August 7-8, 2007.

Mammoth Lakes

to Sacramento
The End of the Road

Determined to do some exploration in the Mammoth Lakes area, we began the day with an overview---literally. We climbed aboard the Mammoth Mountain gondola and were whisked to the top of the 11,000+ foot mountain in a matter of minutes. The temperature was brisk—in the 50s---and the wind about 30 mph. Nevertheless, the views were spectacular thanks to absence of recent forest fires (which haunted us elsewhere). Looking north towards Yosemite, craggy peaks reached skywards. As pretty a mountaintop view as we had seen on the whole trip. Hooray California!

We returned to the rig, picked up Carly and headed to the June Lake Loop. Gorgeous views as we checked out a few campgrounds for future reference (somehow we’ve got to find a solution to the Norcold refrigerator that won’t work on gas over 5500 feet). Finally, we hooked up again with Mexico mates Kaye and Dee, who we last saw outside of Banff Park. They were staying at Silver Lake until the end of September, so we traded them the firewood that we had hauled around the country from Oregon. In return, Kaye emptied a bottle of Chardonnay in our direction before we all headed back to June Lake for dinner.

After sitting down for dinner, the waiter (a charming chap) told us that most of the items on the menu weren’t available, since the hood fan on the stove was kaput. We opted for Mexican food, but frankly, we’ve had better. Great to spend some final moments with Kaye and Dee, however.

Up early the next morning, we were on the road by 6:30. I headed up the Mono Pass with the rig, and Janice trailed behind, stopping to pick up lattes. We hooked up the toad at the truck turnout at Conway summit. Testing the lights, there was a problem, and fuses kept blowing. I could have spent the whole morning rewiring the rig but elected to hit the road without lights on the toad, reasoning that there were plenty of lights on the rig, traffic was light, and I wanted to get home! Foolish and stupid, yes! Fortunately we made it home safely, climbing up the pass east of Silver Lake (Hwy 88) and then sliding over to Hwy 104 west of Jackson. The last 10 miles on 104 were some of the scariest on the trip, as a Mexico-width highway with no shoulders was filled with oncoming trucks enroute to some construction project. I was certain that our 4500 miles on the road would end catastrophically a few miles from home.

Arriving home about 2pm, Carly promptly flopped down in the bushes and Janice headed to the post office to pick up the mail. Home at last!
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Epilogue

After a few days’ reflection, the following thoughts remain:

1) Long trips are OK, but we need to simply stop in one place for a week or so to just relax. This trip was a bit ‘busy’ and we were a bit frayed at times and wound up 'weary' of constant travel. Looking forward to some time in the woods this fall. Just sitting.

2) The scenery in California matches anything we saw along the way, with a few exceptions: Waterton Lake in Canada and the Beartooth Highway in Montana. These are in a class by themselves.

3) Southern Colorado is a place we’d consider spending a few summers in. Beautiful country, rivers, mountains and nice people, including the many Texans summering there.

4) Oregon remains a special place for us, and there is a lot more there for us to enjoy and explore. Next year! We'll be going to Casey’s Riverside Resort for sure.

5) The Calgary Stampede was a whole lotta fun, and the grandstand show will remain a dazzling memory for a long time.

6) Watching the Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene provided us with a tremendous respect for the athletes (Julie included) who compete in such events. A real test of physical endurance and mental will.