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Sierra Fox

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Posts posted by Sierra Fox

  1. SF,

     

    That strikes me as one of the finest posts here ever, and there are lots of great ones.

     

    I am at a loss for words.....which the gang will agree is uncharacteristic. Ain't Life Great!

     

    Dave

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

     

    WOW!!! Thanks Dave, and yes LIFE IS GREAT!!!

     

    Just to be clear, my reference to the "Red Baron" was thin on details, posted below is a picture of that airplane, it's the racer that got me hooked on Air Racing at a very early age, it was the record holder for the fastest prop driven plane in the world for many years, a unique design that say racer. Red Baron was the name of the flying ranch that belonged to the owner, it's designation was the "RB-51" This thread has been somewhat derailed again, but not completely, this shot was taken at Mojave in 1979, continuing on with the 395 theme.....please carry on......SF

     

    RB403.jpg

     

     

     

  2. Dragged this over from the trip planning thread, realized i was hogging up planning space, thanks for the Bodie map Dave, this story was inspired by that post, guess i need a blog with long winded reports like this ;-)

     

    Dave, now you're really putting the good stuff out there, if i had to pick 100 square miles of real estate, it would be this very section.

     

    I hope i can find some of the slides from my youth when i embarked on a really special journey, which began at the foot of Bodie Mountain. This would've been the summer of '76, the summer before i started high school. I used to ride my bicycle to Chino Airport on the weekends from Huntington Beach (CA), which was 80 miles round trip, unknown to my mother, there was a very dangerous stretch of road that we had to travel (i say we because eventually my school chums wanted to tag along) about that time i realized i was in pretty good shape so, i jokingly ask dad if i could pedal down 395 from Bodie to HB, i do'nt remember his reaction but i do know that it was favorable, i really started getting in shape from then on.

     

    There is an outcropping on the Northeastern side of Bodie Peak, this is where we started our deer hunts when camping in Bodie, known to us as the fenceline. This pile of rocks made for a really nice shelter, that's where the trip begins. From there we (my school buddy Craig and me) rode,yes i said "rode" our ten speeds (this was long before mountain bikes were the rage) down the 17 mile "washboard" dirt road all the way to 395, choosing the Aurora Canyon route, this was brutal, to top it off, i had over 60 lbs of gear (i never travel light, and i never will) strapped at various points on the bike and myself. Once we hit the pavement, it was like, "lemme at 'em!" Our next night was spent at the creek on Green Lakes road. It was our fourth night of the trip and i was starting get gamey, so it was time to wash....in the creek....at 33 degrees....YIKES!!! I never pass that turn off without giving a nod to the guts it took both of us to make that walk. We needed it, because the climb ahead was monumental, the most valuable lesson i learned on this trip, for every uphill there is a downhill, and Conway Summit is where that all begins. Mind you, we had dad in the motorhome at select points along the way (we were only 14 yrs old), of course i told dad to stay invisible, we'd be alright. After reaching the summit and taking in my favorite view....EVER.....it was time to take the descent, what a ride, especially having the extra 60lbs on, dad had to film this stretch and was just in front of us, clocked us at 65mph (not much by today's standards) but extreme at the time.

     

    From Lee Vining we continued to the Oil Plant rd, which turns into the Old State HWY and just south of City Camp rd begins the June Lake Loop, where we found a camp spot for another night. The ride from there was tricky because of that section with the wind barriers just north of Mammoth Lakes turn off, it was wicked windy and we almost scrubbed the mission there. Instead we waited till almost dark and the wind turned to a breeze. Our next night was at the rest area just south of Owens River rd, as a kid we called this the Big Moth rest area, where you would find the biggest variety of winged critters, those moth's that look prehistoric....?

     

    It's a pretty good distance to Bishop from there and that's where we pitched our camp, at Round Valley, out of Rovana. This time of year there are no deer around, except at Round Valley, they just stay in that area year round as far as i know. At this point we still have a long way to go and the prettiest part of the Sierra's ahead of us, the days are getting hot and we need a little incentive, dad had this planned all along and kept it from us as long as he could, we opted for riding at night, but just too dangerous so we took it slow and by the time we hit Goodale Creek campground, dad told us that the Mojave Air Races were right in our gunsights, still 150 miles to go, we chugged along til we got to Lone Pine and spent our last night in Alabama Hills, "THAT" was awesome!!! Spooky and Wonderful all at once. The stars and coyotes will forever haunt my memories, in a good way, i dont ever remember feeling a connection to the earth like i did that night.

     

    Next morning was a stiff push to Mojave where we ended our adventure, now, remember when i said i felt connected to the earth? That still exsist's but on that final day in the desert, i worshipped a new God, it was called the "Red Baron", which is another story all its own.

     

    Experience like this is invaluable, should i ever be fortunate enough to have a wife who loves kids, i will do everything in my power to share the wonder of the earth. It's nothing spectacular to most, in fact, most of the kids i went to school with never ventured out of Orange County, and a bigger handful didnt know what a deer was, i'm eternally grateful to have a family that has history dating back to the 1800's, most of which, takes place in and around this paved road to paradise, Thanks Dad, Grandad and Great Grandad, always in my thoughts and prayers.

     

    Thanks Dave for unearthing more memories

     

    SF

  3. Dave, Another word of advice that you offered up to me once was not to forget to take pictures of your traveling companions. I have to constantly remind myself of that every time I travel. We all know that the journey is often more important than the destination and who you travel with and meet along the way are most important of all. I have many regrets of road trips where I got so wrapped up in capturing the scenery passing by that I forgot all about those that were there with me.

     

    Thanks Rick

     

    Very good advice indeed. This trip to Yosimite, call it the second leg of my adventure, i've planned around a couple buddy's of mine, past roommates and neighbors, Kevin, is a brilliant mind who loves the mapping out of these trips and has a map of what he called "squiggs" that mark out the different routes traveled and more importantly, the ones yet to be traveled. I've asked him to find us some back roads also, combine that with Dave and Ricks suggestions, we're in for a treat. The other road dog is Chris, who's getting along in years and was Kev's and my neighbor for quite some time, he has bad feet so i've made the trip more attractive to him by keeping it close to the hwy and minimal hiking. The trips are just better when shared with someone, i'm doing this year w/out my wife, first time in 5 years, kinda strange, but it's gonna be great.

     

    Kev, if you read this, be prepared to have your mug shot shot on several occasions :D

     

    Are we there yet???

     

    SF

  4. Just read this article on Top 10 Vehicles for Summer Road Trips. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printe...riday06051.html

     

    We'd love to hear what you nominate for best vehicle for a road trip.

     

    To kick off the discussion - I did get to drive a mustang convertible (rental car) on Route 66 once. I must admit, it was SWEET! The only time I didn't like it was when a big truck pulled in front of us kicking up dirt and stones.

     

    Becky, i had the similar fortune of driving a 2007 Shelby (rented from Hertz) on the CA State HWY 74 (Ortega hwy) from San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore and back. My buddy from Seattle flew down here to So Cal, just to rent this car. What a ride it was, we did it at about 1am to miss all the traffic and we timed our runs thru the canyons, what a blast. I must say that the car sticks to the road like flypaper.

     

    WEB_06_Warbirds_Chino001.jpg

     

    Another trip with Scotty was from Seattle to George, WA on I90 to see Stevie Ray Vaughn at the Gorge at George, wonderful place to see a show, its a natural amphitheater over looking the spectacular gorge and is located among the grape vinyards of eastern Washington. We drove his 1989 Buick Grand National, which at the time was the fastest production car of that era at certain speeds. Neither were convertibles but they were very fast and great handling cars, sometimes i just need to put the pedal down and see the blur of the landscape going by, when the highway is wide open and traffic is slim of course ;-)

     

    SF

     

  5. This is a highly compressed and cropped copy of a hard-to-find or rare original map in my collection. It was printed by the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC), copyright 1916.

     

    If an active forum member needs a better copy, just ask. This copy is reproduced to accompany Sierra Fox’s planned trip this Fall.

     

    The route from Chinese Camp and Jacksonville to Yosemite Valley along the Big Oak Flat Road and the route in from Coulterville (no longer maintained) are truly historic.

     

    The Coulterville Road opened to automobiles in August 1913 and was the first auto road into the Valley approved by the Park Service. The Big Oak Flat Road was opened to autos in September 1914. Soon after, the era of taking state coaches to the Park ended.

     

    ARBigOakFlat.png

     

    Dave

     

    (As an aside, I recall coming down a long down grade on the Big Oak Flat road in my 1951 Chev, probably about 1957, and nearly losing the brakes. I managed to slow down enough to downshift and slow my descent, but you forget in this day and age that mountain travel meant boiling radiators on the way up, and lower gears on the way down.)

     

     

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

     

    Thanks Dave,

     

    My Grandpa will get a serious kick out of this!!! Most appreiciated!

     

  6. Thanks Dave,

     

    i've pasted your text in my my docs, will refer to them while i'm on the road,

     

    please do post the ACSC map and Midland if it's not any trouble, if you'd rather keep it off board, you could email direct too! warbirdfotos@gmail.com

     

     

    All of the locations you mention are familiar, none of which have i visited in my adult years, i very much appreciate the suggestions, sparked a few "AH HA's" in my memory banks, the Cerro Gordo trip sounds great too, never heard of that.

     

    Hopefully i can get stuff posted while on the road, that is one of the main reasons i bought a laptop, this year, more fun stuff to follow =)

     

    SF

  7. SF,

     

    One day for sure at Nut Tree, maybe two. I want to hang around until night starts to creep in to get some night time shots if I can. You know the type I am talking about.

     

    Before you head out on the road pick yourself up a copy of the Delorme "Northern California Atlas & Gazetter" at your local Borders Books. I never hit the road without it. I can confirm that the original Bridgeport Canyon Road is shown on that map.

     

    Another thought I had for you while you were in Paradise was a trip to Lassen. I went through their last week and it was absolutely spectacular. A sunrise shot taken at Lake Helen looking at Mt. Lassen might work out for you.

     

    Shot below taken on the road (literally) near Lake Almanor on California Hwy 36. When I get the chance I should thank the photographer who gave me the idea. Notice that I left the bug splatter on the windshield to give it authenticity.

     

    hwy36.jpg

     

    Roadhound

     

    WOW, thats really spectacular, i wish i could take credit for my version of that, it was done totally by accident, i switched from Tv mode to Av mode....dunno why......but i liked the result!!! Nicely done Hound!

     

    This taken shortly after the gate at Tioga station

     

    09GVwf022scr.jpg

     

  8. Sierra,

     

    Looking forward to seeing you at the Mustang Gathering (P-51's not the Ford variety) at the Nut Tree in a couple of weeks.

     

    Question for the US 40 experts: Was the Nut Tree in Vacaville California a known stop on US 40 or did it come after the interstate? I'm relatively sure that the "Milk Farm" whose remains lie 20 miles or so to the east was around when US 40 was still in existance.

     

    I would suggest any sunrise shots that you wish to take near Yosemite be done on the east side of the park. You might get lucky around Tioga pass but I am partial to Mono Lake when it comes to sunrises but that could be a bit far for a one day trip. Keep the Show on the Road had some information on the old routes into the park on the west side that he may be willing to share again if you are interested and ask him nicely.

     

    Keep The Show on the Road also has shared some 1920's era maps with the route around Conway Summit near Mono Lake that I can show you on a present day map when I see you. The road is not to bad, weather permitting, and you should be able to handle it in your van without knocking around the drywall tools too much.

     

    See you soon!

     

    Roadhound

    [/quote

     

    Roadhound,

     

    Cant wait to get on the road. Funny, right after i posted i thought Mono might be the answer, milage wise its not that bad, if we have weather to deal with it might be too much.

     

    Would an atlas cover the roads you mention? I'll have my laptop and GPS too. BTW, are you just doing one day at Nut Tree?

     

    If Show on the Road has some idea's i'd be most grateful also. I'm not afraid to beat up the van, its seen the last of the Armour All detailing, its now, officially a work van/camper.

     

    Thanks

     

    SF

     

  9. Good Morning folks of the road!

     

    Almost a year since i've traveled to Am Road. I'm getting geared up for another trip around the Sierra's (both sides East and West). My trip begins early Friday morning 4th Sept. driving straight thru to Nut Tree airport in Vacaville for the first annual California Mustang Gathering, where i will meet with Roadhound for a day or two.

     

    Upon the conclusion of that show will head back to Sacramento to grab a buddy of mine and we will head to Yosimite early Monday morning for an all day photo shoot in the park. If there any suggestions on how to make the most of one day in Yosimite, i'm all for your idea's. I'm going to take the Big Oak Flat (120) route in and am wondering about a good photo spot for sunrise in the park? El Capitan maybe? Or head up Tioga to catch the sunrise? I realize this isnt a real spectacular journey, having spent 20 summers in Yosimite all thru my childhood, i'm a little foggy on the lesser know points of interest. Obviously i'll be checking Bridalveil, Glacier Point and Half Dome at various times of the day. Any thoughts are welcome ;-)

     

    From Sacto i head to Paradise on the morning of the 8th to spend a day with my future ex inlaws, thinking of a possible quick scenic trip that day from Paradise. Then early Wednesday morning i'm taking HWY 70 to Stead NV for the Reno Air Races (where i will meet Roadhound again for a day or two). Once in Stead, i will remain until Monday 21 Sept.

     

    After the races i take a long slow drive south on 395 all the way to Inyokern where i opt for the (14) route into SoCal. I'm hoping to make an interesting trip out the drive south from Reno. I've seen Bodie, Mono, Independence and most points of interest, but would like your input on some lesser known spots here as well. I was thinking Devils Postpile or Bristlecone Pines, havent been there in ages, even Bodie, and i recall Roadhound and Show on the Road mentioning some alternate routes out of or into Bodie, maybe in this thread? All in all, its a trip to photograph vintage aircraft but i'd like to make a little more than that.

     

    Meanwhile, here are a few shots from a trip i took near Bridgeport last year to honor my Grandad who's ashes we buried at his favorite hunting spot known as "the Bowl" It was this very spot that we would hike to before it was light enough to shoot, he would always get real quiet and turn to me and say, "ok....keep your eyes peeled for deer", whispering as fog rolled out of his voice, man.....that's when my heart starts pounding, the anticipation of what we might see, knowing that a big shot would be ripping thru the silence at any moment.....sorry, waxing sentimental here. Anyway, the spot i speak of is a short hike off the road to Summers Meadows, which is a fork (to the west) off the Green Lakes Rd accessed from 395, just North of Willow Springs.

     

    #1 on the road to the Bowl from Bishop

    IMG_2723copy.jpg

     

    #2 a spot both my grandads called Honeymoon Flats, this shot is looking west toward Summers Meadows

    IMG_2772copy.jpg

     

    #3 the Bowl

    IMG_2804copy.jpg

     

    #4 a marker along the hike to burial spot

    IMG_2786copy.jpg

     

    #5 heading east on Upper Summers Meadow Rd, Bodie Peak and Potato Peak on the horizon

    IMG_2874copy.jpg

     

    Now that i figger'd out how to post pics, i'll have to dig out a few more from my favorite stretch of HWY.....395 ;-)

     

    See you in a couple weeks Rick

     

    Sierra Fox out

  10. Sierra Fox,

     

    When I said the east side was beautiful. I should have added awesome as well, as your photographs well demonstrate. Wonderful, and very evocative of the area,

     

    A few technical notes in advance of you discovering them for yourself......you will quickly run out of attachment space, so to show more of your great photos just link to a photo on a site like Panoramio (like you did). I just cut and past the URL then use the Insert Link button. Then the photo will show in your post.

     

    The good folks here also encourage use of the Gallery. I am not its biggest fan, but if you have a batch (maybe 5 or more) of photos to share, it is a good choice, and there you don’t run out of storage space.

     

    BTW, I’m getting the “Forbidden” message when I go to the Panoramio link, suggesting perhaps it is password protected?

     

    Now I will fire up Delorme or Google Earth and see if I can find the spot in the photos.

     

    Keep em coming!!

     

    Oh, I have to say something about deer, off topic. I love the critters, but we had 9 in the yard yesterday morning including a young buck, and they have moved from eating the fallen apples to munching on the garden. I am thinking I will get a kids bow and arrow with a rubber tip and see if I can convince them not to eat the flowers and small trees! When hunting seaon starts they seek safe haven here.

     

    Keep the Show on the Road!

     

    Dave

     

    Thanks, i'm getting the "forbidden" thing as well. I will use the link and insert method when i figure it out, meantime i'll stick with text reply's. I've yet to figure out how to operate the controls you've mentioned.

     

    I'll bet the kids bow and arrow thing will work, they can be very persistant though.

     

    BTW, i loved the Super 8 reels, my dad had a 57 Ford and my uncle had a 57 Ford Ranchero. Great trip back in time, reminds me of our home films, which i will be trying to get posted some day........

  11. A continuation of the previous post, you can just make out the line of the road under the snow at the 9 O'clock position of the photo. The road dissappears to the right of that and at the same level, just below the road is a lone tree, that's about as far as a truck will go, further right is the clump of pines that shadows the camp area. To be clear here, the "camp" area is not to be confused with a campground, it's just a perfect spot to make camp, have a small fire and hot chocolate, great base for further exploring, in "any" direction.

     

    We've camped there before but we leave our truck at Scotty's Springs and hike in.

     

    The sunrise from this location is always spectacular and some times the deer are thick. We dont shoot the deer with bullets anymore, just our camera's, i havent hunted in 10 years.

    post-4676-1225605474_thumb.jpg

  12. Out of Aberdeen, off of old 395 is Division Creek rd. This takes you to a water station (Lone Pines water supply), keep heading West-ish and you get to the base of the mountain at Scotty's Springs. That's where the climb begins, taking futher to the North/West.

     

    The picture shows the two big pines, we call twin sisters, which can be seen from new 395. If you go directly to the right from the base of the pines, you can see a very faint line, which is the road (trail) that leads you back to an camping spot. This can only be reached by vehicle (mini-truck prefferably 4WD if it's snowed recently). Just a beautiful spot and we see some of the big mule deer in that area, deer that dont see people every day.

     

    Maybe you guys have experience in this area?

     

    Attached is my Panoramio link showing where i took the picture from and a pretty good size image for some detail.

     

    http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/11151363.jpg

     

    More stuff to come

    post-4676-1225604351_thumb.jpg

  13. Greetings,

     

    Really enjoying the photos and maps posted here on 395!!!! Roadhound and i are aquainted thru our mutual admiration of WWII flying machines and, as it appears here, our appreciation of a beautiful HWY thru California.

     

    I've been traveling this piece of road for my entire life and my father and mothers families are responsible for naming a road or two, my grandpa's brother (my uncle Dan) was hired to drive some of the first motor cars from L.A. to Bishop and Bridgeport in the early 1900's. My Great Grandpa was sheriff of Bishop in the early 1900's and was recently honored in town for his service and for being killed in the line of duty. The name Hazard is a fixture in Bishop. My facts are fuzzy so until i get some specifics in order, i wont go into specific's. :P

     

    I've hunted mule deer in the Sierra's, spanning from Lone Pine to North of Bridgeport where i got my first deer on Jackson Mountain. We used to camp in Bodie and at Robinson Creek, alternating each year between the two. In the summer of 1977 i graduated elementary school and did a cross country bike ride (that's bicycle) from Bodie Ghosttown to Mojave Airport. (yes "hound" we stopped there for the air races ;) )

     

    I have a bunch of pictures from our exploits over the years and would love to share them with you guys, hopefully i'm able to manage attachments properly.

     

    KtSOtR, really dig the maps of old, would love to get some high res scans of those to show my grandpa who's on his way to 86 years young. When we visit with him, all of our stories begin on or around hwy 395, it just has a romantic appeal with our family and always get Papa's ears burning.

     

    Anyway, i'll start with this introduction and will attempt to post some images in my next transmission.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Sierra Fox

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