Upon leaving Chino Valley our first stop was Las Vegas International Airport to pick up our friend Jeehoon. Then it was due west, to Death Valley, CA. As the name suggests it was brutal. Once you enter the park you begin to descend in elevation until you reach the welcome center, conveniently located at the lowest point in the United States, at 282 feet below sea level. Opening the car door, you are immediately flooded with what can only be described as sauna wind and I guess at 115° you can’t really expect much less. So, we quickly made for our campsite, 6,000 feet up and every bit cooler. The next morning we quickly packed up before the heat set in and made it to our next destination Onion Valley.
Onion Valley was the perfect camping location, 9,000 feet up nestled between two mountain peaks. It is less of a destination than the national parks, but everybit as beautiful, with less people, and much to see and do. With access to John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park we went on several hikes, including one which took us up over a peak, through rocks and snow, to a still, beautiful lake. We were the only ones around and we enjoyed the afternoon at our very own lake.
After Onion Valley, it was north to the Mammoth Lakes area. This popular recreation destination has several lakes, mountain trails, and a few nationally recognized monuments. We went on some awesome hikes that took us through dense woods up to rocky outcroppings with spectacular views. We also made a visit to Devils Postpile, a rare cliff of columnar basalt. Created by a lava flow some 100,000 years ago, the interior of it was later revealed as a giant glacier receded, scraping and polishing what is now exposed. Nearby, we hiked the 101-ft Rainbow Falls, where a rainbow literally forms at base of the waterfall. It was just beautiful.
After meandering through the aw-inspiring Sierra-Nevada mountain range, we decided to head into the San Francisco area, to be closer to the Airport and check out the city before we had to send Jeehoon off. Once we unpacked and set up a few things at China Camp State Park, we called it a night and started the next day early. We drove into San Francisco on the infamous Golden Gate bridge, but not before stopping and admiring it from afar, of course. Then after touring the town, we ate at the marina and walked the dogs on the beach. On the way back we stopped in the small town we were staying in to pick up a pizza and some rum to have our own little camping party for G’s last night with us.
We were so glad you got to come visit Jeehoon, we always have the best camping trips!
With that, here’s a quote from probably one of the best ever naturalist and preservationist, to whom we are grateful for many of our parks.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” ~ John Muir
Tonya and Ryan
Just as Free 