3/20 - 3/25/05 Hanging out in the San Joaquin Valley
3/20 - The first day of spring started cold, wet & blustery, though we got a break by late morning long enough to get online & check out the weather forecast for the week ahead. Not good: Cloudy & stormy almost all week. I had been looking forward to staying put after several moves in the week just past, but we were going to have to find someplace to plug in for the work week. We could stay in the Kern River area, we could go back to the desert, or we could move on. I opted for the latter course, but decided against heading down SR178 toward Bakersfield after our trip down Friday. I can handle steep, I can handle winding, I can handle narrow. But steep, narrow & winding towing a 5 ton trailer in bad weather? I can do without that anxiety, so we headed back over Walker Pass.
Tehachapi sounded like a good place to go, with several possible hookup sites available & it was only a couple of hours away. As we arrived, the huge wind farms on the crests of the hills around Tehachapi pass reminded me that maybe this was not the best choice of refuge for a stormy week. I pulled over & consulted my Don Wright's Guide to Free Campgrounds again. West of Bakersfield near I5 was Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area, a Kern County park with camping & hookups. We arrived about 5 to discover that they had just gone to summer rates, much higher than I wanted to pay for several days. But we needed a place to stay for the night & to work Monday, so that's where our sojourn in the San Joaquin Valley begins.
3/21 - We have moved on to the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, CA
(south of Fresno) in the agricultural heart of the valley.
$20 for full hookups, it's about the lowest cost place I could find to
take refuge from the weather. If we catch a break, there is some free
camping not too far off. But for now we are parked between the dairy barn
& the speedway at the fairgrounds. Timmy loves to frolic on green
grass, so I think he'll be happy here; plus we'll no doubt meet some folks
for him to make friends with. As for me, I'd much rather be in some wild
place listening to the sound of rushing water or overlooking a lake.
The trip up the valley via I5 & SR41 only took a couple of hours; this stretch of I5 is falling into disrepair with numerous potholes. The normally arid terrain near Bakersfield was looking pretty lush, with large expanses of goldfield in some areas, mustard in others. Farther north the vineyards, orchards & pastures were all busting out in spring finery.
We went more than 3 weeks off the grid (not counting the overnight at Miller's Towing), not bad. But I won't mind having the extra time to work on photo galleries & slide shows that 24 hour power provides. I've fallen a little behind with our limited amps in the evenings over the last several days.
3/23 - The San Joaquin saga continues... With the prospects of improving weather & a full bank of batteries, I decided to make the move to one of the free camping areas farther north rather than continue paying $20 a day for the fairgrounds. Don Wright lists several near Los Banos & a couple along the way. We were a little late pulling out due to a late running phone call & the need to accommodate eBoy's appetite for diesel. The first area we stopped at was too iffy. Looking down a narrow dirt road at dusk with no signs in sight, we turned back. A little later we pulled into the parking lot of the Los Banos State Wildlife Area just as dark was descending, joining about a half dozen other boondockers. It will be fine for overnight & we'll decide in the morning whether to stay a couple more days or move on to the nearby San Luis Reservoir area.
3/24 - Not long after I set up, got online & went to work this morning,
I was informed by a nice ranger that we were blocking a fire lane &
would have to move elsewhere in the parking lot or into the wildlife area
proper. She also said a 3-day bird dog event would be starting tomorrow
& the parking lot would become a barking zoo. I was hesitant about
taking Gypsy down the narrow gravel road along the levees, so we walked
it first.
1-1/2 miles in we checked out the area she suggested. On the banks of
Ruth Lake, surrounded by marshes teeming with water fowl, with room to
maneuver & park, this was excellent.
Except for occasional fishermen, we seem to have the entire wildlife area to ourselves. Much of the San Joaquin was originally wetlands & tule marshes, so this area gives one a sense of what the valley was like 200 years ago. Late in the afternoon we made a run for supplies; the parking lot that we vacated was now packed with RVs & dog trucks. Thanks, ranger lady! And thanks, sun. We had plenty of solar power most of the day.
3/25 - Tomorrow morning we will head on up the valley toward Livermore. This will mark the end of this adventure & the start of a hiatus of sorts. We plan to stay 3 weeks at my daughter's spread in the Diablo range. It will be a welcome respite after moving so frequently these past 2 weeks. I expect to continue to add photographs & update some web pages, but our next adventure will probably be in mid-April in the direction of northern California.
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