A Cool Airstream Gal & A “Tippy” ?@#! Drive – Lone Pine, CA
Following our brief interlude in Bishop our caravan trotted down to Lone Pine to join up with another nomad and explore some trails. ASoloJourner is a cool, young gal who travels fultime in an Airstream with her lovely doggie Byron. Paul connected with her on Instagram last year and, as is usual for us nomads, we’ve been criss-crossing travels for a while without quite meeting up. Finally our paths were on the same track and Kerri stayed on a day extra at Tuttle Creek BLM so the rest of us nomads could catch up to her and finally meet face-to-face.
This lovely little $5/night BLM campground is one of our all-time favs in the area. It sits on a long escarpment bounded by magnificent Mt.Whitney in the back and far views of Owen Valley in the foreground. It’s also right next to the lovely Alabama Hills (another one of our fav spots) and the cute little town of Lone Pine which offers several interesting hiking & museum-hopping options.
As usual with young nomads we clicked right away, and of course we couldn’t help but fawn over Kerri’s super-cute doggie & drool over the sleek grooviness of her Airstream. Glen motored over and joined in too, creating a full complement of 6 young vagabonds all of whom snuggled into our enormo-RV for an evening of adult beverages & good conversation (big rigs with slide-outs have some advantages, ya know).
I already told you how social RVing is, right?
The next day Kerri drove south and we decided to put the Glen-mobile to the test with a drive and hike to a local Ashram up the hills next to our campground. This interesting little stone monastery was started in 1929 by a mystic couple who believed the spiritual center of the country was right here. They labored on the structure through 1950 until they could no longer physically make the journey. Today the house has been stabilized and nominated for recognition in the National Register of Historic Places and offers pilgrimage to anyone, spiritual or otherwise, who seeks a bit of the magic of the mountains.
It’s a gorgeous place, but it takes a little bit of effort to get there….
The voyage to the Ashrama offers its own form of out-of-body experience requiring a good few miles up a rutted & questionable dirt road, followed by another mile and a half hike up a steep, narrow (and sometimes washed-out) trail. Given that I have a paralyzing fear of heights & am a totally wussy backseat driver, this was going to be a bit of an adventure for me. The ever-adventurous (naive?crazy?) Glen assured us the go-anywhere vannagan would have no problem with the road and both boys promised me we’d hike the trail like Nepalese mountain goats on an easy grassland stroll.
{{Gulp}} Okay then, off we go….
Our first encounter was with a tricked-out, jacked-up monster truck who had just come down from the dirt road to the trail entrance.
“What’s the road like?” asked our van-driver
“Well, it’s a bit tippy” responded the monster-truck man, looking rather amused (or so I thought) at our little red van
“No problem then” assured Glen, revving the engine with confidence before I could ask the 100 or so questions that “tippy” invoked in me.
“Oh sh….t” murmered yours truly, gripping the door with the force of an alligators mouth
And yes, tippy would indeed be an appropriate although rather frikkin’ subdued description. The van made it, albeit not without drama, bumping and climbing over enormous rifts, digging into soft sand with the rear-drive wheels, and careening off to 72 degree angles (or so it felt) with 1000-foot slopes dropping with no barriers to the side. At one point even cool-collected Glen could be heard shouting expletives while I serenaded the entire thing with screams and yelps worthy of a howler monkey.
I must say, I was impressed we made it….with hearing intact.
“See, no problem” declared Glen at the summit, although I could have sworn he was sweating & somewhat wobbly
The hike itself was also not for the faint of heart with a few sections down to a foot-width of trail thanks to washed-out chunks of mountain. While the boys nonchalantly strolled the hike, I fought pangs of frozen fear, but I’m happy to say I made it. The Ashram was beautiful & meditative, the views gorgeous, and by the time we got back down my 2-hour non-stop rush of adrenalin had turned by legs to jello and my eyes droopy with sleep.
And that, my friends, brings us to the end of our 395 sojourn. Our solo buddies have driven off, and we’re hunkering down for one last chilly night (Brrrr) before we drive on to lower elevations. It’s been a short stint in the mountains, but the warmth of the lower desert is tempting and we can resist the call no more…
Related Posts:
- BLM Campground Review – Tuttle Creek, Lone Pine, CA
- Rocks, Trails, Movies & History – Wrapping Up Lone Pine, CA
- From The Theatrical To The Spiritual – Lone Pine, CA
- Haloween Hairiness & More Putzing – Lone Pine, CA
When: Tuesday at 4:30pm PST / 7:30pm EST
Location: Livestream
Since Open Enrollment on the ACA Exchange has just started, Technomadia will be hosting a special video chat to talk about health insurance considerations for pre-Medicare RVers. Topics will include negotiating healthcare options, finding healthcare on the road and self-care options. I will be co-hosting!!
The event will happen LIVE on Tuesday (tomorrow) at 4:30PM PST. If you can’t make it, the video will be recorded and available for viewing later. We hope this will be an informative & useful video for all pre-Medicare RVers who are negotiating heath care on the road.
All of your pictures are great, but the image of the two of you under the arch is (I almost never us this word) awesome.
That’s Chris and Cherie under the arch, but cheers for the compliment. It was a fun HDR shot to do 🙂
Nina
Such a cool little place you found, that ashram! But I share your sentiment for “tippy!” 😉
Yeah, way too tippy for me. Those jeeping folks are a different breed!
Nina
One of the great things about living mobile is the ease of going somewhere cool to meet new friends. Hope to meet up with you somewhere in the desert this winter. The Ashrama still looks habitable if getting there wasn’t such a challenge.
The Ashrama is in excellent condition. I gather some folks camp overnight there. I hope we get to meet up this winter too.
Nina
Sorry Nina, I know I shouldn’t laugh but your description is… well… so descriptive.. and… well… so funny!!! We had to pass you guys by and drove right past Bishop and Lone Pine Saturday from Lake Tahoe straight through to Las Vegas to see clients. One of these days we will all be able to get together and have a real Technomad rally LOL! I’ll even bring the ‘adult beverages’, promise ;o)
The blog post was made for humor so glad it came across. We were able to laugh about it…afterwards!
Nina
What a fun post, Nina, and I love the photos. It’s always fun to discover and venture into such challenging places. My kind of fun!
Haha! I was roaring reading your trip up the mountain with Glen! I know exactly how you felt. Some of the back roads can make your heart stop. I would much rather be on my feet and in control:) Glad you gutted it out and “enjoyed ” the adventure:)
I can’t wait to see those very cool rocks in the Alabama Hills!
There was one particular part of the drive that had me totally frozen, I tell you. Definitely not something I’d do again.
Nina
I’m sure Glen will look at the permanent marks your tightly gripped fingers left in the van with great glee 🙂 I’m a horrible passenger, and even worse where heights are concerned so applaud your successful sojourn to the Ashram. I would certainly be in need of quiet contemplation upon arrival. Beautiful pics as usual – the black and white really captures the feel of the area. Hope you haven’t found too much of this wind as you head to the desert.
Funnily enough I was pretty quiet at the Ashram, trying to get my head on straight for the trip backdown so much so that the boys wondered if I was ok (I’m usually quite chatty). I guess I really needed that meditation space…and I guess it worked too!
Nina
Love this post!I hope we cross paths with you guys someday!
Hi,
Does ‘asolojourner’ have a website blog? If so..what’s the url?
I love folowing these blogs.
My wife&I will see you out there in a year or so.
Thanks!
Bill
No, she only does Instagram. We’ve actually “discovered” a whole group of RVers (particularly van-dwellers and Airstreamers) who just do Instagram. If you like the medium it’s actually a really fun and east way to connect with folks.
Nina
We, too, enjoyed meeting Kerri, and loved her Airstream.
I don’t think we drove up that road as far as you guys did. I was ready to get out and walk early on, and Jim finally got tired of listening to me so we parked before the end of the road. Longer hike, but I’d much rather walk than ride on roads like that!
I do think we pushed it rather far getting to the top, but once we were on that last section we were committed…no turning back there! I’m still amazed the van made it.
Nina
Nina, really enjoyed this post! Could feel your fear and could imagine the drop offs! Congratulations for pushing yourself and going beyond the comfort zone. (And for informing those of us who will (now) never go there!) Lynne and David
Yup, can’t say I recommend this one unless you are as nutty as Glen and/or have a tricked out monster truck 🙂
Nina
I think being a passenger is always much scarier than being the driver. Imagine being Glen with you driving The Beast down Mt. Constitution! 🙂
Yeah, there’s probably quite a bit of truth to that. Granted I did hear Glen swearing himself in a few spots, so even the driver had his moment. He’s got quite an amusing blog post up today on it.
Nina
Coming out of lurker mode to let you know how fun it was to finally meet you two! Hope to see you again soon, maybe for a soak in some hot springs!
It was great to meet you too! See you down the road.
Nina
Whoa — tippy??? Hilarious post, but also terrifying, given that I’m not fond of heights with steep drop-offs, either. Darn, the ashram has long been on my list of places to go, but I didn’t realize it required such a treacherous passage to get there. I might have to content myself with your photos (which are lovely).
You can easily access the trail by parking at the bottom and just hiking up the questionable road. Adds about an extra mile to the hike, but it’s easy enough and definitely the preferred method for all “normal” people. Now, if you’re like me the trail itself might also scare. It’s pretty steep and definitely very narrow in spots. The boys didn’t think much of it, but I had a few frozen moments. It’s do-able though…if I did it anyone can!
Nina
Loved this post. Re-lived my terror/fun at Anza a couple of years ago when Richard met up with some truly die-hard jeepers and we decided to join in the ride.
But THIS ride, well, it read like my thoughts were that day –
I think I’ll take your words for it.
We’ll be down there in January. Perhaps we’ll meet up with you or some of your followers .. We too enjoy adult beverages !!
Yeah, I’m not clear I could “hang” with die-hard jeepers. I’m far too much of a wuss.
Nina
Oh my, Nina! Though I know humor was intended in this blog, and it was appreciated, I had a whole different reaction to it. I quickly recalled my emotions (and closed eyes!) as a passenger not quite two months ago, as we drove up Hwy. 95 from Winnemucca, NV to Lakeview, OR. It was around that time that I discovered my very real fear of mountainous heights, curvy roads, and no barriers, leading to cliffs below! So, I can only imagine how you must have felt, as your experience had to be, oh, I don’t know, maybe at least 1000 times worse than ours! YIKES! So glad you all arrived safely, and could laugh about it after the fact. ;)Great post!
Yup, it sounds like we share the same fear. At one point, when we were really “tipping” off to the side I was literally speachless with fear. Not so funny at the time…but humorous in retrospect. I wouldn’t do it again, though.
Nina
Hi Nina
My stomach was in knots after reading this post and I’m not afraid of heights! Glad you made it back down. I see the nights are pretty cold there now. We were headed south of 395 last June and had plans to go to the Alabama Hills (based on your recommendation) and it was nearly 100 degrees, so we went as far south as Mammoth. What is the best time of year to go to the Alabama Hills?
Spring and fall. Temps should be good those times of year at those elevations.
Nina
As much fun as you made this sound.. I’m kinda glad we didn’t join you guys, and instead joined you in the laughter afterwards 🙂
As an addendum to my previous comment, my fear factor came on the Denio Hwy. 140, off of Hwy. 95 out of Nevada into Oregon, not on Hwy. 95 itself. I was never so happy to make it to Port Orford/Cape Blanco to see all of you, living to laugh about it later with everyone. Just like you felt after your scary journey, not a route we will ever take again. 😉
I do envy your enormo-home…perfect for “entertaining” guests (sigh)
Box Canyon Mark.
We’re a party-mobile is what we are 🙂
Nina
Hey guys, can you let me know when the video is up about Health Insurance. Hope it well last night? TY
Video is up! Here’s the link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e51hLpdR8vA
Nina
We don’t drive that road – too tippy! There is excellent parking down the hill that is not life threatening! I’m impressed that the red van made it up that road, there were some serious ruts and high spots last year.
And so we discovered! I’m impressed we made it too. Never again!
Nina
WOW good thing I wasn’t there…you know my fears of those roads…i would have to taken 2 little white pills to get even close…the photos are great…and yes the humor shone through in the story telling…I think this is one place I can pass on…
Yeah, this road would not be good for you! Definitely not a Jil-friendly outing.
Nina
Alert for you: I have an iPad app called Zite. It’s an aggregator of internet articles. I can tell it what subjects I am interested in and it presents me with internet articles I might like. I like rvs, so it presents me with rving articles and links to the article’s source so I can read the full post. Your blog has come up several times. But, imagine my surprise when I got an article that I recognized as yours, but the link took me to someone else’s blog. If you go to chriswick.blogspot.com you will see one of your articles complete with photos (10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started RVing). I know that plagiarism is a pitfall of blogging, but this is ridiculous. You will have to go back through his archives a little way. It’s in his Sunday, Nov 16 post along with other articles I assume aren’t his. Good luck!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t always see these thefts. I’ve sent a message to the offender and will file a DMCA complaint if he doesn’t respond and remove the material from his site
Nina
Since the clown has over 23,000 followers on his twitter feed, feel free to tweet about his theft there! You can bet that will get swift results.
But first you might want to update your original article by replacing the blurb about Millenicom with the great contract-free benefits of BYOD with VZW.
Thanks. Another good tip!
Nina