First Campout of 2015
 

We are heading out in a few days for our first camping trip! First stop is the Lone Pine, Calif. area, then on to Ely, Nevada to visit relatives. After that, we head to Great Basin National Park for a few days, then to Valley of Fire State Park near Lake Mead before heading home.

We'll post photos and a summary of the trip when we return. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures as well!

Cold & Rainy
 

OK, so on the Nevada portion of our trip we are expecting thunderstorms, possibility of a little snow, and below freezing overnight temps on some nights. Since I have not done any cold weather camping before I'm wondering how the Hi-Lo will do. My main concern is not while we are actually camping but while we are visiting relatives in Ely for a few days. The camper will not be used then and overnight temps are expected just below freezing but it will be warming up in the day.

Do I need to be concerned about water pipes, tanks, etc? Are there any preventative things I should do? Your experiences are appreciated!

Greg, unless you have a "hard" freeze, I suspect the water system will be all right. You COULD open the drain valves in the lines from the fresh water tank and hot water tank to the faucets and then crack open the faucets to let them drain.

I suppose you could also put a small electric heater inside the trailer to keep things toasty. I imagine that would protect the water system and keep it from freezing without draining anything.

- Jack

If you go the electric heater route- leave the cabinet doors under the sink open to help heat get to pipes. But, I agree with jack. In wisconsin we get below freezing on fall and spring camp outs without too much worry.

Rick

Thanks for the tips Jack and Rick! Leaving in the morning for Lone Pine :)

Made it safely to Boulder Creek RV park in Lone Pine. We actually have a view of Mt. Whitney from the park! Headed for Manzanar (Japanese internment camp) and the Lone Pine film museum today. Haven't figured out how to post photos on the road so will wait until we return home.

I remember Lone Pine! We drove through there on our way up to Yosemite from Tucson a few years back. That was the first time I'd seen Mt. Whitney, and I was born in California! :o

Just got back today. Lone Pine, as well as the rest of our trip, went great! Learned a lot about camping in the trailer. I'll post photos and an overview of the trip as soon as I can get to it. Also, a camping buddy came up with a suggestion and our little camper now has an official name: HiLola! :)

Lone Pine
 

Just returned from our first trip of the season. I'll do a series of posts to cover the whole trip.

First stop was at Boulder Creek RV Park in Lone Pine, CA in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. We went with about 8 other rigs from our church group and had a blast! The park is a few miles south of the town of Lone Pine. I thought I could see Mt. Whitney from the park, but was informed by someone that you need to drive a little closer to town to see the actual peak. Still a nice view though! Here are some photos.

Manzanar
 

The day after arrival we toured Manzanar National Historic Site. Manzanar was one of the nine or ten permanent internment camps that held Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants during WWII. They showed a movie which gave an overview of the history of the camp. The docent for our group was actually interned there for 3 years when he was 8 years old so was able to give some realistic insight and stories of life in the camp. It was a very moving and enlightening tour, and highly recommended!

We also toured the Lone Pine Film Museum but I didn't get any photos of the film museum so will provide a link to browse. Many movies, especially B westerns and singing cowboy serials were filmed in the Alabama Hills above Lone Pine. The original Gunga Din, Tremors, Star Trek, and many others were shot there: Lone Pine Film History Museum

Mt. Whitney
 

Next was a drive up the Whitney Portal road. If you've ever seen The Long, Long, Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, or High Sierra with Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino, you've seen this road. Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet. Enough said!

Alabama Hills
 

After an awesome burger at the Whitney Portal store, we made our way back down the mountain and drove through the Alabama Hills. Just beautiful!

Next up is a family visit to Ely, Nevada. Hope you're not bored yet!

Ely, Nevada
 

A couple of photos from the street in front of my Aunt's house, and then enroute to Great Basin National Park. As my Dad used to say, "There's a whole lot of nuthin' out here!" -- a special place, though, with a beauty all its own.

Great Basin National Park
 

We camped for three nights at Great Basin National Park. GB is one of our newest national parks and is probably my favorite just because it is so under developed. It's my idea of what camping should be! We stayed at Baker Creek campground at an elevation of approx. 7,500 feet. Our site was right on the creek and there were only a few people in the whole campground- nice! Weather was pretty good considering the time of year but it was very windy for two of the days.

Valley of Fire
 

Last but certainly not least, was Valley of Fire State Park, staying two nights. Located about 50 miles from Las Vegas, this is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. You can see in the photos where its name comes from but the photos really can't do it justice. The red rock formations are especially dramatic during sunrise and sunset.

The park only receives 4 inches of rain a year so we were thankful for the evening thunderstorm we got our last night there. :) That's it, folks- hope you enjoyed our travels!

Bored? Hardly. Great trip and photos. The landscape variation is astounding. I look forward to more of your trip reports. Thanks ever so much.

Nice pictures, Greg. Looks like you had a great time on your trip. I'm glad it went smoothly.

How far up toward the summit of Mt Whitney does the Portal Road go? When we went to Yosemite, we did not have time to explore the Lone Pine area.

- Jack

You're welcome! It was hard to choose photos as I had so many of them. I didn't want to overwhelm ya'll!

Hi Jack,

The one photo of the portal store shows 8,365 ft. and that is as far as you can drive. There is a campground up there at 8,100 ft. but I will pass with my trailer. :eek: Your mileage may vary!

Inyo National Forest - Whitney Portal Campground

There is another campground much lower called Lone Pine CG on the same road which I would be comfortable camping at:

Inyo National Forest - Lone Pine Campground