Woke up at 6 on a lovely morning in this heavenly park north of San Francisco and started breaking camp since one-nighters have to clear out by 9. Dan the attendant, stopped by to chat about the Defender as he was as knowledgeable about it as anyone I've met. Again, the great part about this trip is all the pleasant people i met.
But one can meet unoleasant people, too, although rarely. As i went to check to see if there were any cancellations for the campground that night in case i had to stay an extra day or so to deal with Erde's sitaution, i met one of those unpleasant people, the park ranger. When i inquired as to what time i could check in that night for another one-nighter in case there were no cancellations and I needed to spend an extra day to deal with my sick dog, she started getting anrgy about how people are abusing the one-night deals like i had the night before. She refused to let me come back to the camp and told me to find another camp. Since I had logic and common sense on my side, even though i did not actually want to come back to the camp, i wanted to see if i could enlighten her with my impeccable logic and reason, not to mention compassion, common sense, courtesy, etc. She didn't budge, which is what i expected on my first metting her. (Sometimes yiu can tell that.) After a few minutes, i decided to move on, especially since she carried not only arrest powers but a gun. They ought to give people who carry guns more than just a test on their ability to shoot, if they even do that.
On the way to Lagunitas to pick up some special dog food for Erde at a wonderful vet there, i concluded that Erde's health was just fine, and decided that afrer our customary trip into San Francisco with the turnaround at Coit Tower, we would move on to Lake Tahoe, 200+ miles away, even though we would be getting a late start.
Our trip into San Francisco was wonderfuk. i will forever regret not moving there years ago before the 20-something Googke executives took over the city and jacked home prices up. We found a great parking spot near Fisherman's wharf for Erde to take her customary dip in the Bay, and then visted The Buena Vista Cafe where i spent the evening sipping Ramos Gin Fizzes after the astronauts landed on the moon for the first time in 1969. (No big feat, mind you, compared to any one of my trips, which lasted far longer than their trips and they had far more space than I.) No Ramos Gin Fuzzes for me this year, though.) this year, Then it was off to Coit tower for the turnaround and then Route 80 for Sacramento, which highway was a stark reminder for me with all the traffic of what we humans are doing to each other.
At Sacremanto, we picked up US 50 which runs right by my home in DC, although it is not the two-lane, lonely route 50 at that point that everyone raves about. In fact, at the beginning, it is 12 lanes and you encounter more traffic on it in 30 seconds than you do for several days once you pass Carson City. After Carson City, which i will get to tomorrow, you get on the route 50 i fell in love with when Leben and Erde and i took it for the first time. My words cannot do it justice so i suggest you Google it and see what i mean. It is not called the loneliest road for nothing, although this time there was far more traffic on it than we encountered in 2001.
Before you get to Lake Tahoe, you enter a forest region and start climbing thousands of feet. The temperature plunged from warm to chilly. I knew we would be in for a cold night.
As good luck and good planning would have it, we hit South Lake Tahie at right on time, 5:30' and headed directly up the west side of the Lake to Bliss Camp where we stayed in 2001,msure it woukd be open. Ten miles or so uo the step, curving, winding and otherwise dangerous road, a road you would not want to drive at night (we were losing daylight fast at that point) we came to Bliss Camp, where the sign read, "Closed for the Season. Next Camp 7 miles up the road." Damn. As if gunned the Defender up the road, i kept encountering hundreds of cars parked on the side of the road, toursists out sightseeing. I bet they are all hardy folks like me and will be competing for the fewer camp sites now that Bkiss is closed, i thought. Seven miles up the road, i got to Meeks Creek camp. Closed for the season, the sign read. Damn. I cannot believe this. I was losing daylight faster. So i gunned the Defender up and got back on the road heading north and still encountered more hardy folks parked along the road sightseeing. Again i feared that they woukd be my comotetion for even fewer camping sites. Two mikes up the road i came to Sugar Pines State Park, but the sign read, Camo Full. I knew it, i thought, my competition got there ahead of me. But i was afraid they were all in RVs in the camp. It was completely dark at that point, abiut 6:15, so i decided to go into the camp anyway and and pitch the tent where i could. As i got into the park, i found that three if the four sections of the park wrer closed. In the one open section, to my delight, there were about 20 sites, and half open. More to my delight, there was only one RV there, so i would not have to listen to the sound of generators running for the RVers to have heat on a cold night. At last i found a camp with mostly tenters.
My guess is that all those hardy sightseers were no so hardy after all, spending a cozy night in one of the many luxury hotels and resorts around the beautiful lake. The RVers are hardier than they are.
Later that evening, after setting up camp, a black bear wandered through the camp, so i cached most of my food in one of the metal food lockers they provide each site, but in the one for site 72 next to my site 73 (or what i thought was my site). Since all of it would not fit, i stored my kitchen container on the Defender's roof rack, fully realizing that if raccoons could get into it, bears probably could, but i took my chances.
The only person i talked to that night was the young man (Josh, i think he told me his name was) who was camped with his beautiful dog, Zeus, a 10-month old mostly white rescued mix of St Bernard and Great Pyrenees. Zeus would distinguish himself later that night as the consummate guard dog, in addition to already having distinguished himself as the consummate companion dog. Zeus was treated to some of Erde's treats in return for his guardian's generosity in sharing his food storage locker.
After my customary evening chores, i donned my night cap and settled in for a long winter's sleep, with Erde right beside me, and the Defender, with my food stored nicely on the roof rack, just five feet away from my capped-head.
Other Photos to be added later...
Camp at Samuel Taylor Camp
Defender at Buena Vista Cafe
The Defender tackling Lombard Street
The Defender turning around at Coit Tower, now heading home
Ed and Erde, On The Road
P.S. Sorry for any errors in this message or posting. The iPad spellcheck is not known for its attention to detail.
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