ODO: 308,808
Even though we had just completed several truck projects, we still had one more week of planned maintenance and upgrades to go…..Work that required a trip back to the US. We figured we could also use this time to see a few places we’ve always wanted to see, and catch up with some friends and family before the real trip south starts.
We stayed in our first hotel of 2024 in Mexicali while we got organized for our “vacation”. It turns out Mexicali has a large Chinese population thanks to some terrible American labour practices back in the day (you’re shocked, I know). Because of this, Mexicali also has a lot of amazing Chinese food, which we enjoyed the heck out of.
The next morning, after crossing back into the US, we decided to see if Anza-Borrego was worth the hype. We had a spot on the map that was recommended by a reputable source, and it did not disappoint. We got to weave through several canyons full of interesting desert landscape and mud caves. The only reason we didn’t spend the night was because there was rain in the forecast. Canyons+rain=bad times, so we continued north looking for somewhere safe from flash flooding.
Since we were back in the US, we spent some time stocking up on some things we needed and some things we didn’t (who doesn’t love a trip to REI?!). Once the shopping was done, we started making our way up highway 1/101 where we found various roadside camp spots. They can’t all be winners, right? Our goal was to drive the lower portion of highway 1 up to where the road is closed. We drove the upper portion to the southern closure a few years ago and wanted to complete it. Along the way we got to stop and check out the elephant seals! It was amazing, they are giant and hang out on the beaches right along the road. You don’t even have to work to get a look at them!
Once we checked highway 1 off our list, we made a beeline east for highway 395. We managed to find an OHV area to camp in time for the first of two atmospheric rivers start. We caught a period of no rain in the morning and made good use of it to pack up. We decided to head north towards Alabama Hills, hoping the elevation would change the rain to snow. We were half right. In Lone Pine the full force of the weather hit. We tried to look for camping, but the sleet was coming at us sideways in the howling wind, so we opted for our second hotel night of 2024.
Luckily the storm broke overnight, and we were treated to lovely driving weather and a fresh layer of snow in the mountains around us. We were able to find a group of hot springs north of Lone Pine in the Willow Springs area. We got our own private tub (probably because it was a Monday after a storm, also probably because this tub wasn’t quite warm enough for a long soak in cold weather), and were finally able to camp in the snow! Have we mentioned how much we love our little diesel heater?
