Day #39 - 4/20/2011 - Death Valley, CA to Mammoth Lakes, CA - 190 miles

Our route from Camp Wildrose, Death Valley to Mammoth Lakes is HERE.
 

It was cold overnight, down to 45°F.  While I love the idea of tent camping, the cold and the walk to the outhouse in the cold, dark night is a turnoff.  And, while I courageously made it, I was more than a little envious of all those people in their RVs.

On the other hand, the upside of sleeping poorly is being up to catch the colors of sunrise.

The Wildrose Campsite was remote and isolate with spartan facilities, best for campers and RVs.  Still before dawn, people were up and preparing to move out.  The moon is still visible in the upper left corner of the picture.

Death Valley has nine campgrounds at various elevations, some with fees and some without, some with water and some not, some with flush toilets and some with pits.  At 4100' Wildrose ensured a cool night while its remote location guaranteed solitude.

Half of the Wildrose Campground is designated "Tent Only".  There are no fees, no reservations and is open year-round.

We ate, stowed our gear and retraced the winding road back to the main highway through Death Valley.

Had we biked, we'd be traveling the road ahead, then climbing through the mountains in the distance.  Thanks, but I'll just drive.

Exiting Death Valley takes you over the 100-mile long Panamint Range, peaking at 5000’, followed by a long descent into Lone Pine, CA, a town that I’ve passed through 100s of times over the past 30 years on the drive from LA to Mammoth.  The approach from the East is different, taking you around a large sulfate mine.  The descent into the Owens Valley brings into view the snow-covered Eastern Sierras and, for me, the feeling that I have come home, even though Mammoth is still 100 miles away.

Keeler, CA (population=66) barely survives on the East shore of what used to be Owens Lake.  Because of diversion of the Owens River to Southern California, the lake is largely reduced to an alkali salt bed.

 

Bishop, CA is another less small town on CA395, one that I have also passed through over a 100 times, stopping only for gas or Schat’s Bakery.  Today, as we passed through, Lani and I looked at Bishop differently, appreciating its charm for the first time.  We stopped for lunch.

Someone erased an "e" with their finger; can you tell where?

There were signs throughout the restaurant that oozed attitude.

I guess it's funny.

 Lani is a huge fan of Ms. Pac-Man.

I was a big fan of Pac-Man, the granddaddy of video games.

 We stopped in a book store, though Lani found nothing of interest.

Plenty of new books but nothing old.

We made the obligatory stop at Schat's where I scored a large jar of buckwheat honey.

Bugs by the thousands had smashed into my windshield.

We continued on to Mammoth where it's supposed to snow tonight.  I'm excited.