Our first trip of 2023 was supposed to be to Agua Caliente County Park Jan 2 2023 but we had to cancelled to help family. Which ended up being less disappointing because it rained the entire week and that area is prone to flash floods.
So we postponed our first RV trip to February, combining a family visit to Desert Hot Springs & a few days at Anza-Borrego State Park, to hopefully see wildflowers. With all the rain in southern California this season, the potential for a ‘better-than-usual’ (but not quite ‘superbloom’) wildflower bloom is anticipated. We stayed at the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA, which is close to our family in Desert Hot Springs. KOAs campgrounds are very family oriented with lots of activities for kids and adults. The Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA is especially family-friendly with mini golf, pickelball, bike/pedal car rentals, and a ‘kiddie train’ that loops through the park. We did not spend much time at the park since we were here to spend time with family. But we did enjoy the 3 different temperature (104°, 100°, 98°) hot springs hot tubs one evening which was wonderful. We plan to make this KOA a regular stop when we pass this way with Howie.
KOA Entrance Dillon RoadKOA OfficeNice pool fed by the hot springsMiniature GolfPickleball CourtBasketball & general play areaNice site with shade/windbreakHot SpringsWelcome to the Desert SunsetRoomy KOA roadway
Our main family outing was to the Riverside County Fair in Indio which happened to coincide with our visit. We are not much for carnival rides but walking around the fairgrounds and people-watching is always fun. Plus there were probably a hundred diverse food booths serving up the usual ‘unusual’ unhealthy but delicious fair-food.
Rides I’ll probably never go onBusy placeHimalayan with Susan & BellaDCIM100GOPROG0143898.JPGPokemon booth (for Ronan)Pig Hurdle RaceAre photo booths still a thing w/ young people?Barbara finally popped a balloon & won a unicornBeautiful day to enjoy the fairgrounds
Next stop, a 90min drive to Palm Canyon RV Resort, Borrego Springs CA. One big plus of this RV resort is they allow check-in at 12:30. Which is perfect with an 11am departure at the KOA.
There aren’t many good stopping point midway between Utah & Oceanside if you want to overnight in a RV Park. For our two-day drive home we wanted to have an early arrival day 2 (Oct 9th) so that meant driving longer day 1 (Oct 8th). If we stopped again at Thousand Trails Las Vegas, our day 2 drive would be 6 or more hours. So we stopped in Las Vegas just to fuel and have lunch, then continued to Barstow. I thought stopping at the north Las Vegas Maverik gas station truck stop would be easy but it wasn’t. Because of road construction, the exit detour takes you away from the gas station, so a u-turn is required. Fueling there wasn’t easy either since all the truck pumps were diesel. Non-diesel RVs fuel at the auto pumps which is fine but required us circle back around. When we drove home from Utah in 2021, we stayed at the Barstow/Yermo KOA. It’s a good stopping point about 6hrs from Utah. So we booked a pull-thru hookup site with electric & water for one night. We’ve stayed at other KOAs and this one is pretty drab when compared to the others like Monterey/Santa Cruz KOA. But the site assigned to us this time was a lot nicer than last year’s, with trees and closer, cleaner restrooms.
There are other options if you don’t mind boondocking but with the +90° weather, we like having an electric hookup to run the A/C. The Flying J Travel Center in Barstow or Peggy Sue’s diner parking lot in Yermo are free & pretty safe but noisy. You can also find BLM land along the 15 but we prefer to stay where we are more comfortable. Another affordable ($25 full-hookups) option is stopping at Clark’s Mobile Home & RV Park in Baker. We stop there last year on our way to Utah. It’s essentially a parking lot just off the 15 in Baker with full hookups but no other amenities. There is a market and a few restaurants nearby.
After two-days in Yosemite Valley, we spent our third day on Yosemite’s Tioga Road. The drive takes you to higher elevations than Yosemite Valley so it’s much cooler. The only challenges were the 20-30min road construction delays at places along the road. These significantly slowed our progress exploring this part of Yosemite. But this area is much less crowded and a lot cooler so definitely a nice change from the past two days & worth the trouble. Olmsted Point is a must-stop along the Tioga Road. It’s a viewpoint with a spacious parking lot, docents (the day we stopped), and an easy trail. A short hike will take you to breath-taking views of Tenaya Valley & the northside of Halfdome.
A mile down the road from Olmstead Point is Sunrise Lakes Trailhead & Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park’s largest lake. Unlike Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake water level was not low and refreshingly cold. A 0.35mi hike from the parking lot took us to a rocky beach where we waded & enjoyed the beautiful lake-view. A great place for a packed lunch picnic.
The hike to Soda Springs is an easy hike through Tuolumne Meadows over the Tuolumne River. The Soda Springs ‘cabin’ is an opened-roof square surrounding small, rust-colored carbonated springs. There is a field of carbonate bog surrounding the multiple springs and cabin. There is also the Parsons Memorial Lodge nearby with information and history of the area. A fun easy hike through the meadow with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Marmots live under the Tuolumne River bridge and Flycatcher birds nest in the tree by the lodge.
The iconic Yosemite Valley is always a great place to visit. With national park visitation so popular, we are glad they’ve implemented the 3-day pass ($2) requirement. Fortunately, we were able to take advantage of our July pass somewhat last-minute, booking our campsites just a month before traveling.
July can be hot in Yosemite with 95-100°F mid-day temperatures. Starting hikes early, picking shaded trails, and bringing plenty of water and sunscreen can help make the experience enjoyable. The free shuttle buses stop frequently but many riders do not comply with the mandatory mask mandate. So we chose to drive & bike to the trails and lodge for lunch. Parking becomes scarce by noon so biking around Yosemite Valley, once you find a parking spot, is an ideal way to see the place.
Because of the heat, we picked shorter hikes – Day 1: Mirror Lake, which we mostly biked to, was pretty low but Half Dome was reflecting in the pools.
and Day 2: Mist Trail to Vernal Falls, a somewhat challenging 4mi hike because of the 1279ft elevation gain and 600+ often slippery steps. Like Angel’s Landing in Zion, this is a must-do especially during summer since many waterfalls are low flowing. This was one of the few falls in late July to have a decent flow. In Spring, this waterfall is normally much fuller with mist showering the trail & hikers. Here is the website that tells you what the flow rate is: Should I Hike the Mist Trail Today? (yosemitehikes.com) This one is worth the hard upward effort but, like Angels Landing, crowded by noon.
Bass Lake at Yosemite RV Resort is ~372mi from Oceanside, CA. So after a 1-night stop in Bakersfield, we arrived at Bass Lake at ~2pm 15 Jul 2022 – it was 95°F.
Bass Lake RV Resort Map, site 67
Bass Lake at Yosemite RV Resort has both a members-only section and public campsites (RV & tent). The campground is on the lake’s eastern slope so many sites are terraces, especially the non-member sites. We were assigned site 67, a terraced campsite where backing in was a bit of a challenge. It is angled on a curve section of road (see campsite map), and sloped, making the wdh hitch disconnect difficult. Once unhitched and leveled, we cranked up the AC and relaxed in Howie until it cooled down. The wooded campground is beautiful with a short quarter mile hike to the lake. So our 1st evening we did the short hike on the Willow Creek trail to the lake. Mosquito repellent is a necessity and bear spray an extra precaution although the trail is short and well-traveled.
Most of the eastern shore of Bass Lake is private property and marinas. The northern and western shores are US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) property with several primitive campgrounds & day-use beaches. Parking on the shoreline street does not appear subject to the $10 day use fee. On Saturday, we stopped to rent a boat at the Bass Lake Marina but everything was booked so we reserved a pontoon boat for 8am Sunday. Next, we drove the west side of the lake and enjoyed some time soaking in the cool water. Having passed the lakeside Forks Resort cafe earlier, we went back for lunch on their shaded outdoor patio. Turns out we could have rented a boat here. So if Bass Lake Boat Rentals (basslakeboatrentals.com) has nothing available, check around.
Tripadvisor highly recommended the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Moonlight Special. They serve BBQ before taking passengers on a 100+yr old steam engine ride through the forest, stopping for a campfire sing-along. It was a fun time and the starlit train ride back was memorable.
The Bass Lake Boat Rentals and Watersports marina was adjacent our campground so easy to get to by 7:15am. They recommend arriving well before your rental time so the line queue, paperwork & orientation does not take time from your rental window. Their pontoon boats are very similar to one we rented at Big Bear Lake so orientation went quickly. The lake gets really busy by late morning so boating early, when the lake is glassy, is a more relaxing, pleasurable experience. As we pulled out, a fisherman caught & released a good size bass right by the marina’s dock. The lake is long and narrow so great for water-skiing. I fished near the dam as recommended by the marina host but didn’t have a nibble. Bass Lake was an enjoyable stop on our way to Yosemite.
Our last RV trip was in February so by mid-June, after our new grandson’s Jun 2nd arrival, we were ready for a road-trip. Fortunately, Carol made a July reservation for Yosemite and accepting the $6/gal fuel costs and 90-100°F temperatures forecast. We found a campsite available for a week at Bass Lake at Yosemite RV Resort so we decided to go. All campsites inside Yosemite National Park were booked and with hot weather expected. We wanted full hookups or at least electric so we could run the A/C. Bass Lake is ~18 miles from the south entrance, and 90mins from Yosemite Valley. A bit of a drive but doable, plus we could drive through the sequoias at Mariposa Grove.
Washburn Fire – change of plans
Unfortunately, the Washburn Fire (see map below) started the week before we were to leave. This resulted in the closure of highway 41 and the south entrance to Yosemite for civilian traffic. To avoid driving 2hrs via highway 49 & 140 from Bass Lake to the west entrance three times in three days. We found an opened campsite at Yosemite Lakes RV Resort and rescheduled only 2 nights at Bass Lake and added 4 nights at Yosemite Lakes (on the Merced River – no lake). Our 3-day pass into Yosemite National Park started Monday so we used the three days at Bass Lake to enjoy the lake & surrounding area.
Bakersfield One Night Layover
This was our first road-trip on I-5 over Tejon Pass aka the Grapevine, so I was concerned how difficult our tow was going to be. We packed lightly as usual, had empty tanks, brought our lighter Zizzo folding bikes (vs e-bikes), and the inclines turned out to be no problem. This was our 1st trip after installing Sumo Springs to the rear of our Tacoma. They helped reduce the Tacoma’s hitch sag when hooked to Howie, our 3400# travel trailer w/ 420lbs tongue weight. Plus these taller ‘springs’ improved the tow angle and ride. We stopped midway at Bakersfield River Run RV Park. A Good Sam RV resort w/ full hookups so we could run the A/C and keep cool during our 1-night layover in 104°F heat. River Run is a convenient location close to highway 99, Starbucks, Costco (fuel), & Temblor Brewery so we stayed here on our way home too.
Bass Lake at Yosemite RV Resort
We enjoyed three days at Bass Lake RV Resort: beating the heat in the cool but boat-busy waters of the lake; renting a pontoon boat and doing a little early morning cruising & fishing; and taking the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Moonlight Special Saturday night. Sunday we moved to Yosemite Lakes RV Resort, driving the switch-backs of highway 49 then 140 for 90mi (~2.5hrs).
Yosemite Lakes RV Resort – 1000 Trails
Yosemite Lakes RV Resort is a 1000 Trails campground with campsites available to anyone, not just members. But since a new annual membership was roughly the same price as the cost of 4 nights, we decided to join. Figuring we’d end up ‘ahead’ if we booked an additional stay at a 1000 Trails campground, like Palm Springs, within a year. There were prime sites on the Merced River but they are closer together than other sections of the campground. There is the ‘Sun Valley’ section, which has no trees, so great for Starlink reception but unshaded & hot during the day. We opted for site 57, on the end, across from the river, partially shaded. Starlink worked okay although partially obstructed. Still we were able to watch the Home-run Derby and All-Star game after spending the earlier part of the day in Yosemite Valley. There was zero T-Mobile or Visible cell reception (July 2022) and wifi costs $6/day. We were told by the office the wifi wasn’t very good but their only option. So having Starlink was a wonderful solution and worked fine, although we did not stress the bandwidth. This campground is only 5mi away from the west entrance and ~40mins to Yosemite Valley. Expecting long lines to get in since the south entrance was closed due to the fire. We were pleasantly surprised that at 9ish am, there wasn’t a queue to get in.
Washburn & Oak Wild Fires
Other than fire fighters in town, fire engines on the road, aircraft in the sky. We never smelt smoke or saw any signs of the Washburn Fire. Another wildfire – the Oak Fire – broke out the day after we left Yosemite. The Yosemite area is extremely dry and with the heatwave & strong afternoon winds, it is easy for a wildfire to spread. We were fortunate to not be affected and had a great trip.
With family get-togethers and a Hawaii trip planned in April, we have been staying close to home. The Carlsbad Flower Fields are blooming and it’s another nearby place we often consider visiting but rarely do. Here are a few photos from our daytrip to the flower fields on a beautiful but breezy afternoon.
We got a much earlier start today, President’s Day, and had a much better experience with smaller crowds. There were plenty of hikers, just not the insane number yesterday. The weather was clear and sunny but the wind had picked up significantly. Although sunny, it was cold and REALLY windy. But once on the trail, there was plenty of shelter from the wind by the rock outcroppings. Most of the popular trails in Joshua Tree are short, easy & family-friendly so you encounter more families on the trails than more challenging hikes. Still, there are plenty of side trails and boulders to scramble over if you want more of a challenge and fewer people.
Some landmarks like Skull Rock & Hall of Horrors are close to the road. Today, Skull Rock was uncrowded so we stopped for a quick photo, but didn’t hike the nature trail loop. Next stop was Hall of Horrors – we had to stop just because of the name. It’s a really short 0.6mi loop hike around some great climbing walls. We did not find the namesake ‘hall’ between the two rock faces I read about later on Alltrails.com. Next, was Barker Dam, another short 1.5mi hike that loops by a small dam built by cattlemen in 1949. A great short hike but the dam’s water level was very low. Bighorn Sheep & other wildlife are said to visit this watering hole but we did not see anything or signs much had been around recently. On the way back, there are Petroglyphs in an alcove. Most are at eye-level & higher so they are easy to miss without the trail marker or people gathered. With such short hikes, we wanted one more and Hidden Valley Nature Trail was real close. It’s another short but beautiful Joshua Tree hike (1mi loop) surrounded by the beautiful rock outcroppings & plant life.
That was enough of Joshua Tree for this trip so we exited through the West Entrance and stopped at the very popular iconic (and crowded) Joshua Tree Saloon. Dining outdoors was a real challenge with the gusting afternoon winds blowing through the patio. But it was a great way to finish the day and worth the wait.
It should have been no surprise to us that Joshua Tree National Park on President’s Day weekend would be crowded. But the number of cars & people was insane – I know national parks are more popular than ever but today was nuts. Even the north entrance had a queue of 20 cars. We have a lifetime pass and fortunately they opened a 2nd lane & waved us through. We got into the Split Rock Loop Trail parking area around noon. It was full but we were able to park on the side of the road that fed into the parking area. It was busy but with everyone dispersed, we had a nice hike. The weather was great, not hot, so hiking conditions were perfect.
Since we were staying in 29Palms, close to the north entrance, we should have got an earlier start. By 2pm all the landmark destinations were packed, with cars overflowing along the road. We tried to stop at Keys View at 3pm and ended up just turning around. We decided to get an earlier start tomorrow, hoping Monday, even though it was still a holiday, would be less crowded.
We left Anza-Borrego on such a high note, seeing & photographing Bighorn Sheep. I felt less enthusiastic moving on to Joshua Tree. Last time we camped there in Feb 2021 was such a short visit, we wanted to see more of the National Park. After the excitement of successful wildlife photography, landscape photography seemed less interesting to me. But if anyplace can get a person excited about the landscape, it’s Joshua Tree. Unfortunately, all the campgrounds in Joshua Tree were booked and we did not feel like chancing one of the ‘first-come first-serve’ no-reservation campsites on a long President’s Day weekend. Fortunately, we were able to reserve a full-hookup campsite at Twentynine Palms RV Resort. After dry-camping for 4-days in Anza-Borrego, we missed having full hookups. Twentynine Palms RV Resort is a few miles from the north entrance to Joshua Tree NP. So it’s a great option when campsites are unavailable inside the park. Yucca Valley, 15mi west near the main park entrance, also has RV campgrounds but these were all booked for the dates we needed.
An interesting side-note: in the evening at this RV Resort dozens of turkey vultures soar above the golf course next door. They eventually settle for the night into the tall trees that stand between the campground and the golf course. Tom, a resort regular, told me they can number in the hundreds at times and return every year to roost in these tall trees which are unusual for the area.
