An Overnight at Jackson Island With Goats

 

We have been meaning to go to Jackson Lake Island for several months. It's only a half-hour north of us in Millbrook, AL. We finally made it. We had perfect spring weather and lots of goats. Goats, especially kid goats was the attraction for us.

They have some unappealing hookup sites that are occupied by long-termers. We found a place on a bluff with no one around, but goats. There are quite a few baby goats and one was born the day before.

The island is privately owned and has the set from the 2003 “Big Fish” movie in fairly good dilapidated shape. The movie gets an 8 from imdb, we will have to watch it.

We had a wonderful Happy Hour sitting in a beautiful setting of trees with Spanish moss hanging down overlooking the water. It was so nice that a whole bottle of wine got consumed :)  

In the morning we saw the goats walking to our site.  There is a gully by us that goes down to the lake where the goats like to play. I decided that maybe I could get one to come to me if I fed it, so took out some bread. At first, they were skittish but when they realized there was food, I was surrounded. Two even put their front paws on me. You can tell they are tame because they very gently took the bread from my hand. One did lightly nip me when she decided she needed to be fed more.  The $20 was the best entertainment money around and a fantastic place to camp in the Spring or Fall.

To watch a clip humping the place, click below

Visit the Abandoned ‘Big Fish’ Movie Set of Spectre in Alabama

The goats

Our spot

The 2018 Voyage - So Far

To start with:
In Babylon, during the eleven-day New Year's festival, each spring a priest severed the head of a ram, smeared blood on the temple walls, and threw the carcass into the river so the “scapegoat” could carry away the year’s sins. Now you know.

Part of our excitement in crossing the country was witnessing Skunk love season in North Texas. We saw a roadkill about every 5 miles for two days. Real tough love.

86 octane Regular gas begins to disappear in West Texas. Regular here is 85 octane which usually has 15% corn squeezings which makes KoKo quite ill. So we have to pay for 87/88 octane mid-grade and that's an extra two-bits a gallon. It's always great when the government makes rules that cost people more money for no benefit.

Dead Machinery
The water pump I replaced just before leaving started leaking. So I replaced it with the new spare water pump I ordered. Now I need another spare.

The next day the hot water heater would not ignite. The gas was not being turned on. But it came back to life in a few hours and has not given any more problems. We are haunted.

My CPAP died three days after we left home. Just two months out of warranty. Now I've got to deal with getting a new one. Should be fun. You can not just buy one, you need a script. That keeps the prices at maximum. Plus the supplier is stocked out for a week.

The trip so far
Friday, March 2 - We had lunch at Ezill's Catfish Cabin. I read it was really special. We could only give it a B. Our usual first night stop was at Rosevelt SP half-way between Meridian and Jackson,

Saturday, March 3 - A city park in Quitman, TX. We think this was the first time we have crossed Louisiana with overnighting. Moving fast for us.

Sunday, March 4 - Rest area in St. Joe, TX

Monday, March 5 - Travel Center in Amarillo, TX. 27 degrees

Tuesday, March 6 - Our usual RV park in Albuquerque, NM. 27 degrees again

Wednesday, March 7 - Homolovi SP in Winslow, AZ.  Warmer!

A lunch stop in The Petrified Forest. We traded stories with a ranger. We liked his story about the guy who asked if he was there when it was a forest. Yes, they are among us.

Not my picture, a fellow named Andrew V. Kerns took it.

Thursday, March 8 - Damn fine RV park in Kingman, AZ. Delightful weather - warm and sunny. We had never driven US93 from Kingman to Boulder City. Quite dramatic views as you descend to the Colorado River. It looks like the several valleys around Death Valley, only better.

Friday, March 9 - We reached our destination in the boonies of southern Nevada.  More delightful weather - warm and sunny. The 20-mile road in is heavily patched asphalt with potholes. Good speed is about 20mpg.

Saturday, March 10 - The weather report was for partly cloudy. It was completely overcast all day. Light rain late in the day. We explored a bit but did not try to get to our destination since the clouds made everything gray. We have the parking area to ourselves after the rude folks left who feigned great indigence because we parked with them. 

Sunday, March 11 - Mostly sunny with no haze. Off in the Jeep to see strange rock formations. It took about an hour to get there down one dry wash after another. We did not see a soul all the way until we parked, then another guy appeared. A glance at his gear and I knew he was not an amateur. He said he comes to this place quite often as it's not well known. He thought the overnight rain would fill the depressions in the rocks, making for some interesting compositions. But, there was not enough water. He pointed out some interesting places for us and we left him to his work. I had great difficulty with the light. I needed a drone facing the cliffs, between the sun and rocks. I managed to get a few decent ones, but nothing dramatic. I did not risk staying until the golden hour as I did care to risk a wrong turn getting out in the dark. I had lat/log waypoints, but they were not accurate.

 Out our back window

 The gray clouds added some drama to this exposure

Someone has named this The Control Tower

Monday, March 12 - We tried for over an hour to match the description we had to a trail that leads to a slot canyon. No joy. We headed out and planned to stay at Snow Canyon SP in St. George. I had a mental image of a mostly empty campground. It was full. It's freaking spring break in Utah. We tried a dispersed place a few miles north, but it's now day use only. Back into St. George and paying $45 for an overlook of I15. Really no better choices. We needed water and a dump and we were tired. 

The slot we could not locate

Tuesday, March 13 - We left the city eastbound toward Zion. We parked on a low mesa with a decent view of the gates of Zion. Perfect weather today, but wind, rain, and cooler temps are forecast. We are out of the chaos of the masses and only 4 miles from water and dump, 6 miles from Walmart, and a little farther to Costco and the big box stores. 

We wanted to boondock here before but never did. I don't know why not. Some years back we got a site in Zion, which was OK. Now, it's reservations all year long. Private parks are over $50 and even the state park is $28. Everyone likes Zion. Our closest neighbor is over a hundred yards off to our right and there is no one in front or back of us. 

The reason we wanted to come here is to take an extended look and photograph a bit of the east side of the park. To me, it's the most interesting section. Yes, that means more pictures of red and white "rocks". While we can't do more than walk a bit from the roadway, that will be fine. So one morning when it's not overcast, we will leave here about 8, just after sunrise, (freaking DST), get to the east side and find one of the few pull outs to park. 

Wednesday, March 14 - Dark heavy clouds at daybreak. Wind forecast for the afternoon and evening, followed by light rain. Seems like a good day to veg, use some bandwidth at the library and do a few small projects. And just maybe they will ship my replacement CPAP.

Hopping Fast Through Oregon

Sunday, June 25
We have not blogged for two weeks. We have been busy - just no time to write. Conversation, food, margaritas, projects, the usual, just more intensive.

The weather was perfect when we got to Carson City. After a week, it was winter like for a day or two. One day, the high was only 50 with dark clouds. The mountains got more snow. Then the temps returned to perfect. Most days, as the valley heats up, the cooler air descends from the Sierra Nevada. Sometimes with gusts of 30mph.

We spent four days in one of our usual haunts in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Markleville.
We got to knock off three more passes across the mountains. Well, that not quite right, Ebbetts was closed due to road damage from the winter storms. But, we went as high as we could. Definitely not a road for an RV, only 1.5 lanes wide and unlined. Monitor Pass was not really worth the gas. I think it was only built to give access to Ebbetts. Carson Pass, you remember Kit, was totally different from Ebbetts. Great scenery and lots of boondocking places. There remains only one pass we have not driven.

Monitor Pass

Dorothy protesting the closure of Ebbett Pass

 

West Fork of The Carson River On The Way to Carson Pass

After the second session of perfect weather, it turned hot and the forecast was for more heat. We decided to make an escape north.

How hot was it? So hot the water from the cold tap was hotter than from the hot water side. It was one the rare times when we were hooked up to city water. I had filled the tank and did not want to have to re-do it, so I connected the 50-foot black hose to the city water inlet. It really confused me when the water from the cold tap was hot. How could that happen? The hot water showed to be 90 degrees. But, the sun heating the water in the black hose was much warmer.

After Carson City, we spent two nights in an out of the way place in NW Nevada. We saw an occasional vehicle on the way there. It was an unusual BLM campground with a hot spring pool. Showers too. And free.

85 Degree Hot Spring

When we arrived we were a little surprised to see several rigs parked. We were more surprised to learn that we were the only ones there that were not digging for opals. In the middle of a wildlife refuge, there is a mining district - opals only. People come from all over to dig here. We stopped by two of the mines to see what all the excitement was about. At one, you dig in the face of a cliff. Hard work. At the other mind, you get three cubic yards of dirt for only $600 to pick through. Maybe you get lucky. But, $600 is a lot to pay for some dirt that you can only be picked through for one day.

 One Of The Private Mine Sites

Several Owners And Some Not Inexpensive Equipment

We looked at the opals on display and we were not impressed. One, a little larger than a marble, was priced at $5,000. I have no idea what is was really worth, but I would not have paid more than $30 for it. Black opals from Australia might command such a price. Not these.

A Delightful Mountain Lake

What Was Behind Me When I Took The Picture Above - "Death Valley"

The heat caught up with us, so we headed north. We spent one night in Lakeview at a working ranch in the south end of Oregon and another night at the Madras Fairgrounds which is mid-state. Both 100 degree days. The map shows it’s hot all over the US.

Monday, June 26
We are a little disappointed that we missed going back to some favorite places in Oregon, but having no schedule and no reservations you get shut out sometimes. We missed the Cowboy Dinner Tree, Lake Paulina, and Crux Brewery - where the beer is OK and the sandwiches are divine.

So in only two days we made across Oregon and landed at a COE park on the Washington side of the Columbia River.

Mount Adams 70 Miles In The Distance

I wanted to tour the Hanford reactor, but it would mean getting there by 8 in the morning or waiting until Thursday. The latter would probably trap us in Richland for the holiday weekend. I think it’s best that we will escape into rural Washington for the holiday.

Carson City

First A Few more from the Alabama Hills

 Our Free Climbing neighbor

Convict Lake

 The Hot Springs Of The Owens River

 Where Hoards Of Mosquitoes Live On Owens River

Convict Lake

Carson City

Wednesday, May 31
The sky was fully overcast when we woke up and stayed that way until late afternoon. It was slightly cool, but it looked like winter. We went to the hot springs and found they were just as we left them in 2007.

The map showed wetlands between the springs and the White Mountains, so we continued east from the springs. The marsh area reminded me of similar places in the Cascades of Oregon. Just as I started taking pictures we were engulfed by a swarm of mosquito like bugs. We retreated to the Jeep, but when I opened the door hundreds of the suckers proceeded us inside. It took over an hour to coach all of them out. There was the scent of sulfur in the air from the springs, so perhaps these bugs were attracted to it.

We checked out the trail to a waterfall in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It’s only two miles from the trailhead or four miles round-turn. Over my capabilities. Still, I wanted to do it. I located a review of the trail and it made up my mind. The reviewer said it took him 90 minutes to get there and it’s uphill all the way. I knew I could not do 90 minutes starting at 8,700. And so it goes. I found a picture of the falls online and it was no big deal.

After lunch, we got bored and drove into Mammoth Springs and looked at the not so good looking homes. All are on small lots, so you can reach out your window and touch your neighbor's house. In the evening, we watched episodes from season two of Fargo and season one of Boardwalk Empire.

Thursday, June 1
Sun and blue skies today. Dorothy has altitude sickness and I am not feeling all that great myself. Time to get off the mountain. I pushed myself to put my kayak in the lake and I am glad I did. It’s a very photogenic lake. The water is clear as it’s totally fed from snow melt.

Friday, June 2
North on 395, unhooked, as we had two steep grades to pull and we are over 7,000 feet. [At this elevation our combined weight exceeds the chassis rating] KoKo seemed excited to be free of the Jeep and saw two CHP’s give her the eye when she passed them going a little over the speed limit.

We got down to Carson Valley and parked at our friend's house. I opened the box with the step I ordered and found it was not what I needed. I called Lazy Daze and they are going to send us one. But, it will not arrive until next week. So our stay here is going to be extended. We have lots of chores to catch up on, lots of restaurants and time to enjoy our friends.

Saturday, June 3
The pump kept running and we did not hear it for awhile over the road noise. That was yesterday. The pump was working fine this morning until I turned on the shower to rinse out the shampoo the second time. No water. I hooked up to city water and finished my bath. Before I could towel off, Dorothy tells me the stove will not light.

I figured no worries on the pump, as I carry a spare. I discovered the spare was not one I wanted to install. The real spare must be at home.

Sunday, June 4
I think I found the problem I have been having with the negative battery terminal being loose in the Jeep. Found the Jeep transmission fluid was down almost a quart. But there is no evidence of a leak. Aliens again. The good news keeps on coming.

Monday, June 5
Discovered I had the spare water pump all along. I hooked it up and all is well. Later our friend took the pump apart and found some gunk on the pressure switch, cleaned it and it works again. The pilot light in the oven now lights again. Gremlins.

Tuesday, June 6
Have no idea what I did.

Wednesday, June 7
Cooked spaghetti sauce. Devine! Washed the Jeep. Ran some errands, downloaded some TV shows.

Thursday, June 8
Got the step installed. It was made a lot easier with John’s help. Went to the rifle range and found I really can't hit much with my automatic anymore. Going to have a new front sight put on so I can see it. I do pretty well with the .45 cannon. We both had fun shooting the M and P 15-22. The local news came out to the range to do a piece on shooting in places that are safe from starting wildfires. We were on the local news. They have had three fires started this week from people shooting in the field. It's DRY here and always a breeze.

Friday-Sunday, June 9-11
What we have been doing is a blur.

Car shows, gun shops, great restaurants, chores, etc. We like Carson City.

 It took a long time to see and read all the things this guy did to his build.

We had the stove checked out. No problem found and it has been working normally since. We have gremlins.

Cool weather the last few days. Highs in the 60's, lows in the 40's. And a moderate to a strong breeze. 

Two Yellow Ford's - Take Your Pick

Return To The Valley Of Fire In Nevada

Tuesday, May 16

I had forgotten the splendor of east Zion. We drove through in the early morning and I wanted to stop and look, but that can not be done in MH. We continued on promising to return and stay at one of the private CG’s on that side of the park so we could enjoy the morning sun in that area. 

We perched on one the mesa’s east of Hurricane for the evening. We watched several showers on the features of Zion. Little moisture reached us. But, every few hours we heard a few drops on the roof.

Wednesday, May 17

We spent the morning shopping at Walmart, Costco and Harbor Freight in Washington.  We proceeded west a few miles and stopped at a delightful BLM CG in the Virgin River Gorge. I think it rivals the gorge the Colorado carved on I70. Many of the spots are pull through and the cost is $4.

Dorothy got this one while we were transiting Zion

 Roadside BLM Campground in Virgin River Gorge

Thursday, May 18

We decided on a whim to spend the weekend at the Valley Of Fire SP, which is near Los Vegas. We did not get OUR site, it was taken by a rental. In fact, most of the sites are taken by rentals as we are so close to Vegas.

I was planning to leave around 3 and find a place to photograph. However, around 2 the blue skies disappeared behind 100% gray clouds and a brisk wind. So we spent some of our free time removing some of the accumulated pink dust from both vehicles.

The big surprise is the temperature. At 4 pm, it’s 68.

Friday, May 19

Not a cloud in the sky. We got out at 7 for early light. We saw no one else, except for the rentals illegally parked on the roadside. We say ban rentals. Even better ban all foreigners from vacationing in the USA. Dorothy read that 85,000 Europeans enter the USA every day. That’s over 300 plane loads. OK, they can come, but we should charge a stiff entry fee. They dress funny. They clutter the place up. They pretty much ignore the rules and do as they please and feign ignorance when caught. 

Saturday, May 20

A month or so back, I thought we would have been to Lone Pine and headed north. The weather there was perfect. Then I got a wake-up call. Thanks, MJ! North of Bishop is 3,000 feet higher, around 8,000 feet. Which means it will always be colder. All of the western mountains got snow recently. Now it’s much warmer in Lone Pine and the northern Sierra Nevada is defrosting. Time to go. 

We lucked out with the cold front we have enjoyed the last week. It was not cold for us, it just made the lower elevations tolerable for this time of year. It’s over. High today is 87. Tomorrow is 93 -  more seasonable. Time for our exit. Tomorrow we will seek relief in the mountains west of Vegas. Then we will make our final drive to Lone Pine through Death Valley. We don’t care much for DV, but it’s the shortest route. I can’t recall if we have to summit two or three ranges before the final ascent to Lone Pine. There are more named ranges in Nevada than any other state. And a few of them extend into California.

We will “hole-up” in Lone Pine for the holiday weekend.

We closed out our stay here taking more photographs in the late afternoon. I concentrated on places I did not go two years ago.

 Valley Of Fire

  Valley Of Fire

  Valley Of Fire

  Valley Of Fire - All The Colors

  Valley Of Fire

 Valley Of Fire - Looks Like A Shrine

 A Mini Slot In Valley Of Fire - The Effect Is Called Alpenglow I Am Informed

Sunday, May 21

We stopped and did four loads of laundry while crossing North Las Vegas. Our destination was Mt. Charleston which is just west of the city. It’s Nevada’s highest. Many others in the city thought it was a great day to escape the heat and hike or picnic in the cooler mountains as the traffic up the grade was always backed up behind slow us. There are a dozen hiking trails in the area. They looked punishing to me, as they go about straight up. There is a lodge with a jammed packed parking lot and hundreds of homes, mostly new, in the million dollar price range. It seemed that about a third of them are for sale.

Monday, May 22

We made ourselves lazy, cleaned the windows and did not much else. When I sat down outside to read I noticed a puddle under the passenger rear wheel. I checked and found it was brake fluid. Nothing to do but go back to Las Vegas and get it repaired. 

Tuesday, May 23. We left the campground at 6:10 and got to the repair shop at 7:20. It was already rush hour traffic in LV. The caliper was leaking. I had them all replaced last year. So much for PM. They say it will be ready about noon. So we will go somewhere north this afternoon. Tune in next week to find out where. It will be in the high 90’s everywhere in the area.

Crossing Nevada

We start out with two pictures taken on our Mattole Road drive on The Lost Coast proving we saw nothing interesting there.

However, if you are interested in knowing more about what goes on The Lost Coast, you may find this article of interest.

We saw all the buildings pictured in the article and there is very little else there.


Friday - Saturday - September 2 - 10
We mooched-docked with friends MJ and John in Carson City for nine days. Eating, chatting, drinking margarita’s, watching movies, shopping, solving world problems and waiting for Amazon to deliver a part for the water heater. Got new tires for the Jeep. We got both vehicles cleaned for the first time in awhile. [But found a dirt road our first day eastbound] We drove the unpaved trail to Virginia City, the same route the Virginia-Truckee tourist train takes. Saved $88 and were so glad we did not take the train.

Met Terry and El for breakfast and caught up with them. First time we have seen them since the 2008 Baja trip.

 Foofoo in riding gear on a trike

MJ & Dorothy

 

Add John in the mix - fantastic Mex food - over 100 tequila's and mescal's

Sunday - September 11
Eastbound on I80 toward SLC. It will take 9+ hours the way we drive to cross Nevada. Most of Nevada, like much of the west, is tan to brown rock covered with dead tan weeds. We stopped after 3+ hours in Winnemuca at a BLM CG in the hills above the town. Rather scenic, when compared to the valley below. The town was engulfed in a dust storm, so staying there was not an option. There was no blowing dust where we were. Quite a few cars passed our place headed to Water Canyon. I almost unhooked to go and see what the deal was. But, decided whatever was there it was too crowded. Dorothy saw the Sheriff go there after 10. So we guess it is a place to party.

Sunrise at Water Canyon

Look closely and you can just make out OJ waving from his cell in the prison near Lockhart, Nevada. 

Monday - September 12
Eastbound on I80 toward SLC. Stopped near Elko in the Ruby Mountains in Lamoille Canyon. It’s the first WOW I have heard from Dorothy in a few weeks. It reminds me of a mix of Zion, Sinks Canyon and places in the Sierra Nevada. I love steep granite canyon walls.

We arrived in time for off and on overcast skies. Rain is forecast for tomorrow. We will see if it hits the ground. I suspect it might since we at 7,500. The end of the canyon road is at 8,747 and provides access to a wilderness area. 

Rain or shine, we will hang here for a few days and then move a little east to Angel Lake.

LAMOILLE CANYON IN THE CLOUDS

The mountains got their name when the Army was seeking new routes west in 1854. On a noon halt, a soldier was panning for gold and found rubies, red garnets. This nearly broke up the expedition. Time and rations were short and the Indians were hostile. So the range was named Ruby Mountains and the expedition hurried west.

Some people come here to see this bird.

The Himalayan Snowcock is the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia and imported to the Ruby Mountains. Deal is you have to hike straight up to view them. And since hunting season has started they are not disposed to be viewed.

The tidiest beaver dam we have ever seen

Tuesday - September 13
It started raining about 8 last night and continued until first light this morning. Periods of sun, overcast and mist punctuated the day.

A couple in a Mercedes sedan came in after dark last night. The wind and rain trashed their tent and they moved inside the car, where they remained until late in the day. They left all their new camping gear scattered on the ground and went somewhere else.

Wednesday - September 14
The forecast for today, as of 9AM, was partly cloudy with 20% chance of rain. At noon, we are waiting for the partly part of the forecast. We already got the rain part. Had a low of 34 last night. The heater ran a lot. We read, watched movies, surfed when the cell gods sent a signal and we walked a little.

The Mercedes couple did not return. They abandoned all of their new camping gear. A nice folding table, but it’s too heavy and too big for us. Dorothy picked up an unopened roll of aluminum foil, some coffee filters, a pot and a battery powered candle from the pile of stuff left on the ground. The tent, air mattress, piles of cooking gear, etc. we left for others.

Thursday - September 15
Sunlight! It was 32 when we woke up, but the furnace was doing it’s thing. As soon as the sun came over the mountain, we drove to the trailhead for some photographs. At 8,787 we managed a few hundred yards up the trail before our breathing became labored, but we got a few memento pictures of this gorgeous canyon.  Our hiking days are numbered at any elevation. Above 5,000, forget it.

Some flashes of yellow as the Aspen's begin to turn

Traces of snow from last night

We got away by 11 and stopped near the mouth of the canyon for a good internet connection and lunch. Our destination was only 36 miles “as the crow flies”, but Glenda said it would take 2 hours and she was right since the road went around the mountains, not over them.

Angel Creek is on the east side of the Rubies. We were expecting more of what we left. And so we were disappointed. The campground we chose is half way up the mountain. Angel Lake is about 9,000 feet, too high for us and would be too cold. We planned to paddle the yaks on the lake, but we were disappointed to find it a trivially small body of water. And it would be a LONG carry for the yaks.  
The drive up to the lake reminds me of the drive to Great Basin NP. Narrow road, no guard rails, a fall would be fatal. You have views of the playa below. Exactly like Great Basin. I guess that’s why the park is just south of here. Same terrain. But, if you have been to the park, no need to do this.

Friday - September 16
We normally only pay for one night at a new campground. Angel Lake seemed OK when we got there, so I paid for two nights. Mistake. By nightfall, we decided this was not the place for us, so we left money in the table. A whole $7.50. 

Exiting Nevada - Just Over The Line Into Utah

There are slim pickings for places to stay between here and SLC and we did not want to drive all the way to SLC. We opted to park on the edge of Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s BLM land so it’s free, the view is not bad, and it has four bars. 

Sometimes you are disappointed, sometimes you are enchanted, other times surprised. We were enchanted by Lamoille Canyon, disappointed by Angel Creek, we were surprised at Bonneville.

We made it across Nevada. Only took us five days. We are just over the border into Utah at Bonneville.

We drove down Bonneville Speedway Road just to see what was there. Turned out they were doing speed runs for a battery powered car. They expect it exceed 400mph. We were not impressed. The cars were over a 1/2 mile away and they look like they are going maybe 100 at that distance. I prefer something supercharged and makes a lot of noise. 

Last night's Moon

Tonight's Moon