I visited the Grand Canyon for several days, admiring the views of the canyon itself and staying in the adjacent Kaibab National Forest. You may have read the recent article in the New York Times about the advantages of visiting the north rim instead of the south. The north is more difficult to get to and therefore less crowded. It’s about 1,000 feet higher than the south, so it is cooler. I think its prettier.
The Kaibab NF is beautiful, a real national treasure. The forest has many well-maintained service roads and tons of places for dispersed camping. Within a half hour’s drive of the national park, I could camp in perfect solitude, peace and quiet.
You can see for miles and miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
I thought this was a clever sign design. Cut the message out of steel and it remains clear, impervious to graffiti and vandalism.They have a nice lodge, appropriately rustic. It is surrounded by numerous cabins with varying degrees of comfort. There is also a restaurant, but I didn’t eat there. I doubt Michelin has heard of it.It can be chilly at this altitude all year round.Whoops! This tree threw itself across the road, apparently tired of the traffic. (Of which there is very little.)One of the many forest service roads, lined with brilliant green aspen trees.Xena, the Warrior Princess, rests after a long day of adventuring. She is actually a black cat, but insists on rolling around and cavorting in every pile of dirt she sees, hence the reddish tint.One of the remote camp sites I used. Pretty clever to conceal myself behind the trees, eh?
Driving east through the far-east of California, I made an amazing discovery! As you probably know, Hwy 168 skirts the northern boundary of Death Valley. What I doubt you realized as you passed by, however, is the existence of some of the oldest living things on the planet. I call them “bristlecone pines.”
This is one of many specimens of the bristlecone pines. They’ve lived in this dry, high-altitude locale for thousands of years.The pines have stunning views of a basin enclosed on all sides by mountains. What little rain falls here remains, with no route to the sea. Sad.These delicate flowers want only to bring beauty to a harsh and unforgiving world. Just like me.Here are the seed carriers of the bristlecone pine.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” According to Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching, anyway. My journey will be considerably more than a thousand miles and involves more sitting than stepping, but I guess the sentiment still applies. I left Oakland Sunday, May 15, if memory serves. It usually doesn’t, so if one of you know better, please let me know.
I didn’t drive far on the first day. Why should I? Travel without agenda or obligations is an exercise in freedom. 😇
I found a nice dispersed camp site in the Stanislaus National Forest. So you can place it on your mental map, it was just south of Long Barn and north of Mi-Wuk along Hwy 108. Nothing really special, but it was a couple of miles off pavement and, once the shooting stopped, very quiet.Not everything has burned…the Sierras remain beautiful.The engineers who designed Hwy 108 must have gone to the Salvador Dali Civil Engineering School. The road is just slung across the mountains, drooping and swooping. So much turning! First I would spin the steering wheel all the way to the left, then the right, only to turn it left again! Really inefficient.Wow! Looks like I picked a bad time for a road trip. Spoiler alert: Prices dropped $2/gallon as soon as I crossed into Nevada.My camp site near Bishop, CA. Xena, the Warrior Princess, liked exploring the rocks; she did not heed my warnings about scorpions. Luckily, she didn’t find any.
Stay tuned, next time more California and my exciting discovery!
Note: I found this draft post from a while back. I guess I forgot to press the publish button. I think I may also have forgotten to finish it.
A beautiful, twisty road leads to Carlsbad Caverns.
We found a dispersed camp site just 30 minutes from the park gate. It was a rough and rocky road to get there. Xena surveils the environment, keeping a steady watch.
The Caverns are 750 feet below the surface. Visitors can either hike down a switchback trail or take an elevator (the elevator is required for all on the return trip). The photos can’t convey the beauty and enormity of the caverns. You have to make the trip and see for yourself.
