I picked up lil brother at the Reno airport and we headed straight for Lassen Volcanic National Park. We were literally the only visitors there and camped in the splendor of the mountain.
We are moving on to Oregon’s Crater Lake.
With the help of a local, I was told even though all US Forest camps in the Tahoe area are closed until May 17, Boca Reservoir had two camps that were not gated. It is 35 minutes from the Reno airport where I pick up my brother Greg tomorrow am, so I decided to try it. The local steered me right, it was a really great area.
As soon as I arrived, I launched the kayak and watched a couple bald eagles. I tracked the male to it’s nest with momma sitting. A fisherman told me to paddle around a nearby cove and I could see more – he said sometimes up to hundreds nest there! The area was signed to protect their nesting.
The Common Mergansers seems to be very plentiful in the Tahoe area. With my stealthy kayak, I slipped right up on this pair!
Just a few shots of a really beautiful place…..
Mergansers fishing shallow and man in boat fishing deep!
White headed woodpecker and for Melody, a little chipmunk!
After 3 days in the arid Nevada desert, I was ready for a change. I left early from a BLM campground west of Ely Nevada and made it to the small town of Fallon. There I caught up on the domestic basics (food, oil change, laundry, car wash, etc). From there as I continued west, it was a welcome sight to start seeing trees again!
Most camp areas are still closed eventhough the weather is in the 80’s and I’ve seen campers everywhere. I made it to California by mid day and when I pulled into the only campground open on Lake Tahoe, I was surprised to find only an other couple from Switzerland camping. There are huge sugar pines and cones everywhere!
When I walked behind the camper, I found a fresh pile of bear scat. This pic reminds me of the joke my dad used to tell us when we were young. “What’s a bar stool? Why that’s what Davy Crocket used to step in!” My food is stored in the bear proof boxes tonight.
Enjoyed a nice campfire chat with a newlywed couple from Switzerland. Safe travels to new friends Kathrin and Beni!
There are miles of paved trails throughout the park’s impressive Sequoias and Sugar Pines.
I made a very good choice leaving the Salt Lake area and going south. The drive to Provo and then across the salt flats to Great Basin National Park was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced. This section from Utah to Reno, Nevada is known as “the Loneliest Road in America,” a phrase coined by a Life Magazine
reporter. I arrived at 12:00pm Pacific time at Great Basin and had my choice of campsites in the Upper Lehman section. I set up on a perfect site right next to the bubbling Lehman Creek at an elevation of 8200’.
After a quick lunch, I made my way to the visitor center and took an hour Lehman Cave tour. As the founder AB Lehman stated in 1885, “there were the most wonderous calcite formations” 300’ underground.
Ice cool stream temperature? Don’t mind if I do!
April 25, 2013
I choose to stay at Rockport State Park another night. The area is perfect for bike riding, the hiking was excellent, and the lake was great to explore. This was a day to get exercise and organize. I made the decision to take the longer route towards Reno because the northern part of Nevada is so barren. I’ll head for Great Basin National Park Nevada first thing Friday and try to get a good campsite. A couple pics from today.
April 24, 2013
I woke up this morning planning on finding my next campsite in Wyoming. As I traveled westward, I found that most the US Forest Service campgrounds are closed until May. The few other BLM campgrounds were either too far off the beaten path or situated too out in the open with high winds. So I traveled into Utah and set up tonight at Rockport State Park east of Salt Lake City. It’s a large lake with private ranches sprinkled around. Tonight I have electric and will recharge all my equipment, take a nice hot shower, and turn on the electric heater!
As the sun set in the west, the full moon simultaneously rose in the east….very beautiful over the lake!
The time spent in Colorado was great and after finally escaping the grip of their snow, I headed north, then west into Wyoming. I landed at the Dugway BLM campground near Rawlins, south central Wyoming. With only five sites, I had my choice and set up along the Platte River. A four hour explorationhike was well worth the trip as I encountered antelope, mule deer, waterfowl, jack rabbits, and several species of songbirds. I also found an abandoned farm / camp area. Beautiful moonlit evening, i’ll let the pics tell the rest!
I headed north from New Mexico and visited old friends from Fairfield /Ohio Uni. It was great seeing Steve, Brent and Melvin. I’ll move on to Wyoming early Monday.
Brent and I headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a few hours. Snow was still coming down and heavy, but we did get to view elk from a distance.
Kayaking at Horsetooth Reservoir Fort Collins, Co.
Thanks for all the fine hospitality!
I had lunch and a great visit today with old Fairfield friends Craig Springer (US Fish and Wildlife Biologist) and Mike Garcia (Bernalillo County Attorney).
On the way back to my campsite, it finally rained in the dry Cochiti area. The northern New Mexico area was fun, but I’ll be moving north Thursday morning. I originally was going west through Arizona, but decided to visit friends in Colorado. Afterwards, I’ll head west from Wyoming on Route 80 through Salt Lake. The beauty of freedom!
I arrived April 14 and ended up camping in a picnic area because the camp was closed. In the morning, I went to the Abiquiu camp to find that I was the first camper for the 2013 season, they opened April 15th! Really cool areas close by including the Rio Chamos River and great volcanic rock formations.
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My Quest Out West 