Joshua Tree, Bodie, Yosemite (?), Sequoia

[al olson]

I will be driving down to phoenix on Tuesday to take my camper trailer out of storage, planning to go on to Joshua Tree for several days of photos.

This is the third spring for Joshua Tree and I hope to get some night photos that were impossible last year because of high winds (40-50 mph) and dust for the three days I stayed there. It was calm on the fourth day and I did an hour of morning photos but I had to leave to meet a friend at Three Rivers.

When I get what I want, I was thinking of going up to Bodie for a couple of days. Again I have to meet a friend at Three Rivers (jazz festival) on the eleventh and am looking for the shortest way from Bodie. If I could cut across Yosemite on 120 it looks like that would shorten the trip by many miles.

To some of you Californians in the know, maybe you can help me out. From what I can find, 120 is not open until May 1st. Is that cut into stone? Do they not plow it until then? From the thread 'Whether in Yosemite' it is indicated that snows were light this year. Around here improved roads are plowed and open at 11,000 feet (except for the shelf roads).

If Yosemite is not open I will likely head up to Sequoia and take my chances. In the past it has been open at mid-April, but on some occasions chains have been required.

If anyone will be shooting in these areas next week, let me know and we could arrange to meet. I expect to be in the Belle campground with a small, white, Scamp trailer.

[Preston]

Al,

It is unlikely that Hwy 120 will be open at the time of your trip. However, you should keep an eye on the Yosemite website and also the CalTrans Mountain Highways report (http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/mtnhwys.htm).

If you do go to Bodie and 120 is not open, you can head south on 395 to CA 178 West. This road goes over Walker Pass, down the Kern River Canyon and eventually to Bakersfield on 99. You would then go north toward Visalia and Three Rivers.

Sounds like a nice trip! Have fun!

--P

[ROL]

What Preston said. Snow pack is ~50% (we'll know better on April 1). The Tioga Rd. has a couple feet and is bare in some spots, but the NPS likely won't even begin plowing (http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm) until mid April. I wouldn't count on an opening before May. Three Rivers is a long way from Bodie no matter how you cut it (in dog miles). All the roads up to SEKI, north or south, will be open, chains or not, save from Hume Lk. to Cedar Grove (http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/park-regions.htm#CP_JUMP_365234). Your best, most up to date info is from the parks themselves, not a bunch of old fart know-it-all photogs (myself included).

[al olson]

Thanks, Preston. Backtracking on 395 is what I wanted to avoid. I had considered the northern route around Yosemite but that still has a lot of miles. Even with the shortcut across Yosemite there are still a lot of miles between Bodie and Three Rivers. And at 15mpg towing the trailer and California gas prices :eek: .

And thanks, Curt, for that table. It looks like even May 1st is not always in the cards. ROL, you have convinced me that it would be a long trip. I will do Bodie sometime when my destinations are all on the east side of the Sierras.

I apologize for the double post. I'm not sure how that happened because I thought I only hit the submit button once. Looks like I may have hit the wrong button when I was putting it up for preview. Thanks all, for the information.

[Preston]

Al,

Yeah, I figured you wouldn't want to backtrack on 395, but Walker Pass would be your best option if you go to Bodie, and 120 is still closed. Just a quick note about Walker Pass...there's a nice Joshua Tree forest on the east side, some nice mountain scenery and also opportunities in the Kern Canyon.

Have a great trip!

--P

[Leszek Vogt]

Al, Sequoia should be open and at this time the roads should be OK....though I have no idea what's in the forecast. We're talking 6500' and the mountains create their own weather. You could cross the Sierra's through Sonora Pass, but just like 120, check what the situation is like. Walker would likely be the easiest to cross, particularly out of Sequoia. If you insist on going to Yosemite, then your choices to cross the Sierra's are limited....especially if 120 is not operational. Bodie is great, but I'd spend the time on the W. side, such as DV....vs having to worry/wondering about the weather and how much that would alter your plans.

Les

[Preston]

You could cross the Sierra's through Sonora Pass, but just like 120, check what the situation is like.

I live about 1.5 hours from Sonora Pass. Given that it's very narrow and steep, I wouldn't consider taking a trailer over it. People do tow trailers over Sonora Pass, but some have come to grief. Also, it is highly unlikely it will open anytime soon, and certainly not in early April. It's only about 300 feet lower than Tioga, and being further north, it gets as much, or more snow. There has been nothing in our local media about it.

--P

[Drew Wiley]

You need to check about specific locations. Each park has an active website with conditions and opening forecasts. You can probably get to Grant Grove area in Sequoia, but need to check about road work or closures further. I wouldn't even think
about Tioga or Sonora passes that early. It's very unlikely any reasonable passes will be open other than Donner way to the north or Walker way to the south, which would be the most direct if you want a shortcut to Three Rivers. Bodie itself might still be closed, and is quite a detour. There is some fantastic hill country above Three Rivers worth exploring, esp the Kings
drainage, but pulling a trailer could be a nightmare on some roads. For the same reason you might want to avoid the Ash
Mtn entrance into Sequoia, and opt for the gentle grade approach directly to Grant Grove. Don't expect our mtn road conditions to be maintained like they are in Colorado. We tend to get deeper snows. Some roads are steep and narrow, and
Park roads per se are not plowed by the state, but serviced by more limited Park bugets.

[al olson]

Thanks Everyone. This has been helpful and it has made up my mind to stay in the Sequoia area after Joshua Tree. I have been to Three Rivers five times in the past 10 year, each at mid-April. Each of those times the roads in Sequoia were open, but sometimes there was snow and chains were required, often from day to day.

I would definitely rule out any road that was a primitive track, does Sonora Pass fit this category? My little 13-foot trailer has a very low clearance and drains and things get scraped off the bottom even on reasonable roads.

I will be on the road first thing tomorrow morning. Your helpful comments are most appreciated. Thank you!

[Drew Wiley]

Sonora Pass is well paved and a freeway compared to some of the roads I grew up on. But there are distinct sections on both sides of the pass itself which are steep, narrow, and switchbacky. There are a few truck drivers who supply the Marine base at the base of the hill who negotiate it, but it's generally not advisable for trailers or motorhomes. And it's rarely open before Memorial Day, and even if it is, is either icy or could potentially close again. A very beautiful road pass, esp in Sept. or Oct, and one of my favorite ways to cross the Sierras (other than on foot, which I've done plenty of times too). Just remember that "Three Rivers" is exactly that - trace your way uphill on any of these rivers this time of year and you've got some wonderful sight-seeing. You might want to leave the trailer behind, however.

[al olson]

Thanks to all for your help and recommendations. I am enclosing a trip report to describe my endeavors and provide, what I hope, is useful information regarding construction, weather, etc.

In my first post I mentioned that I was going to Goodyear, AZ, to take my camper trailer out of storage before I had to pay another month’s storage costs. Then I was intending to kill some time shooting photos until a jazz festival in Three Rivers, CA.

I started from Colorado on Tuesday (4/2), picked up the trailer and spent the night in Goodyear. The next day I arrived at Joshua Tree. My intentions were to redo some infrared photos of the Cholla Garden and some startrails shots with a Joshua Tree in silhouette. I think I may have posted earlier photos in ‘safe haven for tiny formats’.

Going from the Cottonwood entrance to the Belle campground there is 13 miles of road under construction. Cars are required to follow the pilot car. On the way I noticed that the parking area for the Cholla Garden is closed. Bummer. There is no way I will be able to get in there to get the late afternoon light I am looking for. [If you are planning to visit Joshua Tree this summer, be warned that this road will be under construction for a considerable time.]

I was planning to stay in the Belle campground where I had been last year, but I found the campground was full, as were all the campgrounds. I drove around to the Indian Cove campground, which is a reservation campground, and talked to the Ranger. She had two spaces that had not been reserved that she could give me for two nights. I took one for two nights. Lucky!

The next morning I went back to the Belle and found that someone had pulled out and left a vacant space so I moved there, forgoing the second night I paid for at Indian Cove. That afternoon I set up my cameras to get my silhouette shot. Then strong winds began to blow. I already have a star trails photo with a blurred tree and didn’t need any more, so I checked the weather. Winds were expected to last for the next 2-3 days. Not a good place for large camera, so where could I go to get away from the wind.

I decided to bite the bullet and take the drive up to Bodie even though it lengthens my trip to Three Rivers. There is an RV park in Bridgeport that I have stayed in before so that’s where I head. So by Friday (4/5) I am in Bridgeport and check in to the RV. They don’t actually open until 4/15 so the restrooms aren’t available yet, but I can camp there. Unfortunately, I found out in JT that the pump on my shower wasn’t working so I had to make do.

The next morning I drove up to the Chemung Mine. It started out hazy, but by the time I got there it was burning off and the sky was looking good. I scouted around the remains with my new (2 weeks old at the time) Nikon D5200 and took a bunch of didgies. Then I broke out the Linhof and did several serious sheets on TXP 320. I then tried to continue down the mountain to Bodie, but I ran into some remaining snow drifts. My SUV had been driving over the top of some of the smaller drifts, but when the road was covered for a 40 yard stretch I was leary of sinking in, so I backed up and went the long way around.

I got to Bodie before lunch and went around making more didgies in the midday light. The winds began to kick up and after three hours I returned to my trailer. [They are only open from 9am to 2pm. I don’t understand why the time is so short?]

The next morning I drove over to Bodie so I was there when they opened the gate. I hiked in with a couple of Grafmatics loaded with Delta 100 and made some exposures. Then I returned to Bridgeport. [I should note that Bridgeport gas is $4.999 for regular.] I have made all the photos I am looking for, so where to go next. On the drive to Bridgeport I found that all the roads in Yosemite were closed. I still have 5 days to kill before I need to get to Three Rivers, so I decided to take a leisurely drive to Lone Pine to stay in an RV park south of town. So what do I want to do next?

I have seen and photographed most of what is in Death Valley, but I haven’t traveled the northern part. I have always wanted to see and photograph The Racetrack. I noted from my topographic gazetteer that there is a road from south (136/190) of Lone Pine that goes over to Teakettle Junction and it doesn’t appear to be a long drive, maybe less than 50 miles. There are several unmarked turn offs that are not marked, but doing a back track I find the road I am looking for.

There are several signs posted there with messages such as ‘This road is not plowed so proceed at your own risk’, ‘Watch for washouts’, ‘Closed’, etc., so I decide to try it. The first 8 miles are smooth sailing, it even looks like it is graded once in a while. The next 22 miles, though, are something else. The road is essentially one lane and I drove over rocks, ruts, and yes, a few eroded parts, seldom did the speedometer exceed 5 mph. Then the last 13 miles to Teakettle Junction were much improved, almost as good as the first eight. It took nearly 3 ½ hours to reach TJ. I then headed for The Racetrack.

When I reached The Racetrack, the winds began to blow. I found out later that they were around 70 mph and they began stirring up the dust. I am including a digital photo (shame on me) to show what the situation looked like. There was no way I would take a camera out of the car under those circumstances.

http://www.photo-artiste.com/images/lfformat/theracetrack.jpg

So now my decision was either to back track the 53 miles (not recommended unless you have a full tank of gas and time to spare) or take the eastern route and the long way around to reach Lone Pine. I chose the long way which also was the faster way. That was 300 miles of driving (a tank of gas) for nothing. The next morning I decide to continue to Three Rivers, even though I will be there two days ahead of my intended arrival date.

On Wednesday (4/10) I decide to drive into Sequoia NP. I have been here before, but never to Kings Canyon, maybe I can get to Cedar Creek and photograph the waterfalls, etc. [I should mention that there is also road construction in Sequoia and again you have to wait and follow the pilot car.] No such luck, the road is closed at Hume Lake. I did return down a different route and drove amongst some beautiful ranches. Thursday I went to photograph around Lake Kaweah. From that evening through Sunday I sat around and listened to some fantastic Traditional Jazz. Had a great time in Three Rivers with very little wind during my stay.

Now it would appear that driving home would be a piece of cake, the GPS tells me that it is 991 miles. I can do that in two days. Right? In fact, if I can reach Seligman, AZ, (517 miles) by dusk I can get some Route 66 era shots of neon signs on motels and gas stations and I know a parking area where I can camp. This is a good place for LF if you have the time. When I get there it is dark and the camping area is not being used so I continue on to Flagstaff for the night.

I left Flagstaff at dawn and proceeded on I-40 for about 20 miles. At exit 219 the Highway Patrol had closed the interstate and was parking vehicles along the right shoulder on both sides of the interstate. I have never seen so many trucks, at least 1500 and perhaps as many as 2000 because more were parked west of the 211 exit. At 8 that evening they finally released traffic and the trucks began to roll. After looping back to the 211 exit and proceeding on, I found a rest stop 20 miles later and spent the night.

Now one more day to get home. There were strong cross winds from the south all the way to Gallup. Then driving north from Gallup the winds were calm for a few miles and then they started blowing from the west. Sand was blowing across the road, obscuring visibility. Then there was snow blowing above the sand all the way past Shiprock. In fact, The Shiprock was not visible from the highway, no photo opportunity here.

The winds died down for a while, but by the time I got to Durango it was snowing hard, but not sticking and visibility was diminished all the way home.

It was a good trip. It was an eventful trip. But outside of the jazz and Bodie, I didn’t accomplish some of the things I intended.

[Vaughn]

Climate is what you have, weather is what you get...and you got some! I have had some good luck with the last two weeks of April in the Southwest, Grand Canyon specifically. But it has been awhile.

[Drew Wiley]

Sounds like quite an adventure. Glad you got back safe.

[Preston]

Sounds like quite an adventure. Glad you got back safe.

Yes, it does! Sounds like it was too windy for marbles, too. Driving a high-profile vehicle must've been a challenge. Glad you're safe.

--P

[ROL]

Thanks for the report. I always love it when people take the time to get back to us. The journey is everything. My wife and I took the back road into DV from Eureka Dunes one January day many years ago and the wind nearly ripped off the open doors of our Saab 900. I was in JT (sans camera) briefly the last week of March. It was very windy. In fact, for the last couple of years, WIND seems to be the primary form of weather we now get in SoCal. No bueno for LF sails. That's what God made smaller formats and digital for. But hey, a good opportunity to see those rocks a racin', assuming you believe that nonsense about the tracks not being caused by aliens ;).


http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/SupportPics/LFPF/Teakettle%20Junction1.jpg

[Drew Wiley]

I eventually learned to avoid the Death Valley area in March and April. You either get a lot of fine clay into your camera and
filmholders, or get sandblasted yourself! And those roads behind the Racetrack can do your shocks in quickly enough!

[Leszek Vogt]

Al, sounds like the winds were not with you...and some white knuckle driving to boot. Glad you endured all that....it does sound as such. I'm heading into that area, but not till next Feb/March....and NO trailer. Actually, there is no smart way to avoid all that...except maybe Pacific (?), but even then the weather could turn to crapola. Thanks for the report.

Les