California Sierras

Thursday, 9 June

We are constantly surprised when we get up at a reasonable time, say 8am and the time between then and 11am just goes and we aren’t even on the road yet and haven’t been in the pool either.  However, we do have a plan today, first port of call groceries and then head north to Lone Pine CA, skirting Death Valley to the east.

Only in USA - a 5L box of wine (made in Oz). This was the only choice at the local Walmart!  Should last a while!!

We arrive just before 4pm and it is hot but only 33 C hot so manageable and there is a breeze which Kim has been battling on the road.  First stop - the pool for a cool off then cold drinks and a relax before dinner.  It’s  gotten hotter - now 40 C!  We are having chicken and roast potatoes tonight, cooked outside in the electric frypan. No mess charlie!  The wine isn't great, didn't expect it would be for $12!!

Today we drove though desert, mountains, but not much in the way of green.  Our camp (Boulder Creek RV Resort) at Lone Pine has a backdrop of snowy mountain tops and barren hills. This is mining country, silver, lead, zinc, salt, borax and dolomite (marble).  An earthquake in 1906 levelled Lone Pine and the landscape moved 20 feet.  Last night there was 5.3 earthquake and after shocks, centred in San Bernadino, west of Los Angeles.  Hope they haven’t followed us from home!

The Alabama Hills are to the west and are famous Hollywood film locations.  Owens Dry Lake is to the east, this is sad - the land owners of Owens Valley were conned into giving up their properties and rights for the growth of Los Angeles -diverting the sierra mountain water which once flowed into the lake but is now an aquaduct supplying water for LA, so the lake is dry.

Most of the trip was this sort of scenery, or just flat desert!

We have passed many solar farms, they are vast but often hard to see from the road as they are so flat, so haven’t been able to get any good photos.

We also drove through some ghost towns, still inhabited but decrepid buildings and junk yards.

The Boulder Creek camp is nice, well laid out, boulders mark the samp sites, the pool is nice but it was busy. The facilities are good and they offer free coffee and muffins between 7-9am, better get on over there and see what flavour they have.

Snow topped mountains