Damn You, California!

March 2, 2026 My first impression of California was the price of gas...$5.99 a gallon. Now this was in the middle of Death Valley National Park, but on the other side of the park in a normal town, it was still $5.09 and further away from the park, $4.79. That's $1.70 more than Tucson! Damn you, California!

I always wanted to see the sand dunes. I did not go walking. I figured I had three walks for the day and that was plenty, besides the parking lot was full.

The drive through the park was up one mountain, down a valley, up another mountain, down a valley, up another mountain. There was a sign suggesting drivers to turn off their AC so their engines don't overheat. Hmmm...it was only 70 degrees at most. I've driven around in 100 degrees with no problem, but I followed directions. I noticed on the inclines my engine temperature started climbing even with the AC off. WOW! I would not want to overheat on that highway. It was good to visit in early spring when the temperatures are cool.

Then drove to Bishop. I wanted to see the Ancient Bristlecone Forest but the road up the mountain doesn't open until April.

Bishop is a town that has always intrigued me. It was featured in that 1970s movie The Other Side of the Mountain about the Olympic skier who is paralyzed during tryouts. God, I loved that movie! I think she was from Bishop, but the town was featured extensively in the movie with the snow-covered mountains in the background. I always thought I would want to live there. It's a nice town. The area is barren desert with scrubbrush...but the Sierra Nevadas are gorgeous! It kind of reminds me of Alaska how the mountains look like they are straight up from the valleys.

I camped at the Volcanic Tabletop. It's 66 degrees, sunny, with a little wind. Here is my view:

The wind picked up during the night and I awoke to 31 degrees. BRRRRR!! I planned to drive to Bodie State Park which is the coolest ghost town! I've always wanted to see it and it was only two hours away. I knew it was cold there now, but I didn't realize until this morning the main road was closed. An alternate route was open. I kept thinking once I get out of the Sierras, it might be cold, but warmer.

I started out of Bishop and...snow on the side of the road. The temperature plummeted to 27 degrees! I plugged in the directions and Google Maps told me even roads beyond Bodie are closed due to seasonal issues. Oh, jeez! I should have known March is just too early to attempt this. I searched the country for temperatures and decided to head south to Barstow for 75 degrees! I then headed east for Arizona on that long boring I-40 drive. 

I've vowed this year I would not do any marathon driving days, but I just need out of California. I refused to get gas (price went up the further south I drove back to $5.29 and higher!) in California so I just kept going until I was too tired. I went back to that spectacular BLM camp north of Chloride where it's in the low 70s and I woke up to 50 degrees. It's a full moon! The desert view the next morning: