We left Twentynine Palms hoping to find a little bit cooler weather. We made our way north up 395 to the small town of Lone Pine. At the camper rally, we were told that the recreation area in Lone Pine called Alabama Hills was a cool place to check out. We found Tuttle Creek Campground and made our way there hoping it would be a good fit for us.
It turned out to be pretty amazing. There were big campsites with a lot of space in between each of them. It wasn’t very busy either which was nice. The campground is still in the desert with a small tree here and there but the views were amazing. We couldn’t pick a bad site. Each site had a view of the Inyo Mountains to the east, the Owens Dry Lake Bed to the south, the Sierra Nevada’s to the west and the Alabama Hills to the north. The view of Mt. Whitney was perfect. We were at a higher elevation, so the temperatures were very pleasant and we had a nice breeze during the day. The sunsets were breathtaking. The sky would turn a vibrant pink and orange and then it would cool right off.
We settled in, relaxed and were content to stay for a few days. Saturday we drove into town and picked up a few groceries. The Chamber of Commerce was closed for the weekend so we ended up going back there on another day. I should note, that as we left the Chamber of Commerce the second time, I waited for traffic to clear and did a U-turn to head to the Lone Pine Film History Museum in town. We decided to by-bass that and as we were waiting to pull out of the parking lot, one of California’s finest wanted to meet me and tell me that U-turns in town were illegal. What? Thankfully, I just received a warning and a “have a good trip”. Whew!
We then drove up a mountain road to the east that gave us great views of the Owens Dry Lake Bed. It was a fun winding road that lead to a campground catering to people with horses.
There are trails everywhere here. As we were walking Gus in our campground, we noticed a trail that led west toward the mountains. We had to know where that went. We meandered on a pretty well traveled dirt road, bumping over rocks and washout areas. The road led us to a trail head up in the valley. Three gentlemen were making their way down the trail to their vehicle and told us they had just returned from the stone house. We had no idea there was a stone house to hike to. They pointed to the west, way high, and we could finally spot it. We decided we’d tackle that trail the next morning.
After some research, we learned that the stone house is called the Tuttle Creek Ashram and construction was first started in 1928. The building took 20 years of hard manual labor and was never completely finished because the wife of the builder became sick. The building is high up on the side of the mountain at about 7600 feet and it is built in the shape of a balanced cross. The ashram is a 2,000 square foot structure of natural stone and concrete, with a cement floor, heavy-beam roof, and a large fireplace. The stonework of the ashram blends so well into the ridge that the building is hard to see even from a half mile away.
We got up bright and early and made our way back to the trail head. The beginning of the hike kind of kicked our butts and legs. We aren’t exactly in tip-top shape after months on the road. Gus led the way up and did pretty well but slowed down after the continued up hill climb. We finally reached the ashram after about an hour up hill climb. To think what they had to go through to get materials up there to build it is crazy!
The views from the ashram were amazing. Craig had to check out the stone fireplace and see if it was Dad Vug approved (Craig’s dad was a mason for many years). After taking many pictures and enjoying a quick snack, we headed back down to the Jeep.
We headed into the Alabama Hills recreation area and again were just in awe of what we were looking at. Huge rock formations, rocks stacked on top of rocks, all scattered in the high desert. We toured off the main gravel road onto some trails that led us high into the hills. There was nobody up there in contrast to the many RVers boondocking in the rocky sections of the rec area. We came to a dead end on one trail and then another, and then another but we had fun checking out mine shafts and traversing rocky ridges.
Tuesday we woke to a wind storm. There were huge gusts periodically shaking the entire camper. I wasn’t feeling well and thought a cold was coming on as well. So we hunkered down and relaxed for the day.
Wednesday I was feeling much better and pretty happy that I didn’t end up with a full on cold. We drove through the Alabama Hills area again but stayed in the recreation area this time. Over 400 movies have been filmed in the Alabama Hills because of the unique backdrop this area provides. We saw where they filmed the 1990 movie Tremors, The Lone Ranger, How the West Was Won, Gunga Din…there are too many to list but it was neat to see. We had gotten a map from the Chamber of Commerce and took the “technical 4WD” trails… not so technical really. It’s probably just to keep big RVers from trying to go down them to boondock.
Mobius Arch
We then drove up Whitney Portal Road. Again this was a winding mountain road that led us to a campground in the trees. It’s a really neat area with lots of hikes to do. We put this on our list of places to return to someday. A hike up Mt Whitney (14, 508 ft) may be in our future.
We finally left our quiet little campsite Thursday morning. We made our way to Bishop and stopped for lunch at the Mountain Rambler Brewery on recommendation from a few friends. The beer and food were very good. I even got a bowl of brussel sprouts! Yum!
We continued north to Highway 120 which is the highway that goes through Yosemite National Park. Google maps and I were at odds because it said that the road was closed for the season. We had done our homework and we were sure it was open. As we turned onto the road, it was indeed open but there was a yellow sign stating “Trailers not Recommended”…well… we had read a few google reviews that said it could be done with a trailer and heck, we’ve dealt with many steep ascents and descents and winding, narrow roads before, this one couldn’t be any worse.
Craig handled it just fine although we did have to take a break to let the good old gray truck take a rest. When we got into the park, we did see why they don’t recommend trailers. It’s a pretty narrow, curvy road without shoulders. We took our time so we ended up with cars behind us and a dog that had to pee.
We were happy when we got to our boondocking spot just outside of the west entrance to the park. Our app had warned us that it but we were was a popular spot, but we were happy to see just one other tent and a nice big spot next to a creek that worked perfect for us.
We are looking forward to exploring Yosemite. The drive through the park was just absolutely amazing. Huge granite rocks, big trees, lakes, rivers, valleys…it’s all stuff we love. We talked about all of the different scenery we have seen over the last 5 months. From the Canadian Rockies, the Arctic tundra and the Alaska Mountains, to the rain forests of Washington, the Oregon coast beaches, the California desert and now the Sierra Nevada’s with trees and fall color. We are enjoying seeing all the different landscapes and experiencing all the different climates.
Off to explore Yosemite…
Wow! just wow!