I had forgotten to pull images from my phone, so I’ve included a few more here from Bodega Head, but the majority are from a really nice hike in the Stump Beach area. I highly recommend a visit here–especially in April of the year. Although I didn’t include many photos of them (long story), the wildflowers here were amazing.
I decided to try something different for this post and make a video instead of creating a regular gallery. I’m interested in feedback on video vs still photos. Thanks!
Tag: travel
One NV stop / three CA stops on the way to Bodega Bay & Point Reyes NS
I went to meet a friend in California to travel to Bodega Bay. These are sights and adventures along the way (as always, more info in photo captions). (EDIT: forgot I made a short video of what I think were brittlebush blooms. It is at the bottom of this post, below the gallery).
***
Stewart’s Point, Lake Mead, NV
Lake Mead, Nevada, and the surrounding areas are beautiful and provide many dispersed camping opportunities. Unfortunately, some of those camping spots have recently been closed because of mis-use. Those who have “disperse-camped” or “boondocked” for any length of time have, unfortunately, seen these problems time and time again – mostly in the form of (1) permanent residency instead of abiding by stay limits and, (2) sadly, a lot of garbage. At least the rest of us can easily do something about the second problem by cleaning up other people’s trash each time we camp and participating in organized clean-ups.
One Lake Mead area that remains open is a favorite of mine, “Stewart’s Point”. On this occasion, I met some friends here, and, while we endured some high winds and a little rain, we had mostly beautiful weather and exceptional scenery–especially after we snagged a waterside camping spot.
More images from Arizona & California
Miscellaneous Arizona and California images – mostly from their skies.
Alamo Lake, Arizona
I can’t remember who first told me about Alamo Lake but I’m glad they did. I know sunsets are “old hat” to some nomads, but I never tire of them; the sunsets and overall light here at this location & time was, in my opinion, extraordinary. I saw some of the prettiest sunsets ever for me. I did my best to capture them but there is nothing like being there.
Dispersed camping is plentiful here but waterside spots are scarce. With a few exceptions, most places anywhere close to the water are far above water level and yet have nice views. As for amenities, there is a small, informal RV park nearby that has a restaurant, water (for only 10cents/gal), fuel (one pump; no diesel, I think), propane, laundromat, & showers. There is also a state park campground nearby for those who need hookups.
Despite the amenities available, I recommend coming fully supplied to Alamo Lake, as it is quite remote and the small park I mentioned is…uh…rustic.
Misc Travel in NV, AZ, & CA
A few miscellaneous images from Lovell Canyon, Nevada; Lake Havasu City (LHC), Arizona; and Havasu Lake, California.
That is not a typo – On the east side of Lake Havasu, a wide place in the Colorado River, is “Lake Havasu City” in Arizona, population 60,000. By contrast, on the California side of the lake, is the 5000-strong community of “Havasu Lake” which is part of a Native American reservation.
Anyway, both of these places, along with Lovell Canyon, sport many dispersed camping opportunities.
White Mountains & Ashurst Lake of Arizona/Lovell Canyon of Nevada
After meeting my appointment, I drove up to the Arizona White Mountains where I had camped before. This is a beautiful area closest to the town of Springerville, AZ, that has many dispersed camping opportunities. Next, I went back to visit my friend at Ashurst Lake for a few days. Finally, I moved on to Nevada, because I had to attend an event hosted by the non-profit for which I was working at the time. I camped with several friends at Lovell Canyon between Vegas and Pahrump.
Travel South through Idaho & Utah / Capitol Reef NP
My travels took me from the West Yellowstone area southwards through Idaho and Utah on the way to meeting some good friends for a short visit in a Utah National Forest. After that, I drove through Capitol Reef National Park which I briefly explored.
After my hard-learned lesson never to return to camp after dark on a weekend, I learned yet another lesson: Never take Interstate 15 through Ogden, Salt Lake City, & Provo. (My preference since I began nomading has been the more interesting two-lane highways, secondary roads, & rabbit trails–anything but interstates, especially through large cities. True they are sometimes unavoidable but I still try to use them only in small bites). These Utah cities have “grown together” resulting in a very long stretch of very busy traffic. I guess one way to look at it is that I appreciate the quiet, out-of-the-way roads and places even more after these kinds of driving experiences.
As usual, this post includes interesting “sights along the way”–from an area through which I had never before driven–in addition to several images from beautiful Capitol Reef NP.
A Brief West Yellowstone Stop
I was slowly making my way south to an appointment in Arizona and became excited when I realized how easy it would be to stop in at Yellowstone on the west side. Yellowstone itself was wonderful, as usual. Unfortunately, however, each of the two dispersed camping spots I chose proved to hold very frustrating situations–for two very different reasons.
At the first place, my frustration came with an extremely high biting-fly population plus a problem when I decided to move to a second location. This was one of the very few places I have stayed where I had to drive through a closed gate to reach the site. (Perfectly legal – the gate is just to keep livestock in – usually cattle.) I unlatched the gate to drive out onto a paved road, but to my complete surprise, I couldn’t get up the slightly inclined dirt road to exit through the gate. It proved so difficult and was taking so long, I even thought about staying there another night. Eventually, however, I figured out an approach that worked and was able to make it out. One thing I have learned in the nomad life is that you must expect the unexpected–and that it’s often necessary to be flexible.
Generally, I think I’m pretty good at flexibility–with the possible exception of when a situation involves entitled, rude, and/or hateful humans. I had moved to a second camping spot (why I moved, I can’t remember now–maybe the flies) and had gone into the Park. Against my better judgement, I didn’t get back to my camping area until after dark. I discovered that a number of locals had set up their RVs *on the clearly indicated dirt drives leading into the camping area* which meant I could not get back to my campsite. I told them they were blocking the road and they blew me off, saying something very rude. In retrospect, I wish I had just called the sheriff. Instead, I eventually crossed some very deep ditches in the pitch dark which caused me to bottom out but, miraculously, I did not get stuck. Fortunately, I had befriended a family that was camped right next to me and they helped me figure out how to get out the next morning. My decision to cut my visit short and leave the following day was prompted by the events of the previous evening. At my next stop, I discovered my trailer backup camera had been vandalized. Not too difficult to figure out who had done that, so my decision to leave was a good one. It wasn’t the first or the last time I had run into humans like that. Mostly, I just try to be thankful for the ones who aren’t like that – like the nice and helpful family camped beside me.
Anyway, I did get to enjoy a few more hours in one of my favorite national parks.
***
***
Glacier National Park (Part 1)
Glacier National Park is certainly a beautiful place but, unfortunately, area fires kept me from seeing much of that beauty on this my first trip there. Fires were not the only challenge for me here. I knew ahead of time that the Going-to-the-Sun Road would be tough for me because of my fear of heights–and I was correct. It was a strange mixture of exhilaration at the amazing scenery and paralysis from amazing anxiety. Ultimately, I was able to enjoy myself, however. This visit was mainly characterized by breathtaking mountains, picturesque water features, and my first mountain goats that weren’t just white specks on a mountain side. These were all viewed from drives and short walks. Next visit is to include hiking–lots of hiking–so there will have to be a plan for Miss Sadie while I explore this spectacular Park more thoroughly.
For this post, first are a few more images from the route to the Park and then Part 1 of bucket list item “Glacier National Park”.
