(Mid June, 2019) From Trindad, California, we moved on up the coast just a short distance on highway US-101 to Brookings, Oregon. It was a lovely day for a drive, with clear skies at first, then light fog and mist to add interest to the scenery along the way.
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(Late May – mid June, 2019) From Truckee we made our way through the Donner Pass and across the central valley to Petaluma, California. After the cold, rain, and snow in the Sierras we welcomed the warm spring temperatures and cooling sea breezes near the coast.
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(Late May, 2019) From Lone Pine, California, we made our way north along scenic highway US-395. Our route took us north through the Owens Valley where we enjoyed the stunning scenery of the Eastern Sierras and White Mountains – jagged peaks and rocky slopes mantled with fresh snow.
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(Early/mid May, 2019) From the Trona Pinnacles we made our way past Ridgecrest to Highway US-395 and turned north through the Owens Valley to our next stop, Lone Pine, California. This route passes through a region of spectacular scenery with the jagged mountains of the Eastern Sierras to the west and the more desert-like White and Inyo Mountains to the east. Due to the particularly cold and wet winter and spring, both the Sierras and Inyo mountains sported snow at higher elevations.
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(Early May, 2019) We kicked off the start of our 2019 travel season with a short stay at the bizarre Trona Pinnacles, a National Natural Landmark in the dry Searles Lake Basin of Southern California. This unearthly landscape of towering calcium carbonate spires (tufas) formed under a deep lake at the end of recent ice ages, between 10,000 to 100,000 years ago, as mineral-rich hot springs percolated up and interacted with cold lake water and algal colonies.
The spires have been filmed in many TV shows and movies, including Lost in Space, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Planet of the Apes.
I had first visited this dramatic area in the early 2000’s on a photo road-trip and was looking forward to spending more time exploring and photographing around the spires.
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Deep in the heart of the Anza-Borrego Desert of Southern California lies a valley where towering metal sculptures of extinct or fanciful creatures appear to roam, stalk, and do battle. The sculptures are set amidst stark desert beauty, against a stunning backdrop of low rugged mountains.
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The 2018-2019 winter season was relatively low-key for us and passed quickly. Kim, the pups, and I are in good health and our vehicles and fifth-wheel are in good repair. We spent the winter in southern-California, alternating time between Silent Valley Club and other area parks –
perennial favorites: Banning Stagecoach KOA, Lake Skinner Recreation Area, Rancho Jurupa Regional Park – as well as new parks: Guajome Regional Park and Stagecoach Trails RV Resort and Horse Camp.