To the West Coast and back

[johnnytravels]

I also met a pair of German rock climbers.

Johannes and Paul came separately, but hung out together. They mostly spoke in English, but would often revert to German in conversation when they had difficulty expressing something. It must be nice to be around a fellow countryman in those situations. Johannes, who had previously visited the states as an exchange student in high school, would spend a couple months travelling the US alone while visiting great climbing spots. I joked that he survived entirely on a diet of Nutella and bread (which he denied, but is eating in the picture above). It was the only thing I'd seen him eat, so it was nice to be able to fix him a few camp meals. Paul had actually been there a while, and was currently living in a cave. At first I thought he was joking, but he actually did go and sleep in a nearby cave every night. I had lots of questions for him, like how big was the cave, did it get cold at night, and did he ever worry about bears or other animals entering the cave? He said when he first got there, he did have a roommate -- a ringtail cat. I didn't know what one was at the time, but thanks to Google:

There's a stay limit of 30 days per year, and only 7 days during the busy months (May thru Sept), so climbers try and get around this by not registering at camp (and sleeping in caves). Apparently, it's a long held Yosemite climber tradition. Jake described it to me, but it was nice to actually meet someone carrying out the practice. But he would come to camp to eat and hang out after climbing.

During one of those times, the two of them saw my butter spray bottle, they laughed and laughed, and just shook their head and said, "That's so American." Actually, it wasn't mine, it was given to me by Mike (one of the Filipino's) when they left, along with some leftover ears of corn. But that's also Yosemite tradition, sharing food, and one of Jake's rules: Never turn down free food. The squirrels definitely lived by it.

Earlier, Adriano wanted to name some of them, and suggested the name 'King' for the biggest one (who chased the other squirrels off whenever they entered his territory). I then added George, as King wasn't really a proper name, and it stuck. Our main instigator was a big fat squirrel named King George -- or just George for short. And it was apropos, as he did rule the campsite and took what he wanted. And here was King George's castle, a big tree stump in the middle of camp.

He was so annoying that one day I decided to teach the little *******er a lesson, and dropped a Jalapeno core on the ground (the core and seeds are the hottest part of the pepper). And then I watched and waited.

Not only did he find it, he ate the whole thing. He just gobbled it down like it was nothing, then went off in search of more food. I couldn't believe it. The squirrels at Yosemite do not ******k around. but it wouldn't be the last time we tangled.

 

[johnnytravels]

I wanted to include this lady at some point, but wasn't sure where.

She was a bit of a mystery. She was at camp all the time and never talked to anyone, and the times people tried to talk to her, she was completely unresponsive. We called her the 'homeless lady.' She didn't appear to have a tent, and we'd see her sleeping on the picnic table bench. I thought she had mental health issues. She did have a camp chair however, and we'd see her sitting in it for long periods in her bathrobe without moving, staring off into space, holding a lit cigarette with an ash butt that was inches long. I can't confirm this, but someone told me that she wasn't really homeless, she was actually well off, but came to Yosemite on the anniversary of her son's death. I'm not sure if the story was that he died at Yosemite, or that it was one of his favorite places to visit, but she returned here to remember him. Very sad, if true.

Although she did have the presence of mind to get out of the rain and hunker down under the bathroom awning. And I did see her outside of camp once at the village store. I bought some groceries and came out the rear exit and found her sitting on the steps smoking. I was glad to see that she got out, and was actually feeding herself.


Then came the snow.

The last weekend I was there, it snowed. a lot. It actually started as rain, then turned into sleet and snow. I remember waking up to the patter of raindrops around three in the morning, and was relieved it was only rain because the weather report said there was a chance of snow, then fell asleep again, and was awakened again around six when the side of my tent pressed down on my face. The snow buildup caused it to sag enough that it was actually on top of me, and woke me up. At first, I thought my tent collapsed, and I was buried. lol. But once I knocked the snow off the fly from the inside everything was okay. The cheap tent I got on sale at the outlet store, that's served me so well throughout my trip, managed to hold up under winter conditions.

The same couldn't be said for my campmate Johannes, whose Coleman tent did not fare so well, and did collapse under the weight of the snow. And keep in mind this is wet, heavy snow, not the dry fluffy kind. At first, I thought he might be in there, and that I had to rescue him, so I shook off the snow, and it sprung right back up. Apparently, the tent's aluminum poles twist into kind of a pinwheel shape when under pressure, but don't break. There were a bunch of tents that faced a similar fate throughout camp. Johannes showed up later and said he went and slept in his minivan. One woman cracked me up, when I heard her unzip her tent, look outside and say, "Holy ********!"

Someone else described the scene as like being in the Game of Thrones, like the tree above, which looked pretty cool. Winter had come, indeed.

We shared camp with another group from LA (Wen, Joe, Peter, and Tran), who drove all night the previous day to arrive early in the morning to register for a campsite. They were an awesome group, and I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with them a bit. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture because on the morning they left, I helped them carry gear out to the parking lot, and when it came time for a group photo, I had left my phone in the tent. :-( But I did take group photos for them on their cameras and phones. Actually, here's one I took of Joe and Wen on that snowy morning.

And all that practice fire building I did finally paid off, as I was able to get a nice fire going in the morning despite the snow and rain. And a little snowman I built.

 

[calicamper]

Great trip report Johnny - hey regarding the deer carcase that one was probably only a few days old. They don't pick them up given they tend to be gone by the time they get out there to move it. I live in the Bay Area about 6 miles from San Francisco and just last weekend we had a pack of 5 Coyotes in our back yard take down a Doe. Three days and all evidence of the drama was gone. Though the blood curdling scream at 6am from the Doe being brought down in a vicious Coyote attack will forever remain burned into my memory. Woke us up from a dead sleep on a Sunday morning.

 

[calicamper]

I also met a pair of German rock climbers.

Johannes and Paul came separately, but hung out together. They mostly spoke in English, but would often revert to German in conversation when they had difficulty expressing something. It must be nice to be around a fellow countryman in those situations. Johannes, who had previously visited the states as an exchange student in high school, would spend a couple months travelling the US alone while visiting great climbing spots. I joked that he survived entirely on a diet of Nutella and bread (which he denied, but is eating in the picture above). It was the only thing I'd seen him eat, so it was nice to be able to fix him a few camp meals. Paul had actually been there a while, and was currently living in a cave. At first I thought he was joking, but he actually did go and sleep in a nearby cave every night. I had lots of questions for him, like how big was the cave, did it get cold at night, and did he ever worry about bears or other animals entering the cave? He said when he first got there, he did have a roommate -- a ringtail cat. I didn't know what one was at the time, but thanks to Google:

There's a stay limit of 30 days per year, and only 7 days during the busy months (May thru Sept), so climbers try and get around this by not registering at camp (and sleeping in caves). Apparently, it's a long held Yosemite climber tradition. Jake described it to me, but it was nice to actually meet someone carrying out the practice. But he would come to camp to eat and hang out after climbing.

During one of those times, the two of them saw my butter spray bottle, they laughed and laughed, and just shook their head and said, "That's so American." Actually, it wasn't mine, it was given to me by Mike (one of the Filipino's) when they left, along with some leftover ears of corn. But that's also Yosemite tradition, sharing food, and one of Jake's rules: Never turn down free food. The squirrels definitely lived by it.

Earlier, Adriano wanted to name some of them, and suggested the name 'King' for the biggest one (who chased the other squirrels off whenever they entered his territory). I then added George, as King wasn't really a proper name, and it stuck. Our main instigator was a big fat squirrel named King George -- or just George for short. And it was apropos, as he did rule the campsite and took what he wanted. And this was George's castle, a big tree stump in the middle of camp.

He was so annoying that one day I decided to teach the little *******er a lesson, and left a Jalapeno core on the ground (the core and seeds are the hottest part of the pepper). And then I watched and waited.

Not only did he find it, he ate the whole thing. He just gobbled it down like it was nothing, then went off in search of more food. I couldn't believe it. The squirrels at Yosemite do not ******k around. but it wouldn't be the last time we tangled.

We use to set out flat plates with some whiskey in it. You could always tell which chipmunks were Alcoholics given after getting a drink of the good stuff they would run around pushing their nose in the dirt and return with piles of dirt on their nose. LOL

 

[DaveNay]

Did you take notes for all the names and stories of the people you met and the places you went? I can barely remember my own name, much less all that info on such a long trip!

Very nice!

 

[johnnytravels]

Great trip report Johnny - hey regarding the deer carcase that one was probably only a few days old. They don't pick them up given they tend to be gone by the time they get out there to move it. I live in the Bay Area about 6 miles from San Francisco and just last weekend we had a pack of 5 Coyotes in our back yard take down a Doe. Three days and all evidence of the drama was gone. Though the blood curdling scream at 6am from the Doe being brought down in a vicious Coyote attack will forever remain burned into my memory. Woke us up from a dead sleep on a Sunday morning.

Tell me about it! I saw this Youtube video recently of a bear killing a deer in someone's backyard. Gruesome. :-(

 

[johnnytravels]

Did you take notes for all the names and stories of the people you met and the places you went? I can barely remember my own name, much less all that info on such a long trip!

Very nice!

I kept a notes file on my Ipod with all their names. ;-)

Actually, one of the main reasons for this travel blog is so I can remember the people I met, otherwise I know I would easily forget.

 

[calicamper]

Tell me about it! I saw this Youtube video recently of a bear killing a deer in someone's backyard. Gruesome. :-(

Geeze!! Thanks for the reminder! HA HA
I can't recall the last time I bolted out of bed that fast, checked the kids first, then realized it was outside. Man not something I want to experience again. It was about 60ft from our patio and our master bedroom sits on the 2nd floor with a deck and slider overlooking the back yard which of course was open all night due to the hot temps. So sounded like the damn thing was in our room when we woke up. We have had a Mt Lion visit a few times but the Coyotes have been the most brutal of the local wild kingdom. We keep very close tabs on our kids and dog when they are outside.

 

[johnnytravels]

We use to set out flat plates with some whiskey in it. You could always tell which chipmunks were Alcoholics given after getting a drink of the good stuff they would run around pushing their nose in the dirt and return with piles of dirt on their nose. LOL

Messing with the squirrels was sort of fun, and did turn into a daily battle. One day a hole appeared right under our picnic table, and I saw George going in and out. (sorry for the poor photo quality, I had my phone out next to the fire earlier, and didn't realized the lens got cloudy)

He was gathering leaves and materials for what I assume was his bedding. I tested how deep it was by putting a long stick in there, and found it went in all the way, and he'd dug himself quite a hole, and was like no we can't have this. I refuse to allow a squirrel to live directly under our picnic table, so I placed a rock over the entrance.

I admit I did enjoy watching his confusion when he couldn't locate his hole anymore, and it's possible that at this point I may have started taunting him. "Lose something? It's gotta be around here somewhere... What happened to your hole, George?" I know it's not nice to ******** with an animal whose brain is the size of a pea, but I couldn't help it.

 

[johnnytravels]

After the snow, camp turned into a wet, slushy mess. For those of us who didn't have waterproof boots, our shoes and socks got thoroughly soaked, and it was really cold and miserable, so some of us went over Curry Village and hung out at the lodge, and played board games and tried to get dry.

I played Settlers of Catan for the first time (very fun game!) with Chris, Anna and Dave, while others played chess, or just sat around to get out of the cold. Btw, that's Alex and Mark playing chess. Alex (in the blue sweater, from LA) was another member of our group, and reminded me of Turtle from Entourage. He had quit his job and took a break from school to recharge and go out and do a lot of back country camping.

It got so crowded in there that there weren't enough seats. Sitting on the floor was Jack from New Zealand, who was actually the fifth Kiwi I met, starting with Caera and Leif. He and his buddy Zane (from Australia) came to the US to work and travel. When the ski resort they were previously working at closed in Lake Tahoe, they came down to find jobs at Yosemite, and stayed at Camp 4 until their applications got processed and could get assigned housing and start work. I think they were given tent cabins to live in at Curry Village near where Josue was placed earlier. Btw, this is what Curry Lodge looks like when it's empty.

It's very rustic and has a lot of history, most of it told from the photos and plaques hanging on the walls. I spent a lot of time there, as it was the only place with wifi (which was limited at best, and practically non-existent when busy), and couldn't get cell service at all. During one of those times, a guy walks in with a parrot on his shoulder, goes over to a table and sat down, with the parrot like that the entire time. I gotta say, it was pretty cool.

It didn't take long for the weather to turn nice again, and within a couple days, it was sunny, with temperatures in the sixties, and you couldn't tell at all that the place had just been hit by a snow storm. I was out walking, when I spotted friends from camp doing some rock climbing. They were checking their guidebook to find the location of their next climb, so I hiked along with them to the spot and took of photo of them scrambling up to the route.

Joining them on their climb was Micah, a southerner from Alabama, who was in the area for work setting up fiber-optic systems for Nascar (which was holding an event nearby), and flew in early to get some climbing in before he had to go back to work. In the photo above, he's retelling the scene from Top Gun where Maverick (Tom Cruise) describes how they were flying inverted over the Russian MIG. Just kidding, I think he was describing some of the sandstone cliffs he climbed down in Alabama. After seeing them off, I went down to Lower Yosemite falls to take pictures of tourists for the last time.

 

[johnnytravels]

This was near the end of my stay, and I met the final wave of campers.

There was Eric, from Portland, who like a number of others I've met, quit his job at Boeing and was taking time off to travel and rock climb. That seemed to be a common thread. Quitting suddenly gave you the time and freedom to actually do the things on your bucket list (i.e. like visit national parks), or Yosemite is somewhere you want to come and spend time thinking and figuring out what new direction to head in. Either way, it's definitely a special place, and just being here can change your outlook on life.

And Patrick, from Lake Tahoe, who I thought was a dead ringer for comedian Ari Shaffir. Patrick came with his friend Zack to climb a couple days before heading back. I knew I liked Patrick instantly when I saw him reading a book on Indian cuisine, instead of the usual mountaineering guides and rock climbing manuals everyone else had. For the couple nights he was there, we stayed up late and had conversations about society and work, and what's really meaningful in life. We talked about how society is designed to keep people working and in debt, and completely dependent upon the system. As things progress, we become less capable of doing even simple things like fixing a broken light socket, or preparing our own food and feeding ourselves, and instead eat out more or buy ****ty processed food. Patrick quit a career as a firefighter to move to Tahoe and take a more flexible job working valet at a casino, which gave him time off to travel and climb, and had recently returned from a trip to the Mediterranean and Greek Isles, where he climbed the seaside cliffs. I should also note that he and his climbing partner Zack have climbed to the top of El Cap in a single day -- I don't know if there are many others who can claim that.

It's times like these that I valued most throughout my trip, having good conversations with interesting people, who have a different way of looking at the world. Another was Greg (below), who was there for only one night, and was just getting out of the Navy (after eleven years?) and going to work in the private sector. I asked if he was nervous about that, as non-government jobs were not as secure and predictable as working for the military, he said he was also looking forward to the challenge and entering next stage of his life. Then he told me about how he struggled and dropped out of college due to the usual temptations that come with college life, and joined the military, where he found the structure and discipline he needed to turn his life around. There he got an education, learned a trade (working in radiology), got married, and is now a father. He also recently bought a house back in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio (a fellow buckeye), where his new job is located.

We discussed how it's asking a lot of an eighteen-year-old, straight out of high school, to be thrown into a situation where they suddenly have total freedom for the first time, after being under their parent's roof their entire life, and put them in an environment where they're surrounded by drugs and alcohol, and sexual partners, and expect them to have the discipline and maturity to not cut class and stay on top of their studies. Many simply aren't prepared for that, and you see it in college dropout rates that are over fifty percent. And unfortunately, not everyone finds a way to get things back on track, and wind up floundering or saddled with debt. But that's a discussion for another place, so I finally say goodbye to Yosemite, pack up (after nearly three weeks), and hit the road again. My final stop was at a sequoia grove north of Yosemite valley, where I got to see the giant sequoias for the last time. And I'll include a few professional photos to better capture the natural beauty of the place.

 

[johnnytravels]

It felt good to be on the road again, after being in one place for so long (which was my longest stopover of the trip). I had planned to cut through Yosemite on Highway 120 to Lake Tahoe, and wanted to visit Tuolomne meadows and other hiking areas that Patrick had earlier told me about, but found the road still closed for the winter, despite earlier reports I heard in camp that it re-opened. So I headed NW to my next destination, Lassen National Park.

Driving up the central valley, you could see from the reservoirs how low the water tables have dropped. And having talked to folks who were very concerned about California's drought (like Leon the citrus farmer I met in Fresno), it was a stark contrast to the many lush green golf courses and lawns I drove past in Palm Springs, San Diego and LA. They seemed like different worlds.

I stopped in the town of Calabasas, a historic mining town, which had a connection to Mark Twain, where he spent time working as a gold miner, and may have been the place of inspiration for his famous jumping frog of Calaveras County story, and still retains an old western look for tourists and passers thru.

After it got dark, I was looking for a place to spend the night, and pulled into a forest road that led to this turnout. At the time, it was completely dark and couldn't see anything, but in the morning was surprised by the view. I wasn't far from my destination, and would arrive later that morning.

But found the parking lot to the visitor center empty. When I went in, I learned that most of the park was still closed for the winter, and wouldn't re-open for several more days. I wanted to see Lassen, but didn't want to wait around 'til then, so I put it on my to-do list for later, but did go in as far as was allowed and saw a few mud pits and steam vents.

And a cool twisty tree growing on top of a boulder.

 

[johnnytravels]

After Lassen, I went west to Redding, where I stopped at a library and checked the parks service website to see what was going on at Crater Lake. After coming across road closed signs at both Yosemite and Lassen, I thought it might be prudent before driving all the way up to Crater. And it was a good thing, as I found out most of the park was still closed until June, which was still a month away at the time. That was all I needed, and I would put that on my to-do later list as well, and started east on my return journey home.

Living in the midwest, I considered May the start of summer weather season, with temperatures routinely getting up in the eighties, but forgot that up in higher elevations May could still be snowy and cold (as proven by the end of April snowstorm we experienced in Yosemite), with roads not yet passable.

I found a nice campsite to stop at for a couple days near the border of Nevada. It gave me a chance to reorganize all the stuff in my car -- definitely something I've needed since leaving Yosemite, and to do a little cooking.

(fried rice)

One of the things I wanted to see was how well I could eat on the road, and did manage to do a lot of cooking and maintain a relatively healthy diet while traveling. With just a small campstove, or over an open fire, I was able to prepare many of the meals I might make at home, and ate a lot of rice, pasta, beans, and vegetables.

(broccoli stir fry over rice)

(my camp stew consisting of rice, beans, a bunch of different veggies, and italian sausage)

(spaghetti with veggies in tomato sauce with ground sausage)

And my assortment of spices. I didn't start out with that many, and picked up a bunch of them along the way as I did more cooking. I figured out what foods kept well without refrigeration, and came up with easy one-pot recipes, and ate pretty well. One of my staples were the vegetable wraps I ate throughout the trip, which didn't require any cooking, and could easily be assembled with whatever ingredients I had on hand, but usually consisting of lettuce, onion, tomatoes on a tortilla, with salad dressing. I'd also include celery, jalapenos or lunchmeat if I had some.

Figuring out a way to eat well was important given I was on the road for over five months, and eating out regularly would have quickly depleted my savings, so I was glad to be able to feed myself throughout the trip with simple affordable meals. This was definitely one of the things I wanted to test when I first set out, and something my cousin Marty would ask me about, so I wanted to include some photos of my meals. Now I know I can travel well on a budget and eat healthy, and will be better prepared the next time I set out on a long trip.

 

[johnnytravels]

Btw, I was just reading about a woman who's been on the road for over 7 years with her dog, living out of a van. It makes my five and a half months seem like nothing. I'm sure she has it all pretty well figured out. Now I have another travel blog to look through.

http://www.businessinsider.com/photographer-and-dog-road-tripping-us-for-years-2015-6

 

[johnnytravels]

Soon I was back on the road and into southeastern Oregon, where I came across an alkali lake.

At first I thought this was more evidence of the ongoing drought affecting parts of the west, but in later research learned was a seasonal thing, when the water level recedes leaving a salty residue behind. This was BLM lands, so I found a nice spot to camp near the highway, and got to see another nice sunset.

As I was driving through Oregon, I found a hot springs on the map and decided to check it out. I'm glad I did because it was a really nice way to spend an afternoon soaking in mineral water. The temperature was in the 50's, which made the hot bath even better. Nearby, cattle grazed, and birds were flying all around. There was housing available on site with cabins, and the teepee above available for rent, but I still had plenty of daylight left to drive, and a spot picked out nearby in Idaho that I wanted to get to.

Refreshed and showered, I was on the road again. If I haven't mentioned already, being on the road with a full tank of gas, my water topped off, and plenty of supplies is a great feeling. I liked the sense of self-sufficiency it gave you. You could go anywhere, do anything, with nothing but the open road ahead of you. Plus, I had downloaded a bunch of podcasts onto my Ipod while at the library, so I had plenty to listen to as well while driving.

The walk-in campground in Idaho I found in my earlier research was a nice one. It was located along the river, with just a few spots, but only one other person there at the time. Later when I talked to her, the camper told me that this place is usually empty during the week, but fills up over the weekend -- which there was plenty of evidence of in the form of beer cans and trash left behind. I spotted something dead in the water, I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it looked bloated and about to burst. I stayed there one night, and would have liked to stay longer, but the sky was overcast with a high likelihood of rain. And I didn't want to deal with being stuck in a wet tent, so I hit the road again, and just in time as the skies opened up and the rain started. From this time forth, it rained nearly every day of the trip.