The 395 and Owens Valley-Eastern Sierra Region

Another great trip! I'm still smiling!

 

Deadman.

 

That back road up to Bodie, was it the old rxr grade coming from the southeast?

 

Did the Reward Mine this last Sunday:

https://youtu.be/m8EGSbYrXNg

 

How difficult is it to get up to the mine? Will a stock OR be ok? Sorry, I’m a newbie….

 

You should be good with a stock 4x4 truck, assuming a little talent behind the wheel. It's the last 100' of the road approaching the mine which gets rough -- worse case, you can park then walk the last 100'.

Give it a go.

 

In case you were unaware, this is at the Mammoth Chevron station. Still, the smartest option is to gas up before heading up the hill at Bishop.

 

Paiute Palace Gas next to the Casino is still cheaper...

 

What I do. But sometimes I'm forced to fill up in Mammoth (or Lee Vining or Bridgeport ...).

 

Eastern Sierra photos from July 2017, a wet year.

Saddlebag Lake:


Tuolumne Meadows:


Horseshoe Lake:




The road to Laurel Lakes:

 

A fellow traveler informed me one time he was being overcharged at Fort Independence. I prefer the Chevron at Big Pine. Same price for cash or credit and their car wash is powerful.

 

I know exactly where that’s at. It seems like every time info there, the wind is blowing like no tomorrow. As in I hang onto the door every time.

 

this is where I fill up. I'm usually at about 1/4 tank when I get there (if I have full tank when I leave Pasadena), and then i can get to Mammoth, and back down to Mojave on the 14 on that tank, assuming I'm not driving around Mammoth much. If I do, then I usually fill back up at the Pearsonville Shell.

 

Coming from orange county I fill up at either the Costco in Lancaster or somewhere in Mojave then Big Pine. Do the same on the way back.

 

A hefty pine fell at the beginning of the Wheeler's trail, lucky for us my little access cab was able to squeak around it.

Watching the smoke roll down Owens Valley was pretty wild.

Great times at the crest, fishing the Gorge, seeing the columns, and climbing out there!

 

It begins and ends in proximity to the RR grade, but it's not the actual railbed. It goes to the west up a steeper ascent. I was hoping I'd be able to drive the grade or at least brief spurs of it, but there's not much left, and it's quite overgrown. I never saw evidence of tire tracks or recent use, so I stayed off. I love exploring old rail routes, maybe next time I'll bring a mountain bike.



Here are some more photos from that day--I'm finally starting to go through the camera.


Approaching Mono from the SE




Back side of Bodie


Finally reaching Bodie Road



And we made it to the state park 10 minutes before it closed! The sign at the boundary says it's illegal to enter the park after 6PM, although I can't imagine they'd actually prohibit driving through on the public roadways to reach Masonic or the 395... glad I didn't have to find out

 

We did the RxR grade in 2011 and I still have the desert pinstriping to prove it. There are a lot of good trails out there. The east side of Mono is my favorite. Hero whoops for days.

 

Plus, the cabin on the east side of Mono.

 

Might roll up 395 on my way back from the Mojave on Halloween or the day after for a much-needed, if short, visit.