We made it from Grass Valley, past Genoa, to Topaz Lake, Convict Lake, Mono Lake, Manzanar Internment Camp, Death Valley and Rhyolite ghost town. I should probably include Reno and Tahoe but they are pretty much old territory for us.
Topaz was actually full of water. Last time we saw it, it was almost dried up.
Mono Lake was really cool. We were short on time and decided against hiking to the arches but it still had some spectacular views. Penny got the salt sludge all over her legs cause that’s her thing.
Penny also met a motorcycle riding dog (pic later) and it’s humans from Ontario who were riding to California. Well I guess they made it!
Convict Lake was overcast and appeared to be very remote because you can’t really hear the highway from there. They have camping, fishing and cabins.
Manzanar gave me a sick feeling in my stomache but it was still stunningly beautiful in it’s own way. We did a quick walk through of the rebuilt barracks and the mess hall. Some of the displays described a place full of events and activities while others described leaving jobs, homes and belongings behind for an unfinished and horribly designed camp in the desert.
We hit Death Valley in the evening when it had started to cool down. Of course this is where we had some vehicle trouble but we were able to get it to camp. I feel it’s actually multiple valleys and not one big one.
We made a pass by Mesquite Dunes and turned to go to Rhyolite. We were far too late to check it out and still find a camping spot so we resolved to visit in the morning and camp a bit away.
WilliamMap
I value the forum post. Fantastic. Dothard