Week 17: Goin' Back to Cali

Week 17 | August 24 - 30

Previously on Aaron’s vagabond adventure…

My photographer friend Shelby is visiting from Philly. I picked her up last week in Portland and we’ve been making our way down the Oregon coast. 

Now we’re turning inland and heading to Crater Lake National Park. 

Sunday August 24. Day 112

Hazy Daze

Crater Lake NP

Last night Shelby got one of the more unique Vanlife experiences; pulling over at some opportunistic spot and parking for the night. As far as random pullouts go, this one was pretty nice. It was off the main road and somewhat secluded. 

In the morning I noticed a thicket of Marion berries and picked a bunch!

Then we continued on to our reserved campsite at a KoA near Crater Lake. We checked in and then promptly headed out for the park. Stopping along the way for pizza - Hawaiian, btw. 

The Park is basically one giant loop around the rim of the dormant volcano. Unfortunately part of the road is closed, so instead of being an ‘O’, it’s more of a ‘C’. Since we can’t drive the loop all the way around, we picked one direction to drive today and the other side to drive tomorrow.

At sunset we met a guy there with his niece also hoping to do night skies photos. In typical Aaron fashion I said hi and we all chatted for a while, waiting to see if the clouds would clear up. We finally ‘called it’ when the clouds hadn’t budged and the mosquitos were having a feast of us. 

On the drive back to camp we noticed a sinister red glow in the sky from a recently started fire. 

At the campsite Shelby got the final Vanlife camping experience, “Full hookups.”

With that she got the full trifecta; Primitive campsite, roadside parking, and full hookups. 

Daily Listen: Talking Heads essentials. 

Driving through the park in the dark: ‘Road to Nowhere’

Good: A cloudy sky isn’t great for astrophotography, but is great for majestic sunsets, which we got tonight! 

Bad: We stayed at Crater Lake until 10:30 hoping the clouds would clear, but they didn’t budge and we didn’t get any night photos. 

Unexpected: Picking a big bowl of Marion berries (a variant of blackberries native to Oregon) next to where we parked overnight.

Monday August 25. Day 113

Leap of Faith 

Crater Lake NP

Taking advantage of the power hookup at the campsite I made breakfast; scrambled eggs with salsa mixed in. I haven't tried this before and it came out really well (there was a risk the salsa would make the eggs too wet).

Then it was back to Crater Lake! The plan was to hike down to the water. This is the only trail to the water and it’s going to close next year for repairs/redesign. The timing was great to be able to do this before the trail is closed for a few years!

It was a trudge down to the water, the trail was only a mile long, but steep!

At the lake there was a spot where people were jumping off a cliffside into the cold glacial water. I decided this looked fun and took my turn jumping! Shelby was down at the water and photographed my flight!

The water was cold, but invigorating.

I sunned on the rocks for a little while drying off, then we hiked back up. It was a challenging mile up, and we were taking regular breaks to catch our breath.

Through the day we explored most of the park, revisiting some spots from yesterday. We stopped a lot to take pics, and then hung out for a colorful sunset accentuated by the smoke from the nearby fire we’d spotted last night.

A young woman through-hiking the Pacific Coast Trail came by. We chatted a bit and I offered her some snacks (as people had done for me when I was on my cross country bike trip.) I also gave her the rest of the Marion berries I’d picked the day before - fresh fruit is a treat. She said I’m a “trail angel”, a term for people who do nice things for backpackers.

The sunset this night was beyond spectacular. Everywhere I looked took my breath away.

I shot in something called 'bracket', which takes 5 pictures at different exposures. Then I can merge them into something called HDR - High Dynamic Range - in Lightroom. This helps when shooting something with a wide range of light, like a sunset! The drawback is I have to process every single photo, and it's time intensive. Editing the pics for this night took way too long. But, it was totally worth it. These are some of my favorite pics on the whole trip!

On the drive back to camp the sky was glowing a deep and unsettling red from the forest fire. With very limited cell signal, Shelby looked up info on the fire - location, % contained, wind direction. Everything seemed ok, but we don't really have any context for what is 'ok' in this situation!

Good: It was a perfect day in the park! 

Bad: Fire in the distance lit up the sky with a red glow. The fire was only 24 miles north* and 0% contained. I slept lightly and was on edge all night in case we had to evacuate. Before going to bed I’d packed up most of the RV stuff so I could get out quickly. However, I only had a quarter tank of gas!

Unexpected: Jumped, twice!

* Found out a few days later that the fire was actually about 10 miles away!! 

I’m unhappy with KOA for not doing anything or warning campers. The only acknowledgment from them at all was a text message the next day telling campers not to use the campsite water to rinse the ash off our RVs.

Photo credit: All pics of me were taken by Shelby

Tuesday August 26. Day 114 

This place smells like ash

Crater Lake National Park

Woke up to a layer of ash covering everything.

We got up early to catch sunrise at Crater Lake and it was totally worth it.

This is Shelby’s last day here and I’m dropping her off at the airport at 1p. Until then, she’s wringing every drop of vacation out of the visit! After sunrise we went to 2 waterfalls, one of them included a short hike, and all of it was a nice way to wrap up this visit. And in true Shelby fashion she actually researched the best laundromat for me to stop at on my way out of town. Shelby, I appreciate you and enjoyed your company, thanks for visiting! 

After a fond farewell I stopped by a coffee shop for a cuppa and uploaded a blog post. Then swung by Costco for a few supplies, a cheap lunch and cheap gas.

Then on to my next stop in California; Lassen Volcanic National Park!

Normally, I’ve been trying to stay off of highways, but this evening I opted for the more direct route on I-5. I figured I’m more likely to find an acceptable overnight rest area off of the interstate. I did. It was noisy but no one was going to harass me here.

As I was driving down I-5 in the evening Mount Shasta loomed large in front of me on the highway. It was cool sight, this lone mountain rising up out of the urban landscape, as if unperturbed by all these silly humans scurrying around in its shadow. 

Good: A surprisingly productive day! Sunrise, waterfall hikes, blog, groceries, laundry, and then still drove most of the way to my next stop! 

Bad: At the laundromat I almost lost a brand new shirt I hadn’t even worn yet! Left it in the washing machine then someone used that machine after me! They were friendly when I explained what happened and dug out my wayward shirt when their wash cycle finished.

Unexpected: Someone in Costco saw my Norristown Run Club shirt and stopped to tell me he grew up there!

I love the silhouette pic with the starburst, thank you Shelby!  

Wednesday August 27. Day 115

I’m Goin’ Back to Cali

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Because my timeframe for visiting Yosemite moved up I had to adjust my plans between Crater Lake and Yosemite. Originally I was going to visit Redwoods NP and drive down the PCH but had to scratch that from the itinerary. Fortunately Lassen Volcanic was along the way and an opportunity to check out one of the lesser known and lesser visited California parks. 

It was a short drive there in the morning, a good portion of it was along a narrow road through the forrest flanked by huge pine trees on either side. Inside the park I drove the scenic road to Mt. Lassen.

I visited ‘Bumpass Hell’, which is like a mini Yellowstone with a bunch of thermal vents and toxic mud pools. Then hung out at an overlook for sunset, moonset, and then to shoot the night skies. There was a family also hanging out to see the stars. I invited them over to see the milky way through the camera and talked to them a bit about the night sky.

After I got the photos I wanted, I opted to just stay parked there for the night. With the same anxiety about being told to leave in the middle of the night, and the same outcome where nobody bothered me.

So far I’m doing pretty well hanging out in the parks. It’s a shame though that it’s likely due to budget cuts and fewer rangers. 

Daily Listen: “Landscape from Memory” by Rival Consoles 

Good: A billion stars sparkle overhead, in the empty quiet of night it feels like I have the whole world to myself. 

Bad: $5 gas.

Unexpected: Got a shower at the park campground for $5. Clean, hot, comfortable. A bargain. 

Summary: $5 shower is good, $5 gas is not good. 

And that’s the last I’ll mention about expensive gas. I’m in California, let’s just assume being unhappy about fuel prices is a given and I’ll move on.

ps, The first pic below of the road through the forest, I'm really happy with how that one came out!  

Thursday August 28. Day 116

Modern Rock

Lassen Volcanic NP

Woke up in the park and had coffee with a scenic view.

Took my time getting going and getting together everything I needed for a challenging hike: lots of water and snacks, sunscreen, and a long sleeve hiking shirt (that I just bought at Costco!) for the summit where I knew it would be chilly.

I do regret not bringing one of the film cameras. The 35mm with B&W film would have been perfect. Missed opportunity.

Around 10a I set out to hiked to summit of Mt Lassen, 10,500’. About 3 miles up and 2000' elevation gain.

The hike was stunning, the day was perfect, and I felt strong the whole way.

At the top I got to explore the crater/caldera of a dormant volcano. Fun scientific fact; Lassen Volcano erupted in 1915 and spewed volcanic rock and lava. The rocks that formed are the youngest rocks in North America. We usually think of rock as being ancient, but this granite is only 100 years old!

At the top of the peak I ran into the family I chatted with while stargazing. The woman told me that chatting last night and the cool info I shared about the stars and the Milky Way was a real highlight for her!

I told her that I enjoyed sharing, and that interactions like that are a way to spread kindness.

On the way out of the park I went by the campground again and got another hot shower. Felt good to wash off the sweat, dust, and sunscreen from the hike. I also stopped into the camp store and bought a shirt. The brand "Jack Spade" makes shirts with custom patterns for all the parks. I've been eyeing them up for months now but for various reasons haven't bought one. I finally got one at Lassen. It has stars, the volcano, pine trees and the moon - all things I got to experience in the park!

On the drive out I'm feeling the 'runner's high' from a good hike, a hot shower, a cold Gatorade, a beautiful drive, and chill music. Today is the epitome of living the dream.

Then I drove to Reno, NV and parked overnight at Cracker Barrel. Can’t win it all. 

Good: Had a fun hike and felt strong the whole way. No issues with elevation and even better, no cough! 

Bad: Got two spam calls while hiking! 

Unexpected: I can’t recall if I’ve ever hiked to a mountain summit before! this might be a first. 

Friday, August 29. Day 117

Reno is a beautiful place to leave

Reno to Yosemite NP

Today was an odyssey. A long, epic drive through California mountains and forest, culminating in my arrival at Yosemite.

I wrote a whole blog post just about this drive. You can read it here.

https://www.aaronschantz.com/blog/reno/

Short recap;

The highways out of Reno are flanked by beautiful mountains.

Ebbet's Pass is a 1 lane (but two way) road winding 60 miles through the mountains.

Yosemite valley is beautiful.

I am thrilled to finally arrive in Yosemite. I'll be staying here for the week.

Good: Lots of spectacular scenery to appreciate on the drive. 

Bad: A ford f150 flying around the corner on a treacherous mountain road. 

Unexpected: The length and intensity of a day spent ‘just driving.’

Saturday, August 30. Day 118

America's Best Idea

Yosemite National Park 

I’m visiting my friend Kyle and his wife, they work and live in Yosemite NP. A couple years ago Kyle said if I ever want to come visit, let him know! So I did!

Coming to Yosemite and getting to stay in the park with them was one of the anchor destinations on my trip. 

They're not set up for company, but fortunately I brought my house with me! I’m parked out in front of their house and have an open invitation to come in. 

After the long day yesterday I slept in a bit this morning. Went into the house and Kyle made me a tasty latte on a fancy machine. He offered to show me around ‘The Valley’ (this part of Yosemite.) Borrowing his wife’s e-bike we tooled around for several hours. He shared some history and trivia about the place. His reverence and love for the park is palpable.

Later in the afternoon I found a quiet spot in a hotel/lodge nearby to finish writing a grant proposal for Fujifilm. They have an annual open call for a group of photography grants, and the deadline was Sunday. I haven’t had free time or internet access to get it done. This was down to the wire.

I’m sure there are a LOT of great proposals submitted and I’m not getting my hopes up. Still, I think I had a solid pitch and feel comfortable enough with my skills to even try to enter. That alone feels like a big step.

In the evening they invited me in for dinner and we hung out. 

After dinner Kyle and I went out to shoot the night sky. We’d scoped out a couple locations on our bike ride and came back to a spot along a dried riverbed. We shot for a couple hours and I think we both got some stuff we’re happy with. Additionally, for a very long time I’ve wanted to try and photograph the night sky with my medium format camera! After several missed opportunities on this trip already, I finally loaded it up with CineStill 800T film and shot a roll! It’ll be several weeks before I’ll know if anything came out, but even if it doesn’t I’m glad I tried!

Then I bid them goodnight and retired to my van.

The bed in the van is legit comfortable, and all my stuff is here. It actually works out nicely to sleep here, and this way I don’t feel like an imposition. 

Good: Ice cream sandwiches from a local creamery sold in a camp store for only $2! 

Bad: I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo of the bear. 

Unexpected: Bicycle! It’s been far too long since I’ve ridden. It was nice to get back on, even if it’s a wobbly unfamiliar beach cruiser.

Peering into the future! This is a taste of things to come;

I spend the next week in Yosemite, taking my time with the visit and even filling out a job application!

After Yosemite I head to Santa Cruz for a while and visit with some old friends.

Heading out of California I visit the Saltan Sea and Joshua Tree NP before heading to Tucson, AZ.