Drove down U.S. Route 395 again, going south. A fellow camper once made the comment that you should always take the 395 when traveling between Southern California and Northern California. The road is a lot better and there is less traffic than the I-5, and the I-101. The road is better because it doesn’t get all the damaging truck traffic. When you get to Inyoken, however, you have to choose between taking highway 14 to get to the Los Angeles freeways, or to stay on the 395 where it becomes a two lane highway through the desert until it meets the I-15. There is again heavy truck traffic in this stretch and always the threat of sandstorms. Not sure why they don’t create more turnouts. A truck or car is always breathing down your neck and there are very few places to pull over to let them pass.

The first time I  drove the 395 I stayed at an rv park near Lone Pine. Next time I discovered Inyo County’s inexpensive parks. This trip I drove 6 miles west of the town of Independence to Upper Grays Meadow, a National Forest Campground, at around 6,000 feet (picture above). The creek that flows through it can be heard throughout the campground. There is a trail the runs along the creek between Upper Grays Meadow and Lower Grays Meadow. Lower Grays Meadow Campground is for smaller rv”s and has a tight turnaround.

Mono Lake from a vista point with the 395 heading towards Lee Vining.

A yellow-rumped warbler and two American avocets seen at Mono Lake. Not a large number of birds there this visit.

Below, a butterfly at Upper Grays Meadow. The birds around the area were really good a hiding in the brush. They know if they are out in the open they could be targeted by predators.

Drove down the I-395 to Southern California. Stopped one night at Davis Creek Regional Park just out of Reno and another night in the parking lot at Manzanar Historic Site. Once the sun went down, it was really cold both places. Ran out of propane the second night and got pretty cold.

Top picture is Mono Lake. The picture below it is Conway Summit just before you head down to Mono Lake. Below is Manzanar.

RV’s seem to be back on the road in a big way. When gas was around $5.00 saw a noticeable drop in RV sightings. This trip passed a large number of RV’s heading north as I got close to Los Angeles. Pleased to see diesel at around $3.50 and below here. Hope the trend continues.

This was the first time I’ve taken the I-395 to the I-15 to get to the Riverside area. You avoid a lot of freeway traffic and get to go downhill over the Cajon Pass when going south. After the junction with the 14 near Ridgecrest there is a lot of truck traffic and the two-lane road deteriorates some.