Paul was scheduled to go back to school in September (2001). We decided to take a last camping trip before he had to go back. I chose Lone Pine, California because the elevation was just right. At 6,000 feet, the days would not be too hot and the nights would not be too cold. We decided to take the dogs. They had been camping once before with us at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and they had camped several times with Beth in the Desert. Hog is an American Bulldog and Harley is a pit bull. Both would enjoy the trip. We took off not too early on a Friday morning and drove through Death Valley to Lone Pine. The first sight of the Sierras is always breathtaking as they rise so swiftly in the distance when you first see them. And they are such a contrast to the desert landscape you have just crossed. We stopped for a late lunch and to look around in Lone Pine. One stop we always make in Lone Pine is at the Interagency Visitor Center to find out the latest information and to look at the latest books. Then we headed to the campground and set up camp. The campground was nearly deserted and we would only see it half filled on Saturday night. After a walk around the campground and along Lone Pine Creek it was time to start supper. After supper we walked around camp a little more. We watched the sun set behind the Sierras and Mount Whitney. There were no clouds, so the major color of the sunset was golden as the sun sunk. We read by lantern light as it darkened, waiting for the stars to come out. Even though Lone Pine was below us, less than 10 miles away, there was so little competing light that we had the best view of the Milky Way we have had since we were in Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in central Nevada 10 years ago. It was bright enough out to see your book but not quite bright enough to read. The sight was humbling.
We decided to go to Horseshoe Meadow the next day for a hike. The original intent was to go to the Cottonwood Lakes area, but it was a bit late to go that far by the time we got there and made that decision. We also found that the dogs were not used to the crushed soil, the decomposed granite. It would cut their pads if we took them on it for too great a distance. The drive up was pretty scenic. You start at about 6,000 feet in elevation and drive up to 10,000 feet in about 20 miles. And the last 5 miles has little elevation gain as you wind around the canyons into the middle of the Sierras. The views in are great. Since you have risen so fast, you can see down from the edge of the road to Owens Valley and to the east to the Inyo Mountains. The area is pretty dry; the ponderosa and jeffrey pines grow pretty far apart on the west side of the mountain. The most convenient hike form the top based on the time of day and the distance the dogs could go was the hike around Horseshoe Meadow. It is a little under 3 miles. While you cross an end of the meadow and a creek on the first short leg of the trip, you quickly enter a forest where the jeffrey pines grow closer together, obscuring much of a view of the meadow. You also rise about 300 feet above the meadow for the next mile and a half, going around the east and south sides of the meadow. The trees grow close enough together that they don't all survive. You finally come out along the edge of the meadow on the east side. There were a few wildflowers left this late. We found dwarf purple monkey flowers, sierra gentian and hymenoxis, as well as paintbrush.
Since we hadn't eaten yet, we stopped on the east side of the meadow for a late lunch and then a romp on the meadow. The grazing cattle didn't like our romping so they went to the south end of the meadow. Harley still had a lot of energy (he always does) so we decided to play fetch with him. The only thing to throw for him were the dried bovine frisbees. So we threw them and he retrieved them. He's never played frisbee, so he didn't have the hang of catching them on the air; he caught them where they landed. The greatest problem we had was that the frisbees got wet in his mouth. The frisbee would disintegrate and we would have to get another one. We continued through the meadow, crossing the stream and hiking back to the car and then back down to the valley. Again, the views of Owens Valley were spectacular.
It was mid afternoon, too early to go back to camp. We drove to Manzanar and took the drive around the site. While most of the buildings are gone, it seems that something lingers there. It's like you can still hear the voices of the internees in the wind. It is an eerie, sad place. We drove from there on into Independence, where we stopped at the Eastern California Museum. Its exhibits provide worthwhile descriptions and explanations of life in the area for the indians and the early settlers of the area. There are also flora and fauna exhibits.
We drove back to the campground from Independence. We walked along the creek again before fixing supper. After supper, we read by lantern again before waiting for darkness and the star show. This time there were even a few shooting stars. The dogs, however, did not wait up for the show. Hog made it clear that he was cold and wanted to go inside the tent. So we let him in. Harley was a little less subtle. When he decided he was too cold he climbed up onto my lap and stuck his nose under my armpits. There's nothing like having a 60 pound lapdog while you are sitting on a lawn chair!
The main reason I wanted to come to the Lone Pine area was to get into the Alabama Hills. I have seen them in movies and pictures but have never been in them. So that is where we spent Sunday morning. The hills sit behind Lone Pine (From US 395) but separated from the Sierras as well. They are much older than the Sierras, consisting of very weathered granite. The rocks are very rounded and darker than most granitic rocks. The paved road leads into the hills and then turns into gravel. There are many gravel paths to take into the rocks. We took a few randomly and, when it struck our fancy, we stopped and got out of the car to explore the rocks more closely. One place we stopped had an arch carved into the rock. The arch was unlike those you see in areas dominated by sandstone or limestone. The arch was high up rather than at ground level where a stream could undercut the rock. We also went down an interesting looking draw, but it was really too late to find any wildflowers at that elevation. The hills were pleasant and the time of year made it comfortable outside. It would be hot in the summer in the hills.
We headed home after we had had our fill of the hills. We made a beeline, stopping only at Father Crowley Point for lunch. The point offers a good overlook into the Panamint Valley in Death Valley National Park. The other significant factor at that location is the intrusion of yellowish, maroon and purple rock. The normal strata are somewhat tilted, but all of the strata are parallel. The colored intrusions are triangular and not parallel with the other strata. So the place is quite interesting geologically.
We did not venture anywhere Mount Whitney during the weekend, though we could see it and its foothills from the campground and from the Alabama Hills. This will provide another adventure in the Lone Pone area. But for now, we were headed home to clean up and rest up before work on Monday.
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