Backroading With No Map... Just Following Our Noses and Random Forks in the Road

Late morning we decided to take a run down the Owens River road before we departed this camp and bumped north of Mammoth Lakes on Saturday...

The uncarefully thought out plan was to just drive on down by the river, let the dogs run and then come on back, not having any sort of an idea, what was down that road or where we'd end up.

The river is come upon pretty early in the run...

*Owens River*

Kind of gives you the premonition this'll be a pretty fine bit of Eastern Sierras, California Backroading.

That almost looks like a custom made screen saver don't it? ;) All it needs is a bit of the right music!

Just beyond the river coming around a bend we come up on three Charolais bulls and a calf. The only other cattle we could see was a good sized herd of cows off maybe a mile in the distance; but they weren't Charolais... it was just odd, that calf, ten days old maybe, with the big boys and no mama.

I kind of wondered about it until I was making this post...

... and spotted her just over the wire. You can see her bedded down just hidden by the grass... Letting his "uncles" babysit for a bit I guess.

This is one of those California Backroads with forks every few miles to tickle your drifting ways and sights at every turn if your eyes and mind are open to see 'em.

That's one of the best things I like 'bout backroading... just goin' without a map and seeing what I find. Just rolling and seeing where I end up.

Along the way, at one of the forks a sign said; "Bald Mountain Lookout 8" ... seemed likely to me...

Twists and turns, forks and T's... spur of the moment flicks of the wheel to go one way or t'other... just wanderin' with the wind...

... Finally had us climbing the shoulders of Bald Mountain... to 9,100 feet...

 

Just like the name implies, there's an old forest service lookout station at the top.

Along with a Warming hut built for snowmobilers and cross country skiers to shelter in.

... and views that shine pretty bright...

*Bald Mountain Warming Hut*

Made for a pretty nice spot to take our lunch. Far Views in Far country on a clear day... no where to be and all day to get there.

*Sierra Outhouse with a View*

Took less time to come off the mountain than it took to climb it. On the way out we clipped the corner of that big "meadow" you can see from the top...

Down in it the meadow turned out to be dang near one of those "dunes" areas. If it weren't for the gravel... I think it would be... It sure ain't a "grassy" meadow.

*From the Meadow to Bald Mountain*

If you look reeeeeal close you can see the lookout on top of Bald Mountain showing between the trees.

Turned out we'd circled back and from this point we'd wandered back to just a few miles from U.S. 395... (and we found a spot we may squat for a week or two after our next camp!)  though we'd drifted way north of where I'd figured us to have started for. Funny how spur-of-the-moment decisions can lead you far off from where you'd mapped out your yondering.

Made it home just in time for supper... just a few hours longer than the day was gonna be when we rolled out of camp.

Lazy me's gotta go load the bike to move camp...

No Rest for the Drifters
Brian