CAMPING ON THE PLAYA 
IN THE BLACK ROCK DESERT

08-12-2020

This weekend was just after the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, but we knew there would still be a lot of shooting stars to see and what better place to see them than on the playa in the Black Rock Desert.

We met up with friends at the Black Rock visitor's center in Gerlach and then convoyed over to our campsite on the edge of the playa.  The weather was perfect, the sunset was spectacular, the stars were shooting, the food was great and the best part of it was that we got to spend time with wonderful people.

It's always a dusty ride in.

We did our best to set up with social distancing in mind.

There were rigs and set ups of all shapes and sizes.

It was time for a ride with a beautiful sunset as the backdrop.

After the sun went down, Susan made an incredible carne asada taco dinner, which was perfect for a late summer evening in the desert.

As the evening got a little later and the meteors started to become visible, we all kind of shifted from beer and white wine to whiskey and red wine.

Steve, very generously, brought out this bottle of Old Taylor

with a Bond Mark of 1931 and he shared it with everyone!  It

was probably the smoothest bourbon I've ever tasted.  Even

those who weren't whiskey drinkers loved it.  Thanks Steve!

The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful, clear desert morning.

First things first.  We all had to get our coffee fix.

Jonathan and Stacey made a nice big breakfast for everyone and then

we all hung out and enjoyed the beauty.

It was only Susan's second time to the playa, but she's hooked now...

One more morning ride on the playa before packing up camp

to do some exploring.

A bunch of us convoyed over to check out some wild hot springs in the area.

We first stopped at Black Rock hot springs, which is a beautiful

oasis in the desert.

These hot springs were also used by some of the pioneers who were heading

west in the 1800's.  They provided much needed water for those about to

cross a very unforgiving part of the west.

Marge (R), who's very knowledgeable about the area, spoke to the group

about its history and little known facts.  It was very informative.

Next was Double Hot hot springs and with 175° water, I can see where it got its name.

Double Hot is far too hot to soak in, but is incredible looking.

After exploring the springs, it was time to head home.  As we crossed the playa on our way back to the main road, a huge plume of playa dust spewed into the air behind the truck.  This fine dust gets everywhere, but I've never minded it.  To me, it's like having a fine layer of talc on and it feels crisp and dry.

Once back home, we washed the playa off and Susan made us an incredible dinner, which was a perfect ending to an incredible weekend.

 CAMPING & HIKING IN THE 
PLUMAS NATIONAL FOREST (CA)

08-08-2020

  It's been a while since I made my last blog entry but, with the whole Covid-19 thing, I stayed closer to home than I usually do. After the dust kind of settled down, I did manage to get out and explore some, although, my trips were shorter and a little closer to home.

  Earlier this year, I met a woman (Susan), who also likes to get out and wander and together we did just that.  So, we picked up our guide book and set off for the Plumas National Forest, where we hiked the Bear Lakes Loop.  This trail is near the neat little town of Graeagle, CA, and is an easy 3.8 mile loop.  

  We arrived at the trailhead at about 10:30 AM.  we packed up a little lunch and set off.  The hike takes you past 5 beautiful little alpine lakes: Big Bear Lake, Little Bear Lake, Cub Lake, Silver Lake and Round Lake.

This was before the wildfire smoke that would roll into the area

in the weeks that follow

What a gorgeous day (and woman) to be out hiking.

Camp is set for the night in a bookdock area near the Gold Lake Lodge

Our sunset at camp

 

We broke camp and managed to make it back into

town for a late lunch and a couple of Micheladas 

(red beers), which really hit the spot after

camping in the August heat.

Wander the West Gathering

July, 15, 2019

Thanks to ski3pin and everyone else who helped organize this event, we had a great time at the 2019 Wander the West gathering in the Crystal Basin area of the El Dorado National Forest, which took place from July 15-17, 2019.

There was a very nice turnout and it was nice to be able to catch up with old friends and meet a lot of new ones.

Although the weather was hot, the camp area was underneath the tall pines and you could always find a slice of shade--even if you have to move your chair to do it.

The first night, everyone got their rigs set up and we were all able to settle in, relax and visit with one another.

On Tuesday morning, one group went hiking, another group hung around camp and a few others explored the area on foot or by bike.

On Tuesday evening, everyone pitched in and we had a terrific pot luck dinner.  There was fire roasted corn, salads, soups and a variety of  hors d'oevres (yes I had to look up the spelling of that last one).  We were even totally spoiled with fresh hot cobbler and ice cream! 

There's nothing like food & drink to bring people closer and camp food does even a better job of it.  

Julie is shucked the corn for us all (didn't I mention we were spoiled...)

After eating way more than any of us should have, we sat around and visited until darkness fell over the campground and then we all retired to out little campers for the night.

Below are pictures of all the rigs that were at the gathering.  I apologize for not getting everyone's name to place under their respective camper, but I still wanted to show them all off.

This was Marty's (owner of All Terrain Campers) custom rig.  

It was really nice and sooooo roomy.

 The ski3pin's

 My humble abode

This was a very nice event and I'm looking forward to the next one.