Tag: Bishop

2020 October COVID Adventure Part Eleven: Last days — Draft

On By LToddIn California, Nevada, Photography, RV Travel, Travel6 Comments

Another Day Poking Around Bishop

On one of our last days, we drove up to Rock Creek Canyon, which sits north of Bishop about 20 miles. Rock Creek Lake is another 10 miles through the canyon. The aspen trees sported their autumn coats, and a breeze ruffled their yellow leaves.

Sunburst shines through green and yellow tree leaves
Sunburst shines on fall colors

The Big Meadow Campground was open for day use only. Jon would have liked to stop and fish along the creek, except he had never purchased a fishing license for 2020. So we drove on.

Yellow-leafed trees line a road
Entrance to Big Meadow Campground

We continued to the end of the road at the lake where we had planned to eat our lunch. Unfortunately, the road to the lake was closed, so picnic tables for eating and taking close-up photos of the lake were impossible. A few hardy anglers hiked down to try their luck. We didn’t think it was a good idea with the smoky skies.

We remembered a turnout near a western red cedar. No cars nearby, so we parked and ate our lunch while admiring the tree.

Western red cedar pine tree alongside a road.
A fine specimen of a western red cedar

Always curious to see where roads lead, we took a detour on our way back to Bishop. We passed through farmland and ranches in Round Valley and drove by Rovana. The US Vanadium Corporation established the Rovana housing tract for its workers at the Pine Creek Mine. By 1951 there were 85 houses and another 50 added later. All the homes are still in use.

The smoke wasn’t too bad along U.S. 395, but it grew thicker as we approached the mountain. When we reached the end of the road, we could barely see the peaks.

Road leading to mountain peaks shrouded in smoke
Pine Creek Road

With the sun close to setting, we returned to the fifth-wheel to prepare for our departure the next day.

On the Road Again

We left the Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop on October 28, 2020. Hwy 120 through Yosemite was our usual route when the road was open. A requirement to have a reservation just to drive through kept us from taking the scenic route. A few more days on the road wouldn’t hurt and the Sparks Marina RV Park sounded like a good idea. So north on U.S. 395 we drove.

As we passed by Mono Lake, we pulled off the road to take a photo of the blue waters. From this view the tufa towers (limestone formations) weren’t visible, only the smaller forms poking out of the water near the shore. To learn more about Mono Lake and the tufas go here to see our post titled “Summer 2018 Tour – Mono Lake.”

Blue skies over Mono Lake's blue water, flowering shrubs and grass in foreground
View from west side of Mono Lake

The Bridgeport Inn looked like a good place to stop and break up our drive. The 1877 Victorian inn began as the Leavitt family home and stagecoach stop. Today the Peters family owns the property which they operate from mid-March to mid-November, providing rooms and dining for travelers and visitors to the area.

White Victorian era Bridgeport Inn and Restaurant
Bridgeport Inn and Restaurant

It was past noon, so we enjoyed a relaxing lunch as the only patrons in the dining room. It’s the sign of the times when the one thing on the table is hand sanitizer when you enter a restaurant. No place settings or bottles of condiments in sight. The wait staff delivers those items after you order.

Wallpapered dining room with cane seats and rectangle tables
Bridgeport Inn Dining Room

Kitty corner from the inn stands the 1881 Mono County Courthouse, another example of Victorian architecture in town, which is still in use today.

Victorian era Mono County Courthouse
Mono County Courthouse

Sparks, Nevada

We weren’t in the mood to do any sightseeing while in Sparks. Instead, we hung around the trailer and walked to the marina to check the construction progress since our last visit. The first thing we noticed was the view out the fifth wheel’s back window. Here is what it looked like during our 2017 stay.

Fluffy clouds over brown hills, line of trees, gravel mound, and brick wall
View from our site at Sparks Marina RV Park in 2017

And here is the view in October 2020.

Apartment building, blue sky, trees, over behind brickwall
View from our site at Sparks Marina RV Park in 2020

Another notable change was an abandoned building down and across the street from the RV park. The photo below shows the corner in 2016.

Abandoned concrete building behind chainlink fence
Southwest corner of E. Lincoln Way and Harbor Cove Dr. in 2016

In the October 2020 photo, the abandoned project vanished and luxury apartments sprouted in its place.

Waterfront at the Marina Apartments Five story luxury apartment building
Waterfront at the Marina Apartments 375 Harbor Cove Dr.

New construction also appeared along the lake’s shoreline. In 2017, the blue and white building in the photo below was mixed use with retail and businesses on the bottom floor and condos or apartments on the upper floors. There were a few businesses that made a go of it, others were not so lucky.

Blue three-story mixed use building, brown hills, cloudy sky, lake, marina
Shoreline development at Sparks Marina Park Lake

And now the Waterfront Apartments dwarf the small blue building (on the right in the photo below). The once blue building was undergoing a facelift, a promise of better times ahead for the property.

Apartment buildings reflected in Sparks Marina Park Lake
Additional shoreline development

It was sad to see that our view out the back window was a three-story apartment building. Yet I understand the need for housing in Sparks. For the past twenty years, manufacturing, distribution, and technology companies have poured into the Reno/Sparks area. This made jobs plentiful, housing not so much. Reno, known as the “Biggest Little City in the World,” is not so little anymore as housing mushroomed in all directions. I guess that’s the price of progress.

Home Again

On October 30, 2020, we drove the rest of the way home. As we listened to the news, we heard that COVID-19 cases and deaths broke records daily while Trump and his campaign insisted he vanquished the virus, “It’s a beautiful thing.” One report stated once infected, you are immune for months while another report said that was not true. Nobody seemed to know what was going on.

And then we pulled into our driveway and look what was waiting for us.

Pumpkin on doorstep of blue house with white trim
Welcome home and Happy Halloween

Thanks, Chris and Laura, for the homegrown pumpkin. It was just what we needed to push the bad news from our brains and focus on Halloween. Will parents take their kids out trick or treating during a pandemic? Do we want people coming to our door? Should we buy candy?

We were tired and had a lot of work to do unpacking the trailer and washing clothes, so no candy for the brave parents that let their kids dress up and beg for treats. We turned out the porch light, turned the volume low on the television, and watched a movie. If we’re home next year, we’ll pass out candy.

And with that our 2020 October COVID-19 Adventure comes to a close.

Up Next:

We have nothing more to share. Homebound describes our life since the end of October, and until we receive the vaccine and places open up, we don’t see the situation changing much.

So, I’m taking a break from posting on the blog. We’ll be back as soon as we can venture out and explore again.

Until then, stay safe.

Personal Virus and Vaccine Update

On December 3, 2020, San Francisco Bay Area health departments put us under another stay-at-home order. They released the restriction on January 25, 2021. Hooray haircut time!

Today the virus is still among us. New variants pop up weekly. Vaccines are in short supply. Distribution has been sketchy. Eligibility to receive the poke in the arm has changed more than once. Ineligible individuals are jumping the line. Appointments aren’t easy to get. More vaccine is due this week. It’s Wednesday night already. Where is it?

Jon has an appointment on Tuesday, February 9, for his vaccine. I check every day without success to procure one for myself but will keep trying.

Like everyone else out there, I can’t wait until this ordeal is behind all of us.

October 2020 COVID-19 Adventure Part Nine

On By LToddIn California, Photography, RV Travel, Travel10 Comments

In this episode, we visit Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site, a California Historical Landmark. The museum is also listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

We first tried to visit Laws Railroad Museum on a day the wind was blowing so hard it picked up dust and dirt and flung it all around. The day after the windstorm, all the bad air had disappeared, leaving only blue skies behind and clear views of the mountains.

Landscape of yellow dry grass, trees and mountains in the background
View east from museum toward the White Mountains
Western looking building serves as reception center and ticket office
Reception Center and Ticket Office
Western buildings and boardwalk
Boardwalk and old buildings

The C & C Railroad rolled into the town of Laws for the first time in April 1883. Three years earlier William Sharon, Henry Yerington, and Darius Mills formed the Carson and Colorado Railroad Company and began construction.

Pathway next to tall trees and kids train ride
View from outside the Reception Center looking south

While crews laid the narrow-gauge tracks between Mound House, Nevada, and Laws, California, people arrived in town, drawn by the opportunities a new railroad would bring to the region.

Engine No. 9, a 1909 Baldwin 4-6-0

They built a depot, an agent’s house, and various amenities to support the railroad and the trains. Homes, barns, corrals, general stores, boarding houses, hotels, and warehouses sprang up around the depot.

Laws Depot
Western style potbelly stove inside ticket office of train depot
Visitors find the ticket office inside the depot.
Displays of train memorabilia inside train depot
There’s also memorabilia and model trains
Two wooden pole like objects that form a V at the top
We found these “Y” shaped poles in the depot. Any idea what they are?

By July 1883, the railroad completed its last 60 miles of the 300-miles, and in August trains rumbled down the tracks to the last stop in Hawley (known as Keeler today).

Yellow building with black framed windows and sign that says medical offices
Every town needs medical offices
Eye exam equipment
Looks like the same device my optometrist uses to check my eyes.

For nearly 50 years, the railroad provided passenger service and hauled freight. It supported the mining industry and local ranchers and farmers. The conversion from narrow gauge to standard gauge railroads was but one contributing factor in the demise of the C & C. Improved roadways, trucks, and automobiles allowed passengers and freight to travel farther, faster, and sometimes cheaper than the train so there was a steady decline in their use.

Singer sewing machine in wood cabinet and table with patterns and notions
Dressmaker’s shop
Sewing patterns and notions on a table
My grandmother made all my school clothes until I was in high school. I think the blouse and skirt pattern looks familiar.

In March 1900, Southern Pacific (S.P.) purchased and operated the railroad. S.P. discontinued passenger service in 1932, and the freight trains made their last run in 1943. The tracks north of Laws were removed, leaving only the 60-mile run to Keeler.

Fire station old wooden yellow building
Pioneer Building and Fire Station
Bishop Rural Fire Dist. R-2 fire truck
The 1947 White. built by Van Pelt, with original 10,000 miles, is still operational
Spider webs among fire fighting equipment
Antique fire equipment needs a cleaning

On April 30, 1960, Locomotive No. 9 pulled a string of cars into Laws Station for the last time. The City of Bishop and the County of Inyo became the owners of the property under a gift deed by S.P. and on July 6, 1964, they also transferred the land.

Printing press equipment
Working printing presses dating back to 1880
Potbelly stove and display cases inside a general store
General store
Small weathered wood building with Post Office sign
Laws last original post office

On April 1, 1966, eighty-three years from the day the train arrived, Laws Railroad Museum opened the doors to the public. It amazed us how much the museum had grown since our first visit in the early 1980s.

Black horse-drawn hearse inside building with western memorabilia
Hearse in the Western Display
Saddles, brands, horseshoes on display
Saddles, brands, and other paraphernalia in the Western Display

The engine and train cars are original, as are the depot, agent’s house, oil and water tanks, and a turntable. The rest of the town was torn down for salvage by 1959. The other buildings occupying the museum’s eleven acres were local structures saved from destruction and moved to the site.

Mustard colored 1900s house trimmed in brown with white railing and ramp
Original 1883 Agent’s House

One of the prized possessions of the museum is a restored circa 1900 local ranch house with period furnishings. The Shipley and Conway family tree hangs inside the home and shows the three generations that lived in it before it was moved to its new location at the museum.

Inside an early 1900s home with wood accents and papered walls
Pillars and decorative header separate the living and dining areas
Inside early 1900s home showing a mannequin in period costume, wood carved bed, quilt, water pitcher, and bowl
Bedroom one
Bedroom inside early 1900s house with bird cage, wood carved bed, rocking chair, and dolls
Bedroom two
Dining room inside early 1900s home, with wood built-in hutch and buffet
Love the built-in buffet and hutch
Early 1900s kitchen with stove, table, and dishware
All the modern conveniences in the kitchen
Early 1900s bathroom showing toilet, pedestal sink, and tub
Bath

Besides the ranch house, visitors will find the Library and Arts Building housed in Bishop’s first Catholic church, a gazebo, a 20 Mule Team Borax Wagon exhibit, gas station, farm and mining equipment, and train restoration shop. The following pictures are just a sample of some of these exhibits.

Early 1900s School house painted gray with white trim
Original 1909 North Inyo School House
Stone building with wood and tin roof used as blacksmith shop
Blacksmith shop
Table and icebox inside a miner's shack
Inside miner’s shack
Two bath tubs set in floor at early 1900s bath house
Bath house
Late 1800s train tracks, train turntable, and water tank
Tracks, original 1883 Armstrong turntable, and replica 1883 water tank
Mining equipment and replica mine tunnel
Replica mine tunnel comes complete with audio of pick axes, voices, and a blast

This isn’t the first actual, or replicated, western town we have visited, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. We find it fascinating to walk the streets, peek inside buildings, and imagine what life was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I can almost hear the clomp of horses’ feet, the jingle of their bridles, and a whistle in the distance announcing the train’s arrival.

Next up, we finish up our time in Bishop, California.

Stay Safe

October 2020 COVID-19 Adventure: Bishop, California and Manzanar National Historic Site

On By LToddIn California, Photography, RV Travel, Travel2 Comments

We left Alamo, Nevada, on October 21, 2020, with Bishop California as our destination. Welcome to the smoky Eastern Sierras. When I made the reservations, the dirty air had not yet filled the Owens Valley with ash and smoke that obliterated the mountains from sight.

The only spot I could find in Bishop was at the Inyo County Fairgrounds. The best part about the campground was the high-speed Wi-Fi connection, which allowed us to stream Netflix. We treated ourselves to dinner out on the patio of Whiskey Creek Restaurant, a place we sometimes visited when passing through town on our way to or from Mammoth Lakes decades ago.

Brown building, green grass, boulders, and sign for Whiskey Creek Restaurant
Whiskey Creek Restaurant Patio Dining
Street corner, semi trailer, cars, and setting sun obliterated by smoke in the air
Smoke shrouds the Sierra Mountains

The next morning, the air quality was worse, reducing visibility to about a quarter mile. Lone Pine’s air quality wasn’t as bad, so we headed south to see Manzanar National Historic Site. We had driven by the property for years when all we could see was a gate, fence, and a sign listing it as a historic landmark. We were eager to find out what was behind the fence.

Wood sign for Manzanar War Relocation Center
Manzanar War Relocation Center is close to U.S. 395

A driving tour took us around the camp where there were places to park and explore different sites with information panels to tell us what we were looking at. Only a few buildings had doors open that we could peek into but not enter.

Desert landscape with large green building and signs
Visitor center closed during pandemic

In reaction to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942. The order authorized the Secretary of War to remove individuals deemed a threat to the war effort for relocation at one of 10 centers in seven states around the country.

Sidewalk, rocks, sandy area with a few trees and brown buildings in the background.
Baseball and basketball were favorite sports the internees enjoyed

It turned out the threatening individuals were 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry living in the United States. Whether they were American citizens by birth or lived in the country for decades, they entered the camps with only a small amount of what they had owned.

Man standing near a wood and tar paper clad building, white pickup truck, basketball hoops in background
Jon checks the exterior walls made of only thick tar paper instead of stucco or siding.
Inside wood barracks with cots, bedding, hanging clothes and information signs.
Reconstructed barrack room depicts life in camp
Inside wood framed barracks showing information signs
The building was closed so we couldn’t go inside to read the information panels in the Block Manager’s Office

Manzanar was not one of those fancy summer camps near a lake. Military police manned eight guard towers with searchlights and patrolled a barbed wire fence that enclosed a 500-acre housing section comprising 504 barracks arrayed into 36 blocks. The remaining 5,500 acres outside of the fence included housing for military police, a reservoir, a sewage treatment plant, and agricultural fields.

Wood and tar paper building used as women's latrine
Women’s latrine

Several Japanese American men and women arrived in Manzanar in March 1942 as volunteers to help the Army build the camp. It was the first camp to open. The War Relocation Authority (WRA) took over operations on June 1.

World War II era red delivery pick up with wood framed tar papered brown buildings in background
World War II Era Mess Hall
Dishes, cups, pot, and counter inside mess hall
Inside recreated WWII mess hall

Around 10,000 Japanese American internees occupied the camp by September 1942. Imagine the disappointment on their faces as they descended the bus steps and encountered 110-degree weather. Carrying their meager belongings, they walked along paths, sand filling their shoes.

Sign for John Shepherd Ranch, blocked off road, and clumps of trees
The location of the camp was near the former John Shepherd Ranch, who settled in Owen’s Valley in 1861, and the former Town of Manzanar, a once-thriving community filled with fruit orchards.

When they reached their assigned barrack, they found it divided into four 20-by-25-foot rooms to be shared by eight individuals. The only furnishings included an oil stove, a single hanging light bulb, cots, blankets, and straw-filled mattresses. Families shared a laundry room and mess hall and endured communal toilets and showers lacking any kind of privacy.

Large veritcal rock with painted Japanese characters, Pleasure Park, and 1943
Pleasure Park is one of many parks and gardens built by internees
Coins, bracelets, origami and other trinkets at foot of Pleasure Park 1943 sign
Trinkets and origami left by visitors
Sandy area, boulders, wooden bridges, cement pond with no water
Water features, bridges, and shade at Pleasure Park

As if the hot temperatures weren’t enough, the weather dropped below freezing during the winter months. During the year, the internees dealt with strong winds blowing dust and sand through the camp and into the barracks and up through the floorboards.

White obelisk with black Japanese characters, Soul Consoling Tour, smoky skies
Manzanar Japanese erected the “Soul Consoling Tower” in August 1943 as a permanent tribute to the 150 people who died there.
Round gravesite outlined with rocks in the sand and headstone
Family members relocated most of the graves after the camp’s closure, but a few remain.
Origami wedged among rocks
Origami and other trinkets decorated the gravesites

I admire the way the Japanese Americans managed during their incarceration. With ingenuity and cooperation, they established boys and girls clubs, churches, and temples. They built gardens and ponds, developed recreational activities, sports, music, and dance, and even published the Manzanar Free Press, a newspaper, even though the people were not free. Growing vegetables and raising chickens, hogs, and cattle were among their enterprises. Through the pooling of resources they operated a general store, beauty parlor, barbershop, and a bank.

Kendo Dojo sign, cut yellow shrubs, and trees in the background.
Site of the Kendo Dojo

The way the Japanese Americans prospered under such an oppressive situation impressed on me how we humans are a resilient lot able to overcome adversity.

World War II ended with Japan’s surrender on August 14, 1945. Manzanar War Relocation Center closed on November 21, 1945. In 1972, California established Manzanar as a California Registered Historical Landmark. It became a National Historic Site on March 3, 1992, and the interpretive center opened on April 24, 2004.

Wooden guard tower in a field of desert shrubs and grasses, and smoky sky.
One of the eight guard towers

I’m embarrassed when I learn how our country has mistreated groups of people during our history. Places like Manzanar National Historic Site tell the stories of what happened there, what people endured, and how they survived and thrived. They bring light to the darkness of those days to future generations who hopefully avoid a repeat of our misguided actions.

Stay tuned for more Bishop, California, fun coming up next.

Stay Safe