Backpacking in Tahoe National Forest
Day 1 – 08/13/2012 Monday after work, Kirk and I take the truck & trailer back on the road – and J.T. is on board as well, of course! We’re heading into the Sierra mountains again, following I-80 to Yuba Gap and park the trailer at Lake Spaulding Campground, off Hwy-20 at 5,500 ft elevation. Out of the approx. 13 sites here, we find the perfect spot at site #3 (while using all blocks to level the trailer!). And if it … Read More
Scotts Flat Lake Camping Weekend
It’s time for just one more camping weekend this July (07/27-29, 2012) and we’re headed up through Gold Country and the Sierra Nevada Foothills to Scott’s Flat Lake, near Nevada City. Kirk, J.T. and I set up on site 3A, and soon after the Cougar pulls in next door, at site 3 with Kristina, Clae and Kody on board. While the campground has no hook ups, it surely has tons and tons of campers on every site around us! It’s … Read More
Camping with Big & Tall this Weekend …
Time to go camping again … and this weekend we’re headed to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, just under 2 hours from home, 1 hour from the Silicon Valley and truly a place of its own! After having navigated the one-lane road into the park with no other traffic in sight (phewww!), we set up camp at site 51 in the Huckleberry Campground on Friday night, ready to get some relax & enjoy time this weekend! With no hook … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – What a Ride
View Southwest Trip in a larger map Thanks for following us along during our trip through the Southwestern United States. Now that we’re home and unpacked… it’s time to reflect on our Southwest adventure. Here are some tidbits about our trip. We travelled over 3367 miles through 6 states. We burned 275.5 gallons of gas at a cost of $1107.15. We got an average of 12.2 MPG. Highest elevation: Tioga Pass 9945 feet. Lowest elevation: Badwater Basin -282 feet (also … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – Day 14 (Yosemite National Park)
After two weeks, it’s day 14, and the last day of our trip. Today we awake in Lee Vining and make our start up Tioga Pass. The pass usually isn’t open this early, but due to low snowfall we’re able to cross over the Sierras at the best place imaginable… Yosemite National Park Right at the peak of Tioga Pass at 9945 feet is the entrance to the park. Over a day ago we were 294 feet below sea level. … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – Day 13 (Eastern Sierra)
Leaving Death Valley National Park this morning has its ups and downs … Starting at Stovepipe Wells at sea level the up comes first, as Hwy 190 West climbs to Towne Pass at 4,956 ft elevation, just to drop back down at a 9% grade to about 2,000 ft. Then? Back up again to well over 4,000 ft with a soft descent into the Eastern Sierra – Owens River valley at 3,700 ft above sea level! After getting gas (yup, … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – Day 12 (Death Valley)
We’re taking our time getting started today, knowing that we’ll win an hour back once we cross a couple more state lines. Yep, today, we’ll cover 4 states in 1 day! Not as impressive as the 4 Corners, but hitting Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California in just 1 day still is a lot! We’re soon on I-15, and cross from Utah into Arizona. Here, the freeway snakes through the Virgin River Canyon, before dropping us into Nevada. After about an … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – Day 11 (Grand Canyon & Zion)
2 nights of dry camping in a row get rewarded with: coin operated showers at the Marble Canyon US Post Office (ok, same building, next door, behind the Laundromat). 50 Cents to get in, plus $2 for 5 minutes of water … but it’s cold! OMG! I spend another $2 before I’m ready to actually to embrace the cool … 😉 Then we’re heading uphill (about 3,000 ft in elevation gain) and against the wind for the next hour and … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – Day 10 (Natural Bridges & Valley of the Gods)
Just when we thought we had had an impressive day yesterday, we get today started! It is completely quiet as we wake up at the Natural Bridges National Monument campground, and that’s an unbelievably nice experience! Ahhh …. But soon enough we’re up and get ready for yet another fun filled day! Leaving the trailer (with dog) at the site, Kirk and I head out to the 9-mile loop drive through the park. Already at the first pullout we’re mighty … Read More
Southwest Road Trip – Day 9 (Mesa Verde & Four Corners)
Mesa Verde National Park is impressive – once past the ranger/entrance station, it’s a 15-mile drive to the Far View Visitor Center, covering approx. 1,500 feet in elevation gains, but not without taking us up and down and up and down and up again, thru, along and over the green plateaus. We decide on the self-guided tour of Spruce Tree House in the Chamin Mesa part of the park. It’s a another beautiful ride to get there, and once out … Read More