Scott B.
Adventurist
Any dates/destinations set for DE IX yet? Asking for a friend.
No plans yet.
Tell your "friend" to keep an eye out in the Trip Planning section.
In the meantime, I am open to suggestions.
DE VIII - The Owens Valley
- Thread starter Scott B.
- Start date
No plans yet.
Tell your "friend" to keep an eye out in the Trip Planning section.
In the meantime, I am open to suggestions.
Scott B.
Adventurist
Our next to last night of camp. It was a very level cut out on the side of the mountain. We could not tell if the idea was to have a level, cut pad, or the dirt was needed somewhere else.
A model of Manzanar, when fully constructed. A very interesting place - very "military". Quite a story, seeing what these people did to make this place more like home.
Our furry friend returned to our camp in the Alabama Hills. We saw what could have been Mom or Dad in the distance, but the bigger one was very wary of people.
A model of Manzanar, when fully constructed. A very interesting place - very "military". Quite a story, seeing what these people did to make this place more like home.
Our furry friend returned to our camp in the Alabama Hills. We saw what could have been Mom or Dad in the distance, but the bigger one was very wary of people.
Hun
Adventurist
Day 13 - Up and Out
We woke up early to an already warming day. We snacked on blueberry cream cheese coffee cake, a Schat’s Bakkery specialty, while we packed up camp one last time on Desert Expedition VIII.
Keith took off first to find the shortest route to Maryland. Sib traveled south on Route 395 with us until he broke away at CA-14 heading to Thousand Oaks. We continued south on Route 395 with Frenchie headed to New Mexico.
It was our final drive through the bold and beautiful Owens Valley. We experienced some of what John Muir described as “a country of wonderful contrasts,” with rugged alpine peaks of the Sierra range towering over the deep trough valley in the high desert floor. The Sierra Nevada mountains, some 450 miles long and 80 miles wide in areas, are higher, wider, and more spectacular than any other mountain range in the US. Twice the length of the Rockies, the Sierra bloc stands 4000’ higher above its adjacent valleys than the Rockies above the Great Plains. Our path crisscrossed this great region as we took in the beauty and learned a small portion of the harsh history and the trials and conflicts over limited desert resources. The city of Los Angeles, with their never-full-enough 230 mile aqueduct pulled more water than the valley’s watershed could bear since the early 1900s drying up lakes and rivers in the valley. Since the 1990s, with court-mandated water restrictions in place, the valley is experiencing a rebirth of vegetation and wildlife not seen here in 90 years.
And now, for the trip home... homeward bound, west coast to east coast. From Route 395, we turned east on CA 58 to pick up I-40 in Barstow. Other than fuel stops and lunch at a hamburger joint, we stopped for dinner at a diner in Flagstaff and made it as far as Holbrook AZ KOA. We were just west of the Petrified Forest National Park, and one of these trips - we’ll take the time to see it! 570 miles.
We woke up early to an already warming day. We snacked on blueberry cream cheese coffee cake, a Schat’s Bakkery specialty, while we packed up camp one last time on Desert Expedition VIII.
Keith took off first to find the shortest route to Maryland. Sib traveled south on Route 395 with us until he broke away at CA-14 heading to Thousand Oaks. We continued south on Route 395 with Frenchie headed to New Mexico.
It was our final drive through the bold and beautiful Owens Valley. We experienced some of what John Muir described as “a country of wonderful contrasts,” with rugged alpine peaks of the Sierra range towering over the deep trough valley in the high desert floor. The Sierra Nevada mountains, some 450 miles long and 80 miles wide in areas, are higher, wider, and more spectacular than any other mountain range in the US. Twice the length of the Rockies, the Sierra bloc stands 4000’ higher above its adjacent valleys than the Rockies above the Great Plains. Our path crisscrossed this great region as we took in the beauty and learned a small portion of the harsh history and the trials and conflicts over limited desert resources. The city of Los Angeles, with their never-full-enough 230 mile aqueduct pulled more water than the valley’s watershed could bear since the early 1900s drying up lakes and rivers in the valley. Since the 1990s, with court-mandated water restrictions in place, the valley is experiencing a rebirth of vegetation and wildlife not seen here in 90 years.
And now, for the trip home... homeward bound, west coast to east coast. From Route 395, we turned east on CA 58 to pick up I-40 in Barstow. Other than fuel stops and lunch at a hamburger joint, we stopped for dinner at a diner in Flagstaff and made it as far as Holbrook AZ KOA. We were just west of the Petrified Forest National Park, and one of these trips - we’ll take the time to see it! 570 miles.
Hun
Adventurist
Day 14 - Eastbound
Up early, we found our way back onto eastbound I-40. The Land of Enchantment state sign greeted us as we crossed into New Mexico. Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Gallup was a welcome sight. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, compliments of Frenchie. As we neared Albuquerque, Frenchie took off to the north for Rio Rancho while we continued eastward. Railroad tracks follow I-40 through most of New Mexico, and it was not unusual to see 3 or 4 engines pulling long, long rows of cars, sometimes box cars, sometimes ore cars. Set against the mountains in the backdrop made for a picturesque site - the kind of photograph you might see on a calendar.
The terrain changed to high plains as we crossed into Texas and the trains, so prevalent in New Mexico, changed to wind turbines and vast stockyards. The wind turbines stretched as far as the eye could see north and south of the interstate and continued for hundreds of miles. Cows dotted the landscape, small creatures under the sizable wind turbines. We had been looking forward to a meal at Tyler’s barbecue in Amarillo, but alas, upon arrival, all we could see were ‘sold out’ signs scrawled out and taped in the windows. Luckily, Rudy’s bbq was just around the corner. We were in Texas after all, bbq joints abound. Rudy’s was a huge establishment, even had gasoline pumps outside. We feasted on brisket and beans, cole slaw and potato salad, and chocolate pudding topped it all off.
With a couple more hours of road behind us, we stopped for the night at Foss OK to find a KOA campground. The fan in our teardrop provided a nice breeze in the arid, warm air. A secondary gain was the white noise drowning out the interstate highway noise and we fell fast asleep. 630 miles
Up early, we found our way back onto eastbound I-40. The Land of Enchantment state sign greeted us as we crossed into New Mexico. Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Gallup was a welcome sight. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, compliments of Frenchie. As we neared Albuquerque, Frenchie took off to the north for Rio Rancho while we continued eastward. Railroad tracks follow I-40 through most of New Mexico, and it was not unusual to see 3 or 4 engines pulling long, long rows of cars, sometimes box cars, sometimes ore cars. Set against the mountains in the backdrop made for a picturesque site - the kind of photograph you might see on a calendar.
The terrain changed to high plains as we crossed into Texas and the trains, so prevalent in New Mexico, changed to wind turbines and vast stockyards. The wind turbines stretched as far as the eye could see north and south of the interstate and continued for hundreds of miles. Cows dotted the landscape, small creatures under the sizable wind turbines. We had been looking forward to a meal at Tyler’s barbecue in Amarillo, but alas, upon arrival, all we could see were ‘sold out’ signs scrawled out and taped in the windows. Luckily, Rudy’s bbq was just around the corner. We were in Texas after all, bbq joints abound. Rudy’s was a huge establishment, even had gasoline pumps outside. We feasted on brisket and beans, cole slaw and potato salad, and chocolate pudding topped it all off.
With a couple more hours of road behind us, we stopped for the night at Foss OK to find a KOA campground. The fan in our teardrop provided a nice breeze in the arid, warm air. A secondary gain was the white noise drowning out the interstate highway noise and we fell fast asleep. 630 miles
Hun
Adventurist
Day 15 & 16 - Final Leg
When we woke up, the day was already promising to be a scorcher. We hit the road, eastbound on I-40 and shortly before Oklahoma City, stopped for fuel at a Cherokee Trading post. We fueled up, browsed the store, purchased a few tokens for friends back home, and went over to the restaurant for eggs, bacon, and hash browns.
We left the dry flat plains when we crossed back into Arkansas. The vegetation was lush and green, hilly and wooded. Just past Little Rock, we saw several billboards for Nick’s Barbecue and Catfish. Not wanting to negotiate Friday night city traffic in Memphis, we decided to give Nick’s a try. We pulled off I-40 in Carlisle and Nick’s had recently outgrown their restaurant and built a large, modern building. The bbq was delicious and we made a note to visit again next time we were traveling this way. Carlisle is due north of Crossett, a paper mill town from my paper-making days. We left a town full of good friends when we moved out of Crossett.
After dinner, we crossed the mighty Mississippi River, dropped south on I-55 through Memphis, and then onto SR 78 which turned into I-22. We were headed for Wall Doxey State Park. Alabama was playing Ole Miss in Mississippi on Saturday so campgrounds were filling with football fans. We secured a nicely wooded site, far from interstate noise. A hot shower, a little reading time, and then we were ready. When lights went out, so did we. 580 miles
We felt the humidity as soon as we woke up. Warm and muggy. Such a contrast to the desert air back west. Yes, we knew we were back in the South. W packed camp, ie, closed the vent and doors, and made our way back to I-22 southbound. Cracker Barrel was just a few miles down the road in New Albany.
A last stop on our journey, Bass Pro Shop outside of Birmingham, gave us a little time to stretch our legs wandering the aisles to see what goodies we needed for our next trip.
We piled back into the rig, drove across one more state line, and arrived at last, home. Time to settle in, unpack, wash up, and plan for next year's desert expedition.
So until next time,
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” (Rachel Carson)
When we woke up, the day was already promising to be a scorcher. We hit the road, eastbound on I-40 and shortly before Oklahoma City, stopped for fuel at a Cherokee Trading post. We fueled up, browsed the store, purchased a few tokens for friends back home, and went over to the restaurant for eggs, bacon, and hash browns.
We left the dry flat plains when we crossed back into Arkansas. The vegetation was lush and green, hilly and wooded. Just past Little Rock, we saw several billboards for Nick’s Barbecue and Catfish. Not wanting to negotiate Friday night city traffic in Memphis, we decided to give Nick’s a try. We pulled off I-40 in Carlisle and Nick’s had recently outgrown their restaurant and built a large, modern building. The bbq was delicious and we made a note to visit again next time we were traveling this way. Carlisle is due north of Crossett, a paper mill town from my paper-making days. We left a town full of good friends when we moved out of Crossett.
After dinner, we crossed the mighty Mississippi River, dropped south on I-55 through Memphis, and then onto SR 78 which turned into I-22. We were headed for Wall Doxey State Park. Alabama was playing Ole Miss in Mississippi on Saturday so campgrounds were filling with football fans. We secured a nicely wooded site, far from interstate noise. A hot shower, a little reading time, and then we were ready. When lights went out, so did we. 580 miles
We felt the humidity as soon as we woke up. Warm and muggy. Such a contrast to the desert air back west. Yes, we knew we were back in the South. W packed camp, ie, closed the vent and doors, and made our way back to I-22 southbound. Cracker Barrel was just a few miles down the road in New Albany.
A last stop on our journey, Bass Pro Shop outside of Birmingham, gave us a little time to stretch our legs wandering the aisles to see what goodies we needed for our next trip.
We piled back into the rig, drove across one more state line, and arrived at last, home. Time to settle in, unpack, wash up, and plan for next year's desert expedition.
So until next time,
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” (Rachel Carson)