Lazy Lake Day

After a morning wee break, Mike snapped some amazing shots of the still lake.  By the time I woke, the breeze kicked in a rippled the surface.  Miller Lake would be a perfect canoe lake, too bad my canoe was left hanging in the shop at home.  But at least today we were blessed with the knowledge that we didn't have to pack up after breakfast. 

My solar powered dog recharged her batteries then we poked around the lake and the kids played among the fallen trees. 

And a few snaps of our camp.  It took some serious manuvering, but we fit.

Mike and I unhooked the Jeep from the trailer and hit the trails while the family stayed behind to relax. I couldn't decide which pictures I liked the best about our trail day, so this day turned into 30+ final shots...so two posts it is...

Up next, Ellis Point.

Lake Tahoe Ho!

Since whatever plan we had went out the window days ago, we headed northwest towards Lake Tahoe.  We popped into the main town for lunch (Jalisco, Mexican joint), laundry, and groceries.  We killed a few hours and were blown away by the hoards that flock to this oasis on the California/Nevada border.  I get the draw, but it draws too many people, thus killing the outdoor experience we love.

 We wound our way around the lake, past Emerald Cove and made our way westbound towards the Rubicon trail.  We knew we didn't want the actual Rubicon trail because we didn't want to kill ourselves or our rigs, but the trusty (cough, sarcasm, cough) trail book assured us a moderate trail could be found, offering off site camping.  I'd like to find out what their idea of moderate it, because how they defined moderate trails in Colorado are completely different than how they made them in California. 

After a bit, we found a tight spot next to Miller Lake.  It was chilly, wrought with mosquitos, but perfect all at the same time.  We would happily call this campsite home for two nights.

From Pines to Nothing, Nevada

Mike is not much of a planner.  What little plan he did have for this trip, literally went up in smoke when we were rerouted on day 1 due to the numerous forest fires raging in California.  After breakfast, a romp in the creek, a brief walk with the dogs (to dry them off) and packing up we made our way to Mono Lake.  It was not as glorious as it was made out to be.

 

Mono Lake

Mike grabbed his trail book and picked what we thought would be a good trail.  Meh, it was okay but it wasn't taking us into the trees.  So after a brief off road detour we made our way back to pavement.

We opted to try out Bodie State Park: a park featuring the Bodie Ghost Town.  We did not stop but merely drove through on our way into Nevada.

We let Pete pick the route today.  He decided to take us into Nevada.  And into a rain storm. Thanks Pete. One thing I learned today is that Nevada will remain off of my list of states to explore.  Hello nothing for miles and miles and miles.

At the California/Nevada state line there was the remanents of a stone structure and a short water crossing.  Both were enigmas and with no signage to explain their appearances. The best part of traveling in July? Wild flowers.

We wound our way through the canyon.  It lightly rained off and on.  Once through, it poured.  Hard.  We were in the flats with a lighting storm raging on both of our sides.

We were growing weary.  Once out of the canyon and into the flats we were bored.  We seemed to have left the scenery behind in California.  We found out that the treeless Toiyabe National Forest is rarely explored and the roads have been reclaimed by the desert.  We found a reasonable turn off and tucked ourselves into the hillside. We prepped for the rain that never came and enjoyed a cool night in the quiet.  Amazing to think that this morning we were in the trees, playing in a creek.

Today was totally unplanned.  Which would set the tone for the remainder of our trip.  Plans are for the...prepared.

Yosemite in the clouds

We woke to clear skies and the glorious smell of pines.  People often question if they were born in the wrong era.  I often wonder if I was born in the wrong part of the country.  I grew up in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, but I feel truly at home and at peace in the mountains.

Camp was packed up and we made our way towards Yosemite.  We had no idea how long of a day we had ahead of us.  Once in the park, I was disappointed to find we would experience Yosemite during a cloudy, gray day.

Mike took this shot of me saying: my wife in her natural state.

The girls:

Bridal Veil fall in the distance.

Bridal Veil falls up close:

Once at the falls, the crowds got larger.  Much larger.  With very little English spoken.  This would set the tone for the remainder of our time here. It was taking entirely too long to get from one point to another.  And the traffic was annoying.

This is not the glorious scenery I was hoping for:

We bypassed a lot because of the hoards.  I was supremly bummed.  I will need to come back to Yosemite for sure, but I will try it during the off season, if there is such a thing.

The clouds got heavier as we climbed out of the park, giving way to brisk temperatures and left over snow. 

We descended late, although you would never know as the sun seems to never set in California.

The sun greeted us outside of the park.  Unfortunately, so did signs stating we could only camp in campgrounds.  Most National Forests are liberal and allow you to camp offsite.  Inyo National Forest, not so much.  But after some searching we wound up with a perfect campsite, butted up to the Lee Vining creek.

The fellow campers were chill and quiet, and what little noise they did make was drowned out by the sound of our own personal creek.

Long after the sun fell behind the mountains, I played with long exposures...

We cooked up a quick dinner, and turned in to the sound of a distant storm.  It was a long day in the car, but a creek side campsite was a great prize.