We took a drive into Yosemite National Park to visit the Wawona Visitor Center and Yosemite History Center, then on to Glacier Point, with a nice view of Half Dome.
On the way, a stop at the Tunnel View point:
Wawona Hotel:
Pioneer History Center, with stagecoaches:
A covered bridge:
Glacier Point:
Washburn Point:
Sunset over Yosemite valley:
After arriving at Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes, we took a drive into Yosemite National Park to visit the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center, and take some photos of some interesting rocks.
Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome visible:
Tunnel:
Waterfall (barely flowing at the end of summer):
El Capitan:
Waterfall:
Historic church:
Welcome Center:
Yosemite Valley map:
We had dinner at the grill, with a couple of ravens watching us (and looking like sitting on my shoulder for a moment):
Heading out of Yosemite Valley:
We headed back into the valley a few days later, and explored some more stuff:
Ansel Adams Gallery:
Exploration Center and Theater (the movie was worth a watch):
Indian Village:
We visited Lassen Volcanic National Park again. The main visitor center was closed, but the museum was open, so we went there first:
And unlike last time, the road through the park was open, so we enjoyed the sights:
The Sulphur Works area was like a tiny Yellowstone. I know many people don’t like the sulphur smell, but we enjoy it, probably thanks to that association (and with Rotorua in New Zealand):
It was nice to be able to see more of the park this time.
On our last day staying in Ashland (a Saturday), we took a scenic drive along Dead Indian Memorial Road and Green Springs Highway (OR-66), along the historic Applegate Wagon Trail, through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
An interactive map of our route, traveling clockwise (with a fuel stop first, then a stop at the “Boat Launch” waypoint; the other waypoints are just to force the route:
We really like the Ashland area, and Dead Indian Memorial Road is one of the favorites, the kind of terrain we enjoy.
Some interesting rocks:
A bit of wildfire smoke in the area:
A glimpse of Mount Washington, a 7,795 foot peak in the Cascade range:
Smiley face on a tank:
We stopped at the Sunset Day Use Area of Lake of the Woods for a picnic lunch:
Another angle of Mount Washington across the lake:
A dog with shark fin, carrying a stick:
Ducks:
Back on the road, on highway 140 W:
Upper Klamath Lake:
Reservoir:
OR-66:
A nice drive.
A short timelapse of a pickup truck doing donuts then getting stuck in Emigrant Lake in Ashland, Oregon, and the subsequent removal.
A short timelapse of Emigrant Lake in Ashland, Oregon, showing the water level visibly dropping over several hot days.
We stayed at Emigrant Lake – The Point RV Park in Ashland, Oregon. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A nice county campground, very convenient to Ashland.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Perfect park close to Ashland
This is a great spot to stay and explore Ashland and the local area. It’s a shame the lake is so low, but that’s just the reality of the West these days. We still enjoyed the view from our site, regardless. Access to the campground is a little dicey for big rigs, but it is doable. Just watch out for the final turn into the campground, where you have to navigate between a rock wall and a barbed wire fence that comes close to the road. Our site (19) had a terrific view of the lake, and I think the only better view would be from site 21 (a pull-through site), which sits at the bottom of the loop. We camped at Emigrant Lake – The Point RV Park in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: Ashland has one of the best dining scenes in the PNW, so be sure to explore some options (Cocorico was our favorite this time). Take in a show at the OSF, even if it’s just the Green Show, which is free. The Oregon Cabaret is a fun experience as well. And don’t forget to tour the many different wine trails in the area. We’re partial to the Applegate Valley…
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Utilities:
Other sites:
The very end of the point is site 21, a pull-through site; we would have preferred to have this site, but it wasn’t available:
Lake view from site 21:
Campground entrance, with a tight corner:
Bathrooms:
A view of the lake from behind the bathrooms:
From the website, much the same view from many years ago when the lake was full:
Another view now:
And the same view then:
Some more years-ago views of the full lake:
A similar view of the much lower lake now, from our site:
More lake views from our site:
Sunset:
A truck stuck in the mud (see a timelapse video of it getting stuck and unstuck):
A couple of shots of the same part of the lake, where people enter it; the first one taken soon after arriving, and the second towards the end of our stay; if you look closely, you can see a significant drop in the water level:
And an animated GIF of the water level dropping:
(Check out today’s timelapse video of the lake level dropping noticeably during our stay.)
A view from below our site, that should have been underwater if the lake were full:
Looking back up at our site:
The very low water level was rather sad; the lake would have been much nicer if full. But still a nice place to stay.
We plan to stay here again next year. Hopefully in site 21 next time, but site 19 would be a good second choice.
We visited Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana.
Just a quick visit, after a long drive of our coach on a one night stop.
Map:
Temporary visitor center:
Custer National Cemetery:
Battlefield drive:
Battlefield markers show where soldiers fell:
Custer’s monument:
A scenic drive up Mount Coolidge in Custer State Park, then anti-clockwise through Wind Cave National Park (which is still not available for cave tours), and back through Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, with lots of bison seen.
A fire lookout at the top of Mount Coolidge, at 6,020 feet elevation:
Views:
Bison in Wind Cave National Park:
Pigtail loop in Wind Cave National Park:
One lane bridge in Wind Cave National Park:
More bison in Wind Cave National Park:
Out of the park, along a dirt road:
To an entrance back into Wind Cave National Park:
Then joining Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop:
Bison Center:
A map showing where the wildlife was at the time. We told the ranger that the burros were actually in the corrals in front of the Bison Center (the fence was open, so they wandered in to eat the tasty food):
Wild burros and fans:
Following that map, we found a large herd of bison:
Nice.
