Loose Gravel Travels: Jun 02 - 09, 2016 Lone Pine, California

Arrived in Lone Pine and set up at the Boulder Creek RV Resort. Nice big park with dusty sites all through the property. Big boulders separate the sites from each other. Needed to be careful not to hit a boulder at arrival and departure since you cannot see them from the coach. Small pool and a hot tub that was not working... bummer!!!

Lone Pine is at the foot hills of the Sierras and very close to Mount Whitney. The views of the Sierras are stunning even from town...

Incredible sunset from the park...

ALABAMA HILLS

This is an area with rock formations in between The Sierras and Lone Pine. Many movies have been shot here through the years... mostly westerns, but also Start Trek Movies... it's easy to see why!

You can even see Mt. Whitney through the rocks!!

MANZANAR

Manzanar is the camp used to detain Japanese during WWII. This is a beautiful place with an unfortunate background... There are just a few structures reconstructed, but it was mostly demolished after that period...

DEATH VALLEY

HOT is the only way to describe Death Valley. A long 125 mile drive from Lone Pine through some absolutely beautiful mountains...

Just before the final descent you drive through a real sand desert...

And then you are there: Bad Water Basin... 282 feet below sea level!!!

Yes, that is salt! We were lucky, the temperature that day was a very cool 112!!!

On the way out of Bad Water Basin we drove the Artist Drive road... The colors in these mountains are just unreal... Pictures do not do it justice!!!

WHITNEY PORTAL

Whitney Portal is the closest location you can drive to and climb up Mount Whitney. It is at an elevation of over 8,000 feet, but still way shy of Whitney's 14,505 feet, so you still have a long hard climb to the top. This is a very nice campground with lots of water...