We left Huntsville on April 1, six weeks later we are in Lone Pine, CA. What a wonderful trip this has been! We bought solar panels in Tucson a few weeks ago and have been off the grid for over a week now. Freedom! Finding a hot shower takes some asking around. Swimming pools and hostels have been a godsend.
It's been amazing. We've had crappy campsites for $30/night (Carlsbad, NM) and jaw-dropping awesome ones (Lone Pine, CA) for $2.50/night. We've met people who have sold their homes, bought a RV, and are seeing the country. We've met a retired Avalanche Survivor Trainer who gave us loads of good camping site recommendations.
As we travel through small towns and landmarks, I read from Wikipedia the interesting facts. Sometimes we stop; sometimes we don't. There's just too much to see.
The weather has ranged from 100+ in Tucson to 40s in Lone Pine at night. The wind is the biggest surprise. The sun feels so warm but the northerly wind at 20 mph chills you to the bone. We felt sleet in the higher elevations of Death Valley. Our teardrop is always warm and cozy. Or cool when it's hot.
We've cooked most of our meals, but sometimes it's just too windy to cook so we try the local cafes. Mostly the local food has been wonderful. Lesson learned- California Texas BBQ is not so great.
I don't think we've ever spent this much time outside.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Lone Pine and Mount Whitney
Lone Pine, CA is the second of the completely unexpected surprises that has greatly enhanced our trip so far. We were talking with our neighbor in Death Valley, Gary, who briefly mentioned Lone Pine and Movie Flats. He mentioned that a lot of B, cowboy movies had been made here, which frankly doesn't sound like much of a draw. I remember my dad talking about the Saturday mornings spent at the movies watching Audi Murphy, Hop-a-Long Cassidy, Randolph Scott, Lone Ranger, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, etc. Initially, we breezed by the Lone Pine Film Museum, but stopped in town to look for a bracket that I wanted to elevate the cargo rack on the back of the Teardrop. I've been concerned that the rack as currently mounted obscures the tail lights on the trailer. Frances walked into town to get a California road map to help us plan our route up to Mount Shasta in Northern CA. I found her talking to the father of the owner of a fishing tackle shop and joined her there. Trout fishing is a big deal here. Anyway, as we were leaving, he really praised the museum. He didn't seem like the sort of guy to gush over just any roadside attraction. Based on his recommendation, we decided to give it a visit. You can see my photos from the museum on a previous post. It was top notch, and easily as good as claimed. Based upon a film we saw about the history of Lone Pine in film making, which is really impossible to overstate, we decided to drive up to the the Alabama Hills, which is where the 100s of films were shot. As these things go, we missed the turn and ended up seeing a sign to Tuttle Creek (for the first day we called it Turtle Creek) Campground, and instantly decided we had to spend more time here. We grabbed a spot and made our way back to the movie location. We did a quick drive through, but will have to get back to the site later to spend more time.
After returning to the camp ground, we decided we needed to spend another 6 or so days here. With our Annual Pass for National Parks, it only costs us $2.50 a night to camp. We carry water to the Teardrop and refill our tank which has a pump. Our solar panels run the refrigerator all day, and the battery, also charged by the panels, runs it and the lights at night. With the strong sun here, we can do without an AC connection indefinitely.
Today we took to the bikes and rode up to Mount Whitney Portal. It is where the mountaineering trail to the peak of Mount Whitney starts. The portal is about 8300 feet and the peak of Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US is over 14,000 feet. The ride with gorgeous, with extensive full views of the peak for most of the ride. Tomorrow, we will drive up to the portal and hike from there. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. It may be in part due to the fact that I've been in the desert for many weeks, but the water and large pines, surrounded by granite mountains took my breath away.
One tip I've been meaning to post for some time, when on a trip like this Take Your Check Book! It is not obvious, but most of the parks and campgrounds are fee areas. I'm glad to support the use of these areas, but I rarely have exact change. Most of the areas are unattended, but they always takes checks. So, I wish that I had brought mine along, but would have never anticipated that having a checkbook would turn out to be so helpful.
Somehow, Lone Pine managed to escape becoming a tourist trip, a la, Gatlinburg, Estes Park, etc. It's a small town at the base of an amazing natural wonder, and an interesting cultural hub. There is a great, traditional hardware store in town that is packed with supplies. There are local diners, saloons and a coffee shop, where I'm now sitting to type.
After returning to the camp ground, we decided we needed to spend another 6 or so days here. With our Annual Pass for National Parks, it only costs us $2.50 a night to camp. We carry water to the Teardrop and refill our tank which has a pump. Our solar panels run the refrigerator all day, and the battery, also charged by the panels, runs it and the lights at night. With the strong sun here, we can do without an AC connection indefinitely.
Today we took to the bikes and rode up to Mount Whitney Portal. It is where the mountaineering trail to the peak of Mount Whitney starts. The portal is about 8300 feet and the peak of Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US is over 14,000 feet. The ride with gorgeous, with extensive full views of the peak for most of the ride. Tomorrow, we will drive up to the portal and hike from there. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. It may be in part due to the fact that I've been in the desert for many weeks, but the water and large pines, surrounded by granite mountains took my breath away.
One tip I've been meaning to post for some time, when on a trip like this Take Your Check Book! It is not obvious, but most of the parks and campgrounds are fee areas. I'm glad to support the use of these areas, but I rarely have exact change. Most of the areas are unattended, but they always takes checks. So, I wish that I had brought mine along, but would have never anticipated that having a checkbook would turn out to be so helpful.
Somehow, Lone Pine managed to escape becoming a tourist trip, a la, Gatlinburg, Estes Park, etc. It's a small town at the base of an amazing natural wonder, and an interesting cultural hub. There is a great, traditional hardware store in town that is packed with supplies. There are local diners, saloons and a coffee shop, where I'm now sitting to type.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Random Observations of Tucson
We arrived in Tucson in Spring, and three days later it was mid-August. We are currently experiencing a "dry heat" of 97F. That said, this is a very interesting place. A few thoughts...
One of the coolest, ha ha, things we learned is that, according to the clerk a the Circle K, it is illegal to charge for water and ice in Arizona. You just have to provide the cup. I assume you can't feel up a cooler, so this applies to individual cups/mugs, etc. Given the desert heat, this makes sense, but this is a great benefit. My dad set both of us up with a 40 oz, or so, Yeti cooler for the trip. Now, when out and about, we can stop in to any gas station or convenience store and tell them we are getting ice, and there you go.
Tucson has about 140 miles of mixed us recreational trails. The trails are amazing, and are used by cyclists, runners, skateboarders, walkers, and equestrians. The trails are maintained, and generally follow the dry river beds. At least the river beds are dry most of the time. You can easily get through and across the city on these trails. They have bathrooms and even repair stations with tools along the route. We have seen hundreds and hundreds of folks out using the trails. The city is busy building more as I type. It is such a change from a state such as Alabama, and a town such as Huntsville, that has so little to offer in the way of infrastructure that contributes to public health, recreation and traffic reduction. Huntsville is not a poor town, but it feels like one compared to Tucson.
Speaking of cycling, I rode up Mount Lemmon yesterday. The road to the top is 28.5 miles and the elevation changes by over 6000 feet. You start off in the heat at 3000 feet, surrounded by Saguaro cactus. At about 4000 feet the cactus disappear. Apparently it gets too cold for them at that altitude. At about 5000 feet, you enter a riparian forest with fit, oak, sycamore and other unexpected flora. The temperature continues to drop as you climb, and is 20-30 degrees cooler up top. It was about 100F in Tucson and when a couple up top wanted to have a picnic, they found it too cold to sit outside at a table in the shade. I was pleased and surprised to make the climb on the bike. This was a longer climb than the climbs I have done in the Pyrenees. It also finished at an altitude that is higher than most of the climbs I do there. The descent was thrilling, at about 35-40 MPH for most of the trip.
I finally picked up the solar panels that I was looking for. Frost RV in Tucson ordered them for me. They generate 120W and have controller that applies a different type of charge based upon the condition of the battery. I'm running the Teardrop on the panel all day today to ensure that we will be able to sustain 24 hours operations without AC power. Looking good so far.
I have encountered my first needed repair. The faucet has been leaking. I got under the sink and eventually discovered that it was cracked at the base. This could have happened due to some loose item impacting it during towing. Apparently, despite being in RV Heaven, no one has the part in stock. My new friends at Frost RV ordered my one. In a sign of the times, they could not find it from the cadre of dealers that they normally use, so they ordered it from Amazon. Of course, I could have done this myself, except I don't think Campsite 71, Catalina State Park is an address that UPS can work with. The new part should be here tomorrow. In the process, I learned about a new type of clamp, the Oetiker Pinch Clamp. Unlike the hose clamps I most know, you don't tighten this with a screwdriver. They are single use clamps that are pinched with a type of plier. I assume they have some advantage, but for now, they are just a type of specialty tooling that I have to work with. Seems like they are commonly used in RVs.
Our next stop is the Mojave National Preserve and then Death Valley National Park. We have decided to leave Tucson a day early due to a cold front that is moving in. We hope to be able to have our stay in Death Valley coincide with the cooler temps. We've been in Tucson a while, and feel that we can move on with no unfinished business. Fortunately, I've convinced Frances to go to Daisy Mae's for dinner tonight, so that will cover all my bases. Daisy Mae's is a local steakhouse that I used to frequent when I traveled her on business a few years back.
One of the coolest, ha ha, things we learned is that, according to the clerk a the Circle K, it is illegal to charge for water and ice in Arizona. You just have to provide the cup. I assume you can't feel up a cooler, so this applies to individual cups/mugs, etc. Given the desert heat, this makes sense, but this is a great benefit. My dad set both of us up with a 40 oz, or so, Yeti cooler for the trip. Now, when out and about, we can stop in to any gas station or convenience store and tell them we are getting ice, and there you go.
Tucson has about 140 miles of mixed us recreational trails. The trails are amazing, and are used by cyclists, runners, skateboarders, walkers, and equestrians. The trails are maintained, and generally follow the dry river beds. At least the river beds are dry most of the time. You can easily get through and across the city on these trails. They have bathrooms and even repair stations with tools along the route. We have seen hundreds and hundreds of folks out using the trails. The city is busy building more as I type. It is such a change from a state such as Alabama, and a town such as Huntsville, that has so little to offer in the way of infrastructure that contributes to public health, recreation and traffic reduction. Huntsville is not a poor town, but it feels like one compared to Tucson.
Speaking of cycling, I rode up Mount Lemmon yesterday. The road to the top is 28.5 miles and the elevation changes by over 6000 feet. You start off in the heat at 3000 feet, surrounded by Saguaro cactus. At about 4000 feet the cactus disappear. Apparently it gets too cold for them at that altitude. At about 5000 feet, you enter a riparian forest with fit, oak, sycamore and other unexpected flora. The temperature continues to drop as you climb, and is 20-30 degrees cooler up top. It was about 100F in Tucson and when a couple up top wanted to have a picnic, they found it too cold to sit outside at a table in the shade. I was pleased and surprised to make the climb on the bike. This was a longer climb than the climbs I have done in the Pyrenees. It also finished at an altitude that is higher than most of the climbs I do there. The descent was thrilling, at about 35-40 MPH for most of the trip.
I finally picked up the solar panels that I was looking for. Frost RV in Tucson ordered them for me. They generate 120W and have controller that applies a different type of charge based upon the condition of the battery. I'm running the Teardrop on the panel all day today to ensure that we will be able to sustain 24 hours operations without AC power. Looking good so far.
I have encountered my first needed repair. The faucet has been leaking. I got under the sink and eventually discovered that it was cracked at the base. This could have happened due to some loose item impacting it during towing. Apparently, despite being in RV Heaven, no one has the part in stock. My new friends at Frost RV ordered my one. In a sign of the times, they could not find it from the cadre of dealers that they normally use, so they ordered it from Amazon. Of course, I could have done this myself, except I don't think Campsite 71, Catalina State Park is an address that UPS can work with. The new part should be here tomorrow. In the process, I learned about a new type of clamp, the Oetiker Pinch Clamp. Unlike the hose clamps I most know, you don't tighten this with a screwdriver. They are single use clamps that are pinched with a type of plier. I assume they have some advantage, but for now, they are just a type of specialty tooling that I have to work with. Seems like they are commonly used in RVs.
Our next stop is the Mojave National Preserve and then Death Valley National Park. We have decided to leave Tucson a day early due to a cold front that is moving in. We hope to be able to have our stay in Death Valley coincide with the cooler temps. We've been in Tucson a while, and feel that we can move on with no unfinished business. Fortunately, I've convinced Frances to go to Daisy Mae's for dinner tonight, so that will cover all my bases. Daisy Mae's is a local steakhouse that I used to frequent when I traveled her on business a few years back.
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