Whenever we have a few weeks to spare and want to squeeze in a trip, and it's not currently the hot-hot of summer or the cold-cold of winter, the Eastern Sierra becomes our destination. Anywhere from the Owens Valley, Lone Pine, Mono Lake, Bishop, Markleeville, or even into Alturas, we always find exactly what we're looking for along the highway 395 corridor, and we find ourselves and our dreams reflected in the landscape.
With all the excessive rainfall this year, nearly all the roads are still closed that would take us over the Sierra, and now they are predicting that the passes will remain closed through early July. Having made it over I-80 last month by the hairs on our chinny-chin-chin (white-knuckled driving through a white-out storm, but fortunately we were early in the storm so it hadn't built up on the road yet), we accept the fact that even now we might still run into snow even on the open passes. Since we don’t have chains for Lexy’s tires yet, we’ll dodge the snow and hope for the best.
So, off we go! Heading eastward, we follow highway 50 into the Sierra, to route 89, and find a beautiful Forest Service campground for our first night. The campground was Crystal Springs, settled right next to the West Fork Carson River on a slope in the conifer forest.
Across the river was a beautiful and steep ridge that took over all other aspects of the landscape. It was ominous! This was the scenery that boosted me out of all dullness of thought; the wake-up call of our natural world was beckoning us again.
Oh how I love waking up to see mountains!
There was so much water in the creeks, where every creek we saw on this trek was swelling over its normal seasonal banks, with white-water tumbling and splashing as the water rushed downhill on full throttle. This creek was usually just a babbling brook, but it is now a torrent of water!
The next day, we head into Gardnerville, NV to pick up supplies, and then settle in on route 395 toward Topaz Lake. The pastures are green, so beautiful, and slightly unusual for this late in the spring.
The drive down to Bridgeport on 395 is just as spectacular as we expected. Lots of rolling hills and green pastures backdropped by snow-covered peaks of the Eastern Sierra.
We stopped in at the Rhino's Bar and Grill on Main Street, under the suggestion of our friend Ken (“if you are ever in Bridgeport, you gotta stop by the Rhino's!”). Before we could even think, our auto-response was to order a draught. Oh my, this was SO good!
We drove from Bridgeport to Twin Lakes, which was one road that was still open, with two of the six campgrounds along the route also open at this time. What an absolutely beautiful drive.
We settled in at the Crags campground. Beautiful.
The road out to Twin Lakes cut across the most pastural settings. You can see the standing water in the fields along the roadway, and even see the bulging shoreline of the lake itself. Half the picnic tables in the boat dock area were under water. I believe you could nearly launch a boat from the parking lot; you certainly didn’t need to drive down the boat ramp very far to launch.
Thursday, May 25. We had to cancel our plans to camp at Virginia Lake due to the road closure, and decided to take a lay-over here in Bridgeport and the Twin Lakes area. We decide to check out the Travertine Hot Springs, just outside Bishop to the east. While we were there, the BLM ranger came by to test the water temperatures. In one very tidy pool right at the parking area, the water tested at 134 degrees F, at the point where the water entered the pool. Yikes! Too hot for me! We walked just up 50 feet to the point where the water came out of the ground, and it was boiling at 169 degrees (we are at 7000 feet elevation, so boiling temp is lower than our sea-level standard of 220F). We asked if they need to post these kind of dangers (yes, you can cook yourself in a pool of 134 degrees!), and our ranger said no, it is considered a natural spring on BLM land, so people need to be smart and aware of the dangers of these natural phenomena and self-regulate. Another reminder that our natural world is not Disneyland. A little self-preservation and respect for Mother Nature go a long way.
There were a few other folks enjoying a morning soak, so we joined them and took in the beauty of this place.
Perhaps we’ll pick a camping spot that is uphill overlooking the Crags, rather than a spot downhill that sits right next to the creek. In that downhill spot, I think we could have sat at our picnic table and caught fish with a very short cast.
Friday, May 26: We hit the road and head south toward Mono Lake. There is one viewpoint overlook on 395 that is a must-stop; the lake and entire basin region is visible from this one point, and it is such a sight to take in.
Leaving Mono Lake for another trip, we head east on route 167 into Nevada, then following route 359 up to Hawthorne. The scenery is spectacular.
We then headed east on route 95 into Tonopah, where they were celebrating Jim Butler Founder’s Day all week long, with all kinds of festivities, culminating with a rodeo in the afternoon and a free concert in the evening on Sunday. Yes, we were going to spend three days in Tonopah! By then, I am sure we will feel like locals.
Getting to Tonopah, route 95 takes you through the Garfield Hills, Excelsior Mountains, Candelaria Hills, the Monte Cristo Range, and then around the Weepam Hills, following the regional Basin and Range topology. With so many high ridges and then deep valleys, there was a lot of wind, and the cloud formations were quite impressive. I love the open sky of Nevada! I have to think that most Nevada’ans would have no need for the weather app MyRadar, as all they have to do is look at the sky and they can see a storm front from about 50 miles away. They know when it’s going to rain or snow, just by looking out!
We had that experience, where we were watching an accluded front that seemed to be stuck against the Garfield Hills, just west of Luning. The clouds were very, very dark. We watched ahead as the clouds crossed the valley, darkening the road stretched out in front of us. Oh boy, here we go!
The rain was menacing! Like buckets of water pouring directly on our windshield, our wipers couldn’t go fast enough to clear the downpour of water. There was about two inches of water suddenly flowing on the road, for about a two-mile stretch at the edge of the valley. As we headed uphill to cross into the next range, the rain let up a bit, but I prayed it didn’t turn to snow. Along the side of the road, we could see that snow was actually falling, but it was rain as it was hitting our windshield now. We then started pulling ahead of the cloud, and the rain dissipated completely. But, it rode on our tail feathers, following us over the next ridge and all the way into Tonopah.
We found an empty spot and went in to register. The hotel is filled with eclectic collectables; apparently the owner is quite the collector! In the lobby, you'll see many items displayed that have historic reference, but other items that are just displayed for the enjoyment of the owner, and to get a chuckle from most of the guests.
A huge stuffed bear greets you, in front of a display of historic photos of the buildings in town in the 1920's. Also, on the registration desk there was a large hourglass cage that held three dice. If you rolled the dice and got three of a kind, you win a free night at the hotel! I decided to give it a spin.
Walking around the Station Hotel, you get the feeling that this establishment grew in spurts, paralleling the growth spurts the town experienced over the last 100 years. There are room wings stretching out from the lobby that would not have been designed that way if an architect actually designed the building, and halls that just didn't quite make sense. It seems the last renovation done in the hotel rooms was in the 90's, and the lobby, casino, and restaurant were still donning their 40's attire. Then, oddly, you find a few corners here and there that were remodeled very recently, with beautiful stone and modern fixtures. The public bathroom in the laundromat was gorgeous, and so was the bathroom accessed from the back of the casino, for the RV guests. Maybe they started a renovation project and then abruptly stopped when COVID shut down the town. Not yet recovered from the pandemic, the hotel is hanging in there, wanting of a facelift.
The old Mizpah Hotel was gleaming in the last rays of the sunset. The Mizpah was named after the Mizpah Mine, located just east of the hotel, which produced the highest riches of silver for Jim and his wife Bell Butler, of all the mines in the Tonopah area. Built in 1907, the hotel was the known to be the epitome of luxury for this booming town.
It turns out, the Clown Motel was built by siblings Leona and Leroy David in 1985, to honor their father Clarence David and display his huge collection of clown figurines. They picked the location next to the cemetery because their father was buried there, and he could oversee the development of his legacy. Phil checked out the lobby. They are booked solid for the summer, so apparently some people like the theme of clowns. :-0.
We got back to our hotel room at the station, dreaming of a luxurious shower after a long day of driving and sight-seeing. I hopped in and just let the cold water pummel my feet while I waited for the water to warm up. And waited for that warm water, any minute now. And waited...... It did not appear that there was any hot water to be had. We called the front desk to inquire, and there was no answer. Going down to the lobby, we found the receptionist finally, and asked about the water situation. She said, "Oh, yeah another guest was also complaining that there wasn't any hot water." We asked if anyone was looking into the problem, and she wasn't sure. Hmmm. Back in the room, I made due with a cold shower, but Phil decided to wait until morning, when presumably the problem would be fixed.
No comments:
Post a Comment