James

23 Nov 2023: Sara Park Trail/Thanksgiving Potluck

by JamesNovember 23, 2023February 26, 2024Arizona / Day Trips / Hikes / Sightseeing

There are plenty of things to do around Lake Havasu but most are boating or other water-sports on the lake. We wanted to hike at least once during our stay so we chose the Sara Crack Slot Canyon Trail. Sara Park is only a few miles north from Cattail Cove just off the road to Lake Havasu City. There are several good hiking trails of different difficulties. Lizard Peak Trail is more challenging than the slot canyon yellow trail.

This recreation area is wonderful with off-leash dog parks, lake access and boat launches, and a variety of trails for both hiking and mountain biking. The slot canyon portion of the Sara Crack Trail is pretty short but challenging with some small drops that require a short rappel, ladder, &/or sliding down the rock face. Unlike the soft earth walls of Anza-Borrego’s slot canyon, these canyon’s walls are smooth stone. The majority of this trail is gravel river bed which can be sidetracked by taking the Red Trail instead of staying on the Yellow Trail. Once we were through the slot canyon, we could continue another mile to the lake on the winding riverbed trail. But we chose to head back, lessening our time away from the dogs. Instead of hiking back up the slot canyon, we took the Blue Trail which climbs a few hundred feet above the slot canyon, towards Lizard Peak. It’s a great alternate route back since you climb several hundred feet and have a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Havasu. You can also look down into the slot canyon to see other hikers working their way down & where you were.

Cattail Cove State Park Thanksgiving Potluck

During an early morning Thanksgiving-eve walk, I was told about the Cattail Cove Thanksgiving Potluck. A tradition at this campground that regulars know about. We would have heard about it too if we had stopped into the Ranger’s Office when we arrived. But since we arrived after hours, we had not made it to the campground office till yesterday. Being short-notice, we went into town to find something to bring. Not much was available so we opted for a charcuterie platter. The rangers and campers laid out a pretty impressive spread at the Cattail Cove Amphitheater. We missed having Thanksgiving with our family but were thankful to participate with a great group of rv’ers.

22 Nov 2023: Lake Havasu City/Parker Dam

by JamesNovember 22, 2023February 18, 2024Arizona / Day Trips / Sightseeing / Trips

About 12mi north of Cattail Cove State Park is Lake Havasu City. It is a sprawling town spread around the eastern shore of the lake formed by the Colorado River & Parker Dam. The lake is definitely the main attraction of the area. There are many lake resort communities especially on the ‘Island’. Many of the businesses focus on lake users and tourists. This is a great place to winter.
We drove around to get our bearings, have lunch, and buy some groceries. As close as Lake Havasu is to Oceanside, we’ve never visited this part of Arizona.

The main landmark in Lake Havasu City, other than the beautiful lake, is the London Bridge. It spans the Bridgewater Channel that connects the town with Lake Havasu Island. It’s a somewhat fascinating idea by developer Robert P McCollugh to add something unique to his lake development. Read the history on Wikipedia’s Lake Havasu City page here.

20-27 Nov 2023: Lake Havasu Thanksgiving Trip

by JamesNovember 21, 2023February 26, 2024Arizona / Campgrounds / State Parks / Travel Trailer

Thanksgiving 2023, our sons & families had travel plans – one to Dominican Republic, the other to Arizona. So we took the opportunity to travel to Cattail Cove State Park at Lake Havasu. We had booked here in March 2023 but ended up heading into southern Arizona to Tucson and Yuma because of bad weather. We were fortunate to find 5 nights available at Cattail Cove State Park. This campground is about 12mi south of Lake Havasu City, in a remote cove 5mi from the Parker Dam. It was a great place to spend Thanksgiving and we enjoyed it so much. We’ve already booked Thanksgiving week 2024.
Because we took two dogs with us this trip, something new. We kept our day-trips short and close-by. Bodhi, our 12yr old poodle terrier, has traveled with us, but not for a few years. We typically leave him with family during our RV trips since he doesn’t travel well. This time, since all the family were traveling, we took him and our son’s dog Ollie. Our 20ft travel trailer is just barely big enough for four occupants so we made it work. We setup a 32″x16-panel enclosure around the campsite so they could be off-leash outside. Ollie immediately escaped by slipping through a gap under the stairs. So we closed all possible gaps under the travel trailer with chairs and boxes. We also added collapsible stairs up onto the bed since Bodhi can’t jump like he used too.

We tried to hike the McKinney Loop Trail at Cattail Cove with the dogs. But Bodhi wanted to turn around after 0.5mi – it was sunny and unshaded so he got hot. He’s just not a hiker, as much as he enjoys being with us & discovering new smells. So for the remainder of the holiday, we hiked without the dogs.

Day Trips

22 Nov: Lake Havasu City
23 Nov: Sara Crack Slot Canyon & Thanksgiving Potluckn
24 Nov: Havasu Island Bike Trail

After 4 nights at Cattail Cove, we drove to Desert Hot Springs to visit family, staying at the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA.

18 Oct 2024: Last Day in Lone Pine

by JamesOctober 18, 2023July 29, 2024Uncategorized

When we travel, we rarely sit idle by the RV. So we usually fill our days, especially our last day on vacation. So after a few short hikes in the Alabama Hills in search of Nightmare Rock/Miss Alabama Rock and Shark Fin Rock.

We drove north to historic Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery.
“The Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery was once the largest and best equipped hatchery in California. In 2007, a large wildfire burned upstream of the hatchery. A year later, a heavy thunderstorm resulted in a massive mudslide that swept down Oak Creek wash, damaging ponds, water supplies, and employee homes. The main building escaped the flood and the facility is now an educational facility…” Info from bishopvisitor.com.
Unfortunately, they were closed but we were able to walk around the fish pond and feed the fish.

We usually bring our folding Zizzos bikes (pictured) or e-bikes on our trips and try to bike ride at least once, even if only around the campground.
There really isn’t a great area to bike around Lone Pine unless you mountain or e-bike Movie Road. Fortunately, just a mile up the road from Boulder Creek RV park is Diaz Lake. This Inyo County Campground has a road the circles the lake and was the only place to bike. The road was bumpy then gravel but beautiful in the evening. But be sure to wear mosquito repellent.
A nice way to finish our stay in Lone Pine.

17 Oct 2024: Mt Whitney/Lone Pine Lake Trail

by JamesOctober 17, 2023July 29, 2024California / Central California / Day Trips / Hikes / State Parks

We wanted to hike a cooler, more forested trail so we headed up Mt Whitney Portal. The trails around Mt Whitney and the eastern Sierras here are hard with lots of elevation change. But we thought we’d give the 6mi Lone Pine Lake Trail as try.

I came to Lone Pine and the Eastern Sierras in search of fall colors to photograph. I didn’t realize the eastern side of the Sierras was high desert at ~4000ft. I’ve always pictured Bishop and neighboring towns as having lots of trees and fall colors. But you have to get to higher elevations to find trees and autumn colors in this part of California. Mammoth Lakes is roughly 8000ft so Mt Whitney Portal was our nearest option.

We started at 10am and it was cold at Mt Whitney Portal Store (8360ft). The day was sunny but unless you were in direct sun, it’s was cold. Fortunately, once on the trail, there were long breaks between shade so we warmed up quickly. In fact, the shade became a great stopping point as the day grew warm. The trail to Lone Pine Lake climbs 1771ft so the trail elevation gain over 3mi is pretty steep. Hiking from 8400-10,000ft is hard and Carol had a chest cough. We decided to turn back at ~9500ft (500ft below Lone Pine Lake). The switchbacks and climb at this point of the trail were grueling. We did see patches of fall colors and the hike was beautiful. But we were really disappointed we didn’t make it to Lone Pine Lake. It one of the few hikes we’ve been unable to complete. We’ve always been aware of our limitations, so rarely pick trails rated hard. All the forested, mountain trails in this area are rated hard so we picked one of the shortest. But the combo of hiking at over 9000ft plus the steep elevation gain, stopped us for making to the lake.
It’s the journey, not always the destination, right?

14, 16 Oct 2023: Alabama Hills Movie Road

by JamesOctober 16, 2023July 29, 2024California / Central California / Day Trips / Sightseeing / Trips

The Alabama Hills &/or Mt Whitney are why you visit Lone Pine. Many highway 395 travelers stop here for lunch as they head to Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, or Lake Tahoe. But Lone Pine has a lot to offer, mainly hiking/climbing Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, and the Alabama Hills Movie Road & arches.
The Alabama Hills is renown as a movie filming location particularly for westerns. So much of it’s history is from the heyday of movie and TV westerns. Movies or shows starring Roy Rogers, John Wayne, the Lone Ranger, Gene Autry; movies such as Gunga Din, Star Wars, Tremors, Gladiator, Ironman, Django Unchained were all shot here. It’s close proximity to Los Angeles and unique topography and open rugged spaces. Make it a great spot to make movies or TV shows. There’s even a Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine that’s worth a visit, admission is only a $5 donation.

The landscape of the Alabama Hills reminds me of Joshua Tree National Park. Driving, biking, or hiking Movie Road is the main route through the many unique aggregations of boulders, movie locations, and arches. It’s dry, dusty, and often hot – definitely a Spring or Fall destination even though at an elevation over 4000ft.
You can spend a few to several days hiking to all the arches and movie locations. All the arch and movie location trails are short, level, easy hikes. Some movie sets have plaques describing the film or show shot on the location. The hike to one of the best arches, Mobius Arch, is short, easy with very few people in October. I got up before sunrise to take photos of Mobius Arch at sunrise and I was by myself. The sunrise hitting the Eastern Sierras and Mt Whitney makes for a wonderful background.

We visited the Alabama Hills over a few days, hiking to the different arches and movie locations. We paced ourselves, only doing a few hikes each day. You can see most of the arches in one day but we were in no rush. Our RV park was only a few miles from the Movie Road and Mt Whitney Portal. So our only long drive was to Bishop & the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

Various Alltrails Trail Maps of Movie Road Loop & the Arches

We drove to the trailheads since it was pretty hot mid-day/mid-afternoon. Having maps of the arches or movie set locations is a good idea since many sites are not clearly marked. If you are driving the Movie Road, they are pretty hard to miss since they have parking areas. But having a map will help you figure out which stop you are at & there are many.

16 Oct 2024: Museum of Western Film History

by JamesOctober 16, 2023July 23, 2024California / Central California / Day Trips / Sightseeing

If you are a classic film buff, enjoy westerns, or movies in general, a short but worthwhile stop in Lone Pine is the Museum of Western Film History. It a relatively small museum but with plenty of memorabilia and information about the hundreds of films and shows filmed in the Alabama Hills. Admission is a $5 donation but you can contribute more if you really enjoy the place. I grew up watching the Lone Ranger and many of the classic western films they have on display.

Olancha Sculpture Garden

by JamesOctober 16, 2023July 28, 2024California / Central California / Day Trips / Sightseeing

An unusual roadside point-of-interest south of Lone Pine, is the Olancha Sculpture Garden. A much smaller metal sculpture array than Anza-Borrego’s larger metal sculptures. The Olancha Sculpture Garden is an installation by Jael Hoffman. It’s right on the 395 and free, although there’s a donation sculpture (“Give & Take”) with Venmo address. Quirky, unusual metal characters are worth the stop and a few photos.
The Fossil Falls Trail is nearby if you want something else to do in the area. We considered it but it had already been a long day so we just stopped to check out the sculptures.

15 Oct 2023: Bristlecone Pine Ancient Forest

by JamesOctober 15, 2023July 22, 2024California / Day Trips / Hikes / State Parks

After our stop at Manzanar National Historic Site, we drove into Bishop for lunch. From Boulder Creek RV Park in south Lone Pine, Manzanar is about 18mi north, Bishop ~80mi. Manzanar was a surprise, we hadn’t planned a stop but being of Japanese heritage. When I saw the sign driving north, I thought it worth the detour. We stay a lot longer than I planned and this delayed our plans to find fall colors around Bishop & Lake Sabrina. So our plans changed to lunch in Bishop then the Ancient Bristlecone Forest. The Bristlecone Forest was definitely on my ‘must-see’ list. I had seen some wonderful tree and landscape photos. We still had plans to hike Mt Whitney the next day, so we might still find fall colors there.
There are two main trails at Bristlecone Pine Ancient Forest – 1mi Schulman Grove Trail & 4mi Methuselah Trail. With our late arrival and being at 10,000ft, we chose the shorter trail. The Schulman Grove Visitor Center closes early and the days are getting shorter in October. The altitude was definitely felt. The shorter trail is still considered moderately challenging and the first half mile climbs 265ft. Doesn’t sound like much but its a short somewhat steep climb at the start.

The trees are amazing and worth all the trouble to get here. Many look barely alive and their trunks are weathered from thousands of years. It doesn’t look like a forest in the traditional sense, with dense green trees. It’s an exposed forest at 10,000ft. Some areas have groves of trees but the ancient ones tend to stand alone. New growth is precious and rare – see red flag photo below.

14-19 Oct 2024: Lone Pine, CA

by JamesOctober 14, 2023July 28, 2024California / Central California / RVing / Trips

Lone Pine is a small town on Highway 395 in the Owens Valley. Lone Pine has a few stores and restaurants and is mainly a portal to Mt McKinley & the Alabama Hills. Travelers often stop here on their way to Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and Lake Tahoe. There aren’t many RV parks in this area but there’s plenty of BLM campgrounds. Boulder Creek RV Resort, south of town, is the only RV park with full hookups in this area.
The years of drought in California, particularly the Eastern Sierra, made Owens Lake a small wetlands. But with the unusually large amount of snow pack melt & rain in winter & spring 2023, Owens Lake had returned to a lake. By October, the warm summer had reduced the size of the lake. But much of the lake and wetlands around the Owens Lake West Delta Birding Area were still prevalent.

After hiking the Alabama Hills Movie Road, we stopped at the Alabama Hills Cafe. It has a well-served 4.5 star rating in Yelp. But they close early at 3pm and all day Wednesdays so they are great for breakfast or lunch.
After hiking Lone Pine Lake Trail, part of the Mt Whitney Trail, it was after 3pm. So we tried the Mt Whitney Restaurant which claims “the best burgers in town”. The Mt Whitney restaurant has a classic decor with lots of history & memorabilia similar to the Film History Museum.

Small Wanders

Author: James