Center and learn that Mono Lake, like the Great Salt Lake, has no exit flows and is 3-times saltier than the ocean.

June 1, 2007

June 1, 2007

We like it here in Yosemite. We initially made reservations for four nights, more than we normally spend in one place. We decide to spend an additional day and just soak up the ambience. To do so requires us to get up early, wait at the reservation office to open, and pray for a cancellation. We are fifth in line. Fortunately there were thirteen cancellations last night. We have to move the RV though. Luckily we go from a good site to a great site. This new one has even more private space and amazingly with all the pine trees an unobstructed view of Half-Dome from our “patio”. After breakfast we take the shuttle to Yosemite Lodge to use the wireless in their lobby. This allows us to catch up on our emails and finances. We eat lunch and do a little shopping in Yosemite Village. They are also having a safety fair there. Aimee can't stop petting the several rescue dogs they have on hand. She so wants another dog.

Afterwards we head back to the RV and relax a little while enjoying our new view. In the late afternoon we drive out to the west end of the Valley. On the way we stop for a photo at El Capitan. We brought the binoculars and are able to see several climbers halfway up this 3000-foot sheer granite face. It normally takes three days to ascend which means climbers have to sleep on a makeshift cot dangling in midair off the cliff face. They are major-league nuts! At the west end of the valley we stop near what used to be Inspiration Point for a classic photograph of the entrance to Yosemite Valley. This is the view seen by early travelers to the area and made famous by Ansel Adams. Another spectacular view that looks so unreal it has to be fake.

May 31, 2007

May 31, 2007

Aimee and I attend a photography walk in the morning. Before leaving on our big adventure last year we got a new high-end digital camera. As we learn more about its features I have gotten into photography and every month I take a few more photos than the previous. The class is fun but I am not sure we learned much.

After lunch we board a tour bus that takes us atop Glacier Point, a vantage point on the southern cliff overlooking the valley. Oh what a vista. From here our first sight is the back of Half-Dome. Wow is it steep. Nevertheless, thru a telescope we can see the hikers that made it to the summit this afternoon. I am jealous. We can also see all the waterfalls that we climbed.

This is a gorgeous spot. I could sit and stare all day but we only bought a one-way ticket so we need to get moving on our hike down. This is my kind of hiking, paying somebody to drive me to the top and then a casual stroll back down. Much easier on my body. It is a great 5-mile hike. It descends down thru a pine forest along a ledge with constant views of the valley. This is high up on my favorite hike list.

May 30, 2007

May 30, 2007

Yosemite Falls is on our agenda today. Part of the magic of Yosemite Park is the many waterfalls that cascade off the sheer granite walls and plunge thousands of feet. The park has the highest waterfalls in the country. Yosemite Falls is the tallest. Its also fifth tallest in the world. A rock shelf midway down divides it into two major waterfalls. Like yesterday we are going to climb up to the top. Unfortunately our legs are sore from yesterday and a portion of the trail is sand that is difficult to hike. After hiking to a vantage point at the bottom of the Upper Yosemite Falls, we eat lunch, take a couple photos and decide to turn back. Apparently we have come at a good time of the year. An interpretative sign near the bottom says all these falls are snowmelt fed. They are at their peak in Spring and completely dry up by late Summer.

On the bike ride back we stop at Mirror Lake for a nice flat stroll around this picturesque pond. Besides being a hikers paradise the park is also great for biking with lots of paths and of course great scenery. Back at the RV we rest our feet for tomorrow.

May 29, 2007

May 29, 2007

Yosemite is a hikers paradise so we decide to do a hike our first morning here. Not far from the campground is the trailhead for the Mist trail that leads to Vernal and Nevada waterfalls. It starts out tough with a pretty steep path that follows the Merced River upstream. The trail is appropriately named because as we near the bottom of Vernal Falls we encounter a wall of mist. It is hard to get any photos without having the camera lens becoming drenched. That is unfortunate because there is a constant rainbow near the falls.

The trail climbs past Vernal falls towards Nevada and doesn’t let up. It stays steep all the way. It’s only three miles but it takes us three hours to reach the top of Nevada Falls. But our effort is rewarded with outstanding scenery. Yosemite is gorgeous. I can understand why John Muir fought so hard with his Sierra Club to protect this section of the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a national park. Unfortunately these stunning vistas attract a huge crowd. Despite the length and steepness there are lots and lots of hikers. I didn’t know this many people like to hike! Many of the hikers are diehard and are continuing on this trail to the top of Half Dome, probably the most famous granite monolith of the park. The last section of the trail requires pulling yourself up cables sunk into the granite. I would love to do it once in my life, but at 17-miles roundtrip we will need to come prepared to camp halfway up the trail.

May 28, 2007

May 28, 2007

After staying inside national parks the last several days without the comforts of electricity and Internet, we spend most of the morning recharging batteries and paying bills. We are also in no hurry. I am hoping the holiday crowd will be going home today.

Just before noon we leave the RV park and head the 37 miles into Yosemite National Park. Having heard Yosemite is one of the most popular national parks, we made reservations here a month ago, our only ones of the trip. We were probably lucky to get them because I think our reservation was only available because of a cancellation.

The road to the park’s western entrance follows the Merced River up into Yosemite Valley. The Merced River is another raging snowmelt river. It is hard to believe there is so much snow melting higher up. Once we hit the valley, we drive thru a boulder tunnel and get our first view of this granite-lined valley. We see El Capitan, the largest granite monolith in the world. Its sheer walls are awesome. This is the high cliff that you so often see climbers scaling in movies.

Our first stop in the park is at Bridal Veil Falls. It is just off the road. Big mistake. The parking lot is a madhouse and the footpath is a zoo. I am hoping the crowd is mostly holiday day-trippers who will be gone at sunset. The falls are very nice and we eat lunch near the base. It is not as romantic as I would have hoped with the crowd, and with the intermittent spray of water on our sandwiches. Bridal Veil is so tall that the water is almost all mist by the time it hits the bottom.

Wanting to avoid the crowd, we head to our campsite and check in. We are very happy with the site. It is large with lots of pine trees and in the shadow of Half-Dome, the other granite icon of Yosemite. We are going to enjoy our four days here. Aimee and I relax for a while, talking to the neighbors, and reading a guidebook they lent us.

Thinking the crowd has died down, we unhitch the bicycles and venture over to the visitor center. On the way we can’t help but take a few pictures. The scenery is stunning. Yosemite deserves its reputation as the most beautiful national park. I don’t know what John Muir was thinking when he said Kings Canyon was lovelier. They are similar but Yosemite has more striking vertical granite and the valley floor has many open meadows allowing better, unobstructed views.

The visitor center is pretty good. Yosemite Valley was set aside as a protected wilderness area by Abraham Lincoln in 1864, the first ever in the US. That Lincoln took time out from the Civil War to do this is a testament to its rare beauty! John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club was instrumental in enlarging the protected area and getting it national park status. We also stop by a photo gallery where they have a lot of Ansel Adams photographs. He made Yosemite and himself famous with his black and white photography here.

After dinner, we decide to walk over to Camp Curry for a ranger talk. Camp Curry turns out to be huge group of permanent canvas tents that looks just like the tent cities from the Depression era. Interestingly the ranger talk turns out to be a humorous historical look back at the origin of Camp Curry. The Curry’s built this tent city as an affordable option to the high-priced lodges at the park.