Ernst Goes Camping in the Great Smokies

[Rob]

Yes, nice post!

Do you wear your FitBit while sleeping?

[melville]

I got an early start on Day 2, with camp broken, bike loaded, and in my gear well before sunrise. I got to Crater Lake well in time for this:





And things only got better from there. An unfamiliar bird:



Confirmed later by Muriel, an avid birder, as Clark's Nuthatches. Said she, 'I've only seen them once before.'

There's another volcano building in the crater:



More views:



One of my favorites:



There were other riders about:



For those who are unfamiliar, that's a KLR. KLR owners are the result when Dutch and Scots breed with each other. The KLR riders also arrived too late to find a campsite, so they spent the night at the KLR Hilton:



Yes, riders--there's a pillion on the bench on the far side. They may be on a heck of a ride--the bike was from a few states away. I let them sleep, but wouldn't have minded hearing a story or two from them.

[melville]

Yes, nice post!

Do you wear your FitBit while sleeping?

Yeah. FitBit confirms that 6 hours is a good night for me.

[bbelk]

I shouldn't distract from Melville's excellent post. Thanks - I enjoyed that a lot.

Not to worry--you and Ms. bbelk are somewhat our heroes. Here's our next project:

Wow - thats beautiful. If you have not been to the Airstream Forum, you should check it out. They are not as eclectic as this group, but they know a lot more about Airstreams, and there are a LOT of them on that forum. It would be a great place for the project pictures, which I really look forward to seeing.

[enigmaT120]

Pretty pictures. I've only been to Crater Lake once, to run the marathon. About 4 hours. It's hard. The lake is good for soaking your legs in after the race, though. If you don't mind the hike down and back up.

[melville]

Continuing around Crater Lake:

Eventually I came to the spur road out to the Pinnacles, a curious confluence of volcanism and erosion. Here's the NPS overview:



Here's how they look:

















The spur road also went by the smaller, tent-only campground and upon seeing it I can highly recommend camping outside the park as I did the night before. This campground is exposed and likely very cold at night.

After circumnavigating the lake I stopped at the village to lay in the day's provisions (I filled my CamelBak) and continued on. But first, another Tesla charging, not with a generator:



That trailer was not towed there by the Tesla. It is a demonstration unit from Oregon Tech. Onward from the park, this was the day's plan:



And some geocaches as well:

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2W ... -blue-lake

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3A ... erosa-pine

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5T5N7_old-building

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5V ... um-wayside

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC13B9V_i-c-5

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5X1GJ_dottys

I learned after the second geocache that a fifth gear start is quite possible on an Airhead. The cache was on a speedy section of Hwy 97 and I'd stopped quickly without downshifting (still had a decent walk back to the cache) and parked on some softish gravel. Feathering the clutch to get going on the gravel, I didn't get it fully engaged until I was going 20 mph where suddenly I was only turning 1200 rpm.

I can't recommend 97 as a road to ride for itself, but if there's no smoke the views are probably fantastic. Not on this day, though. Mt. Shasta was not visible as I rode by signage indicating "Look to your left, there's Shasta!" There were some pelicans on Klamath Lake:



Reminding me of the first time Muriel and I saw pelicans, just outside Watertown SD when we moved west in my Beetle 28 years ago. More to come.

[melville]

So I survived 97 all the way to Weed CA, where I picked up the Edgewood road, running parallel to I-5, to get to the old Hwy 99 alignment, which I took to Yreka. Time to eat, and this place sprang into view:



For once pale old me actually got some heat in the salsa. Usually I'm served bland stuff when the crew is Latino, no matter what I ask for. Good chow:





From Yreka I took Hwy 3 to Trinity Center to gas up. On the way were a couple markers. First church in the valley:





Old stage route:





The stage road marker was right by this:



And this:



The south side of Scott Summit continued that one turn after another twisting descent. Smooth pavement, but a tendency for gravel in the turns. And interesting grade changes, some of them mid-corner. After gassing up, I came back a ways on Hwy 3 and camped at the NFS campground called Trinity River. Six campsites, no water, just $4 for the night. As it was self service, it actually cost me $5....... All set up for another night:

[Airbear]

Great 'real-time' ride report and photos, Mel. I love a good dramatic land-form.
I'm guessing that campfires are off the menu with all that smoke in the air.

ps: Are you allowed to shoot generators in the US? Or do you have to sneak up in the middle of the night to set them on fire, like we do.

[Major Softie]

I didn't know the Clampers were active that far north - I always thought of them more as California gold rush connected - with a little dabbling in the Comstock Lode (Julia C. Bulete Chapter - I mean, how can you not have a chapter for the black madam of Virginia City?).

[Rob]

I didn't know the Clampers were active that far north - I always thought of them more as California gold rush connected - with a little dabbling in the Comstock Lode (Julia C. Bulete Chapter - I mean, how can you not have a chapter for the black madam of Virginia City?).

Memory triggered...