Chasing That Horizon!

We have been keeping this blog for close to four years. While it was mainly intended to document our journeys, one's mind is occasionally sparked by a current or cultural event, an awe-inspiring sight, a profound thought, and sometimes, sheer boredom. Our travels have taken us over many miles of asphalt blacktop, dust-covered trails, grassy meadows, narrow canals, and wide open stretches of rivers, bays, and ocean. While we have often been asked what we liked best, and finding that answer to be a difficult one, we are also at a loss to identify that which we liked least. It has all been wonderful, though a point comes where one must just stop, if just for a little while.

A summer in Lake Tahoe was a fine respite from our travels. Staying in one place for more than four days was an adventure in itself. We volunteered our time to help manage a state park and campground, and it covered our rent and utilities as well. We worked with wonderful people, met new friends, and were surrounded by the beauty of the forest. We learned more about nature, and were able to enjoy our surroundings. But seasons change, and the time came to move on to our next adventure. The long-planned boat trip will continue in the Spring, which is rapidly approaching. But Winter will find us in another campground volunteer position in Southern California.

After a detour to Reno to say farewell to our son, US395 beckoned south. A first night in Sonora Pass yielded a beautiful campsite with breathtaking scenery, and a morning temperature of 19 degrees. We got out just in time as the pass was closed for the winter two days later. June Lake followed with another nice site visited by scores of white-tailed deer. It snowed enough to dust the sagebrush and give everything a clean, wintry look. Today, in Lone Pine, we are camped in a BLM area that has been, and still is used as a movie set for hundreds of tv and movie westerns and adventure movies. The road that winds through the area is named Movie Road. John Wayne, Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger, Bonanza, and many of the singing cowboy movies were shot here. Today, it is quiet, as dispersed campsites are scattered about across the valley floor. RVs and tents are hidden behind rock outcroppings, only visible when approached from a short distance. There is no sound, except for the occasional gust of wind. It doesn't seem right to play any music here, though some country guitar might be ok. A ground wasp is meandering across the sand, each pebble looming like a boulder in its path. A lizard scurries over a nearby rock, enjoying the warmth before the frigid night sets in. The eastern skies are a brilliant shade of blue, while to the West, the Sierra Range surrounding Mt. Whitney is surrounded by a haze. Someone said it was smog, but cloud vapor sounds better.

The batteries are charging in the sun. We have water, propane, and a half bottle of Gentleman Jack. The sun will set in a few hours, and it will be cold, though nothing like the past few nights. A waxing gibbous moon should illuminate the valley floor quite nicely tonight. Where will the road take us tomorrow? Perhaps the Mojave desert will have another adventure awaiting us.