Boondock adventures out west
The diverse terrain and landscapes of California offer amazing camping and outdoor adventure
We took a break from the COVID-19 quarantine at home and drove less than 2 hours to boondock at The Indians in early April. Recent rains turned the hills green and wildflowers were starting their colorful show. We want to do our part to “flatten the curve” while camping by
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If you think the surreal sculptured spires of the Trona Pinnacles look like something right out of Star Trek – you’d be right because this “otherworldly” landscape is the actual site where numerous sci-fi movies were filmed. The Star Trek V Final Frontier movie used this intriguing spot as well
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Fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean can be enjoyed from San Martin Top along the South Coast Ridge area in the southern Big Sur Wilderness. At an elevation of 3,098 ft., we had sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean being able to see the Piedras Blancas lighthouse to the south. The
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Hot weather is a great time to escape the heat and enjoy Huntington Lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. The lake sits at about 7,000 feet with much cooler temperatures than the valley below. This area offers recreation seasonally with skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, hiking, boating and of
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The far-reaching vastness of the California wildfires was staggering as we camped in Northern California this May. Equally amazing was how many homes and ranches were saved by our heroic firefighters, as we drove past burned forests and grasslands, bordering right up to homes, barns, and buildings in remote areas.
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The Indians Ranch area in Big Sur’s Ventana Wilderness is a great place for dispersed camping. Early spring is a great time to see the blooming wildflowers, majestic rock formations and rushing water in the rivers after the recent rains. Springs were oozing water right out of the rock walls.
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Ghost towns from the booms and busts of gold, silver, and assorted mineral mines are scattered all through Death Valley National Park. Lonely ruins from the promise of gold are at the Inyo Mine, deep within Echo Canyon, lying in the Funeral Mountains between Amargosa and Furnace Creek. The Echo
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Big Sur campers rejoice! Scenic Highway 1 reopened 2 months early after a section of road had been completely cut-off by the Mud Creek Slide last May of 2017. Cal Trans’ completed road construction means the windy, breathtaking curves of Highway 1 give campers better access to those campgrounds along
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Jail Canyon is a worthy day trip as well as an interesting place to camp. The ghost town of Ballarat lies within easy driving distance with a small store and curator. An old miner’s cabin lies at the end of the rough route to Jail Canyon near a ravine with
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We boondock along the South Coast Ridge Road in the Big Sur Wilderness of California many times a year. For this trip, we only had one night to get away but it was so worth the effort. We happily made camp on the mountainside while it was still daylight to
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The desert mountain ranges going into Death Valley contain many canyons where old mine shafts, cabins, mill sites and various ghost towns of past mining operations lay silent to be discovered by the exploring traveler. One such place of interest is the Minnietta cabin and mine in the Argus range.
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