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Exploring Kings Canyon
I would start with Kings Canyon being one of the unsung heroes of our national parks! It is incredible in its beauty and the awesome Sequoias really do inspire awe. But let me back up a bit.
Lets talk about the joys of camping: In the car as we were leaving Yosemite, we were talking about the experience in the rain, and we decided that we were going to give in and buy a little generator. Itâs no fun trying to conserve and conserve. Jane already knew there was a Costco right on our way through Fresno so I looked online but Costco didnât really have anything for us. We stopped at Home Depot because it looked like they should have some, but they didnât. Our last try was Tractor Supply in Clovis, and they had one 2500 Watt Champion on the shelf. Sold! We also bought a gas can, and $614 later we were on our way and very happy.
No worries about bumping in and getting the stabilizers up when you have a portable generator.
Fresno is at about 1000 feet of elevation, but our campsite is over 6000! We climbed a LOT coming in from the hot foothills. The worrying thing when we got to our site was that our battery had not really charged on the drive here! We are trying a little experiment now to see if using the generator will charge it some.
Once we set up camp we hiked over to Grantâs Grove to see the sequoias! The one named for General Grant is 40 feet wide 268 feet tall and 1700 years old!!
The next morning we awoke, and did our usual morning ritual, only when Jane flushed the toilet we got an alarm signal from the control panel. The batteries were so far drained that they could hardly run the water pump.
The batteries in the camper are over 5 years old. And as Jane was reading in the Rockwood group online we probably got an extra year out of them! But itâs amazing how fast they went downhill. I just canât imagine we have a short or something that would cause them to drain like that.
So we waited until 7:00 an hour after quiet hours were done and started up the generator. Lights, flushing, even toast!! Yes Jane had toast for breakfast in a place we would not normally get toast without AC power.
After a bit of breakfast and coffee we headed out for the Kings Canyon drive. Its about 40 miles and ends in a roundabout called end of road. Mist Falls was our hiking destination for the morning. A beautiful hike along the river that carved these beautiful V-shaped valleys over millions of years. The hike was 2000 feet blow our campsite but the views as we descended into the valley were amazing. We were even treated to another bear sighting, a mama and one cub.
Our second stop of the day was a quick roadside stop at Roaring Falls
We stopped for a quiet lunch at Cedar Village among the Redwoods, Cedars, and Sequoias. Then we climbed back out to our campground enjoying the views of the Canyon along the way. I think this one really captures the steep V-shaped nature of the canyon!
We had thought about going out for dinner but opted to eat at the campsite and enjoy one last fire and the beautiful night sky!
Rainy Day at Curry Village
Overnight the rain started, a slow uneven splatter on the roof of the camper that made it impossible to get back to sleep. Worry over the flood watch did nothing to help in that department either.
After sitting around the camper for a time Jane decided, and I followed, that we would take the shuttle to the visitor center, visit the Ansel Adams gallery and maybe walk back to the lower falls to see if the rain had any effect on them.
We also stopped at the store. I found a hat, which Jane also likes, and Jane found a nice sweatshirt/fleece. I also found a nice bottle of bourbon. The lady at the checkout thought that the bourbon was the smartest purchase of the day!
With our purchases in hand we headed for the falls only to detour through the cemetery - of all places - which dumped us out into the middle of staff housing. Looking a little lost we found the trail to the falls again and followed it to the viewing area.
You can see the falls in this shot from yesterday, you can also see way up the mountainside.
Todayâs view does look like a bit more water falling. But notice how much the clouds are blocking the rest of the view!
Unfortunately the clouds are very low and completely blocking out any view of anything today. So even when the rain slows to a trickle it wouldnât be worth it as we would not be able to enjoy any views.
Meanwhile we are rationing the battery on the StarLink turning it on and off, bringing it out to the clearing by our camper when the rain slows. We thought about walking over to Curry Village for dinner but most of the seating is outdoors so we will probably just eat in tonight.
In a funny wild kingdom kind of moment, our next door neighborâs son opened their bear box only to find a mouse perched on his backpack. The mouse was quickly dislodged, but just sat there in front of the bear box without moving. No amount of prodding could get it to go anywhere. A bit later I happened to notice one of the big gray squirrels stalking the mouse. Slowly… slowly… Then all of the sudden it pounced on that little mouse and killed it. It scampered away with dinner. I didnât know that squirrels were carnivorous!
The lack of sun does nothing to recharge the batteries in the camper so we are conserving there as well, although I know we could plug the camper into the truck in order to slide in and pull up the stabilizers, we would rather not resort to that. We might even be able to steal some power from the bathroom next door in an emergency.
Overall weâve been pretty lucky with the weather on this trip. This is really our only washout day. We are still holding out hope that the clouds will lift in a while.
Yosemite Village Bike Ride
It was a short drive to Yosemite village, so we got in just after noon, and set up camp. Rain was in the forecast so we decided to go for a short bike ride. It was nice and we took a quick trip to the lower falls, which were barely falling.
Back at the campground we both thought it was nearly five, so we started happy hour, but it was barely after 3:00. Its 5:00 somewhere! With the likelihood of rain we had taken out the white ragout to warm up on the stove for dinner.
After dinner was some streaming on the iPad.
I didnât get a great nights sleep as the rain started sometime during the night and the noise of the rain on the roof of the camper made it hard for me to sleep. Especially with the flood watch in the back of my mind and the knowledge that we are not camped very far away from the river.
Hiking Cathedral Lake
Today we had one objective. Hike to Cathedral Lake and back. The hike is 4.1 miles one way with a climb of 1600 feet. We were a little concerned about the elevation gain especially since we were starting at 8000 feet. But we figured we could take our time, rest as much as we wanted to along the way and just enjoy the scenery. Our first task was to get to the park by driving the Tioga pass. We stopped at an alpine lake for a quick morning photo.
We got to the trailhead by 9 and headed on our way, we saw very few people on the trail except for a few overnight backpackers on their way back down. The trail could be described in five parts, a flat start, followed by a long climb, followed by a flat middle, followed by more steep uphill, and finally some downhill to the lake. Then reverse it all to get back!
When we arrived at the lake there were only three other humans there. We were keeping our distance so it felt like we had the place all to ourselves.
We had a snack and just sat and enjoyed the cool air and all the views and colors!
We are now back at the camper, showered and resting. Our feet are sore but we have a great sense of accomplishment from today. Soon we will try to stream the loons who are playing in the semi-finals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. I’m making some Peruvian chicken for dinner on the Traeger and I’m guessing it will be a fairly early night.
Tomorrow we head back into the park with the camper, but it looks like we could get rained out (flood watch in Yosemite). We are close enough to the end that if the weather looks like a washout we could just head for Indio. Hopefully the amount of rain is not that big.
Lee Vining
Lee Vining
Lunch today at the Whoa Nelly Deli – World famous fish tacos. They were quite good! Why is the town called Lee Vining?
⢠Lee Vining refers to Leroy Vining, an early prospector / pioneer in the Mono Basin in California.
⢠He came to the area in the early 1850s (around 1852) with other prospectors.
⢠Although he didnât find lasting riches in gold mining, he did make money via timber: he established a sawmill and sold lumber to the local mining operations.
⢠Leroy Vining died in 1863 due to an accidental gunshot wound â reportedly from a pistol he carried in his pocket, which discharged.
Then we went to Mono lake to see the Tufa towers. These are essentially little growths where the calcium bubbles up and forms a tower in the water. As the lake levels shrank the towers were left exposed. Mono lake is a saltwater lake.
We noticed a very interesting kind of fly at Mono lake. When Jane stepped too close to the water this huge swarm of flies took to the air, and zoomed off, completely ignoring us humans. It was really cool. Here is what we learned:
⢠Adapted to the lake: Mono Lake is highly alkaline and salty, but alkali flies thrive in it. They lay eggs in the lake, and their larvae feed on algae. ⢠Swarming behavior: The adult flies gather in dense swarms at the shoreline, often forming black, buzzing clouds. They crawl over each other and create a moving carpet near the waterâs edge. ⢠Unique trick: They can walk underwater by trapping a bubble of air around their bodies, which lets them graze on submerged algae. ⢠Ecological role: Alkali flies are a major food source for the millions of migratory birds that stop at Mono Lake, especially Wilsonâs phalaropes and eared grebes.
All the black in this photo is that carpet of flies!
Driving the June lake loop The June lake loop comprises 4 alpine lakes:
Tonight we are in an RV park – we kind wish we had opted for one of the June lake options as they are much more scenic, and it turns out that the laundry and showers (not that we would use the showers) are all out of service due to a sewer problem that they are working on. This will suffice, but we think it might be nice to come back this way again and stay near June Lake.
An Active Day in Tahoe
It was a beautiful sunny day in Tahoe. We had a good nights sleep, except for the loud coyotes! Our plan was to go for a bike ride along the southern shore and then maybe go for a hike in the afternoon, and find a nice restaurant for the evening. Base camp pizza was great last night!
We started out on the trail in the park which wound through the redwoods, eventually we had to connect with the busier road that headed into South Tahoe. As we were biking along we noticed a beautiful golf course on our right hand side. When we stopped for a crossing we both had the same thought, golf!! Since we didnât play in Alexandria this was a chance to use our clubs. âMaybe we should see if we can golf this afternoon! We said.â So we turned into the Edgewood resort and asked the guard if the course was open to the public. He said it was and so we rode down to the clubhouse area. When I walked into the pro shop one of the guys commented that he was impressed we had biked to the course. When I asked if they had any tee times in the afternoon, he said weâll work some magic for someone willing to ride their bike here! So we ended up with a 3:30 tee time!
Back to the trail we went, it turned out to be less scenic than we had hoped going through some parts of South Tahoe that included many autobody shops, and the garbage transfer station, nail salons, etc. Eventually we made our way back into the redwoods and had some nice views of the lake.
We ended up riding 22 miles so it was a good morning workout. We got back to the camper in time for a late lunch of leftover chicken fried rice and a little time to rest up, get our clubs out of the bed of the pickup and get ready to go.
The Edgewood is home to the American Century Championship, a big celebrity golf tournament, and is ranked as one of the nicest public clubs in the country. True enough I would say! We were paired with a younger single guy by the name of Scott Reintgen. After some conversation we discovered that he was a bestselling author of young adult fantasy and science fiction! The course was beautiful and very well maintained. Not very easy either! There were many holes where the green was elevated and tucked back into a bunch of trees. Lots of water including the last two holes that finished right along Lake Tahoe.
We knew that a 3:30 tee time would be cutting it close for finishing before dark, and we were not wrong. We could hardly see the ball by the time we were headed down the 18th fairway!
After finishing the round we decided that Brooks grill was a fine place to stay and grab some dinner rather than driving around and trying to find another parking place for the truck. (The course was valet parking so we were already invested). Jane had some Quesadillas and I had a nice cheeseburger. By the time we finished dinner and got back to the camper it was already after 9:00 so we read for a while and turned in. I finished my latest book The Mountain and the Sea, and was ready for sleep just before 10.
Hell Roaring
Before we get to the main topic of today’s post I need to add a postscript to yesterdays post. After I wrote it, we went (unsuccessfully) looking for wolves again, but when we got back to our campsite there was a mama bear and two cubs just across the creek from us!
What a great bonus to an already amazing day.
This morning we got up and headed to our wolf spot just down the road from our campground. It was cold and the rain was coming and there were no wolves to be seen. Our original plan was to do Hell Roaring and then do the trout lake hike in the afternoon, but the radar and the sky and our own senses were showing rain so we headed back to the camper to hunker down for a few hours.
At about 10:30 the rain stopped so we jumped in the truck and headed for Hell Roaring, a hike down to a suspension bridge followed by a hike back up. About a quarter mile into our hike we were totally shocked to encounter a black bear about 15 feet off the path just munching on berries! Of course we stopped and quietly watched for a few minutes (ignoring advice to make a lot of noise) after grabbing a couple of pictures we headed on our way keeping an eye in the rear view!
The hike down (about 500 feet) was pretty easy and the views were great!
Especially of this impressive gorge on the Yellowstone river.
By the time we were making our way back up to the trail head, the bear was gone, or at least not seen. We headed on our way to fill up with gas and go back to the camper for lunch. We had though about doing the trout lake trail, but I was against getting back in the truck and driving 15 miles to do another hike, so we compromised and went on the slough creek trail. It was a climb to start but very peaceful and nice. We happened up this pretty marshy area, both of us commented that there ought to be a moose standing in the middle.
I told Jane I’m going to stand here until a moose appears. And then this happened.
Thanks ChatGPT.
After the hike Jane said that she wanted to drive back to the Wolf spotting area. As a good husband I agreed, even though I thought it was a waste of time. A good husband knows to admit when he is wrong, and this is one of those times where I was clearly wrong. The wolves were out. Not very active, and they were about a mile and a half away. So even though our really nice spotting scope they just looked like black blobs laying around, until they got up and moved. That was impressive! There are at least five of them in this picture.
Here is a short clip (28 seconds) that should open in your browser Wolves in Action
Yellowstone Wildlife Tour
We rarely set an alarm anymore, but this morning was an exception. Although we are normally up by 5:30 at home, we tend to sleep in when we are in the camper. However we had to meet our guide at 6:30 at the Tower / Roosevelt junction to go on our wildlife expedition. So we drove out of the campground in the dark. As we were headed down the gravel road we noticed quite a few people in place to catch a glimpse of the wolves. Chairs, coffee, tables, spotting scopes and cameras all ready to go before dawn.
Our first decision of the day with our guide Cat was what were our priorities. We agreed on Grizzly Bears, She said she could guarantee some bears but we had to leave the park. We agreed and we were on our way! We drove out through Gardiner and Yankee Jim Canyon and turned on Tom Miner road, quite a bumpy journey! But she made good on her guarantee, here is george:
George was a good distance away probably 200 yards, but we got great photos through the spotting scope with a special attachment for Jane’s iPhone! At this time of year the bears are just eating anything they can, grass, roots, worms, you name it, they are fattening themselves up for the winter!
A little less than a mile away we were treated to the sight of two mama bears and their cubs. They were all in a large clearing. Above the clearing was a small herd of Elk, and for added sound effects the coyotes hidden in the woods were howling away! Hard to beat that!
We decided to head back into the park after about an hour of bear watching. But along the way we saw George’s spouse with three cubs not far from where we originally saw him. Meanwhile George was not far away stalking a herd of cattle. We saw him stop and it looked like he and one of the cows were having a stare down! It would be very unusual for a grizzly to attach a full size cow like that so after watching them for a while we moved on. Seeing a total of 11 grizzly bears was quite a treat!
Once we were back in the park we saw a bonus of a couple of small black bears. We saw them with our eyes but our cameras failed to capture them.
Our next priority was to see some wolves or coyotes, unfortunately it was not to be today, although we now know where to go tomorrow morning and evening to try to see for ourselves. At one stop after looking for wolves we were treated to some great antics by some Pronghorn Antelope. They can really jump. The two locking horns were really funny, just teenagers wrestling. Then one of them got his antlers caught in the ground, he nearly flipped himself over trying to get free, then acted like it was all his buddies fault.
A little further down the road we saw this cute “red dog” bison. This little guy was born way after all the other juveniles.
It was getting to be lunch time, but we decided to spot some mountain goats before we had lunch at a spot where Cat often sees Fox. Again the spotting scope was amazing at turning tiny little white dots into actual pictures of goats.
We had our lunch at a really nice little picnic area, and watched the squirrels hoarding away all kinds of snacks for their winter food store. Unfortunately the picnic area was completely full, which kept the foxes hidden away. September in Yellowstone is time for all the grandparents to come without the kids, and that certainly seemed to be the case as we watched all the people.
Our final stop was to see the Osprey nest! These Osprey had four hatchlings this year.
Heading back to our campground we saw this cool bit of rain in the distance.
So many wonderful sights! Such a great day!
Bear Tooth Pass and Slough Creek Arrival
Today was a relatively short drive from Red Lodge to the North Entrance of Yellowstone. But lots of climbing and hair pin turns then lots of down hill with beautiful views at every turn! Here’s a great view from the Rock Creek Vista.
On the way down we stopped briefly for this beautiful mountain lake.
We continued on to Island Lake Campground, where we could hike around island lake.
It was so quiet and deserted, and the signs at the trailhead were sufficiently cautionary, that after about a half mile we decided we would not go all the way around the lake.
I also really like the contrast between the grasses in the open areas and the grasses back in the trees in this picture.
Our campground in Yellowstone, Slough Creek, is quite remote and has some similar bear signs, but all 17 sites are full so we are not alone. The campground also does not have water, and since we didn’t want to haul a full water tank over the mountains this morning we had to drive to the Tower Falls campground and get our water there. This involved sitting through quite a bit of road construction both was as Tower Falls was 8 miles past the turn off for our campground.
Our campground is at the end of a 3 mile gravel road, but it is well worth it! Here is the view from our campsite! We are right on the edge of Slough Creek, with beautiful views, although you can tell it was burned by a forest fire not too long ago.
Tomorrow morning is an early morning, we are meeting a guide at 6 to go in search of wildlife!