RV Camping and Good News!

Good News regarding length of stay in the Inyo National Forest, Mammoth Lakes California Ranger District! The 14 day limit has been changed to 28 days effective in 2007! Great news for us boondockers that fall in love with a certain camp spot and never want to leave!

We've enjoyed our time out on the volcanic soil...pumice! It's like living in a house with xeriscape lava rock, but you don't have to rearrange it, rake it, clean it out of your neighbors yard, or any of those other unpleasant homeowners tasks.

This is an area with lots to see and do, and the roads take off everywhere! The USFS has done an excellent job of thinning out trees and burning underbrush to help with wildfire control.

We've seen lots of BIG deer, and the chipmonks have really had a banner year for offspring! We did have a baby chipmonk INSIDE the motor home a couple days ago! Our pets didn't know what to think about him, and I'm sure he was sorry he ventured into "Gozer's House of Horrors!" He was too cute to trap so we just propped up the bed over the engine compartment and let him make a jump for it! He made it out, but his tail didn't! One of the pets separated him from it sometime during his visit. Poor little guy. Hope he tells his friends to stay away from us!

Views of the Sierra's are spectacular, and sunrises and sunsets provide amazing colors and hues. We'll be sad to leave when our time comes!

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RV Camping and Bears

While camping at the higher elevations in California, we've had the opportunity to enjoy some of the largest animals up close and personal! Bears! They are an interesting creature and their sheer size makes one respectful of them.

We saw grizzly bears in Alaska last year and were amazed to see them running on the road ahead of our tour bus--they are very fast for their size!

Mama's and cubs can be especially fun to see, but also very dangerous if you happen to get between them accidently. They are playful and enjoy romping around and giving each other a bad time. They seem to have a good sense of humor and like to interact with each other.

Their only "job" once they emerge from their winter den, is to EAT! Humans need to be more responsible towards bears and prevent them from getting "people food" or trash. Bears are smart and learn quickly how to purvey such goodies from us.

When you are fishing along the shore and a bear approaches, don't let him have your stringer of fish! Make yourself big, wave your arms in the air and order it to get away. They're not used to NOT getting their own way and will soon move along. Don't leave coolers and sandwiches out where they are a temptation. Leave such things locked in your car.

All too often people think it's cute to leave out dog food or a fish to attract a bear for a picture or just to watch it. Every time a bear encounters people food, it becomes that much closer to being "put down" by local wildlife officials. The bears won't forage for their regular diet if they can find easier pickins' and then they start to become a problem for people living around them. They will become more aggressive as they get used to "people food" and the ease of which it can be acquired.

Please do our bruins a favor and keep those tasty morsels out of sight and smell! The Forest Service doesn't always relocate problem bears, and it's sometimes easier and more cost effective to eliminate them altogether.

A fed bear IS a dead bear.

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RV Camping is California Dreamin'!

We LOVE California! Just like Ahnold says it, "Cal-E-forn-ia"! This state has it all going on....beaches for boarding, mountains for climbing, you pick your chosen form and recreate towards it!

We truly love the east side of the Sierra Nevada since it's less crowded and for our particular likes, it has everything we need. And the views! WOW!

Wanna see a big tree? Come here! Wanna see amazing wildlife? Come here! And such an abundance of areas to camp and explore without seeing another person for miles!

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RV Camping in it's element!

We are parked in a beautiful forest location with a million dollar view of the eastern Sierra range! The forest Fire Ranger just drove past, and he's the only person/vehicle we've seen since we arrived.

We went for a walk in the woods last night and saw two deer! My dog has been highly entertained by the chip monks he'll NEVER catch! And we've been blessed with the solitude and cooler temperatures that come with high country camping.

This is the way we love to live, and find it to be rewarding in so many ways. Our attitudes are refreshed and spirits are lifted!

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RV Camping and a not so perfect campsite

July has surprised us with some plans that we weren't planning on....hence the surprise! We are traveling through the western US with a quick timeframe, and it's HOT!

Usually we spend time reseaching a place to stay, but we're in a hurry to reach our desitination, and it's HOT!

We spent last night in a truck stop which normally would work out just fine except....it's HOT!

Last time I looked at the bedside clock it was 83 degrees in our bedroom at 3 am and it was HOT!

Note to self: Traveling in HOT country in summer months may require an RV park for elec and A/C....

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RV Camping Escapes the heat!

After sweltering through the heat wave in Denver for a week, we've finally gotten back to the lifestyle we're designed for at altitude. 101 degrees isn't something you want to spend a lot of time in. At least Colorado has a fairly dry climate so 101 can be tolerated, just not very comfortable day after day.

The aspens are quaking in the slight breeze, the hawks are catching thermals from the valley, and we are enjoyed a beautiful sunshiny day in the high country.

The silence at night is amazing, and the only thing that woke us up was the light of the moon as it rose this morning around 2am. Quite a change from the booming stereos, pop bottle rockets, and inconsiderate neighbors from "town".

Here we can sleep with the windows open, and the night time temperatures of 45 make you put on an extra blanket and huddle up!

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RV Camping and wildfires

July 3rd and the fireworks are starting up! They've actually been going off for a few days now. Even though we're in the midst of a drought, people just don't think ahead and that's how wildfires get started.

A good way to keep informed of problem fires while traveling is the United States Forest Service Inciweb site. In spite of the fact we're in a city, people don't realize that a pop bottle rocket could ignite someone's cedar shake shingled roof.

Celebrate our Independence! But think about the legacy you will leave......our Founding Father's did, and we should do the same.

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