Two Firsts. One Happy, One Very, Very Sad

Fresno, CA

It was an incredibly busy May after returning from Nevada.  We snagged a few days in Coloma for Mother's Day, then onto the Roseville Elks for our 3rd sons' wedding.  Brennan and Alex actually got married in May of 2020, but Covid cancelled their wedding reception at the last minute.  They had a quick heartfelt ceremony in my parents yard but since their venue was basically paid for, they just postponed it at the time.  It was beautiful and we loved watching everyone that loves our kids celebrate together.  We then stored our 5th wheel for 2 months and headed south to pick up our new-to-us 2004 Arctic Fox camper!

If you hadn't heard by now, we've been studying about cab-over campers and gathering info from our friends who have bought them in the past (Thanks Jim & Barb for all the help!). This will be for our 2025 trip to Alaska.  We don't want to bring our big 5er, so we've been watching the market for the past 6 months.  We didn't plan on purchasing one until next year but this one fell into our lap and was too good to pass up. It was in like-new condition, one owner that always kept it in a barn, nearby with a great price AND, the exact floorplan we wanted!  We headed south to Fresno and picked up "Little Joe" who now rides piggyback on our truck, Hoss.  It was a brutal 97 degrees while we picked it up, got propane, groceries, gas and headed up to cooler climates.  First time owning a camper.

Coulterville, CA

Horseshoe Bend Rec Area

Horseshoe Bend wasn't much cooler but it was fairly close, on a lake and had full hookups.  We wanted to have time to run the A/C, unpack, get used to all the systems and flush the heck out of the tanks.  It's $40 per night but we got $3 off with our Senior Discount.  Site G4. In the morning we were off to our next campsite.

We drove up Hwy 108 past farms and fields.

Long Barn, CA

Fraser Flat NF Campground

It was a 1 1/2 hour drive up Hwy 108.  We went from 900' elevation to 5000' in just that time.  This is the Sierra Nevada, it's all mountains.  The Sonora Pass, elevation 9,600' hasn't been cleared of the tremendous snowfall yet but we won't be quite that far up.  The truck drove great with the camper on it.  It's a little getting used to.  We were happy that there isn't much sway at all.  You can tell it's up there though.

Fraser Flat campground was $12.50 per night.  We love these National Forest campgrounds because we get 50% off with our Senior Pass.  I purposely chose very small campgrounds that we could not get our big 5er into.  It is great to pop right into these lovely, smaller sites.  This site runs along the Stanislaus River.  Site #34.  Cell was a little sketchy here and not really reliable even boosted.

Our site backs up to the river.  There are no utilities here except non-threaded water spigots and bathrooms.  We came with a full tank of water just in case the water wasn't on yet for the season. We are learning about living with smaller tank capacities.  The camper has a propane generator.  So far, the temps are much cooler up here.  Almost cold. There was a little off and on thunderstorm which we enjoyed.  While we have a TV, no service up here.  We continued our little hikes and just kicking back.

With the snowmelt starting, all the rivers are raging and overflowing in some sections.  Alas that does not leave many fishable areas.  

The water was overflowing the walkways.  I tried several casts, but the current is much too strong.

We did get one night without rain and had our first fire.

On the way to our next stop, we passed by many Fire Camps.  They are very busy burning last years brush piles and the trees that had fallen over the winter.

We stopped to dump our tanks again and take on water.  This lazy bear was just kicking back.

Tuolumne, CA

Beardsley Dam Campground

A 45 minute drive down a very switchback road brought us down to 3400' and a nice location on Beardsley Lake.

There are about 12 sites spaced out along the road.  Half on the lake side and half on the other side of the road.  Just like the campsite before, almost no one here.  $10 with our Sr. Pass.  No utilities but there are non-threaded water spigots and bathrooms. Site #3.

Steve grilling up some dinner.

We continued to just relax and enjoy the quiet.  The bank was too steep to fish here.  It's more of a boat type lake.  There were a couple of boats out but not many were catching any fish yet.  Still too cold.

We did have a couple of fires and nearby hikes.

The thunderstorms that roll in about 2, roll back out after a couple of hours and we're back to sunshine.

I hiked the Spillway Trail that takes you up along the river.

Lake is full.  Water going over the spillway.

Beardsley Lake

We enjoyed our time at this campground.  Cell reception was good.

It was a 2 hour very scenic drive further up Hwy 108 to our last mountain campground.  It didn't take long to get to the snowline at about 6500 feet.  Just some patches on the shady side of the road.  We stopped at another national forest campground to meet a couple I had conversed with on one of the Arctic Fox Camper Owners Forums.  Rowena and her husband, Adrian, workcamp here for the summer.  It was nice to chat with them about camper stuff.  They also lent us a spare quick connect to connect our batteries to our solar.  Ours is hooked up to our 5th wheel and we forgot to pick one up in Fresno.  We dropped it back off on our way home.  Such nice people!

Tuolumne, CA

Deadman NF Campground

It was a Friday and a busy weekend up here as the Sonora Pass just opened all the way up and over the Sierra's to Hwy 395 on the other side.  So much snow made this years opening much later than usual.  This is a very small campground, maybe 12 sites.  We lucked out and got the last one that backed up to the Stanislaus River.

Our view out of our large site #6, $12.50 with our Sr. Pass.  Like the other national forest campgrounds that line Hwy 108, no utilities except threaded water spigots and bathrooms.  We had dumped our tanks a couple of times down the hill in Twain Hart at a private park for $5.  There is another at Strawberry, but their fresh water fill wasn't working.

Chillin' by the river.

The other bonus to this campground is that it is the closest to the tiny mountain lodge of Kennedy Meadows. We used to stop by here when camping and fishing nearby for a meal or ice cream.  They have a lodge, small store, bar, cabins to rent and horseback outfitters.  It was about a 15 minute walk from our camp to the lodge.  We had already hiked around the area so that we knew exactly how long it would take us.  We hoped to dodge the thunderstorms and also didn't want to end up walking back in the dark. Our plan is to have dinner here.  Saturday night is Prime Rib night with local beef.

Store on the left, restaurant on the right.

One of the very old cabins for rent.

Like many other pioneers wanting to "Go West", the Clark Skidmore party with 25 people and 13 covered wagons were the first to cross the Sierra Nevada at this junction.  They were much more successful than the well known Donner Party.  The next year about 600 wagons, 2,400 emigrants and 19,000 head of cattle used this route.

Horseback riding is very popular up here.

Kennedy Meadows was later used as a rest stop by early travelers crossing the Sierra.  It was also a tent camp and pack station.  The original hotel, built in the early 1900s, was accidentally burned down and rebuilt in the summer of 1944.  A fire in 2007 reduced the iconic Kennedy Meadows lodge with seven cabins and other buildings to a pile of ashes.  The community families helped rebuild it and it reopened 7 months later.

The lodge is very rustic and cozy.  There are now about 50 cabins here.

The Pacific Crest Trail runs through Kennedy Meadows.

Too soon our time was over and we headed back down the mountain

A must-see is a pull out at Donnell's Vista which overlooks Donnell Lake far below.  With the heavy snowmelt, there are waterfalls everywhere.

During the Gold Rush, miners needed a reliable source of water to work the mines. They built a ditch and flume system that began near the river below and carried water to Columbia, 50 miles to the west. It only operated for 3 years before water needs dramatically increased and eventually a dam was built.  Each year over 325 billion gallons of water flow through the Stanislaus watershed filling Donnell Lake along the way.  Each minute the Donnell Powerhouse operates, it generates enough electricity for one family for a month. Without the Sierra Nevada, California would be a desert.  The mountain reservoirs capture snowmelt to fill with water which is stored for the dry summer and fall months.

The 290-foot tall dam at the far end.  See how steep the mountain sides are?  The deepest parts of the lake are 240 feet.

There is a nice 1/4 mile trail to the overlook with some parking and bathrooms.  We kept a close eye on another incoming thunderstorm as we could hear it and see the strikes over the peak.  After about a 1/2 hour we hurried back to the truck just in time.

As we pulled back onto 108, you could see the line of dark clouds ahead and then the downpour hit.

After 60 miles we were back down to the foothills and driving through the cute town of Angels Camp.  Placerville has the Studebaker Wheel Barrel Races and Angels Camp has their Jumping Frog Jubilee held each May.  From their website:

Mark Twain lived in a cabin south of Angels Camp. Legend has it that Twain overheard a story in a local tavern that inspired his first published work, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". The City of Angels Camp held the first modern-day frog jump in 1928. It became part of the annual Fair in the 1930's. The Top 50 frogs qualify for the International Frog Jump Grand Finals, which are held every Sunday afternoon of the Jubilee. The current world's record was set in 1986 by Rosie the Ribeter. Rosie jumped 21' 53/4".  The jockey was Lee Giudici. The cash prize for breaking the world's record is $20,000.

All through town you will find these decorated frogs.  Driving the historic Hwy 49 will take you through many old Gold Rush towns like Angles Camp and further north, Placerville.

All decorated for Flag Day.

Plymouth, CA

24 Brix Winery

Our final overnighter was our first time camping at a winery, free.

Right on historic Route 49, sits 24 Brix Winery.  We made it in time for a private tasting.

We bought a couple of bottles.  A Cab and a Blend to enjoy with friends on a later camping trip.

Thier mascot, Brixie, was adorable and followed us everywhere.  She stayed at our camper and would've come in if we let her.

They gave us a nice spot to ourselves behind the winery, surrounded by vines and barrels.

Good Night.

With a short 45 minute drive we're back in Coloma for a few days to visit my parents and celebrate Father's Day with the family.  Little did we know that my Dad would take a bad fall, breaking some ribs and ending up in the hospital.  He passed away 2 days later the morning of Father's Day.  First time losing a parent. There just aren’t words.

My Dad, me and my brother in Death Valley back in the 60s.

My Dad with his Dad.

   

Dad in the Navy, 1962.

 

     

   

Thank you for giving me my love of the outdoors, teaching me how to fish and do a lube, oil, filter change on my first car.  And so many more life lessons.

Love and Miss You Dad.  

💕