North Cascade National Park

My trip to Baja and points in between was coming to an end as I slowly worked my way back to Tacoma.  The trip down to Baja had been a good one but I needed to get back to the real world.  I always have mixed emotions when returning from a trip.  I dread coming back to a city with its traffic,  surplus people, and hectic pace but force myself to accept it in order to see loved ones again.  Saving grace is that.... "next trip".  It's certainly not for everyone but the simple life of living on the road suits me.  Pairing down to the essentials one needs, living simply,  solitude when needed, no set schedule, not knowing what new acquaintances will be made or adventures await, all major attractions to being on the road. As each year passes and the number of days spent roaming about increases it becomes clearer to me that time and simplicity trump the alternative. After a few short weeks back in the city the opportunity presented itself to spend a couple of nights in the North Cascade National Park. As fate would have it, two nights turned stretched into five.  This would be my first trip to the park but it certainly won't be my last.  Scenery and hiking are mainstays and easily found here. Petey and I roamed about for a couple of days in the park proper and then exited on the east side to check out the Methow Valley which is home to the towns of Mazama and Winthrop, Washington. We had planned a big loop to get home but after spending a few more days in the Methow Valley, we did a 180 and went back through the National Park.  It was that good.

Diablo Lake

With a heavy snowpack this year the runoff was strong in some of the smaller creeks. Water was cascading from many high points throughout the park.

A recent slide near the pass.

Tail end of the slide.

As it was early in the season most of the backroads and campgrounds were void of people.

 Home in the Methow Valley outside of Mazama.

Outside of Mazama and Winthrop are countless Forest Service Roads where one can free camp and explore. Still early in the season many of these roads had not been cleared of fallen timber and snow was still prevalent in the high country.  We'd explore till stymied by snow or fallen trees before heading off down another road. We tried to piece together backroads from Winthrop to Concully but were turned back due to heavy snow. Camping in here Petey and I had it all to ourselves.

 We hiked in down this road to see if we could get through but it wasn't worth the try.  Truck was about a half mile back but you could see where someone had tried to come in from the other side. To get here we had to do a little tow strap work to remove some downed trees.  Moving one or two isn't too bad but sometimes you'll move one just to find more just around the next corner. Turns into work real fast.

 East of Winthrop looking back towards the North Cascade Range. Talking with a ranger after camping in here he asked if I'd heard any wolves howling at night.  I hadn't and didn't realize there were wolves in the area.  Also, there has been some grizzly sightings in the park which is a rarity in this area.  Apparently a few have migrated down out of Canada. Always give the woods a little "added flavor" when there is the possibility of a grizzly roaming about.

Old abandoned cabin west of Twisp. We hiked in here but with a little road clearing, you could get to this.  Great spot to camp.

They've had some recent fires in this area and the contrast between the valleys that had recovered and the heavily wooded burnt areas were evident.

Headed south to attend the Overland West Expo in about another week.  Not sure of the route (I never am until I get on it) to get there just yet but will post something up afterwards.........

Joshua Tree - Death Valley

Now that I was back across the border & retrieved my buried goods I opted to return to some old haunts I'd been to many times in the past. Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks.  Although I've been to both parks several times over the years, they seem to keep drawing me back. A friend of mine had emailed me while still in Baja that Death Valley was scheduled to have a super bloom this year.  Each year the valley floor has a spring bloom but when conditions are right every so often a "super bloom" occurs.  Supposedly this was one of those years so I couldn't miss that. Both parks have remote areas, great camping, photo opportunities, history and plenty of hiking.   I layed up in Quartzsite a couple of nights and then pushed on to Joshua Tree only to find the park overrun with......people.  The spring weather had arrived and with it the hoards of campers.  In Joshua Tree camping outside of the campgrounds is not permitted and I could not find an empty campsite.  There are several campgrounds throughout the park and not one empty spot!  It was just as well as I'm not a fan of packed campgrounds.  If you time your visit right there are some great campgrounds if they aren't full and worth the cost involved.  I'd say that Joshua Tree has some of the best-established campgrounds of any of our National Parks. However, my timing was way off.  Luckily I knew of a mining road (Old Dale Road) from a previous visit that starts in the park but exits about 10 miles later to the north.  It's an old mining district with lots of old shafts and related equipment. Once crossing the park boundary the road turns into some bonafide four wheeling terrain and camping is permitted anywhere as there are thousands of open acres.  You could probably get away with some stealth camping in the park if you were to choose the right spot but seeing as how crowded the park was I figured the rangers would be out in full force.  Chances of being spotted were probably high so I followed the rules and went in search of some remote camping.  It was worth the ten miles of dusty, beat up road to have the desert all to myself that evening.  Following morning, I retraced my route back down the old mining road to re-enter the park where I spent the day hiking and just roaming around. 

 Old mining stuff.

Old shafts you can explore but they're really dangerous and I wouldn't recommend going in to far.

 Abandoned in the desert.

 View from a hike near an established campground in the park.

 Old mining equipment.

 Joshua Tree is a major area for climbers with many routes throughout the park.  I shot this picture while sitting at a picnic table at one of the campsites.

Lots of hiking, unique rock formations and arches.

Friend at camp that evening.

I spent one more night in Joshua Tree and then headed to what I consider one of my favorite National Parks....Death Valley. There are others that stand out...Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grant Teton, Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai, and Denali but the scale and remote areas one can get to by vehicle is unsurpassed in Death Valley. All of these parks get crowded depending on the season but in Death Valley with a four wheel drive vehicle, it's possible to escape.  Plus, remote camping is permitted in most areas.  That "area" is large as Death Valley is our fifth largest national park. Backpacking in the others mentioned will do the trick but in Death Valley...it's possible via vehicle or foot. 

Super bloom was occurring across the valley floor.

Camp along road leading into Stripe Butte Valley.

If one knows where to look and doesn't mind a little hiking, some "au naturel" soaking can be found even in the dry parched desert.

 Talc mines.

 Badwater Basin (282 ft. below sea level)  Lowest point in the United States.

Another unique thing about Death Valley is the remote cabins spread throughout the park.  The park left the old mining and prospector cabins once they were incorporated into the park boundaries.  Over the years, various groups have taken it upon themselves to maintain the cabins.  They are open to all, free of charge, on a first come basis.  Everyone who uses them is on the honor system to leave them better than they found them.  Past visitors even leave canned goods, candles, and various items for use if needed. Some of them have fallen into disrepair and the danger of Hantavirus due to rodent droppings is a factor, but most are usable.  I've stayed in a few different ones over the years but my favorite is the Old Geologist's Cabin in Stripe Butte Valley.  It's remote, requires a few hours of off-road driving to get to and has a spectacular view over looking the valley. One can hike for miles, climb nearby peaks and explore until your heart's content here.  Petey and I got lucky this time through and found it unoccupied.  We set up camp and stayed three nights.

By flying the flag it notifies others coming up the valley that the cabin is occupied.  I saw two other vehicles in the three days I was in here. 

Interior of cabin.  Fresh spring on the hillside out front so easy access to good water while here.

Petey spent his evenings watching wild burros and rabbits while I read, enjoyed the view and solitude.

I climbed the Butte one afternoon.  An easy climb coming in from the left and a walk up to the top.

Placard on the steps.  Was spotless when I got here and was the same when I departed.  Even left a few cans of soup and sardines as some form of payment. Almost feel guilty staying here and not contributing something. Better spot to spend the night than any five star resort!

Final Post for Baja

There was one other area that I had been looking at on the map that I thought I'd check out before really putting the gas down to get back to the border.  The town of Guerrero Negro doesn't really offer much other than a spot to gas up and re-supply but I had been told of an old abandoned lighthouse which sounded interesting.  It's located at Puerto V. Caranza at the end of a spit which protrudes out in Laguna Gerrero Negro.  Since I was arriving in Guerrero late afternoon I decided to make the drive out and spend the night.  Pretty interesting place as it appears to be an old fish processing plant as well as the old lighthouse.  I even discovered some old graves that were in a strange place down between some decaying cement structures.  I'm assuming they placed the graves here since it was in the middle of the spit and the probability of flooding the graves was less. Pure speculation on my part but it was all I could come up with. Nothing that would indicate a cemetery, just some old grave sites randomly placed.  Looking across the laguna here you see miles and miles of some of the most beautiful sand dunes I've seen anywhere.  They are located on Isla Arena and it is inaccessible by vehicle, according to the maps.   If coming back here I think I'd see about trying to hire a boat to make the short crossing and spend some time exploring the dunes.  Looking at the shoreline with binoculars it appears there is absolutely nothing out there other than the pristine dunes.

What appears to be old grave sites down between the structures.

Old fish processing station.

 Another view of the structures and lighthouse.

Lots of birdlife out on the spit.

Following morning, it was back through some military checkpoints and then north to the border with a mandatory stop at Coco's Corner. Speaking of military checkpoints, a friend of mine gave me a video that someone he knew had put together.  Thought I'd post it up here as it's pretty funny.  Checkpoints down here are fairly straight forward.  As long as you aren't hauling anything illegal and don't act like an idiot, it's just a matter of allowing them to look around & ask a few questions before they send you on your way. I even kinda enjoy them as most of the time the guys are pretty bored and it's fun interacting with them. They always seem to be more interested in Petey than anything else I've got. Click on the link below to view.

Military Checkpoint

Coco's Corner is about to change over the next few years.  Currently, from south of Gonzaga Bay to Chapala is a rough dirt road.  Coco's Corner sits about half way on this 30-mile route and has been a local landmark for many years with historical ties to the Baja 1000. Coco himself is a legend amongst racers, bikers and visitors to the Baja peninsula. A unique stop with a unique proprietor on this dusty, rough ass dirt road it has been visited by countless travelers over the years.  I fear this is all about to change as the new highway is under construction with the new route bypassing Coco's place. I was surprised at the amount of work that had been completed on it just in the past year since I'd been down.  Coco, who is in his 80's, told me that he doesn't want to live long enough to see the highway completed. There won't be another character like Coco once he's gone. It just won't be the same accessing Coco's Corner via a major highway.  Although change is slow in coming in Baja, it is inevitable. 

Clip from YouTube of Coco.  

A picture of Coco from last years trip.

After visiting Coco, I ended up bumping along the preferred "dirt road" before breaking out on the pavement near Gonzaga Bay where I camped for the night.  Following day, I made the crossing back over into the states at Mexicali. From there it was one more night of camping out in the desert on the US side where I needed to retrieve my buried pistol. I travel with a pistol while in the states (no...I'm not an armed nut job) and of course didn't take it into Mexico as that will land you in big trouble, real quick. I simply wrap the pistol in an oiled cloth, double bag it in gallon zip lock bags, mark the spot with GPS coordinates and bury it.  Thousands of desert acres to choose from so it's not a problem finding a remote site. Gun shops in the area want to charge you for storing it and since it's not some expensive piece, I just go the cheaper route and bury it. Plus I can retrieve it whenever I cross back over and not have to wait on someone to be open. As long as no one sees you digging your hole it should be there when you get back.  

 Final Baja moon as viewed from camp at Gonzaga Bay.  Was a great ten weeks in Baja and as I watched this moon come up over the hills I could only hope I'd be back one day.

Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks next.....