Outdoor Adventure USA

It's time once again for the OAUSA version of the outdoor travel advisor. The net will be a great opportunity to get some ideas for future outdoor adventures. The "5 Minute" idea is our way of getting as many participants as possible, as they each have 5 minutes for their adventure. Each will post information and pictures.

Don't be shy - if you have a favorite camping spot, hiking adventure, hunting trip, river rafting trip, 4 wheel drive adventure, or sky diving trip, post up with a description and pictures. As long as it's an outdoor adventure, it's fair game!!! So, join us on the net.

Mammoth Lakes and Laurel Lakes


The Mammoth Lakes area off of Highway 395 in California is known mostly for summer fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and weekend festivals, along with wintertime skiing. There are also many interesting and scenic off roading opportunities. The town of Mammoth Lakes is at approximately 6,000+' in altitude so it's a great place to visit to escape from the summer heat of LA or the deserts.



Here is an example of the kinds of trails that can be found on the west side of Highway 395 between Mammoth Lakes and June Lake. This is part of the Mammoth Scenic Off Road Trail. Maps of the area are available at the National Forest Headquarters which is on the right side of the Highway 203 just as you begin to enter the town of Mammoth Lakes.



The geography in this area was shaped by volcanos. The last minor eruption event at Mammoth Mountain was about 700 years ago. It is still active with many small earthquakes, volcanic fumaroles, out gassing, and hot springs. The picture above is of one of the Inyo Craters that was formed by volcanic activity.



There are many improved and unimproved campgrounds in the Mammoth Lakes area. Shady Rest campground is one of my favorites since its heavily wooded and paved. You get a feeling of being out in the woods but you can easily walk across the street to McDonalds or walk into town. It's located just past the National Forest Headquarters on the right side of the road as you enter Mammoth Lakes. The campground roads rather tight and wind up and down hills so it's hard to get into with a large motorhome or trailer but quite easy with a Pinzgauer and a teardrop trailer.


Laurel Lakes is one of the favorite off roading destinations in the Mammoth Lakes area. To reach it there is a 8.5 mile long rough and rocky shelf road that offers some spectacular views. The road climbs to over 10,000' just before it drops down to the lakes in a series of very tight switchbacks.


This is one of the most scenic views as you are nearing the summit on the way to Laurel Lakes.


The trip to Laurel Lakes is definitely worth it for the scenery. It's great to plan to have lunch here after the long rough trip up the trail.


It's not uncommon to find people fishing at the lakes.

More information on the trail to Laurel Lakes may be found here -

http://www.dangerousroads.org/north-ame ... trail.html




Not to be forgotten for off roading is the Long Valley Caldera which is located on the east side of highway 395 from Mammoth Lakes. The caldera was created by a volcanic super explosion much like that which formed Yellowstone National Park. Like Death Valley, this area is full of interesting and quickly changing geology. It's criss crossed with many off road trails. It could be a destination topic all on it's own and is relatively unknown to many people.

More information on the Long Valley Caldera may be found here -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Valley_Caldera

(Slightly) off-road desert camping, no reservations, best in Spring after some rain
https://www.desertusa.com/anza_borrego/du-abpblair.html

1. Southern California - Anza Borrego Desert State Park - Blair Valley Area
Off County Route S2 between State Route 78 (Scissors Crossing) and Interstate 8
Center of area: N33.019704° W116.384466°
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHU880mF1-I 2. Blair Valley Area 3. Little Blair Valley 4. Little Blair Valley 5. Foot and Walker Pass - North side looking south 6. Foot and Walker Pass - South side looking south into Blair Valley and toward Ghost Mountain 7. Sometimes... 8. Morteros 9. Pictographs 10. Marshal South Homestead - Yaquitepec 11. Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles
https://www.amazon.com/Marshal-South-Gh ... 932653669/ 12. View of Blair Valley from Ghost Mountain 13. Tracks of the Overland Stage - Marshal South 14. Annual (?) Marathon Through Little Blair and Blair Valleys - Register Today! The Anza-Borrego Desert Region - Lowell and Diana Lindsay
https://www.amazon.com/Anza-Borrego-Des ... 899977790/

Wilapa Bay is located on the southern washington coast just north of the columbia river. In the middle of the bay is Long Island, a designated wildlife refuge. While motorized water craft are allowed in the bay, it is prohibited to approach the island except by non-motorized water craft. The bay is heavily influenced by tides, at low tide the bay is nearly empty leaving mud flats with shallow streams crossing the bay at high tide the bay fills with water and becomes navigable. When planning a trip to Long Island the tides have to be given significant consideration, the high tide only lasts an hour or so, an experienced paddler could paddle around the entire island if they started as the tide was coming in and finished as the tide was going out, but if your arrival is delayed or it takes longer to launch your boats than planned you could find yourself paddling in shallow water and having to drag your boats and gear across a hundred yards of mud flats to get to the island.
Camping on Long Island has a certian amount of risk, there are no facilities on the island, although Astoria Oregon is only a few miles down the road, getting off the island at low tide is practically impossible. Be prepared and stay safe!

Long Island features several small campgrounds with primitive camp sites, each campground has a solar powered toilet, camp sites have picnic tables and fire rings within a few dozen yards of the high water mark backing up to dense pacific northwest forest. Because of the limited access to the island, camp sites are not heavily used most of the year. I spent 3 nights on the island and only saw one other boat land on the island at a nearby campground, I don't believe the paddlers stayed overnight.

The island claims to have over 10 miles of hiking trails mostly consisting of logging roads abandoned when the island became a refuge. The flora is typical of the pacific northwestern coast, the island boasts a forest of cedars over 900 years old. A herd of elk resides on the island, reportedly there are black bears and bobcats. Fishing is allowed in the bay, including from the shore of Long Island, but fisihing in the streams and beaver ponds within the island is prohibited, as far as I know the fishing in Wilapa bay isn't very good, however the bay is a great place for collecting oyster at low tide. To protect the flora and fauna dogs are not permitted on the island or parking areas.
Long island is one of the few places I've discovered that I love to telll people about, I have little fear that sharing the location of one of my favorite campsites will spoil the location with huge crowds.

Early Check In Request.

WD6USA
Jeff

Announcement - Details viewtopic.php?f=139&t=4128: viewtopic.php?f=139&t=4128

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation - Southern California Chapter's Big Game Banquet, Saturday, February 17, 2018 at the National Orange Show Events Center. Come eat, play Big Games, and maybe win nice prizes (Guns and Outdoor Gear). Proceeds go towards acquiring and maintaining healthy Elk habitat. Hunting is Conservation.

NORTH MOUNTAIN WINE TRAIL

As most know, we do an annual net covering the subject of wine, and especially the appreciation of good wine in the outdoors. In fact, we have been highlighting wine appreciation at our Borrego Fest event for the past several years, with the help of our in-house wine expert. My 5 minute adventure involves a trip to an area that is relatively unknown, but which offers some outstanding wines.

I came to discover this area, quite by accident, as I had never seen advertisements or any write-ups which mentioned it. In fact, it only came to my attention as a result of the route which I have taken for years to get to Anza Borrego Desert State Park and Borrego Fest. The area is known as the North Mountain Wine Trail and it consists (at least at the moment) of 5 separate and distinct wineries, located in the north eastern corner of San Diego County, in a town called Warner Springs.

The wineries are:

La Serenissima - http://vinotiso.com/
Shadow Mountain - http://www.shadowmountainvineyard.com/index.html
Sierra Roble - http://www.sierraroble.com/
Emerald Creek - http://www.emeraldcreekwinery.com/
Hawk Watch - https://hawkwatchwinery.com/

It should be noted that the wineries of the NMWT are not in Temecula, nor do they consider themselves to be part of this area. Due to their different locale, different climate, different soil, and different elevation, the NMWT has promoted their wineries and their wines as distinctly different than others in SoCal. The attractive part of this area, is the fact that it is all true. Well worth the visit!!!

Geographically, Warner Springs is fairly close to the town of Julian. and when your visit allows for three days of wine tasting, there are about 10 wineries and tasting rooms total between the NMWT and Julian (yes there are wineries in Julian.)

All of the wineries in the NMWT are located at about 3500 foot elevation where the soil is rocky and clearly different than Temecula. This is a picture from the Hawk Watch Winery showing one of their vineyards. In the background you can see the rocky terrain which characterizes the soil of this area:

For those that take the time to discover this area, the reward will be terrific wines, spectacular scenery, and the pleasure of a small town feeling as you visit and enjoy. When you go, don't miss the opportunity to take advantage of the great lodging opportunities in Julian as well as some fine dining (where they feature wines from the NMWT.)

Here are some pictures of the various wineries, with the source identified at the bottom of each:


And, last but not least, is an article from The Press Enterprise, a local San Diego Newspaper, dated March of 2016. This gives a very good insight into what you can expect when you visit the NMWT:

WARNER SPRINGS: Wineries cultivating different crowd than Temecula’s


A cluster of wineries in the Warner Springs area of San Diego County has created something that should be very familiar to longtime residents of southwest Riverside County.

“A lot of people say it’s what (the Temecula Valley) used to be,” said Tony Tiso, winemaker at La Serenissima Vineyards & Winery, one of the five wineries that makes up the North Mountain Wine Trail.

La Serenissima and the other four wineries – Hawk Watch Winery, Emerald Creek Vineyards & Winery, Shadow Mountain Vineyards & Winery and Sierra Roble Winery & Vineyard – started using the North Mountain Wine Trail branding in 2014. The group erected signage on the 79 last year to help drive traffic.

Of the five, Emerald Creek is the largest property at 750 acres. The others average around 25 acres. The area is fed by an aquifer the wineries tap with wells.

Since its beginning in the late 1970s, the Temecula Valley Wine Country has grown to become a destination location for wine lovers around Southern California.

Carving out its own niche apart from the Temecula Valley is the goal of the North Mountain group. A bachelorette party or a limo wine tour is not its clientele.

“We cater to a little bit different crowd,” said Tiso, adding that more than 50 percent of his wine club members are from Temecula and the Inland Empire. “For wine aficionados, their main focus is wine. I don’t have key chains. I don’t sell pizza. If you enjoy a nice glass of wine, I’m your guy.”

Of the North Mountain group, Shadow Mountain has the longest history in the region. It was founded in the 1990s by the same couple, Pam and Alex McGeary, who run the place today. The McGearys started the winery on acreage that had been used by the previous owners to grow mission grapes in the 1970s.

Though the location is promoted as off the beaten path, the region is growing. There are at least two more wineries in the works, and billboards on the edge of the highway tout real estate opportunities for more.

Yet Tiso noted that the North Mountain wineries don’t want to grow at the expense of losing what makes the area special.

For now, they want to promote the region and foment organic growth, and to do so, the North Mountain group schedules two special events a year: a barrel tasting in the summer and Taste of the Summit in the fall.

Early checkin please.

Phil

Kevin
KK6DGL

My 5 Minute Destination is the Alabama Hills off Hwy 395 a few miles west of the town of Lone Pine. This area has been the location for over 200 movies and features easy access to beautiful rock formations, undeveloped camp sites and many different outdoor activities.


In addition, Lone Pine is the gateway to Mount Whitney, which is not only the highest point in California but also the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet

From the heart of Lone Pine (a beautiful 60 minute drive south of Bishop) go west on Whitney Portal road then, 2.7 miles along, turn right onto Movie Flat road. Many dirt roads and trails intersect with Movie Flat road leading into the hills and among the boulders. Movie Flat road is a graded dirt road maintained for passenger vehicles. Other roads may be sandy and soft requiring 4-wheel drive capability.

Things to do in the area: Hiking, Camping, Biking, 4 wheeling, Photography, astronomy, Exploring, Rock climbing, Lone Pine movie museum and more.


This area has been the location for over 200 movies and features easy access to beautiful rock formations, undeveloped camp sites and many different outdoor activities.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/cali ... loop-trail

In addition, Lone Pine is the gateway to Mount Whitney, which is not only the highest point in California but also the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet


From the heart of Lone Pine (a beautiful 60 minute drive south of Bishop) go west on Whitney Portal road then, 2.7 miles along, turn right onto Movie Flat road. Many dirt roads and trails intersect with Movie Flat road leading into the hills and among the boulders. Movie Flat road is a graded dirt road maintained for passenger vehicles. Other roads may be sandy and soft requiring 4-wheel drive capability.

The town of Lone Pine offers full services and is a prime lay-over and supply spot for people climbing Mount Whitney.

Links :
https://www.bishopvisitor.com/the-alaba ... ick-guide/

https://wheelingit.us/2015/04/03/5-thin ... e-pine-ca/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Restauran ... ornia.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions ... ornia.html

Sand Canyon & Wheeler Crest


Sand Canyon
Sand Canyon is a moderate trail that climbs up the slope of Wheeler Moutain to about 10,000 feet. There are great views of the Sierra on the way and ends at small unnamed lake in a forested area that is great for camping. The lake varies in water level. About 9 miles to the lake. The trail runs along a wide ridge with the John Muir Wilderness on the east side and a drop off on the west. The paved Rock Creek road runs along the bottom of the drop off. This could be a day trip from Bishop CA. The trail dead ends at the lake and you need to return the way you came.

Wheeler Crest
To reach the crest of Wheeler, start on Sand Canyon trail once you are up on the ridge. The road comes to a Y in a large meadow. Going left you will begin to climb Wheeler Crest. This is a difficult trail. With lots of steps and large boulders. When you get to a peak you have great views of Round Valley and Bishop. I do not recommend you take the narrow mining road to the right that follows the contour of the mountain. The risk is too high and there is no way to pass or turn around.

Both of this trail are documented in Charles Wells Guide to California Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive book and also in Roger Mitchells High Sierra SUV Trails Volume I - the East Side book.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Early Check In Please - Thanks - Sorry about the past two nets, as two weeks ago, just before the net started, my Internet went down, so even though I had requested an early check in, I was unable to be there, as I had an issue with my ISP, which I was trying for the first time, FreedomPop, and I went back and forth with them for a while, as I signed up for their 10GB plan, but all they gave me was 5.9 Gb, then later they said that they had pro-rated me, and on my due date, since it no longer showed enough credit for the 10GB plan, I switched to the 5Gb plan temporarily, and they said that I was switched to the 5GB plan, and that the charge would be $49.99, and I had $52.00 credit, but they deactivated me instead. So I went back and forth with FreedomPop, trying to get the 5Gb plan, and they finally gave me a $40.00 refund, and kept the $12.00. So I went back to my previous ISP, and paid for their 8Gb plan, so am here this evening.

73,
Bernie