Cameras

I gave away many things of sentimental value before I left Md, including a film SLR camera that I had taken on many trails since I purchased it in 1982. But I had not used it in years and have given up on film photography anyway. I have been pleased with pocket size digital cameras both for the convenience and the image quality, but with the fantastic photo opportunities out here, I felt that a Digital SLR was justified.

This came to me one night when I was heading home from Mammoth Festival on my bicycle (I very rarely

drive into town). Heading down the hill, at first there were cars to light the way. But then, suddenly, there were no cars and it was pitch black. Don't try to ride a bicycle in pitch black after a couple of beers. Not knowing where the road was or how much I was turning I brought the bike to a graceful collision with the pavement. I found myself looking up at the most beautiful starlit sky and I knew it was time for a new camera (no, I didn't break the old one or anything else).

The top photo is a view from part way up Mammoth Mtn. taken my first day shooting with the new camera. My condo is located about middle right. The mountains about mid distance are the Sherwin mountains,

which loom over my side of the town. Visible to the left, further out, is Crowley Lake which is in the upper Owens Valley. In the distance are the White mountains and beyond those is Death Valley.

The other photos were taken with my pocket camera. Rainbow falls and Lower Rainbow falls, on the San Joaquin river, provided some interesting photo opportunities. Valentine Lake is one of the many beautiful lakes in the area. All of these photos were taken on hikes that started at my front door (and ended with some very sore legs).

New Digs

I just couldn't accept the idea of riding my ST back east. I've lived in MD since I was 6, but every time I go out west, I feel this is where I belong. Some of my favorite places out west were Santa Fe, Lake Tahoe and Jasper AB which all have in common good hiking and skiing/boarding. So when I had a day to kill in Mammoth Lakes I decided to look for a condo, because ML has everything I like and more (free buses, a brewery and a laid back culture). I found a nice new condo within easy biking to town, a 5 minute walk to a bus stop and right next to a sports club with all the amenities one could hope for. So rather than ride east, I rode back to Mammoth Lakes, left the bike in the garage of my new condo and flew back to MD to prepare fro a cross country relocation.

Preparing for the move was more work than I anticipated. I had to get rid of 27 worth of stuff, minus a few pieces of furniture, some clothing and other odds and end that I could cram into a 5x8 trailer or the back of my tribute. What hurt most was selling my beloved Vmax, but I had no practical way to get it out to CA and it''s 90 mile gas range made it unsuitable for western riding anyway. I was very touched by the many people who expressed regret at my leaving MD, but I hope the friendships survive. The actual trip to CA was 4 hard days of driving in triple digit heat. It was at least as arduous as it would have been for the pioneers, if they had been towing overloaded trailers on highways in various states of disrepair and reconstruction. And it cost way more in gas than I would have figured.

Now that I've been here almost 2 weeks, I have taken care of some of the details involved in establishing residency

. I spent 2 days getting straight with the DMV and just today got an internet connection. I'm also working hard at getting acclimated to the altitude (8K ft.) and getting in shape for some serious hiking and snowboarding. I've become even more enamored with this location. I can walk out my door for an afternoon adventure into some very scenic wilderness areas. The John Muir trail is within a 10 mile hike and there are more lakes and falls within the area than I can count. My biggest regret is that I didn't come here many years earlier.

Leaving Las Vegas into the Valley of Death

I stayed at Lake Havasu State Park for 10 nights, far longer than I usually stay at any one place. My thoughts of riding to the Grand Canyon were foiled by the fact it was snowing and well below freezing there. At LH, I fell into a routine, walk to the library in the morning, work until mid afternoon, go to the brewery for food and an IPA, then walk back to the campground for a swim and sunbathing. It was tough duty but somebody had to do it. When I felt they were about to kick me out, I headed north into Nevada but couldn't find a campspot, so I got a room for one night in Las Vegas. The next day I rode west toward Red Rock and then into Death Valley. It was great weather and great scenery. Riding into Death Valley from Shoshone felt like descending into Hades. I camped 1 night there at Furnace Creek.

Southwest

After leaving Anaheim (thankfully) I rode the Ortega Hwy to Lake Elsinore. It's great to be back on the road. I met up with my cousin Neil, whom I had not seen in 30 some years. We shared a pizza and caught up. I then set my gps for the Salton Sea, but when it tried to take me on 40 miles of I-10, I suspected there was more interesting riding. So I rode from Banning to Idyllwild through the beautiful San Bernadino Natl Forest. The Salton Sea didn't seem so interesting, so after one night I left for Lake Havasu, along some pretty lonely roads through the Mojave Desert. It very nice here, warm and dry, and Lake Havasu City has everything one might need. Life is good.

Mammoth to LA

Getting from Mammoth Lakes to LA via public transportation requires either detailed knowledge of schedules or a generous supply of patience. Since I lacked the former, I needed to summon the latter. Within a mere 3 days and a series of cheap motels, I was able to reach LA and meet my sister and niece (from a different sibling) for a nice evening in Chinatown.

The next morning I walked back to Union Station and rode the Amtrak Surfliner to Anaheim. After checking into a another cheap motel, I walked to the place where my motorcycle was stored the end of last August. After digging out several other rec vehicles, they got to my bike, which still had the key in it. Surprisingly, it started right up, so off I rode. As much as I favor public transportation, after 2 weeks of waiting for buses and trains to get from Reno to Mammoth Lakes to LA to Anaheim, there is no denying an exhilarating feeling a freedom from having my own motorized wheels again.

Return to CA

Since the bike was stored in Anaheim and ski slopes are not too far away, it seemed like a good idea to incorporate a snow boarding trip into the trip for retrieving the bike. I flew into Reno on 3/20, a Sunday, but had to wait until Monday to catch a bus to Mammoth Lakes. There has been above average snow this year in the Sierras and the first day of boarding was very good. Since I couldn't bring may own equipment, I rented a board and was very pleased with it. It may be time to retire the board I've owned since 2000.

San Francisco

Riding down the coast of California always presented one formidable challenge, getting through San Francisco. I try to avoid big cities, but avoiding SF would require riding far inland and missing many miles of coast. Since I have never been in SF, I decided it would be better to take the opportunity and see the big city. But I needed a plan. After leaving Fort Bragg, I left the coast to get warmer and ride through the wine country of the Sonoma and Napa valleys. This was nice until I got within about 30 miles of the Bay area, when traffic became snarled. I spent Thursday night camped at China Camp SP, but since it was booked for the weekend I found a cheap hotel in Pinole. This was convenient to the BART rail and provided a secure place to leave my things while in went into SF on Saturday. I rode the BART to 24th and Mission, a seedy part of town reeking of urine, and walked to the tourist district on the north end of town. On Sunday I rode the motorcycle across both the Richmond – San Rafael Bridge and the Golden Gate bridge to get south of SF. Along the coast again, the vegetation has changed markedly, resembling more Mexico than the great Northwest, but the temps remain cool.