Ancient Bristlecone Forest & Alabama Hills fnear Lone Pine, CA

When my brother Chuck learned we are in the Owens Valley, he gave me a lot of insight into the area. He said not to miss the Ancients in Bristlecone. Twenty four miles off the highway, high into the hills live the worlds oldest living organisms. Oldest in the world.

The Methuselah Trail was snow packed and with a sheer drop off, not what I do for fun, so we went on the Discovery Trail. We parked at 10,000 feet elevation. The trail goes up about another 1000 feet. It has interpretive plaques along the way and benches to sit and take in the view.

The fallen logs are as hard as petrified wood. The resin prevents insects and erosion from deteriorating the tress. You'd think the tallest, biggest trees are the oldest. They are not. The low, scruffy ones are the oldest. The man who discovered this forest took core samples and was amazed to find them to be over 2000 years old.

The 40 degrees didn't seem cold, but the wind was wicked.

The cascading sandstone rocks is the result of an ancient ocean.

Some trees are over 4000 years old and still living. They are scraggly, low to the ground, and their wood is hard as nails. The environment is harsh. It is May and the high is 40 degrees, it is windy, and we are so happy to be here. 

It's movie time! The famed Alabama Hills are the location of many a western movie and more recently, sci-fi movies. Do you remember Tremors? It was filmed here. So was Ironman, Star Wars. John Wayne stayed at the local hotel, Ginka Din movie set built a temple, and the list goes on and on.

This great little museum in Lone Pine has many a movie poster and several items of interest including the dentists wagon from Django.

So these are the Alabama Hills. You can get some perspective with the campers.

Anyone can dry camp for free. Can you imagine the stars at night?

So we're driving down the road and looking out into the distance visualizing horses racing through the brush with cowboys shooting each other. Then you realize they were racing down the road, not through the brush. The way it's filmed you don't see these roads. 

Manzanar Relocation Center and Death Valley National Park near Lone Pine, CA

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US government made the decision to relocate all persons of Japanese heritage in the coastal states to Relocation Centers. They were forced to abandon their business and homes They packed what they could carry and were moved to relocation centers. Most were American citizens. They had no idea what to expect.

They were placed in barracks and there were rows and rows of barracks. There were communal toilets, kitchens, and bathing areas. It was windy, cold, and desolate. They were surrounded with barbed wire for their safety. But the guards were holding firearms towards them; not towards potential intruders.

Eight persons - related or sometimes not - were placed in each 20x20 ft room. For three years. No schooling was planned for the children. Thankfully, teachers volunteered to go to Manzanar to teach them. Of the ten camps in the US, this location had the only orphanage. 

The Japanese people are very close with nature. They planted crops and became self sustaining. They brought the apple and pear orchards back to life. They fashioned furniture out of the fruit crates. They even made a pond for the serenity water allowed them.

Manzanar is Spanish for apple orchard. Our friend Doug from the River would sing a song by the same name. I had no idea we would visit the very place of this sad tale. 

http://www.metrolyrics.com/manzanar-lyrics-tom-russell.html

The day we toured Manzanar was the 47th Annual Pilgrimage. The families of those interned at the camp, college students, and activists attended the memorial. There were speeches and stories. As we walked around, we over heard a man share his father's experiences there. How they stuffed tin cans in the holes in the wall to keep out the blowing sand. How they saw stars through the ceiling. How they hung up blankets in the rooms for privacy. 

Although it can be a beautiful locale, the weather is harsh. The wind never stops howling. When the detainees were released after 3 years, they each were handed $25. Families had suffered dearly and children grew up thinking this type of life was normal.They did not complain or protest, as it was not the Japanese way.  In 1988 each remaining survivor was awarded a settlement of $20,000. 

From Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft elevation to Lone Pine at 3727 ft to Badwater 282 ft. below sea level. We went from (viewing) the tallest peak to the lowest place in the contiguous 48 States.

We love experiencing National Parks and National Monuments!  We fully support them by purchasing an annual pass for $80. If you are 62 years old (or disabled) you can purchase a LIFETIME pass for $10.

Death Valley National Park is huge. We had originally planned to enter from Nevada, but we change our plans all the time and found ourselves coming in from the California side instead. Upon driving in we went over a couple of 5000 ft. passes and then descended into the valley.

Rolling sand dunes, evidence of erosion to the nth degree.

We drove to the lowest place in the United States; Badwater Basin. 

You walk out the boardwalk on the salt flats.....

...turn around and look back to the mountains surround you over 6000 feet straight up.

We took in Devils Golf Course

And drove through spectacular Artists Palette

Then we drove to Dante's View. You can see where were just standing at the salt flats of Badwater below.

This is the parking lot at Dante's View.

Twenty Mule Team. How in the world could anyone work here year round? In the heat of summer it's 134 degrees.

After the mules came the steam engine. Those palm trees in the distance are part of a Golf Course in Furnace Creek. I didn't expect that at all!

Back at our place, I've made friends with the resident cat; BC. We really like this RV Park. The employees are so friendly and the place is very clean. Pool, jacuzzi, coffee and home made muffins every morning. We've been here for a week and would recommend it.

Wrapping up the season

We've been in the same location for 4 months, and in the desert for six months. Since this is pretty much "everyday" life I haven't been keeping up the blog. Each year we always seem to do something new and exciting. Plus the scenery is beautiful and the people are wonderful so I'll finish up with a few parting photos of life in the Arizona desert. Alsoa side trip for me and our current locale.

A flag is planted on a peak above our camp on the Colorado River on the Parker Strip. We hiked up there with our friend Debbie. The rocks are sharp along the mule trail to the peak whereas the rolling dunes below are loose and sandy.

In an off road vehicle we went to a memorial for a little boy. We also boated up and down River.

One of my favorite spots along the River to stop is Sundance. In addition to their floating bar, they are refurbishing the club inside to it's glory days.

This is most of our "usual" group having brunch. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Sunday but I am very sure there is alcohol involved.

Daniel and Tim celebrated a combined 108 birthdays. With a bottle of tequila.

This is the "Sundance Kid" with Denise and Becky

He also makes an appearance as "Rico Suave" when he's with "the Beaders"

His proper name is "Manny Quin"

If you had watched American Wedding with us, you'd understand

Denise made a quick decision to spend Easter with her sisters! Chris and Chuck were in Parker for a long weekend and we spent some quality time together.

They have an amazing view from their Bougainvillea House

I took a side trip to Washington for my good friend Barb K's birthday. She was totally surprised not only with the brunch group but you should have seen her face when she saw me!

Barb P, Barb K and I spent the day together in Poulsbo

Tim and I read a lot of books on the road. Neither one of us has an electronic reader. We are avid fans of book shares at RV parks. I loved this front yard book exchange I saw. 

Bernice was our neighbor in University Place. She is a wonderful woman and Seahawk season ticket holder. When not at the game with her grandson, she would come to our house to watch away games. No trip to WA would be complete without a visit - or two - with Bernice. 

Oh how I miss the Northwest badly about this time. Spring is so beautiful there. It's time to leave our wonderful friends on the Parker Strip. It's too soon to head north - so we move to a different area of the desert.

Our go-to place in the spring and autumn is Gold Canyon where we enjoy meeting up with friends every year while travelling through. 

We had some work to be done on the motorhome - it's always a work in progress. Think of a stick house and a vehicle combined, yep, something always needs to be repaired, replaced, or maintained. Tim does most of our work and he's very good at it. When we have to rely on others it is never quick. 

A big thank you to Dona for letting us park next to her Casita for a few weeks. We spent fun times together from morning coffee to shopping to happy hour and shared meals.

She found abandoned bird eggs in the soil of a potted plant. No nest.

We'll miss you Dona!

Good-bye Arizona desert

Your sunsets never fail to impress

Here is our current location in Lone Pine, CA. It is in the high desert and the spectacular Eastern Sierra's tower over us. The days are warm and nights cool, but not cold. It feels wonderful to be among trees that smell good.

View driving up Mount Whitney Portal Road

The Mt Whitney Trail begins at 7,851 feet and goes 11 miles to the 14,505 summit . That is one way. Call us posers for this picture because the shape we are in does not qualify us for this climb.