June Lake

June Lake was the last stop of our road trip and we loved this area of the Eastern Sierras so much. We definitely went in shoulder season - after the beautiful summer and before the big snowfalls that allow winter sports like skiing and snowshoeing to begin. 

We stayed at a cute little cabin in the tiny town and it was easy access to everything! Many things were closed (well COVID played a role I'm sure), but we were content to cook our own meals, go on hikes during the day, and settle back into our cozy cabin in the evenings.

Our first stop was Convict Lake, which ended up being a favorite! It was an easy walk around the lake and Indy loved it! It was far too cold for him to swim, but that didn't stop him from trying.

The next day, we went over to the Mammoth Lakes area to do a hike, but were halted in our tracks due to icy conditions on the road! We walked around the lake, saw people ice skating, and generally froze our butts off before retreating to our cabin to warm up.

The next day, it was a bit warmer, so we braved the roads and went to Mono Lake. This lake is an alkaline lake (like the Dead Sea) and all of those minerals created unique "tufa" structures around the lake.

On the way back, we explored our little town of June Lake some more, drove the June Lake Loop, and vowed to come back when it was warmer to explore more. We loved this area so much that we actually decided to book a month of our "Remote Life Adventure" in Mammoth Lakes in June!

We were sad to leave but excited about stopping at Erick Schat's Bakery in Bishop! We grabbed lunch and a few loaves of bread en route to San Diego. This place has a constant line of people, but is definitely worth the wait!

Up Next: Our official remote work life begins in San Diego! We spent the rest of November and all of December hiking, eating, and exploring San Diego.

Death Valley National Park

 I love being surrounded by big trees and forests, so I assumed that Sequoia National Park would be my favorite on the trip. Well, surprise! Death Valley was the dark horse that definitely wowed us!

We stayed at Panamint Springs which was perfectly acceptable. (Meaning - they allowed dogs and it wasn't old and disgusting. The accommodations surrounded National Parks always seem to be subpar.) Death Valley is HUGE and we barely scratched the surface - we only hit the Central and West sides, but we have plans to return to visit the Northern and Eastern sections.

On our first day in the park, we went to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells shortly after sunrise. It was super peaceful and the sun hitting the dunes was amazing to see. The shadows and silence really made this a meditative walk!

Next up, we drove to Artist's Drive, which is a one-way nine mile drive through some of the (in our opinion) most beautiful section of the park. Artist's Palette is a super colorful area containing various shades of orange, pink, green, and purple created by metals in the rock. Artist's Palette is a small little area that you can get out and explore a bit. So cool!

Our last stop of the day was to Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. It was honestly surprisingly hot here - especially compared to the rest of the park. The air just didn't seem to move at all there. The salt here gets pushed up through the mud, creating really interesting designs on the ground.

The next morning, we took the pup with us and hit Zabriskie Point, which has fantastic views of the valley. This was apparently underwater millions of years ago, which makes sense when you look at the landscape.

Then we went to explore Twenty Mule Team Canyon - which is one of the few places Indy was actually allowed! Fun to get out and explore with him!

On our way out of the park, we stopped at Father Crowley Point, which is used for training exercises for the Air Force! We didn't see any, but plenty of people were set up waiting for them. This area is also famously used in Star Wars: A New Hope!

Like I said, we really loved Death Valley! Going in November was key though since it wasn't hot at all and the crowds were pretty low. We REALLY wanted to see Racetrac Playa and Titus Canyon, but we'll have to make a return trip for those.

Up Next: We head to June Lake for 5 days where we experience a blast of winter weather and lots of hiking.

Sequoia National Park

 We had a few crazy days trying to pack up our lives and throw everything in a storage unit. (We are honestly a bit terrified to go back to it since it definitely became a game of Tetris as the storage unit was closing...). We were definitely looking forward to a bit of relaxation after this!

After a week in Fresno (including a great day trip to Paso Robles), we headed to Three Rivers for our 3 nights near Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. 

We started our first morning in Sequoia National Park walking along the Big Trees Trail and then headed over towards the Congress Trail to see General Sherman. This is the largest tree in the world by mass (but not the tallest).

 It was sunny when we arrived, which turned to snow as the day progressed. This made it a great time to visit since we got to experience the show without the necessity for snow chains. I think we literally caught the last day in the season that these weren't required. It was truly like a Winter Wonderland in the park - so magical!

The snow falling through the gigantic sequoia trees was so peaceful and the perfect way to spend our 11th wedding anniversary! While the sequoias weren't as tall as the Redwoods we've become accustomed to, they were much wider - as you can see in the shot above! The roots don't go very deep but instead spread out wide and shallow.

Our next few days were mainly spent lounging around our cabin - putting together puzzles, catching up on Netflix, and drinking wine with a fire burning! It wasn't so bad to be snowed in, but we're sad we missed out on Kings Canyon. Just a reason to come back to explore more...

Up Next: We headed somewhere a little warmer for our next few nights - Death Valley is up next!