Carpe Dory (2)

New favorite place! After all the camping we have done around California, it is hard to believe this is the first time we’ve stayed at Pfeiffer Big Sur. We’ve camped in the tiny town of Big Sur before, staying at the Big Sur Campgrounds and Cabins private campground. But the state park really shines and I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

We remembered to be super smart and take a half day off on Friday. This got us down the highway and to our destination by 4:30. Plenty of time to check things out and walk around the place while there was still light. We only got short periods of light rain during the drive, and arrived to mostly blue skies.

There are nice walking trails through the campground, and pedestrian bridges that cross the Big Sur River. It was flowing nicely looked like it would be a soothing, cool respite in the heat of the summer. The trails took us right to the Big Sur Lodge. I can’t actually think of another state park campground situated so close to such a treasure trove of delights. A couple of private places, like Casini Ranch, Collins Lake, and Costanoa, all boast well stocked stores and purchasable treats, but the lodge tops them all. There is a restaurant and bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, a nicely stocked campground store, and an ice cream and pastry store! This was very exciting. They also have excellent free wifi there and comfy couches to sit next to the fire. Five stars.

We were there for three nights and the weather reports called for some rain. We spent the first full day getting in two nice hikes right out of the campground. The first was up to Buzzard’s Roost. This hike goes up the western hills and gives a distant view of the ocean. It was loaded with blooming ceanothus, which reinforced my love of the California native shrub, and reminded me to plant a couple more on our hillside. It was also crazy full of Pacific Coast Native irises. Those are just spectacular, especially when they have established themselves in groves. We also saw some Trillium, Columbine, and a happy little Banana Slug.

We made a quick stop to get ice cream at the lodge before ascending our second hike of the day. This one went up the other side of the valley, aptly named the Valley View Trail. There is a spur that will take you to see Pfeiffer Falls, which bypasses the currently closed Falls Trail. That is a nice hike and the falls were pretty. This particular view runs down the valley to the ocean on the northern end. You can see Point Sur in the distance, where there is a historic park I would like to visit next time we come.

We celebrated my birthday a day early, figuring I might get rained out on the actual day. We lived it up and ate out at the lodge restaurant, enjoying a cheeseburger, french fries, and onion rings. It has literally been years since I have had that kind of a dinner, owing to the fact that calorie counting removes most of the wiggle room when it comes to fried food. But we’d earned the splurge on that day and feasted, guilt free, along with an IPA. Best day ever.

On my actual birthday, we expected rain, and got it in the morning. We drove out to Nepenthe, an iconic restaurant perched high atop the bluffs looking down on the vast Big Sur coastline. The view is the selling point at this place, and we found the cafe was closed, due to weather. The restaurant above was open, and we did think about it. But all things considered, we decided to just enjoy the view and move on to less expensive birthday treats.

Our next stop was to go to The Village for pastries. This is one of the handful of businesses located in the town of Big Sur. Sadly, we learned the bakery had burned down a couple of months prior. Bummer.

We continued on to do basically a photo tour of the coast, with stops to snap the historic Bixby Bridge and any especially spectacular views with an open parking space. It was very windy and I was happy not to be towing. With a car, it’s just fine, even if you can feel the buffeting.

We took in two shortish hikes, the first being in Garrapata State Park, up to Whale Peak. There is some amazing coast around there, with those iconic rocks and crashing waves. The color of the water was an unreal shade of blue and we even spied some bobbing otters down there! Happy birthday me! Up at the top of Whale Point there is a flat sort of a tableau, made of local hewn rock bricks. We are unclear on what this is for, but decided it is an alter with magical powers, especially if you stand on it and invoke the powers of the Universe on your birthday. I held out my arms and cried out my wish to the howling winds. It hasn’t come true yet, but it is out there. Just a matter of time.

Lastly, we drove back and took a pause to check out Calla Lily Valley. This is an Instagram destination, so there were lots of people there, almost too many. I did manage to strategically crop out enough of them that my photos make it look all serene and remote. This is a lie. It’s right off the highway and there are throngs of photo snapping people everywhere. But sure, I will play the game too.

The trail continues down to the beach where you can make a small loop, provided you are walking it at low tide. We were not. But we still managed to time a couple of beach sprints to get around the cliff bottoms before getting nailed by waves. That was fun!

To wrap up the visit, we went back to the Lodge for dessert and I got a chocolate mousse bomb. OMG. That was incredible. I should have taken a picture of the unwrapped one I got, but I was too excited to think of it.

All in all, I could not have asked for a better birthday. Well, I suppose my wish could have come true, and that would have made it even better. But despite all that, it was a top notch stay in a wonderful new-to-us campground. We will definitely be returning to this place!

Total miles: 150, 18.0 mpg, 3 hours 58 min. No hookups, no solar. Nice level and private site on dirt pad. Site 131 occasional 1 bar of service. Some service walking around campground, but never more than 1 bar of LTE. Excellent free wifi at the Lodge.

Half Moon Bay has it all. No wonder this visit marks the thirteenth time we’ve camped there. And it’s pretty close to home, so you can’t go wrong. We’re fair weather campers now, and we have cancelled reservations when it was going to be raining the entire weekend. But we got perfect weather for this one.

I got to tag along for one of Richard’s big loop rides. I’ve sagged him with the car before, and remember thinking some of the backroads were a little too narrow for comfort. Perfect on a bike though, and the presence of so many bikies confirms that the Cabrillo Highway – Stage Road – Tunitas Creek – Lobitos Creek – Purissima Creek – Higgins Canyon loop is one of the classic California rides. From the state park, you head south on 1 until you get to Pescadero Creek Road. There, you turn inland and of course stop at Arcangeli for a hot sandwich and some dessert. We went with the pesto chicken mozzarella on a ciabatta roll, and a generous slice of Ultimate Chocolate Cake.

Then you take Stage Road out of town, passing by, or stopping if you like, at San Gregorio General Store. Before long, you ride past The Bike Hut. I’d never seen this place before and it’s pretty cool. It is a little red shack that is open 24/7 and is stocked with all kinds of things bikies might need; snacks, water, tools, pumps, tubes, even tea and coffee. It used to be all free of charge, but now there are prices listed for an honor payment system. According to Richard, people sometimes take things as needed and send in checks later to cover because they had no cash at the time. We stopped for a quick snack and continued on. As it so happened, not a hundred yards after we started to roll, Richard noticed his tire was going flat. Couldn’t have happened in a better spot!

Back on the road, we climbed up and down the picture perfect hills until the final descent down Higgins Canyon and back to Half Moon Bay. All told, this was about a 44 mile ride with 3,654 feet of climbing. I brought my backup battery and swapped out while Richard was changing his tire. I might have made it all the way on one battery charge, but it sure is nice to be able to strap a spare on to the bike rack and not worry.

In times like these, you gotta fit your activism in where and when you can. I was pleased to learn that there was a planned demonstration in Half Moon Bay taking place Saturday afternoon. We got back right around 2 and I went and joined in. There were maybe fifty people with signs and some in costumes, positioned at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 92. This event was organized in honor of International Women’s Day, but there were way bigger protests happening all over the country in the big cities. As has been the case with all of the protests I have been taking part in, there was overwhelming support in the form of honking and waving from the cars passing by. There were a few flipped birds and yells, but their energy were smothered by the positive responses. There was a twenty something kid (finally, some young people showed up!) who was shrieking, “Sell your Tesla!!!” at the top of his lungs every time one passed through. The old moms in the group, worried amongst ourselves that he was going to destroy his voice. But it was nice to see the enthusiasm. He went absolutely nuts when a tow truck ushered a debilitated Tesla past the crowd.

And there was an awesome moment where this one guy completely lost his shit through his rolled down window. His wife (I assume) was driving, and they were stopped at the light. He started with some jeers at us that I guess he thought would get a reaction, but all he got in response was the steady beat of a tambourine, some joyful singing, and me repeatedly pointing and tapping the “no N@zi” symbol on my sign. He got more and more escalated, and I could tell the driver was getting desperate for the light to change. She sped through as fast as possible the second the light turned green, while he flipped as many birds as his two hands could manage. All that hate, and not a one of us screamed back at him. We just stood our ground, resolute, unyielding, joyful and unafraid in the face of irrational ignorance.

It sure felt good to be in community with people who give a damn about what’s happening. I marveled at all of the pictures and videos posted online about events springing up all over the world. The times they are a heart breakin’, but there is also a profound beauty to the international push to fight evil. As a pedigreed 60s child of proud hippies, I have no choice but to stand up and push back. I was literally raised in a law commune, where crazy smart, and deeply idealistic, attorneys took cases fighting for the underdogs of the world. They represented farm workers, and registered black voters in Mississippi during a time when that could get you killed. David Harris, ex husband to Joan Baez, was involved in this group, so though I do not really remember, I know that I knew Joan Baez and spent time with their son when I was very little. I always thought my parents were lucky to have lived through such an interesting and pivotal time in history. Guess I should have been careful what I wished for.

We rounded out a damn good day with a walk to Tres Amigos for a delicious taco dinner, with warm, crunchy-chewy churros for dessert. Caught the sunset with a margarita and watched the surfers catch waves until the last solar remnants of day disappeared into the horizon.

I suspect we will be heading into dark days. But if I’m going to have to live through this moment, I’m not going to turn away. That would be a dishonor to my parents, as well as to all the people who have fought, and are fighting right now, against tyrants and fascism. Some good advice I hear repeated over and over at gatherings is to remind myself: “Do what you can. That is enough.” It’s easy to get overwhelmed and much harder to keep getting back up. But this I know in my bones: every single act of resistance we do matters. It matters, it matters, it matters. I deeply respect those who have fought long and hard, have not seen the results they wished for, and have gotten back up. The image in my head is that of a tiny person pushing uphill against a monstrously huge boulder. Then another person joins to add the weight of their small body, in unified opposition. Then another, and another. This is what we are called on to do now, whether we ourselves see the results we wish for, or not.

May we all do what we can. There are endless ways to offer help, from tending to the marginalized or offering assistance to those directly harmed. I am listing below some of the avenues I have found that are personally doable, well organized, and effective.

• Coordinated Demonstrations: https://www.fiftyfifty.one/
• National Activism Group: https://indivisible.org/
• Contact Elected Officials: https://5calls.org/
• 5 Calls App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/5-calls-contact-your-congress/id1202558609
• Postcarding, Text/Phone Banking: https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/
• Boycott the Billionaires: Tesla/Starlink, Amazon, Walmart
• Blue Rev https://www.facebook.com/groups/bluerev
• Support the ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

Total miles: 51.6, 16.7 mpg, 1 hour 45 min. Site 35 hookups. Great cell, solar. $10 to dump.

In trying times, it is hard to blog about the mundane. And holy shit, these times be trying. But along with all of the horrible news, I have also seen good advice. One theme is to steadfastly commit to joy wherever you can. The other is to not speak words of despair out loud. These both resonate with me. Though I know despair is hanging in the air all around me, penetrating thoughts and spirits in small, or very large, waves, I will endeavor to keep those thoughts quiet in my head and not give voice to them. When we let those words of doom get out, we throw a little more water onto others who may be frantically treading with all their might. I saw someone post that she was really struggling and could someone please say something hopeful to help her hang on? So many people did the opposite. I mean, I get it. But seriously, stop it. I’d rather be Captain Kirk slapped out of it than hear someone tell me it’s game over dude. Like when Spock was crying in “Naked Time” because everyone got a virus that made them drunk. “Snap out of it man! The ship is going to crash!!” Slappity slappity! And it pissed Spock off so much that he stopped crying, invented a matter-anti matter mix that cold started the engine, saved the ship, and sent them back in time three days. That kind of energy would be much more helpful. So I guess be careful if you come at me with doom. And when I’m not busy slapping it up, I will go ahead and post about my mundane weekend. Because it was lovely.

We watched the weather closely as the weekend approached. This was a four day weekend that included Valentine’s Day, and we were both really looking forward to it. Rain was projected until just a couple of days beforehand. Then it looked like it was going to be clear for at least Saturday and Sunday, so we kept the reservation. We had all day Friday to leisurely pack and head out. There were blue skies and time left in the day to take a walk along the newly paved Napa Valley Vine Trail. This has been a long term project that eventually aims to connect the whole of the valley, all the way down to Vallejo. Some of it goes along train tracks, while parts parallel Highway 29, ending in Calistoga.

We passed by Sterling Vineyards along the way and delighted at all the sheep casually mowing the weeds in between the vines. Sterling sits atop a big hill and uses a flying gondola system to take guests up to the tasting rooms. I’ve done that before and it is loads of fun. It’s not cheap though, so we skipped it this visit.

It was chilly and we got back to Dory excited to turn on the heater. To our alarm, the Truma showed another damn error message. Nooooo! Panic ensued for the next 20 minutes while we tried things. Nothing was working and we feared we might have to pull out the watering can and boil water for showers. Luckily, a thought dawned on me to check the tiny black rocker switch on top of the unit. This is something we would never ever touch, given it turns off the propane and is hard to reach under the cabinet. Sure enough, that was it! We camped in Dory in the garage last weekend and our cat hung out with us and explored. We figure he must have flipped the switch while he was rummaging around in all the nooks and crannies. Crisis averted and warm coziness was achieved.

The next day we biked up to Calistoga and walked around. Part of the trail had flooded, but there was an easy detour. We noted that drainage of the trail seems to have been an afterthought, as there were many parts covered with runoff or mud. It seems like a long project, involving lots of people, so maybe they are learning as they go. We had amazing ice cream at the Calistoga Creamery. I had lemon cookie on a waffle cone and it was delish.

As there was still daylight, we rode back down to the park and continued the other direction, to St. Helena. Both are very cute towns, with lots of places to eat and shop. Between the two, St. Helena is busier with people and its main drag is more compacted. Both offer a wide variety of ethnic restaurants and sweets shops, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

On Sunday we drove down to the town of Napa. We had an errand to pick up art supplies at Michael’s and Napa is a full grown city with big stores on the outskirts and a cute touristy downtown by the river. We parked at Kennedy Park and walked about three miles along the River Trail. We got ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s, walked around, got a mini chocolate cupcake at the Oxbow Market, and strolled back to the car.

We had really delicious Blue Apron recreations, one involving seared steaks with asparagus, and cheesy biscuits. Biscuits cook up in the Omnia, but they don’t get that browned top like in a regular oven. We also had a shrimp and udon noodle stir fry with black bean sauce and that was great. We lucked out with the weather, only getting rain at night.

It was a perfect weekend. Normal. Relaxing. A small break from witnessing big things breaking. I’m going to cling to a hopeful thought when things seem really dark. America is full of dicks. We are a huge, spread out country with more than our fair share of assholes. We are entitled and loud. Trying to control us is like trying to shove a toddler with eight arms and legs into a onesie. And that needs to be our mood for the foreseeable future. Flail those arms, call that manager, shout in English rather than learn any other languages. Slappity slappity! We will not go quietly. And that gives me hope.

Total miles: 63.5, 15.2 mpg, 2 hours 13 min. Site 10 no hookups. Cell service seemed a little better this time. 1 bar of LTE or 5g that worked sort of, most of the time. No dump.

And there we go. Last night out ends where we began. I seriously don’t know what we’ll do when Harris Ranch completes their RV park. We can see them well on their way in construction. No idea how much they will charge for people to stay overnight in an olfactory overload zone. But it will likely not be free. Which is part of the appeal. And they will no doubt cease the allowance of parking lot camping.

We have come to really look forward to getting dinner at the BBQ next to the Shell station. The bank charge comes through as the Shell gas station, so we have to remember to re-categorize it as dining out. But it’s the best barbecue chicken, ribs, or tri-tip you can possibly get from a to-go counter inside a gas station store. And the mashed potatoes and gravy call to all of my favorite childhood comfort food memories. We went inside the resort store and got really expensive half pints of Harris Ranch ice cream. If you drizzle those babies with chocolate syrup from a squeeze bottle, you have pretty much arrived at the pinnacle of life experiences.

We finished up watching all of the Christmas movies we had for this trip and reflected on what worked well or what we might do differently. One thing is for sure: Richard has really enjoyed having a real for real winter break with zero work expectations. This was a great trip!

Total miles from Lake Isabella: 146.2, 18.9 mpg, 3 hours 34 min. 169.8 miles to home.

Departing Death Valley, we were both really looking forward to being in good cell service. We didn’t have reservations anywhere, and weighed the pros and cons of several overnight destinations to start our trek back home. But without good service, it was hard to make plans. At any rate, we decided to leave the valley via Towne Pass and cut across to the south before the big scary pass, using Panamint Valley Road. From there, our destination would be a civilization oasis at Ridgecrest before deciding where to spend the night. I have now towed the pass from Stovepipe Wells to Panamint Valley a couple of times, but I want to remember that it is no joke. It climbs from lower than sea level to 4,956 feet, and then plunges all the way back down to 1000. There are signs everywhere warning you about engine overheating and places to check your brakes. And this pass is the mild one. I don’t know if I will be able to forever avoid the hairpin section above Panamint Springs, but that is a life goal I have.

Coming out of the Panamint valley to the south is not a big deal. It is lonely country out there, where you pass through towns that look to be modern day ghost towns in the making. We gassed up at Stovepipe Wells, which was a dollar per gallon cheaper than Furnace Creek. There is also gas at the Panamint Springs Resort. You can drive a long time without seeing any services, so it’s good to plan accordingly. Eventually, the road crests the final rise and drops you into the eastern basin under the Sierra Nevada range. All the texts and notifications started coming in and we were back in internet land again.

We could have gone for a first come first serve site at Red Rock Canyon State Park, or tried for a free space in the dispersed camping area at Jawbone Canyon. Either would have been acceptable, but for the fact that there is no cell service there, and we were just over that. So we routed ourselves through the Sierras through the Kern River Canyon, rather than take the familiar pass at Tehachapi. I’ve only gone that way once before, and I remembered the exit from the canyon as being twisty. But the weather was perfect and there was a reservable site with hookups available in a private place at Lake Isabella.

The drive up to the lake is really beautiful. The road is in good condition and there was very little traffic. We saw both a roadrunner and a coyote cross the road along the way! We did not see any ACME anvils, but we for sure looked. There are little clusters of small towns, but it is not until you get to the lake that you find stores and places to eat.

We pulled in around 2 and the owner could not have been nicer. She got us a back in site with hookups for $33, which is pretty cheap. The other private place in town was charging $70 and it did not appear to be worth the extra money. This place was safe and the long term residents were friendly. That was all we needed for a one night stay. The electric pole looked a little dodgy, and like it had been backed into a lot, but it worked.

We had enough light to hop on our bikes and check out the town of Lake Isabella. We both thought it would be quaint and cute. It is not. It’s more like an island of chain stores and fast food places. But it does have a Donuts and Ice Cream store. So, you know, gotta do that. There is also a tourist trap ghost town place that we did not pay $7.50 to enter. Cute from the outside though. We’d satisfied curiosity and rode back to the campground. For the record, riding on 178 is not that fun. It’s doable, but there are sections with no shoulder and fast moving cars. All the cars were courteous, and along the way, I was able to view some of the campgrounds and day use areas along that side of the lake.

The next day it was time to get through the canyon and back to the central valley. I made Richard take pictures of the road so I could remember it for the future. Most of the road is nice and wide, with guard rails and a shoulder. But there is a nineteen mile stretch that’s pretty darn narrow, with dropoffs down to the Kern River way below. It reminds me of some of the sections of Highway 1. But I’ve gotten used to that, and I could get used to this too. You just go really slow. There are many turnouts big enough for a trailer and people seem used to waiting behind you until you can pull out safely. Once you exit the Kern River Canyon, boy are you ever in Bakersfield. It’s just flat from there on out.

I generally liked taking this route. There are times the Tehachapi Pass gets really windy and no fun to crest. I can’t say I’d enjoy hitting these twisty sections in a rain storm, but on the upside, there are no trucks and people are all driving slow. There are lots of campgrounds around the lake and there’s a whole other section at Kernville we haven’t even checked out. All really good new stuff to put on our list for the future.

Total miles from Furnace Creek: 178.1, 15.7 mpg, 5 hours 20 min with stop in Ridgecrest. Site 104 hookups. Great cell for both of us. Didn’t pay attention to dump situation because we didn’t dump there.

Death Valley National Park is one of the largest of all of the national parks. As such, and because it is the hottest, driest, and lowest, with very few amenities and services within the park, one needs to be aware of the logistics involved in doing things. This is our third visit with a Dory, and it was our favorite by far. How we get to and from the valley does seem to have an impact on my general impressions of the visit, and I will just say that taking Highway 190 from the southern approach is by far a less intense experience than taking the section of 190 from the north, between Keeler and Stovepipe Wells. For this trip, coming from Red Rock Canyon, we continued past Red Rock and over the Spring Mountains pass. I had avoided this route last time due to weather, and that was probably a good call. On a sunny day with no wind, it was lovely, going up and over a mild grade with gentle turns and passing lanes, and then passed through the comparative metropolis of Pahrump. There are all kinds of services here, including a Pinkbox Doughnuts located in the Pahrump Nugget Casino. We had seen billboards for this chain outside of Las Vegas, and apparently finding one had become a life goal for Richard. As we slowly drove through town, Richard spied the big pink door and said, “I want a Pinkbox doughnut.” I thought, “Got it, good to know,” in my head. He then more urgently noted that the driveway into the parking lot was imminent. I said, “You mean right now this minute? Like, you want me to pull over and stop?” “Yes, obviously!” he insisted. I now understand that when he makes doughnut or ice cream statements like that, he means for me to pull over immediately. With the dizzying array of choices, we limited ourselves to splitting a John Lemon and a chocolate glazed old fashioned. They were probably the best doughnuts we have had, and we’re comparing that to Johnny’s Donuts, a highly superior, gold standard, place located right in our home town.

The rest of the drive down into the valley was a slow coast with little traffic. We did not have reservations because we were planning to stay in the first come, first serve lot in Texas Springs. We have since learned that they do not allow generators, which complicates things like charging my e-bike batteries. So, we shifted to finding out whether there were any cancellations sites available in Furnace Creek, and as a last resort, we’d set up in the parking lot campground of Sunset. In fact, there was one small site available in Furnace Creek, so we took it, backed in, and got the blessing from a passing park ranger that it was ok to have wheels on the dirt. This later turned out to be false information and we had to move Dory onto the short paved pad and park Bruce in overflow parking by the bathroom. Annoying. We were also quite dismayed to find the dump to be in the worst state we’ve ever encountered in ten years of trailer camping. Without a hookup site in Furnace Creek, I now think there is really no advantage to staying there. Generally, the camp hosts seem a little more uptight, perhaps because they have to deal with people who don’t know how to use a dump, the generator hours are shorter, and it costs more than Sunset. But we had a two night reservation booked and were good to go for whatever we decided to explore in the park.

With time and sunlight left on the day, we thought about maybe getting in a ride around Artist’s Palette, but quickly realized that was too big a ride. Instead, we did some scouting for a plan to do that ride the next day, plus a hike up through nearby Desolation Canyon.

We began the next day by being the super smart party and driving the car to the foot of the exit point for the drive. From there, we got out our bikes and rode 3 1/2 miles to get to the start of the one way loop. This is a major climbing ride, starting from below sea level, and leaping right into a sustained uphill grade for the first couple of miles. The whole ride gains 1,900 feet in elevation and there are many many ups and downs along the way. I cannot imagine how much complaining I would have been doing if I were on a regular bike. I also don’t know if I could have done it. In the middle of the ride, you come to Artist’s Palette, a rocky jumble of contrasting colors, impossibly coexisting, like dollops of differently flavored icing on some crazy giant birthday cake. Once you hit the final stretch, you coast and roll through the natural twists and turns in the eroded valleys. Finally, you see a long, straight descent to the main road. If you are smart like we are, you see your car waiting for you down at the bottom.

We high fived at the end of the Artist’s Palette drive, and drove about a mile back up the road to the unpaved trailhead access road for Desolation Canyon. There is a half mile of hard packed dirt to get to the parking area. We were able to ride that with our bikes the previous day, but didn’t need to this time, because we had the car. This trail is really stunning, with only one significant challenge for me. All told, it is 3.74 miles out and back, with 822 feet of climbing, and a stunningly sweeping view from the top. The initial uphill march up the wash was not too bad, and you quickly enter a pretty canyon which you follow the whole way up. I had read trail descriptions and knew there would be two decent sized scrambles. Following the experience in Owl Canyon, I was wary of vertical barriers that could stop me going forward.

I spied the one that gave me trouble and didn’t immediately think it would be too bad. It has well worn foot holds in multiple spots to help you ascend. Once I was on it though, it wasn’t that easy to figure out where to put hands and feet as you got near the top. As I was working through how to do it, another couple appeared at the top and offered their hands to help me get up. I made a couple unsuccessful attempts, and then decided as a last resort to ditch my backpack and hiking sticks at the bottom to see if I could get up unhindered. With some butt assists from Richard, who was standing at the bottom, I did it! Richard quickly climbed back up, and then it was our turn to try to help the other couple down. The woman was clearly not liking scrambling any more than I did, but her husband stood at the bottom, guiding her feet into secure footholds and coaching her on where to put her hands. This was really helpful to watch. I clapped super hard for her when she made it down, and she looked grateful and a little teary. I wish I could say I felt elated and confident going up the rest of the trail, but instead, my mind grew preoccupied with how I was going to be able to get down.

There was one other scramble that was tricky, but didn’t pose nearly as much of a challenge. By the time we got all the way to the upper viewpoint, I wasn’t really present. My head was on that tricky scramble down below. I will give myself credit for not working myself into a panic attack, but that took a lot of mental effort during the whole downhill return hike. I did all the things. I acknowledged the thoughts, feelings, and physical effects that were happening. I validated what I was experiencing, rather than trying to talk myself out of it. I noticed when my mind wanted to spin up the “what ifs” and just re-grounded myself in the present moment. I got to the less tricky scramble and got down it with no problem. Then we came to the big one. Richard went down first and we did exactly what that other couple had done. He masterfully guided my feet into secure holds and advised me which way to scoot next. Slowly worked my way down, until there was one jump to the bottom. I was through it! I hugged my backpack (which I was happy to see was still there) and sat down to release all of the emotion.

We learned some important lessons on this trail. First, when I encounter a tricky scramble, I think it’s important I not only go up it, but also back down it, before proceeding. That way, I will gain more confidence from the ascent, but also not need to worry about whether I’ll be able to descend on the return. That will make the rest of the trail much more enjoyable, if it’s an out and back. Next, we learned a new skill in having Richard at the bottom, placing my feet if he can. And last, when I am ramping up in worry, it is super important for me to validate those feelings as responding appropriately to the circumstances. Negating, distracting, or minimizing the likelihood of something bad happening, does not soothe or ease the anxiety. Instead, it makes that voice talk louder. We also talked a lot about what happens in Richard’s mind once he starts on a trail. His tendency to get locked into a goal oriented objective (the end of the green line on All Trails, some particular view point, some number of miles or feet or climbs…) can end up being at odds with my tendency to weigh safety over “just do it.” We came off this hike having collected a whole bunch of new views.

Our second full day in the park began with a move to Sunset campground before heading over to park at the Golden Canyon Trailhead. This is one of the park’s most popular areas, so there are always lots of cars there, but it was no problem to park along the side of the road. The Golden Canyon section can be done as an easy 1.6 mile out and back, or can be combined with Red Cathedral, Zabriskie Point, Badlands Loop, and Gower Gulch. Or any combination of those. We did this as a loop with Gower Gulch and added the spur to Red Cathedral. All told, we did a little over 7 miles, with around 1100 feet of climbing.

Richard played an audio tour, which pointed out that there used to be a road running through the canyon to increase access for tourists. It has long since washed away during floods, until only pieces of it remain. But it is still there in places and reminds one of the power of nature over the human impulse to control and tame.

I was super focused on looking for the exact spots where “Star Wars” was filmed and was disappointed the audio tour did not call out the locations. I don’t know how many times I have seen that movie (the first one, to be specific, which is really the only one I acknowledge as legitimate), but images of R2D2 whistling down the canyon, surrounded by Jawas hiding in the shadows, are seared into my brain. I was obsessed with it when it came out. I took a bajillion pictures of the canyon and I am sure I found at least one that was a direct match. I know this because, that night we watched an unedited version of “Star Wars” and I grabbed shots with my phone while that section was playing so I could compare. I am a dork.

We had a great time on this trail, with no particular challenges until we got to the Red Cathedral Trail spur trail. There are couple of small scrambles, and places where you have to duck through some low openings, but there is an optional climb you can do to a viewpoint at the very end. The trail is steep and slippery with all the fine sand, and it gets very narrow and edgy right at the top. I went up it ok and enjoyed the sweeping views of all of the badlands, but rather quickly decided I’d be happier eating lunch at the bottom. The main trail would be easy for anyone to do.

This trail was accessed by continuing past the Golden Canyon and onto the Badlands Loop trail. You climb and climb and climb across big golden hardened sandstone dunes, until you come to an intersection with the access trail to Zabriskie Point. We opted out of climbing up to the crowded viewing area and turned to walk down the Gower Gulch wash. There are no trail signs at this intersection, so we relied on visual clues, plus All Trails GPS technology to reassure us we were doing the right thing. This trail is far less popular, which means the walking surface is rocky, with no well worn tracks to follow. We puzzled the entire hike over why this was the case. Later, navigating the final exit through the tight canyon walls, we understood why.

On our way, we delighted in the green sections, whose true color I just cannot capture in photos, try though I did. We also spied an abandoned Borax mine, which has been sturdily gated off. Just past that, the trail descends rapidly as the canyon walls narrow. This generally means things get technical. You can imagine flood waters washing over the wide troughs, getting rougher as the canyon walls close in. Finally, you come to tumbling cascades of huge boulder falls where the only way past is over or through. Richard did an awesome job checking in with me, but none of this trail proved to be anxiety provoking at all. I would say it was the perfect level of challenging; just enough to be exhilarating and make me feel just a little bit badass. The last bit takes you on a half mile return, along the base of the mountains, toward the parking area, which is clearly visible once you exit the canyon. Do be careful at the very end of the canyon though. I thought the trail went straight, and was about to investigate what looked like a big descent. That, in fact, is at least a twenty foot plunge down to the valley floor. The actual trail takes a sharp right, which is hard to see. I thought this was a five star day. And there was celebratory ice cream to be had at The Ranch Ice Cream Parlor, just across from the campground.

At last we come to our final day. We decided to face our challenges head on and get a peek at Sidewinder Canyon. This had the potential to trigger all the super tricky trouble traps, but we figured, why not just do it? I was strategic in suggesting we take on an achievable goal before hand, so that we could dip our toes in Sidewinder and maybe not have to do the whole damn thing.

The low hanging fruit in question was the Willow Canyon Trail. To get here, you have to drive 30 miles down Badwater road before you get to the trailhead. It is located in the same parking area as Sidewinder, but is completely unmarked. To find the trail, you leave the parking area and head north, hugging the low lying hills, until you come to an opening into a large wash. You basically follow the grey gravelly rubble all the way up until you finally find the opening of the canyon. The walls of the mountains start to close in and you get to a narrow passage that goes all the way up to a two tiered waterfall at the end.

I did not believe there would actually be water flowing, but lo and behold, there it was! Before coming to the end, you cross over a couple of little waterfalls and crystal clear small pools. There are some scrambles, but again, nothing that triggered me. There were plenty of places where I handed Richard my hiking sticks because I needed my hands to climb, but that was it. The reward of sitting, all by ourselves, at the foot of a legitimate waterfall, in the middle of Death Valley, was one of the highlights of the trip.

Another aspect that was fascinating about this trail is that you can make out evidence of how the outflow of the dry river bed has changed over time. Maps show river beds going one way, but you can see how floods and erosion has actually changed the course of the wash. It’s pretty cool and I highly recommend it. But I wouldn’t count on maps alone. I’d use something like All Trails or Guru Maps to stay on course. It was about 5 miles out and back, with 855 feet elevation gain.

After returning from the first trail, we started across the parking lot to start up the Sidewinder trail. The whole point of this trail is to explore the multiple slot canyon spurs along the way. It is a sloggy uphill trudge of about a mile before you get to the first official slot canyon. Oof. It is really hard to go uphill in deep loose gravel.

There was some discrepancy on exactly which slot canyons are part of the official three, vs which are “bonus.” We thought we were doing Slot #1, but I think in fact, we did a “bonus canyon” instead. Anyway, it looked super cool and was marked by a clearly human built arrow on the ground, so we went all the way up it. This one is very rocky, but in every place you have to get over boulders, there are plenty of hand holds or walls you can push against to lift yourself up or down. I felt it was technical, and I needed to use my hands and feet, carefully placed, to get past some 6-8 foot climbs, but I never felt overly exposed or in danger of falling.

We knew we wouldn’t have time to do all the slots, so we prioritized and slogged up the loose wash to get to #3. Now there were markers in front of the entrances, and All Trails aligned with where we thought we were. We bypassed markers for #1 and #2. Slot canyon #3 had a lot of narrow twisting passages, some low doorways, and a couple of very tight squeezes down low. Richard went through a very small hole, which he didn’t need to do because there was another way through to the right. It was fun just to find your way through the obstacles. There was a pretty nice tall scramble for me to practice on, and Richard snapped a triumphant picture of me, which will remind me in times when I feel defeated, to go slow and tiny, foothold by foothold. There it is again: just keep swimming.

We called it a day and started down the wash and back to the car. We certainly did not want to be scrambling, or picking our way through rocky terrain back to the car, after dark. Even with headlamps, no thank you. It was a super great day. With both trails, we hiked almost 9 miles and climbed almost 2000 feet. Health says I got 26,902 steps and burned 1,393 calories. Not too shabby.

As we wrap up this stay, there are a few things I want us to remember for next time. It is a really good call to stock up on groceries before entering this park. From the south, the last chance to do so is really in Pahrump. The “stores” down in the valley are little more than touristy gift stores. The one at The Ranch had some extremely expensive food items, but selection is very limited. The “store” in Stovepipe Wells has even less and is more like a minimally supplied gas station store. Do not count on food supplying in the desert. They also only carry regular gas at Stovepipe Wells, so if you have a car that needs premium (like we did eight years ago), you will be out of luck. The driving from Pahrump is a million times easier than from the west, through Panamint Springs, so I would maybe say that would be my preferred way in or out of Death Valley. Plus, if you go through Pahrump, there’s a Pinkbox Donuts.

The other lesson was that, of all three campgrounds in the Furnace Creek area, the Sunset “parking lot” turned out to be my favorite. I got somewhat better occasional cell service there than from the Furnace Creek campground. And you don’t feel self conscious at all running generators. Nor are there camp hosts telling you not to put your wheels, or even stabilizers anywhere on the dirt. Why? It makes no sense. When he was insisting we move, even though we were leaving the next morning, he said if others saw us parked in the dirt “it would lead to mayhem.” You get none of that at Sunset. And lastly, there is just no good cell service down there. There was wifi for me at The Ranch, but not for Richard’s Verizon phone. The only consistently reliable wifi was from behind the Visitor Center. Small groups of people would gather there at night, with their phones aglow on their faces, in search of little bits of service. So just know that when you go, in case there are any important connectivity things you need to do. I know it seems like first world problems to be frustrated about the lack of internet in Death Valley, but when you know ahead of time, it helps.

In addition, we are also learning that it takes a long time to recharge my bike batteries. We have wanted to run the generator anyway, just because solar does not work very well in low winter sun. It seems to take up to three hours before the bike battery fully charges, and that’s a long time to run a generator. We need to remember this and maybe be strategic about when we book sites with electric hookups to coincide with big bike rides. The Aventon charger also seems to be tripping the generator right when the battery reaches a full charge. Like it suddenly draws a lot more right at the end of the charging cycle. Richard is going to do some research on Aventon e-bike charging to see if there are any better ways to manage this.

As we head into the new year, I take lessons with me that I learned from Death Valley. The first is to always look for waterfalls in the desert. Of any place on earth, Death Valley seems the least likely to contain waterfalls. If you can be surprised here, you could be surprised anywhere. It may be that this year will bear down on us like the sun in 132 degree heat. It may seem like hope and joy and optimism are all dried up. Still, look for those waterfalls. They may be hidden and hard to find, but they are out there. The other lesson is to find ways to be brave, in teeny tiny ways. Brave doesn’t mean not being afraid to try that one next step, and sometimes it might mean going back down and rethinking before trying again. Sometimes there aren’t many footholds in life, but almost always, there are others there who will help you up. Those are my deep thoughts for this year. Be well, friends.

Post script – OMG Richard found the world’s most amazing resource. For next time: https://www.panamintcity.com/exclusives/starwars.html

Total miles from Red Rock Canyon: 116.0, 19.9 mpg, 3 hours 55 min. Site 60 in Furnace Creek, F5 in Sunset parking lot campground. Barely any cell service, despite phones showing 3-4 bars of LTE or 3g. At Sunset, ATT came in from time to time, especially at night or in the morning. Wifi hotspot for ATT at The Ranch, and really fast NPS Visitor Center wifi behind the visitor center. Dump at Furnace Creek was left in a disgusting state, and it’s a curby dump, so zero stars on that experience. Sunset dump was good and used by campers who seemed to know how to use a dump. Overall, ended up with strong preference for Sunset.

We bid adieu to Lake Mead, but Richard got in one last hurrah ride along the bike trail on our way out. We set a pin at the Las Vegas Bay picnic area and the plan was for me to blog while he rode. Because it was a short shot from Boulder Beach to Red Rock Canyon, we didn’t want to arrive too early. The plan worked well, with the exception that cell service wasn’t awesome at the picnic area. It was better just a little bit higher at an overlook, so we moved the meet up spot. That has nice views of the west side of the lake and we could see the Las Vegas Bay Campground down below. That would be another option to try in the future.

There were a couple of unknowns as we headed over to Red Rock. The purpose of this stay was to have a Do Over from out last try. When we came before, we got hit by a giant storm system. It was really pretty intense, and the lead up to the storm ruined Richard’s attempt to ride the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive because he was getting blown over by wind. Because of the brain’s negativity bias, Richard was pretty sure it would be crazy windy there again and he wanted to make sure he got in some kind of a ride. There was also the fact that the campground website said check in was not until 3, and sometimes it’s fine to get there early, while other times, it’s not. One last factor was that you need to make online reservations for a timed entry on the scenic drive and we had a hard time finding out whether that applied to bicycles as well as cars. 

For all of those reasons, we were taking our time getting to the campground. This worked very well in my favor because Richard had researched a viral TikTok doughnut shop, as well as a hip ice cream place that just so happened to be on the way. The Doughnut place is called Saint Honoré and I have never had such a fancy, and expensive, doughnut in my life. They have all kinds of unusual flavors, but the ones that are reviewed the best are the Creme Brûlée and the Boston Cream Pie. We split the former and it was really good. The sugar coating on top was so crystalized, it had to be cracked before we could cut it. The place was crowded and conspicuously chic, with gold flecks on raspberries, and unnecessarily sturdy custom boxes given with every order, even if you just got one to eat on the spot. Richard felt the doughnut part was on the dry side, but he’s a tough customer. I thought it was fabulous.

We followed that with a walk a few doors down to Sorry, Not Sorry. The vibe here is much more laid back and the ice cream is out of this world. I had Mint Chocolate Chunk and Richard had Triple Chocolate Fudge. Wow. They say the name has to do with the unapologetic number of calories contained in each scoop. This is business naming at its finest. This place is worth a side trip if you are going through Las Vegas.

We drove the short distance to the campground, getting there around 1pm. There was no one at the kiosk to check us in, let alone care if we had arrived early. It was lovely weather with no wind. And it turned out bicycles do not need a timed entry reservation. All concerns were for naught, as they often are. We got our bikes set up and rode the 2 miles from the campground to the scenic drive entry point. We had no trouble just rolling in. We showed our annual National Parks Pass, which covered the entry fee, and we pedaled past a long line of cars, some having to exit the park because they didn’t have a reservation. We felt like the smart party for sure.

The scenic drive is 13 miles total. It is one way and only open to vehicles with timed reservations, so there is very little traffic. The first five miles are all about climbing. I didn’t particularly notice, cause e-bike, but Richard got in a very good workout. We didn’t stop at the parking areas or trail heads much, because the plan was to spend the whole next day in the park.

Once you reach the parking area at “The High Point,” you are in for some coasting. The sun was starting to go down and we didn’t bring enough clothes. That was a very chilly 8 miles. You come out on the main public road two miles west of the entrance, so we had to ride it back, plus two miles back to the campground. Richard completed his Do Over ride and got to do it all again the next day.

We had ambitious plans, so we got up really early. We were dressed (with ALL the clothes), lunches packed, and riding by 8:30. Again we secretly gloated as we flew past the line of cars for free. The first part of our biathlon was complete when we got to the Sandstone Quarry parking area. Here we dismounted and changed around some clothes and shoes for a three mile hike on the Calico Tanks Trail.

This trail lets you explore the distinctive sandstone rock formation from the back side. There is a fair bit of rock scrambling, with lots of stone stairs to make most of the climbing easier. You do have to be careful because all of the rock surfaces are covered with fine sand, making it slippery. The views are other worldly and the colors of the rocks are Instagram ready the entirety of the trail. The “tanks” are bowls in the sandstone that collect water. The largest of the tanks was empty, but we saw a couple of smaller ones. It is worth it to climb to the end of the trail where you can get a view down into the valley, even as far as Las Vegas. 

The hike took us about two hours and we continued to the next leg of the biathlon. This was the Keystone Thrust Trail. To get to the trailhead, you can go up a rocky unpaved road, or park a half mile lower and walk up. It was too rough for road biking, so we locked our bikes at the lower parking lot and hoofed it. This trail was a lot less scrambly. It was uphill the first half, and then it descends into an area that has exposed red rock poking out of the surrounding limestone. They say it is geologically interesting, and though I don’t understand all the reasons why, I can still appreciate that there are a lot of different kinds of rocks in one place. Again, it was worth it to do the descents and climbs to get to the end of the trail, so that you can look back on the formation and see how it all stands out. All told, this trail was about three and a half miles out and back.

You might be wondering from the pictures, “Did Richard hike wearing his bicycle helmet?” Yes. Yes he did. And he will again, the next time we ride to a trailhead. You can argue with him about it, but he doesn’t care and won’t change his mind, even if you tell him he looks silly. He doesn’t want to leave it sitting around with the bike, and he insists it is easier to carry this way.

Finally, we were ready to commence the final leg of the day’s events. I regret none of the clothes I put on for the ride back. In addition to regular clothes, I had a fleece, down jacket, wind breaker jacket, fleece lined pants, rain pants, and a wool hat under my bike helmet. I could have put on gloves too and should have. The day’s tally was around 22 miles of biking, plus 6 miles of hiking. Around 3,200 feet were climbed, by wheel or by foot.

We arrived back at Dory by 3 pm, triumphant and tired. What do biathletes deserve? More ice cream! We put away all the biking and hiking stuff, hopped in the car, and drove to Sorry, Not Sorry. I got Bumble Berry Cheesecake with Crumbles on a waffle cone. OMG. Richard got Double Stuff Oreo Cookies and Cream, also on a waffle cone. Quick stop at a nearby Trader Joe’s, fill the car with gas, and that’s a wrap on a big, big, day.

Could not have had a better Do Over. Richard conquered that ride not once, but twice. We really loved biking to the trailheads, especially when we get to avoid entry tickets and fees. The campground is extremely convenient if you are wanting to see Red Rock Canyon. It helped to have just a little cell service too. Fun stay!

Total miles from Boulder Beach: 53.0, 14.3 mpg, 4 hours 2 min (with stops at rest area and snacks). Site 43. No hookups. Actually got pretty decent cell service for ATT. They must have put up a tower somewhere. Still not great for Verizon. No dump.

Wow! Lake Mead surprised me again. Last time we were here, I was blown away by how beautiful the geology is. This time, in addition to admiring its natural beauty, I come away impressed with the wealth of things you can do for entertainment. We stayed in Boulder Beach Campground, which is right next to, but a whole lot nicer than, a full hookup RV park. I got a site so pretty, I must have put some research into it. It was on the edge of the campground loop, with a nice view of the lake, and it was also on the end so there wasn’t anyone next to us on the door side. The sites are nicely spaced apart, with some bushes in between, which makes them more private. There’s great cell service and all the amenities in nearby Boulder City. All in all, it’s an incredible location and right on the River Mountains Loop Bike Trail.

We pulled in early, but our site was empty, so we got to set up with plenty of time on the day to go explore. The first thing we did was ride up to the Visitor Center to see what’s what. We learned all about the paved multi-use trail that takes a 36 mile wide circle from Boulder City, along Lake Mead, and then past Henderson, NV. We also learned about the rails to trails path that offers a unique way to go visit the Hoover Dam.

Right out of the Visitor Center, you pick up an old railroad route which is not paved, but is surfaced in hard packed fine gravel, making it doable for a road bicycle with thin tires. Because it follows the train line, it is nice and level, with gentle turns, and cool tunnels that go right through the mountains. You get amazing views of the lake and marina down below.

Eventually, the main trail ends, but you can continue until you get to a paved switch back ramp that will take you to the main parking garage for the dam. We should have parked our bikes at the top and walked down, but instead we rolled them down with us. Once you’re in the parking lot, you can take an elevator five levels down to the main walkway. We locked the bikes and left them at the top so we could go walk around. It was Christmas Eve and there were tons of people visiting the dam. We did a little promenade before heading back up the elevator, and then walking our bikes all the way up the switchback ramp. Good thing my e-bike has a walk assist feature. I recommend doing this trail as a way to visit the dam if you’re up for a walk or bike ride. You avoid all of the backed up car traffic and parking hassle. The only thing to not do is walk your bikes down the big ramp (like the sign at the top says: No Bicycles).

That was a super fun introduction to the area. We had originally planned to ride our bikes up to Boulder City to do a little bit of shopping, but that is one hell of a climb and we’d already gotten in a good ride, so we drove it. There are plenty of services in Boulder City, including an Albertsons for groceries, and a couple of places to get ice cream. As it was Christmas Eve, we were out of luck on the latter, but got enough sweet treats at the store to feel properly festive.

We awoke to the most gorgeous light on the lake and perfect blue Christmas skies the whole day. We did an epic ride of 36 miles and 2800 feet of climbing. From the campground, we picked up the paved trail, taking it counter clockwise. Along the lake, it rises and falls, skirting Lakeshore Road, which is the scenic drive through the national park. Once you pass Las Vegas Bay, the trail heads uphill. Before it bends to the south, it briefly joins up with the Lake Mead Parkway Trail. Then it splits and does some serious climbing over what they call the “Three Sisters.” The whole thing is well signed, with a few rest areas and bike repair stations along the way. You even get some views of Las Vegas in the distance.

Finally, the trail sweeps around toward Boulder City. The only confusing part of the whole trail was when it seemed to change from a trail to a flood control water trough. I think this is how the trail was designed, but there is now also a street level paved trail that runs parallel to the gutter trail most of the way. We took a wrong turn at one place when we were in the gutter and didn’t see the place where it climbed back up and out. It seems weird to put a multi-use trail in a flood gutter, but then, it probably doesn’t flood that much. And I guess, if things were actively flooding, you would know not to go for a trail stroll.

Once the trail starts descending from Boulder City, you are literally coasting and braking for eight miles, all the way back to the campground. The last stretch leaves the flood troughs and becomes the rails to trails route, making for a very nice steady descent. Going counter clockwise on this trail is key to ending your day smiling, staring at views of the lake, while not pedaling a single stroke. You also get to end the ride in town and could stop and grab a treat, if you so desire. My one complaint at all is that the pavement is cracked across the path at regular intervals for a lot of the ride along the lake. Some of the cracks have been filled, and some have only been half ass filled. It can make for jarring rhythmic bumps. Otherwise, five stars.

Christmas Day was a hard act to follow, but we managed to have an equally memorable Boxing Day. We did a lot of ruminating on whether or not to do a really big trail down to a hot spring and the Colorado River. The ranger at the Visitor Center recommended the Arizona Hot Springs trail, and AllTrails had lots of five star reviews. It seemed like the thing to do was take this as a loop that combined the White Rock Canyon Trail, but that would end up being close to seven miles, with over 1200 feet of climbing. There was disagreement in the various sources as to whether this was a “hard” or “moderate” trail, and there were conflicting opinions on whether it was better to do the loop clockwise or counter clockwise. I scanned reviews closely for indications of tricky rock scrambling and couldn’t find anything definitive, so we decided to go for it. Honestly, if I’d seen the NPS description, with warnings and alerts and a rating of “very strenuous,” I would probably have ruled it out. Luckily, I didn’t read that until after I’d done it. Sometimes too much information is a bad thing. I don’t disagree with any of the reviews, or warnings, but it was one of the most amazing trails I’ve done, and I’d do it again.

We decided to go the counter clockwise route, heeding the advice that slogging uphill for three miles in a deep gravel wash was not fun. I think that is probably the right call. Going down the wash into the canyon is incredible. The day started overcast, which was great for mild temperatures, but does mute the colors of the rock in pictures. As you descend, you can witness the progression of time, stamped into the different colors and textures of the canyon walls. Down at the bottom, as the trail finally opened onto the Colorado River, the sun came out and the bright oranges and rusty reds appeared in all their glory. Besides the deep gravelly surface making it tiring to traverse, I would say this part was an easy hike. There were very few places where you had to scramble up or down rocks, and those were easily done.

The connector trail from the bottom of White Rock Canyon, over to the Arizona Hot Springs proved to be the hardest part. The trail goes up and down over the rocky banks of the river, sometimes becoming a vertical climb or descent on dodgy terrain. And although they have spray painted arrows in some places to keep people on the right track, it is not easy to find the trail in several crucial spots. I made one small wrong turn, which was easily corrected, but you are going up and over rocky passes. A wrong turn could be a problem. Now that I’ve done it, I think I could find my way better. There was one ascent that required Richard to give me a “butt assist,” but I was able to do the rest on my own.

Finally, the connector trail ended at a stream, which is where it joins the hot springs trail. We read reviews from many people asserting the importance of bringing water shoes, and I complied. I also agree, whole heartedly. The hot springs trail passes along, and through, and into lots of water. Like, if you take the loop counter clockwise, you will have no option but to walk through the streams, climb up four or five waterfalls, and wade through the waist high hot water pools. There is also a twenty foot metal ladder. Oddly, none of this scared me. And it was so different from any hike I’d ever done that I found it all pretty cool.

When you do this hike, you will see signs all over the place, from the kiosk, to spray painted notices on the rock walls, that there will be nudity in and near the springs. By the time we got to the pools and saw that they were really actual pools, we seriously did not care about disrobing. Someone has created these thermal hot tubs by laying sand bag walls about waist high to make three separate soaking zones. I’m thinking dimensions were roughly ten by ten feet, snuggled in between the canyon walls. Each pool gets hotter as you go uphill, closer to the thermal source. The last one was like, really hot, and only two people were in it. The lower pools each had five or six naked soaking people in them. Some had bathing suits. No one cared. Richard went Full Monty to cross through the pools. I mostly stripped, except I had completely run out of room in my backpack to cram anything more into it. It ended up being logistically easier to wear a shirt than to carry it. I hadn’t considered the fact that, without pants, I had no pockets. So the iPhone and keys had to get squished into whatever room I could find high up in the backpack, which got soaked at the bottom. Shoes were carried. Bottom of shirt got wet.

Once you are through the pools and up the waterfalls, you can re-robe. You can see where the spring comes up through the rocks and through little natural fissures in the vertical walls. If you touch the water at these sources, it is almost scalding. Many people come down the springs trail just to spend time soaking. That wasn’t our goal, but it was pretty cool to experience a real natural hot spring. You could totally bring a bathing suit, but everyone was cool with “be cooler, be nooder #SPF 50.”

The last leg of the loop was to climb out of the canyon. It is definitely a steep ascent to get back to Go. The first third is a gentle incline, but it’s up a wash, so kind of sloggy. Then you get to the exposed rock bit and that raises the cardio for sure. There were a few scrambly places to get up a few feet from one level to the next, but nothing that felt unsafe. It was more like, “Hmm, where do I put my feet here?” I don’t think I would have liked going down that. Again, I am reconfirming that I would prefer doing the whole thing counter clockwise, even though it means you have to do the connector trail, go up the ladder, go through all the pools and waterfalls, and climb out on a few really steep grades. This is a major trail. It is awesome and totally worth it, if you can do it. I figure I represent a good gauge of “if she can do it…” in the same way I look at children on trails: “if that kid can do it…” But yeah, I’d say “strenuous” is fair. As a reward, we went back to town and got a tasty soft serve from Chilly Jilly’s. We also walked around the historic downtown area to stop at Grandma’s Daisy’s Old Time Confectionary. Last stop, a grocery top up to get us through the rest of the trip.

So we leave the Lake Mead area, once again thinking how cool it is. It is a perfect winter destination. It would be brutal in the summer and make all of the outdoor activities downright dangerous. It is vast and we have only scratched the surface. It is an area I would definitely recommend, and I really liked this campground as a home base.

Total miles from Hole in the Wall: 133.1, 18.8 mpg, 3 hours 13 min. Site 87 fabulous views with no one next to us on my window side. No hookups. Excellent cell service for both. There is free wifi, but it’s not very good, so we stuck with the cell service. Good dump. Much nicer campground than the full hookups RV park next to it.

Every time I come back to this place, I like it more. I think at first, it kind of scared me. It is very remote and far from any services. It feels dangerous, like the desert. Perhaps with familiarity, I have come to better appreciate the peace and sense of awe that comes with the vastness of the open land. I no longer feel those background nerves and can release my mind to the grand desert beauty.

The human brain has a strong, hard wired negativity bias, and part of my psyche still recalls the first visit, and the first time I did the Rings Loop Trail. This is a narrow passage in a wall of rock at the base of Banshee Canyon, only ascendable due to a series of strategically placed hand and footholds in the shape of metal rings. I struggled the first time I tried it, but have since conquered them, more than once. After we got in and set up, I wanted to go find the rings and tackle them, first thing. The Barber Peak Loop Trail ends at the rings, after a 5.6 mile loop. From the campground though, you can get to the bottom of the canyon by walking just a mile going the other direction. As a quick hike, I brought nothing with me but my determination. And lo and behold, I made it up both sets of rings with zero trouble. It took me aback how easy it was, and I wondered whether they had added more rings since the last time. I went back to the blog to compare photos, only to find that I had written last time about the climb being no problem. Funny how I’d forgotten that.

If you are a TikTok person, or if you’ve read the stories going around, you may know there have been lots of drone sightings in various places across the country. I was secretly looking forward to scanning the nighttime skies in the relative vicinity of Edwards Air Force Base, and to my delight, a group of rangers set up a major astronomy station a few sites over from us. We went over and asked about what they were doing, and they explained that they were on a training outing to learn about astronomy. They even had a real for real NASA scientist with them to show them how to use all of the big expensive telescope equipment. It secretly delighted me that the NASA scientist had a thick Russian accent. I asked them if they were perchance going to launch any drones. The NASA astronomer got my reference immediately and laughed, saying with a wink, “You know, we don’t “officially” know anything about those.” And if that’s not an admission, I don’t know what is. It was too cloudy that night to see anything, but I did spend more time than I’m willing to admit taking video evidence of what turned out to be Sirius. Ok, two things I learned: 1) Sirius does in fact twinkle red and green (very much like a drone), and 2) because of something called the autokinetic effect, stars can look like they are moving. So there.

We did do the Barber Peak Loop Trail again, complete with another successful rings ascent at the end. The sky was a brilliant blue and the weather was perfect. There is one particular spot about mid hike, where there is a distinctive outcropping of dazzlingly white rocks all over the ground. They do not fit in with any of the surrounding geology and make a striking contrast to the rusty colors all around. It looks like someone’s million dollar marble counters exploded right there, leaving behind hundreds of bits of shining little gem stones. We ate lunch on a pile of gem stones and it was delightful.

The other surprise of the stay was the equally incongruous appearance of a troop of horses at the entrance to Banshee Canyon. We couldn’t tell at first if they were wild, but we did ask about it later and it seems they wandered over from a nearby ranch. There is not enough water in this part of the Mojave to support a wild herd. They looked pretty comfortable, so they probably roam around the area frequently.

And last, the desert sunsets never disappoint. I think we always get treated to a glorious sunset when we stay here. The light as the sun sets and rises over the desert sands is indescribably beautiful. I just love this campground. The stars at night are nuts (as are the people looking at them and thinking they are drones). Be careful to make sure you gas up at Barstow, or Ludlow, or Needles, depending where you are coming from. And I don’t think I’d come during the summer. But in the winter through spring, this campground is one of the best.

Total miles from Calico: 119.6, 16.6 mpg, 2 hours 46 min. Site 36 no hookups. Great solar. Slow, but existent cell service. Good dump with potable water. $12 per night, first come first serve.

We have now stayed in the jiving town of Barstow a combined total of twelve times. Between the KOA and Calico Ghost Town, we’ve pretty much covered the things to do and places to stay. Except for one.

We have noticed the Owl Canyon Campground on our various campground map services, but we’ve always ruled it out due to the 4+ miles of dirt road and non reservability. Every time we land in this location, it is because we have spent around five hours in the car, and we’re trying to get somewhere else the next day of an equally long drive. So not knowing the condition of the road makes us leery about putting that as our planned destination at the end of a long day. This time around, we got an early start and would be arriving no later than 2pm in Calico. We decided to do some reconnaissance after unhitching and drove the Passport out there to scope it out.

It’s seventeen miles from Calico, so it would not be the kind of place where we’d be getting Penny’s for dinner and driving back out. And we do like Penny’s for dinner. But maybe we could do a late lunch or something. Dunno. In any case, the road itself is not bad at all, as dirt roads go. It gets washboardy in places, so Dory would be in for a deep vibrating massage. And she’d be filthy dusty. But she’d be ok. If we had a flocked Christmas tree, like we do right now, it would probably be unflocked by the time we got there. Wouldn’t want to drive it after or during a big rain, but otherwise? I think it’s a strong contestant.

The campground itself is really beautiful. There are brightly colored rocky hills all around and a couple of nice trails nearby that go into the Rainbow Basin BLM area. There is no water and no dump. The vault toilets are clean, and there is just enough cell service to feel not totally cut off. There were no other campers when we were there, but I don’t know it there are times it fills up. I would definitely stay in this campground when the weather is not too hot. It’s really pretty.

Our other goal was to do a hike up the Owl Canyon, which starts right from the campground. I could tell from the description Richard read to me that there were going to be some tricky rock scrambling parts, but also a cool cave you can walk clear through. The canyon is filled with so many different colored rocks, from pinks to purples, to bright coppery red. We easily found the cave and had come prepared with headlamps. It’s not very long, but it definitely gets fully dark for a short section. On the other side, you can only go a little ways further before you dead end into a rock wall. Then you turn around, go back through the cave, and rejoin the main trail.

Before you get to the two mile mark, you come to a big bouldery rock fall that blocks the way forward. The only way past is to do some scrambling. As soon as I saw it, I got nervous about how I was going to get up and over the boulders. There was one way that was a kind of chute situation, where if you can push yourself up a narrow vertical trough for about nine feet, you could maybe grab at the top ledge and pull yourself up. That one was not something I could physically do. The other way around requires getting over a big boulder with a two foot section where there are no hand or foot holds at all. You would really have to trust that your feet are not going to slip out from under you, because the fall would be around eight feet to the ground. That one was not something I could do mentally. I regret not taking any pictures at all of this rocky conundrum, but I understand why it slipped my mind.

I was pretty much in a state of mild panic over attempting any of the routes. I clambered right up to the point where I would have to let go and get around the edge, but I could not make myself get past that last two feet. And if I had gotten past it, I knew I would have to somehow get down it. I was out. But Richard made it past. I flat out refused to let him bail because I know he is goal oriented and he would have had FOMO if he didn’t go another mile to the end point of the trail. He reluctantly agreed to let me wait for him and he went on.

While he was gone, I tried again a couple of times to see if I could find any safe way across and ended up with a hard nope. I contented myself by looking around at all the beautiful rocks. Richard came back before long and reported that there was another, less difficult, rock fall just past this one. The rest of the trail was fine though, and he was kind enough to let me know it wasn’t so spectacular that I needed to feel I had missed out. It’s really just more of the same rocky canyon and not worth risking a serious injury. As it was, I sustained minimal damage. I scratched my glasses and my Apple watch, banged my knee, bruised my ego, and depleted my confidence.

This brought up lots of questions in my mind about whether there would be any way to make situations like this easier for me to get past. There are three other trails I can think of where the fear of slipping has stopped me from proceeding, at least temporarily. We both, unbeknownst to each other, spent a good part of the rest of the night Googling things to try to answer that question. Funnily, we both ended up going down similar rabbit holes involving rock climbing gear or indoor bouldering training. We don’t understand any of the climbing lingo, but we now know about harnesses we could put on Richard, so he could essentially winch my ass up. Also, when you Google things like “how to help your partner get over rocks…” you find yourself getting advice on codependence and substance abuse.

Thing is, I really don’t want to become a rock climber, so the idea of investing in gear is not motivating. I could use some new shoes, and maybe if we just had a short length of rope Richard could hold so I had something for my hands to grip, that could do it. I really don’t know, but in the meantime, I started to kind of worry about the next destination, which would include the “Rings Trail,” one of the three that has proved challenging for me in the past.

But back in Barstow, all is well, and what to get at Penny’s for dinner was all I needed think about. Big fluffy pancakes, cinnamon dusted french toast, egg and sausage on the side. Always perfection. Thanks again Barstow, for being a dependable stopover on the way elsewhere. Now we have another option for the future!

Total miles from Harris Ranch: 239.5, 17.1 mpg, 4 hours 59 min. Site O48 full hookups. Good cell for both. Good dump in site. Reserving a full hookup site in person cost $55. Reserving the same site online costs $65. As long as we’re not trying to reserve around New Year’s, I think it’s safe to just show up.