Bishop California

We left our boondock campsite in the Alabama Hills west of Lone Pine and stopped at a Casino/Gas station north of town to dump the RV (free with a gas fill) and headed north on hwy 395 toward Bishop. Our original Camp choice, Horton Creek (BLM $5), was still closed for the winter and wouldn’t open for several more days. We camped one night at Pleasant Valley Campground for $14 (mostly a fishing campground not well-developed, but the frog songs and fragrant sage and creosote made it worth the money). The next day we stopped at Millpond Park to fill up with water and then made our way to Buttermilk Road for a dispersed camping spot. We found a great spot about 2 miles down the road and ended up staying a week. 

While at Buttermilk, we drove up the mountain on 168 for several great hikes including Piute Pass Trail where we followed a couple of Fish and Wildlife guys who knew the trail even through the snow and also a snowy trail from Sabrina Lake that climbs up to Blue Lakes.  We were unable to hike through to the Lakes due to the deep snow but enjoyed the trekking and the great views. At the Buttermilk camp, walking along the many dirt roads in the area was fun and a great way to exercise Shug as well as ourselves. A colorful variety of wildflowers and also flowering shrubs bloomed along the dirt roads. Almost daily, an afternoon winds would kick up and last into the evening so our love of early morning hiking served us well.  

Annette at Convict Lake

Since the afternoons were windy, we took several trips into Bishop to pick up groceries at Von’s Supermarket and to treat ourselves to lunch and pastries at Schat’s Bakery.  Schat’s sandwiches tasted great and the baked goods were amazing. We also took advantage of the town time to fill our propane at Eastern Sierra Propane and to pick up our general delivery mail packet at the post office.

Last week Shug pointed out that we were dangerously low on dog food. After doing some internet searching, we found a source—Tailwaggers in Mammoth Lakes. Shug has food allergies and we were happy to find the last bag of her food in the area. Needing a specific brand and type means that dog food is one of the extra things that one has to plan for on the road. Might as well make a day trip out of it so we headed north on 395. Detouring for a short side trip to gorgeous Convict Lake, we hiked the three mile trail around the Lake and enjoyed the beauty before heading in to Mammoth Lakes for our dog food pick up. Fortunately, the Tailwaggers’ shopping center also has a nice little pizza restaurant where we splurged for the lunch special of personal pizzas and salads.

Anza Borrego



Rock House Road Camp Spot

After spending two weeks at Annette’s sister’s house in Banning, CA installing solar panels, we headed down to the Anza Borrego Desert. We found a great boondocking spot off Rockhouse Road and ended up staying in the area for a month. This is the desert and the camping area sits in full sun so the solar panels worked great keeping us charged even given the low arc of the winter sun across the sky, falling to about 95% by evening and then back up to 100% after just a few hours of sunlight in the morning. Solar power and boondocking have a relationship similar to soup and sandwich—better when enjoyed together. Another housekeeping item, we learned that if we conserve like crazy we can go about two weeks before having to dump the tanks. In Anza Borrego area, one hitches up and drives to Anza Borrego State Park and pays $8 fee to use the dump and fresh water fill station. While inside the state park, it makes sense to take advantage of the pay showers which make us happy.


Filling up bike bags with fresh citrus

Finding good ways to exercise is easy in the Anza Borrego Desert area. From camp every morning we walked down a dirt road to the mud flats dry lake where Shug would run her joy loops and we would admire the sunrise and get in a good 2 hour hike before the day warmed up.  Outings on the bikes from camp into town or along the backroads made for a not too strenuous afternoon. We rode past citrus groves and toured the outdoor art displays on lightly trafficked roads. We stopped at the fruit stands and sampled juicy grapefruit and sweet tangerines. On the way back to camp we bought bags of fruit and lugged them home in our bike bags. Some days we explored slot canyons and others we hiked to a beautiful oasis or shady fern cave. Our day trips included birding at the Salton Sea, hanging out at Dog Beach in San Diego, and hiking a small segment of the Pacific Crest Trail.  


Kristy and Linda planking in the slot canyon

The layout of the Rockhouse site lends itself to meeting new people. We met a lovely, joyful couple from Saskatchewan, Canada and we sat around the fire sharing bits and pieces of our collective travels. They decided to watch the Super Bowl with us at Carlees, a little restaurant/bar in town, and they cheered for the Broncos right alongside us. Some of the other boondockers included a giant class A roundup of an RV club, some Airstreamers, and several solo women campers. Weekenders flowed in on Friday afternoons, but it never really got too crowded and quiet returned onSunday evenings.


Annette and Lynn, Christmas Circle Park

It would be hard not to love the little town of Borrego Springs. We visited the Friday farmer’s market, buying fresh hummus and bread and picking fresh vegetables from the produce displays. The green-grassed Christmas Circle Park in the middle of town has free Wi-Fi as well as picnic tables and electrical outlets at the base of the shade trees for relaxing and recharging phones and laptops.  Green grass is an exotic treat after days out in the dry desert so we loved hanging out and playing some do or die smash ball. During our town visits we tried out several of the other restaurants (all good), both grocery stores, the thrift shop, and the sweet Borrego Springs Library that offers free Wi-Fi, a $5 library card so one can check stuff out, and a comfortable, shady place to sit.

Dragon art