Labor Day 2013

 

(by Erik)

With the smoke of the Rim Fire making us all sick in Carson Valley we wanted to get out of town for Labor Day.  Anywhere north of us is blanketed by smoke as well which meant we had to go south for escape.  If you can pull yourself somewhat parallel with Yosemite National Park you can escape the smoke for the most part.  We headed out Sunday after church as soon as the car was loaded.

There is an old mining ghost town, Bodie California, about two hours south of us.  I have been interested in checking it out.  It is now part of the California State Parks system and is maintained in a state of “arrested decay.”  There are over 100 buildings still there, but no one has lived there since 1945 and its boom ended in the late 1880s.  In one year it pulled out over 3.7 million dollars worth of gold.  Between 1860 and 1941 the Bodie Mining District produced $100 million of gold and silver with a population reaching over 10,000.  Now only 5% of the original buildings remain due to a fire in 1932, but it still seemed interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California

The question of course became, where the heck do we camp?  We did not know how crowded everything would be over Labor Day.  Would the smoke scare people off?  HWY 120 through Yosemite is closed, so maybe the people from the Bay area would not make it up for camping.  We just started driving and had an idea of an exit we would take and see what we could find.  We found “Trumbull Lake Campground.”  No idea it even existed.  As we were pulling out of the driveway I stopped and told Ashley “I am going to grab my flyrod.  There are so many lakes and streams I would feel stupid if I could have used it and I did not bring it.”  Glad I did!

This is a picture of Trumbull Lake from our campground.  We were situated at 9200 feet with Dunderburg Peak elevation 12234 just above us.  Note in the topomap below how many lakes and streams are in the area.  We were under dense forests of Lodgepole Pine.  Not as impressive as the 150’ Jeffry Pine around Tahoe, but still very beautiful and clear – NO SMOKE.  It was great.

Ashley says:  The smoke in Carson Valley has been so depressing.  Dark yellow skies, constant headaches, shortness of breath.  I was more than ready for a break.  The drive south was smoky and I was beginning to worry that we wouldn’t escape after all.  Then the smoke began to thin around Bridgeport.  Once we headed up the beautiful Virginia Lakes road I felt the relief of breathing clean air and seeing my surroundings without obscuring haze.  The ONLY great thing about the Rim Fire and the smoke was that it scared away the tourists who normally swarm the area around Yosemite on Labor Day and we were able to drive in and have our pick of several premium spots in the campground.

 

We set up camp

And before it got too dark I went and fished the lake.  It was really good.  I only had about an hour, but landed 4 and had a ton of other hits.  Most were good size, all rainbow trout.

I was surprised they still did not have fire restrictions in effect.  The kids love to have a campfire.  We were able to do it.  We ran out of propane for our stove, so Ashley improvised well and was able to cook off the open fire.  She would have made a great pioneer wife.

Ashley says:  What a fun surprise to see that campfires (in fire pits) were still allowed in the campground.  I had checked online and we were planning on strict fire restrictions (didn’t even bring marshmallows).  Once camp was set up Erik was itching to get down to the lake to fish.  I had dinner started on the camp stove (which is great, just like cooking at home).  Right after I got the pasta in the boiling water “whumph” the gas in the tank ran out.  Horrible timing!  Luckily we were able to get a fire going and dinner was saved.  We are so lucky that we were able to have a fire, we would have been eating granola bars for dinner and breakfast.  Thanks to the fire Erik was even able to warm up his cold dinner over the flames when he got back from fishing and we were able to try out some dutch oven pear crisp. 

The kids love the fire and can’t wait to throw things in to see them burn or to light “torches” or long sticks on fire.  It makes for quite the exciting evening making sure no one burns themselves, falls in the pit or starts the next forest fire.

Breakfast wasn’t quite as successful.  I would have made an angry pioneer wife.  I couldn’t get the morning fire started and the pancakes took over an hour to cook.  I learned a few tricks though, and next time will be better!  Especially because I don’t plan on running out of propane EVER again!

Picture of the kids all sleeping in the tent.  They did really well.  Soren slept through the whole night.  Svea had about 5 minutes of wigging out when she woke up in the middle of the night out of her sleeping bag and off the air mattress.  Liv woke up once and spent the rest of the night in Ashley’s sleeping bag.  Not perfect, but the kids are becoming outdoorsman.  Soren has read my Scout Handbook about 3 times cover to cover.  If he was old enough he would be an Eagle Scout already.  Last campout we used the tepee method to start the fire.  This time he really wanted to learn the log cabin, plus he was really interested in learning how to tell north using a wrist watch.

Ashley says:  The best part of the trip was the kids falling asleep.  Haha!  No, really, it was so cute to leave them all snuggled into their sleeping bags and then sit by the fire with Erik and listen to them chat and giggle until they fell asleep on their own.  Even Liv knows she is part of this sibling friendship.  What a special bond for them to share.

In the morning after breakfast we walked down to the lake to check out this beautiful spot and so Erik could fish a little more.  It was still very green and the mountains surrounding the lake were stunning.  The kids enjoyed seeing the beaver dam and climbing on the huge rock sticking out of the lake.  Liv even got in the water in her shoes and jeans (great_).  Then it was time to pack up and move on with the fun.

After packing up we went to Bodie.  Amazing place.  Everyone just packed up and left.  Stuff everywhere:

 

Can you imagine everything left in place?  This place was once on the forefront of technology.  There was the “hydroelectric building and power substation.”  In the tour guide it states:

 

Energy for the mills was first derived from steam generated by wood fired boilers.  Eventually, however, wood fuel became scarce and uneconomical.  Thomas Leggett, superintendent of the Standard Company, obtained James Cain’s backing and proceeded to his theory that electricity could be transmitted over wires from a distance.  A hydroelectric plant, which could develop 3,500 volts and 130 HP, was built 13 miles from Bodie, on Green Creek above Bridgeport.  In November 1892 the first test was made.  The signal to proceed was flashed over the telephone line and put up parallel to the power line  and the switch was thrown.  Some of the orignal poles and lines still stand, they were installed in a straight line as it was feared the electricity would not be able to turn corners.  The generators began to hum, and the first motor to be operated over long distance power lines was initiated in Bodie.

Amazing!  Thomas Leggett went around the world as far as Rhodesia and Australia to help set this up.  Most of the equipment still stands.

 

Can you imagine what this place must have looked like in its heyday?

Note the picture on the right the school house behind Ashley and at the very end a Methodist Church.

Last two pictures of the mountains behind the city – look at all the mine tailings.

 

Soren was very interested.  I think he understood what had happened.  It was very cool.

Ashley says:  What a beautiful day and a fascinating place.  I’d love to spend more time there when I have a stroller.  It’s hard to imagine actually living in such a harsh place with just a few wood planks between you and the elements.  I’m sure an interesting and adventurous group of people lived there.

 

On the way home of course we had Mexican Food at El Aguila Real.  Not Phoenix Mexican food, but ok.

Ashley says: And back to real life and the smoke.  A little better today, here’s hoping for more improvement so Soren can have recess outside and the kids’ soccer can recommence.  I’m grateful for Erik’s willingness to put in the effort to make life interesting for me and the kids.  Its not easy getting this whole crew mobilized and he is great to think of things to do and to help out with all the hard work.

So – it was go go go, but we did it.  Found a successful campout and good day of adventure.  Remember – Kids need space and kids need adventure.  Mark both of them as completed.  So now its back to work and I am more tired than I was on Friday, but we did it.  Great place to live.