California Road Trip 2019 - Manzanar National Historic Site

Sunday, September 29, 2019
Lone Pine, CA
Day Trip: Manzanar National Historic Site

One of the nice things about traveling without reservations is that if we decide we are enjoying our current location (or need to stay put due to adverse weather conditions further down the road), we can extend our stay. We were fortunate to be able to do just that since the temps at June Lake were still too cold (and with a possibility of snow). We looked forward to more downtime in Lone Pine, and we also wanted to visit Manzanar, so we reserved our site for two more nights.

Manzanar National Historic Site is a short (14 mile) drive up Hwy. 395 from our RV park in Lone Pine. We spent about three hours touring the Visitor Center and museum, driving the 3-mile self-guided tour around the camp, viewing the 20 minute film about about the camp, and exploring the various buildings (barracks, mess hall, etc.). The cemetery and monument were the most moving and I was glad it wasn't too busy with tourists so we could walk quietly, contemplating our country's past and present evils.

One Camp, Ten Thousand Lives; One Camp, Ten Thousand Stories

In 1942, the United States government ordered more than 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were incarcerated during World War II. (National Park Service)

 Sentry Post

Manzanar was arranged into 36 blocks. In most blocks, up to 300 people crowded into 14 barracks. Initially, each barracks had four rooms with eight people per room. Everyone ate in a mess hall, washed clothes in a public laundry room, and shared latrines and showers with little privacy. The ironing room and recreation hall offered spaces for classes, shops, and churches. Over time, people personalized their barracks and most blocks evolved into distinct communities. (National Park Foundation)

Catholic stonemason Ryozo Kado built this obelisk in 1943 with help from residents of Block 9 and the Young Buddhist Association. On the east face, Buddhist Reverend Shinjo Nagatomi inscribed kanji characters that mean "soul consoling tower." People attended religious services here during the war. Today the monument is a focal point of the annual pilgrimage, serving as a symbol of solace and hope. (National Park Foundation)

I highly recommend a visit to this national historic site. It was a very moving experience and I'm glad we took the time to see it.

California Road Trip 2019 - Lone Pine (Part III)

Saturday, September 28, 2019
Boulder Creek RV Resort
Site #16
Lone Pine, California
Duration: 3 nights
Cost: $40.50 per night (AAA rate)

I got up early in order to catch the sunrise over the mountains. It didn't disappoint! 

We enjoyed a slow morning, breaking camp sometime before lunch, and headed down the hill to the west end of town. We relocated all of 11 miles to a nearby RV park after learning of the day's forecast for strong wind gusts (predicted for 50 mph). We felt the park would give us a little protection from the wind, plus it gave us a chance to do some laundry.

The "resort" offers full hookups, level pad (sand), concrete patio with a picnic table, and a fire ring at each site. We had some shade, which was nice since it was fairly warm during the day. In addition to the laundry facilities, there is also a pool and hot tub, free showers, and a large store with all sorts of groceries and souvenirs. Cell service (Sprint and Verizon) was decent, as was the free Wi-Fi. We had a relaxing afternoon, going on a couple of walks, and catching up on email and social media.

Beautiful sunrise.

Our site at the end of the row.

Tomorrow's plan is to visit the Manzanar National Historic Site.

Click on photo for larger view.

California Road Trip 2019 - Tuttle Creek Campground - Lone Pine (Part II)

Friday, September 27, 2019
Tuttle Creek Campground

We had such a nice relaxing day. After checking the forecast for our next stop at June Lake, we decided to delay our arrival since they were predicting snow (and forecasted lows in the teens). Rather than stay at Tuttle Creek over the weekend (with a wind advisory for 50 mph gusts), we reserved two nights at an RV park in Lone Pine and head over there in the morning. 

Sunrise

My favorite camping partner.

There were a lot of Friday afternoon arrivals, but our spot at the end of the loop still felt peaceful and somewhat isolated, in spite of the lack of trees and shrubbery around us.

Click on photo for larger view.

California Road Trip 2019 - Tuttle Creek Campground - Lone Pine (Part I)

Thursday, September 26, 2019
Cantil to Lone Pine, CA
Tuttle Creek Campground BLM (Bureau of Land Management)
Route: Hwy 14 to Hwy 395
Site #52
Distance: 98 miles
Duration: 2 nights
Cost: $4 per night (50% senior discount)
Weather: Sunny and warm (80s)

We had a very short and easy drive up Hwy. 395 from Red Rock Canyon State Park to Lone Pine. The weather was perfect and the view of the mountains took my breath away. We stopped at the Visitor Center where I got a few postcards, a t-shirt, and took in the scenery. Wow!

The view from the Visitor Center.

I could gaze up at this mountain range all day!

We decided to stop in at the Museum of Western Film History, which is located on Main Street (Hwy. 395) in Lone Pine. There is plenty of parking, so we didn't have to find a spot on a side street for the RV. We wandered around the exhibits for an hour or so and enjoyed watching a video about the movies that were filmed in the Alabama Hills, including Star Wars and Iron Man. At $5 a person, it was worth the visit.

After a mediocre lunch at the Bonanza Mexican Restaurant in downtown Lone Pine, we made our way up the hill to Tuttle Creek Campground. We used our Senior Pass to get 50% off the nightly fee of $8.00, which made for a very inexpensive stay. Tuttle Creek is a dry campground (no hookups) but there are vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, decent cell service (for both Verizon and Sprint) and amazing views of Mt. Whitney and Lone Pine Peak. Another first-come, first-served campground, we were surprised to have so many sites available to us in the middle of the afternoon. We took #52 toward the end of the loop at the top of the hill, but we now know that some of the best sites (#6, #18, and #20) are next to the creek. Not only can you hear the water from those sites, but some have a fair amount of shade, which would have been nice as it was pretty hot.

Tuttle Creek

After dinner we took a long walk, enjoying the peace and quiet. The campground wasn't very full and it almost felt like we were boondocking. Lovely spot.

Click on photo for larger view.