After leaving Prado Park, traveled a little over 100 miles north to Red Rock Canyon State Park. It is on highway 14, just before it merges with 395. The no hookup campsites are up against red rock formations. There were a lot of yucca plants about to bloom.
June 5: Drove up 395 to a little north of Little Lake, about 40 miles, to Fossil Falls BLM campground. I had it to myself. . .there are only 3 campsites for rv’s. The one mile dirt and gravel road is really bad, with a lot of embedded rocks sticking out. I was lucky, it was a nice day in the 70′s or low 80′s the day I was there. The next day, when I left, it was in the 90′s, and without any trees, it would be pretty warm. There were a lot of spent wild flowers around that were probably very pretty in April/May.
The name “Fossil Falls” comes from where volcanic flow and water combined to form a cascade of rocks that rock climbers and kids enjoy climbing.
June 5: Independence, California is a nice little town just above Lone Pine. Stayed at a small Inyo County Campground about a mile west of town. They have a lot of campgrounds along #395 that are really a bargain. For people 55 and over, a 15 day stay at any combination of their campgrounds can be had for $70.
June 6: Horten Creek BLM Campground just above Bishop is incredibly beautiful, with lots of hiking, biking, and off road opportunities. This BLM camp also had very bad roads: half asphalt and half large potholes. The white speck, left of center above, is the last rv site before the road turns around.
Above is the view looking down from Horten Creek. On the left side is #395 as it starts its steady incline up to more than 7,000 feet. On the right side of the picture is Owen’s River Gorge.
Flowers along the creek at Horten Creek.
June 7: Went on to Mono Lake. Stayed at an rv park in Lee Vining. The first time I’d had hookups since leaving Prado Park.
Above, a violet-green swallow. They nest in the tufa towers.
American avocet
One of my blurry pictures of a yellow warbler.
After leaving Mono Lake, a little north of Bridgeport, passed two large herds of sheep. Each were tended by a sheepherder and 4 dogs, 2 Australian shepherds and 2 large white dogs (their breed escapes me for now).
Beautiful wildflowers that were near where the sheep were. Later saw the same flower throughout the Northern California forests. Don’t know if it’s an invasive species or indigenous.
