Sequoia's in June
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From: Marina del Rey
Sequoia's in June
Earlier this month, just at the end of the last storm, I did a solo 8-day camping road trip in the Sequoia's, about 1300 miles of nearly all 2-lane blacktop, plus some dirt roads (1 night in a motel, 7 nights in a bivy sack [photo]).
Leaving Venice Saturday morning, a ride up the coast, through Malibu let me hookup w/ a friend for a late breakfast near Agoura. Sticking to mostly secondary roads my Harley carried me via the back way through Ojai, then on to Maricopa, where I stopped only for fuel, experiencing light rain on and off through the low mountains. Passing through Arvin, I was unable to hookup w/ a friend in Tehachapi, so continued north, through Edison, to the far side of Lake Isabella, where I found a motel for the night.
Over the next 7 days I toured the twisty back roads (often dirt, and in bad shape, due to the spring flood), cadging campsites and showering every other day. Most days two meals were eaten in small eating joints from River Kern to Wofford Heights, which area generally and informally became my base camp, supplying me w/ everything I needed to replenish, including fuel. An excellent jumping-off point for the southern Sequoia's. Laundry was done once, mid-week. Campsite meals were take-out leftovers, power bars and fruit/nut blends, plus a freeze-dried REI meal, which was good enough to buy again (I'll locate the brand, if anyone is interested).
The limiting factor for these camping excursions is carrying enough drinking water. I carry (2) heavy duty 1-liter Nalgene water bottles, in one saddlebag, plus a normal Sparklets 1 to drink from, in a cozy behind my w/s.
MJR (Mick) indirectly inspired my choice of sleeping arrangement, for this trip, a weather/mosquito-proof bivy sack containing sleeping bag and blow-up air mattress. The whole thing rolls up to about 9" X 22". This is quite a nice upgrade from my last 1-week trip w/ just the sleeping bag on the ground. First night camping presented light rain on and off throughout the night, which got down to below 40 degrees at the 6,000-foot elevation at which I camped. So I got a chance to really test the bivy (a Big Agnes 3-Wire). My old synthetic Kelty bag has lost much of its' +20 degree rating, so I had to wear my watch cap, fleece top and bottom pullovers, and was still a bit chill.
Attached photos depict the varied terrain (3,000-7,000 feet) and a sample of some campsites I had. If you want to explore this area, pick up a copy of the U.S. Forestry Service map ($10, and worth it); this one has all the trails and creeks, and is a must-have.
Photos from an old 35mm manual focus Minolta rangefinder film camera.
All comments welcome.
Leaving Venice Saturday morning, a ride up the coast, through Malibu let me hookup w/ a friend for a late breakfast near Agoura. Sticking to mostly secondary roads my Harley carried me via the back way through Ojai, then on to Maricopa, where I stopped only for fuel, experiencing light rain on and off through the low mountains. Passing through Arvin, I was unable to hookup w/ a friend in Tehachapi, so continued north, through Edison, to the far side of Lake Isabella, where I found a motel for the night.
Over the next 7 days I toured the twisty back roads (often dirt, and in bad shape, due to the spring flood), cadging campsites and showering every other day. Most days two meals were eaten in small eating joints from River Kern to Wofford Heights, which area generally and informally became my base camp, supplying me w/ everything I needed to replenish, including fuel. An excellent jumping-off point for the southern Sequoia's. Laundry was done once, mid-week. Campsite meals were take-out leftovers, power bars and fruit/nut blends, plus a freeze-dried REI meal, which was good enough to buy again (I'll locate the brand, if anyone is interested).
The limiting factor for these camping excursions is carrying enough drinking water. I carry (2) heavy duty 1-liter Nalgene water bottles, in one saddlebag, plus a normal Sparklets 1 to drink from, in a cozy behind my w/s.
MJR (Mick) indirectly inspired my choice of sleeping arrangement, for this trip, a weather/mosquito-proof bivy sack containing sleeping bag and blow-up air mattress. The whole thing rolls up to about 9" X 22". This is quite a nice upgrade from my last 1-week trip w/ just the sleeping bag on the ground. First night camping presented light rain on and off throughout the night, which got down to below 40 degrees at the 6,000-foot elevation at which I camped. So I got a chance to really test the bivy (a Big Agnes 3-Wire). My old synthetic Kelty bag has lost much of its' +20 degree rating, so I had to wear my watch cap, fleece top and bottom pullovers, and was still a bit chill.
Attached photos depict the varied terrain (3,000-7,000 feet) and a sample of some campsites I had. If you want to explore this area, pick up a copy of the U.S. Forestry Service map ($10, and worth it); this one has all the trails and creeks, and is a must-have.
Photos from an old 35mm manual focus Minolta rangefinder film camera.
All comments welcome.
Last edited by lo-rider; Jun 24, 2011 at 11:20 PM.
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