I'm familiar with the area I traveled on this trip -- the high desert, Great Basin, zone that surrounds the junction of these three states (I've been to the point where CA and NV and OR meet -- there's a monument). I've visited some parts of this zone many times. However, thanks to a suggestion by
Smokecreek1, the first third of this trip followed many miles of new-to-me roads, both paved and dirt, and led me to a couple of new camp spots. And that's a good thing!
(especially when the new doesn't have unpleasant downsides, like getting lost or getting stuck).
Friday, March 22
My first destination was Eagle Lake in northwest California, north of Susanville, suggested by Smokecreek1 to join him there at his regular spot -- Rocky Point on the northwest side of the lake.
To get to Eagle Lake I took CA 139 -- and south of Lava Beds National Monument this road was all new to me. (Interestingly, whenever I've asked map-routing software for a route from my place in Bend, Oregon, to the eastern Sierra it always includes 139 to get to Susanville...but I've always taken a more-eastern route through Lakeview and 395). Smokecreek1 suggested I take the Lookout cutoff as a shortcut, which I did -- scenic and probably quicker. I didn't take any photos of my route to Eagle Lake...but if I hadn't already been a couple of hours "late" leaving Bend and meeting Smoke I would have dawdled along the way and shot pics.
Our spot at the BLM primitive campground (pit toilets are the only "improvement") at the boat launch at Rock Point:
Bob, the
rattlesnake-bite-death-defying wonder dog!
Saturday, March 23
This spot on Eagle Lake was pleasant enough...but I was in wandering mode on this trip, so after one night camped with Smoke and Bob it was time for me to mosey.
WARNING-DISCLAIMER: Though it's late March on this trip...that's NOT spring in the high desert, nothing had greened out, and for those who appreciate green vegetation this area may have been at its least attractive -- mostly brown and/or leafless. But I like it anyway.
The area around Eagle Lake is high-desert around the north and northeast side, pine forest around most of the rest of it. When I left Rocky Point I drove down the west side as far as I could, into the forested area, but the road is closed after a few miles by winter snow.
So, back on down CA 139 towards Susanville, stopping at the NE side of the Lake to shoot a panorama (the first of many on this trip). This is a little thumbnail, followed by a link to the full-size version:
A link to the full-size version:
Pano 1
Like all of the full-size panoramas in this report, when it opens in a new browser window "full-size" should be 600 pixels high, so make it so, and to see the whole width you'll scroll back and forth.
I'd like to visit the snow-inaccessible parts of Eagle Lake -- another time.
I refueled the truck and got a few supplies in Susanville, then I headed north on US 395 a few miles until I took the turnoff to Wendel, following Smokecreek1's advice (reasonable to assume that he'd be wise on his namesake
) to take the all-weather/season road via Sand Pass to the Smoke Creek Desert, my destination for that day, rather than the possibly-muddy Smoke Creek road that crosses to the north. See the map in Post #1.
The route is well-signed:
I stopped to shoot a pano at this point next to the Smoke Creek Desert, impressed by the very-white area:
Full-size version:
Pano 3
("Where's Pano 2??
" After I created and named the files, some panoramas didn't make the final cut.
)
The route from Susanville to Sand Pass was new to me, but many years ago I'd driven down the west side of the Smoke Creek Desert, from Gerlach to Pyramid Lake). On that long-ago trip I spent the night camped at this spot next to Smoke Creek...
where craig333 camped on his trip, too.
I didn't camp at this exact spot this time, but I stopped to check it out and shoot a few pics. I was surprised to see the creek wide and sluggish at this spot:
Full-size version:
Pano 4
As I got out of my truck I startled some ducks...and as I approached the creek I heard some splashing in the water, which I thought was more ducks...but I think it might have been beavers diving into the water, once I discovered that this "sluggish" water was a beaver pond behind a beaver dam:
There are ruins of a stone building here (took pics, but not worth sharing), so this must have been a homestead/ranch at some point. As it's the only water for a long way, this is an obvious spot for a dwelling...or a WTW rally.
Full-size version:
Pano 5
There was actually a little "traffic jam" at this spot in the middle of nowhere. A couple were checking out the view downstream from where the road crosses the creek, and as I pulled out from the "camping area" two rigs, going opposite directions, caused me to stop and wait for them to pass.
I drove a mile or two on north, past the Smoke Creek Rd (see sign-photo above), looking for a place to camp. (why not camp next to the creek? because I'd been there before and wanted a new view) Across the main road road from a gravel pit, on the west side, I found the Burro Mountain Road and went up there a few hundred yards to a bench and a great expansive view spot -- where I camped for the night.
Near sunset I shot a 360° panorama here, of which this thumbnail is one panel:
Here's a link to the full-size, 360°-rotatable version:
Pano 7
As with all of these 360° panos, you need QuickTime viewer/player installed on your computer to view it. Pan round and round...in some cases, up and down a bit, too.
To the south -- left of the sun in this pano -- you can see the trace of the gully of Smoke Creek, and the streamside cottonwoods if you look closely.
