Never EVER have I been more grateful for our RV, Nessie.
And, saying that dear readers, you must know this: there have been MANY times I’ve felt thankful for my gal NessieTheNavion….
However, during these dark and ugly times we currently find ourselves in, the freedom of safely and responsibly getting away and out of the house is a TRUE GIFT.
I thought you all might enjoy a relaxing get- away vis a vis….US! 😀
Just pretend you are on this journey with us, enjoy the scenery, imagine yourselves kicking back and taking in the sunsets and sunrises, and of course the freedom of the road! Consider this our little gift to those of you who can’t get out of the house.
One of our absolute favorite haunts is California’s Highway 395. It’s one of those journeys where it doesn’t matter how frequently we drive it: it just never gets old!
Also, during nationwide National/State Parks/National Forests closures because of the pandemic, good ole’ Highway 395 has a wide selection of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) free boondocking sites to choose from! Other areas of California have much, much less options in the way of BLM camping.
So, where did we stay and what did we do? Read on for all the details!
DAY 1 – ALABAMA HILLS BLM – LONE PINE, CA
Located just outside the quaint little town of Lone Pine, California you will find one of the most cherished BLM (Bureau of Land Management) locations in the entire country! REALLY: it’s THAT great!
Just an easy drive off Hwy 395 towards the craggy and stunning Sierra Nevada Mountains you can find many remote sites to park at. We like to switch it up each time we come: sometimes we park near the jumbo-sized rocks for wind protection and more shade, (warmer months), other times we park up higher with 360 degree views that guarantee morning sun (cooler months)! We are, honestly, NEVER disappointed!
One thing I would advise is to get here as early as possible, especially during Covid closures and also simply because it IS such a well-known and popular spot! There have been many movies filmed in this area (Westerns, mostly – hence one of the main roads being named Movie Road!) and just one visit will make anyone understand why!
On this particular trip, we arrived around 4:45pm, so just in time to catch the stunning sunset with a glass of wine! Hubby reheated my homemade vegan calzone while I opted for a reheat of my pork piccata from a previous night’s dinner. We had a relaxing evening taking in the views until it got dark, then watched two of our favorite comedians (Key & Peele) and laughed so hard our stomachs hurt!
We called it a night and snuggled in to bed with the black peak line staring back at us and a sky full of stars to send us off to sleep…..🌟🌟🌟
DAY TWO – MONO LAKE BLM – MONO LAKE, CA
Before heading out for our next destination, one simply cannot miss a morning jaunt to the Alabama Hills Cafe Bakery & Deli!
The menu is well-thought-out, varied (there’s even a vegan breakfast option!), and the freshly baked breads and treats are TO DIE FOR!!!! Everything in the yum yum cabinet (as I call it) is homemade and we have always been beyond satisfied with the quality of their baked goods!
We, of course, wore our masks and gloves and washed our hands right after our visit! Sadly, we saw a few unmasked patrons. I mean, REALLY??? 😠
With that lovely morning behind us, we then decided to head further north along Highway 395 towards the town of Lee Vining and Mono Lake. We decided we were interested in either some BLM (Bureau of Land Management) sites along Mono Lake or perhaps doing the June Lake Loop (it is HIGHLY recommended!) and finding some safely distanced spot there. We decided to let the road guide us!
Driving along the section from Lone Pine, through Bishop, Crowley Lake, and Mammoth Lakes is simply not to be missed! Particularly scenic in winter, we think! This particular long weekend our weather was unseasonably warm – so we even considered stopping at another of our favorite BLM (Bureau of Land Management) sites near Crowley Lake called Owens Gorge Dispersed Camping but decided to keep heading north….
We did drive the stunning June Lake Loop, but it wasn’t totally open (only partially) because of the snow – so we decided to go to one of our favorite spots that overlooks Mono Lake! This area offers so many options for BLM camping, and we love visiting Mono Cone, Latte Da Coffee Cafe, and the Whoa Nellie Deli during NORMAL times and can highly recommend all of them!
We arrived at our isolated spot near Mono Lake early, and enjoyed the warmer weather by sitting outside underneath our awning, cracking open a beer or two, and just RELAXED and took in the views….
For dinner that night, hubby bbq’d some vegan sausages on hot dog buns along with roasted bell peppers and onions while I enjoyed the yummy Trader Joe’s Uncured Bavarian Bratwurst along with a yummy green salad from our wonderful local CSA. We hunkered down as the temps got lower and lower under blankets and watched Austin Powers. More sore belly’s from laughing too hard!
DAY 3 – BENTON CROSSING BLM – BENTON HOT SPRINGS, CA
Waking up each morning to catch the sunrise in the Eastern Sierras simply NEVER.GETS.OLD. The sunrises and sunsets in this area are EPIC!
For our 3rd day we had a leisurely morning with breakfast (eggs, bagels, fresh blackberries) and coffee and just idled in our chairs overlooking the stunning scenery. I really cannot stress enough, dear readers, that just sitting and pondering what’s in front of you really is most healing and calming! We had initially considered (again!) making the Owens Gorge Dispersed Camping our last destination, but hubby wanted to check out the infamous natural hot springs tub(s) dotted throughout this area. Natural hot springs tub-time in winter? YES PLEASE!!!! ♨️
This was more just doing recon for future trips, but we decided if there weren’t any other folks there than we’d dip in! One of my all-time favorite bloggers, Nina from Wheeling It, and her hubby Paul also did a post awhile back on this area (although not exactly the same spot where we were) that was a huge inspiration to us to check the area out in more detail! Thanks, Nina!
Well, long story short: there were other cars/trailers visible near all the tubs, so we decided to act responsibly/socially distance and keep following the road in order to check out a campground we had previously read about on our favorite RV/Camping website, Campendium. Based off the pictures we had seen online, it looked idyllic! Boy, am I glad we did!
Of course the campground was closed due to the pandemic – but we will for sure visit it in future – assuming “normal” returns…..🙄
We kept following the road and, based off this websites mapping and recommendations, we were able to assess exactly where we were allowed to (legally) park. We were, quite honestly, practically jumping up and down in our seats when we locked our eyes on the views we were about to experience! We will be returning again and again to this particular spot!
Besides us, the only people out here were fly fisherman/women. We never mind them too much, as they prefer it as quiet as we do! 😜 Besides spotting what truly looked like a black-and-white Koi fish (???) cruising past us while we were sitting on the banks of the river water, we didn’t see much fish-life in the river. But clearly it is a known spot for fishermen/women – as there were quite a few both days we were there!
Truthfully, this spot was literally ALL about just taking in the views, enjoying time together sans kiddo, and did I mention taking in the views? They were THAT INCREDIBLE!
We will return here again and again and again in future, especially since changes might be happening in the near future (albeit, positive ones! C’mon people: LEAVE NO TRACE!!! 😡) in the popular Alabama Hills area. And can I just tell you how incredibly satisfying the absolute QUIET was out here?
PURE SILENCE IS HEALING…..
Dinner on our last night was fab: hubby enjoyed his regular avocado burrito with rice and Sriracha, while I lapped up my roasted red pepper chicken curry with rice. Wine was enjoyed by all and we called it a night early (we find it’s our natural inclination to do so when winter camping) and let the breathtaking stars and pure silence lull us into a deep sleep…..
DAY 4 – LAST DAY!
The next morning, we rose to yet another fantastic sunrise, sipped hot coffee, and reflected on how lucky we are to be able to get away from it ALL in these extremely difficult times. As we started breaking down “camp,” I felt overcome with emotion when considering just how much we’ve ALL had to endure in this last year or so! I find I always tend to get contemplative as we get ready to hit the road and head back for home…..
We made great time and didn’t hit any traffic – always a win-win! I spent most of the drive home researching all the many future trips we can experience in our sweet rig, Nessie – and also spent an equal amount of time reminding myself how lucky I am that I’m healthy, my parents and family are doing their best, and also ruminating on all those who have lost their lives (or, livelihoods!) due to this terrible pandemic….
Well, dearest readers, I hope this little getaway of ours has helped you feel you were there with us! As previously stated, we are so grateful that NessieTheNavion allows us these safe/responsible jaunts out of the house during this horrible pandemic.
For those of you who cannot get out (I’m lookin’ at you, friends in lockdown across the pond) I truly hope this post has either helped you FEEL you have gotten out, or has perhaps inspired you to consider life on the road in your very own rig/caravan! We simply cannot recommend RV Life enough! If seriously considering it, two of our biggest inspirations have been Keep Your Daydream and Wheeling It! Tell them I sent ya!
Although recent events in my neck of the woods has provided me some comfort, there’s no denying finding whatever beauty you can in these turbulent and ugly times is critical to sanity. My hope is that you have found some small comfort yourself through this post, this blog, or in any way you possibly can right now. If we’ve learned anything lately, it is (hopefully!) that we really do all NEED unity! We NEED to find the beauty in things! We NEED to marinate on what we do have that is good and pure and right! ✴️
Focus on these things, and remember that – with time – we’re all going to be alright….
Always Here,
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