On trips heading south, we’ve been challenged finding places to camp in the southern San Joaquin Valley. On this trip, iOverlander, one of our favorite apps for finding camping locations, pointed us to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park as a potential camping spot. What a lovely location.
The town was founded, financed, and governed by African Americans. Allen Allensworth was born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky on April 7, 1842. After serving in the Union Army, he went on to gain an education. In 1909, the colony of Allensworth began to come to life. The name and reputation of Colonel Allensworth inspired African Americans who were looking for a better life. People from all over the country, including many who settled in California, came to populate the town.
We arrived on Friday evening February 9 and found we had the campground all to ourselves.
In the morning though, we woke to discover that hundreds of people were showing up for a Black History Month Celebration. In fact, we were asked to break camp so that visitors could use the campground for parking. We moved our rig and took the opportunity to tour the collection of restored and reconstructed buildings.
The buildings include a schoolhouse, a Baptist church, businesses, homes, a hotel, a library, and various other structures that symbolize the rebirth of Colonel Allen Allensworth’s dream of an independent, democratic town where African Americans could live in control of their own destiny.
We took advantage of the Cell Phone Audio Tour, a self-guided audio tour with stop at a number of locations that provide a brief history of Allensworth. It was a bit of a novel experience, being in this isolated location and being able to use such technology to gain insight into the history of Allensworth. More photos are available in an online gallery.
On Saturday, June 27, I hopped in the truck to drive over the mountains for another family visit. I decided to break the drive up into two segments, with an overnight in the Bodie Hills and a visit to the Bodie State Historic Park.
It was 11:30 a.m. when I got on the road, a bit later than I had anticipated, but with plenty of time to reach my intended destination by sunset. The drive took me over Sonora Pass on highway 108. I was quite impressed with how many campers were out. It seemed like just about every patch of bare dirt had a tent or RV on it. Summer has arrived and it seems people are anxious to get out and enjoy nature after three months of sheltering in place with the COVID-19 pandemic; or at least that’s my interpretation.
When I reached Bridgeport, I turned north on highway 182 and then I headed up Aurora Canyon Road, a dirt road. I had directions to a dispersed camp site called Paramount, named after a mining claim, about 11 miles from Bridgeport. This is a nice flat location in a grove of Aspen. When I got there, it was occupied, with a large tent, tiki torches, and a pile of firewood that indicated these folks were going to be here awhile. I headed up the road about a half mile to another grove of aspen. Not quite as nice a location for camping, but suitable for a quick overnight camp. I drove down a clearing to what looked like a good spot to park the camper, but on inspection I determined that I would fall out of bed given the slope. I moved the truck up closer to the road, and with much maneuvering in the confines of the aspen, I manged to position the rig and level it for a good night’s sleep.
This location was closer to the ridge with sweeping views, which suited me for potential photos of sunset and sunrise. With a few clouds overhead, I was hoping for some color in the sky. I didn’t get the color I was hoping for, but what did catch my attention was the lichen covered rocks and the patterns of clouds.
I’m calling this image Rock and Sky. I love the color of lichens on the rock, and how the design in the clouds seems to draw attention to the rock. I’ve just added this image to my art store, available in a variety of sizes on fine art paper, canvas or metal. Check it out.
It was a very windy night on the ridge, and I was concerned about camera vibration in the wind. I was camping at an elevation of 9000 feet and, while the temperature was a mild 55 degrees, the wind made it feel 10 degrees cooler. The camper is a fairly secure place even with the 50 mile per hour gusts, but even so, it took me a while to drift off to sleep.
Sunday morning I was up at 5 a.m. for the sunrise. Sunrise is always a wondrous event, with the early morning light changing from blue to gold as the sun rises. The wind was continuing to blast it’s way over the ridge and threatening to topple my camera and tripod. I grabbed a few exposures, made coffee, and had a bowl of raisin bran; not my preferred breakfast, but good for a quick getaway.
I arrived at the Bodie State Historic Park at 8:30, half an hour before it opens to the public; I was the first visitor to arrive. I had a brief chat with a ranger who directed me to the entry kiosk. I had come in the back road and it wasn’t obvious where the main entry was. The day use entry fee is $8.00, with park hours 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. My dog Carson was happy to know he could join me on leash, rather than hole up in the camper while I did my tour.
Bodie was established as a mining camp following the discovery of gold in 1859. In it’s heyday, it was home for some 8,000 people. The last mine closed in 1942.
I had been researching photos of the town and wondering how photographers manage to take nighttime photos. It seems there are several photo tours operated through the Bodie Foundation that provide access with extended hours; something I’ll check out for future visits.
Approaching the beach at the Angel Island Immigration Station.
We were a small group for the BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle on May 9. Just three of us with Danny, Susan and myself. With today being Thursday and too stormy to paddle it’s time to catch up on my blog. For last week’s paddle we launched from Paradise Cay under cloudy skies with a prediction for wind in the afternoon. The plan was to paddle along the East Side of the Tiburon Peninsula which would afford us some projection from the wind with a stop for lunch at a little beach just shy of Bluff Point. Our paddle took us along the shore and past the Center for Environmental Studies Estuary & Ocean Science Center (Romberg Tiburon Center) operated by San Francisco State University. This was a Naval Net Depot for maintaining submarine nets across the Golden Gate during World War II.
We were paddling along, chatting and riding an ebb current and before we knew it we were at Bluff Point staring at Angel Island which seemed to be offering us an invitation for lunch. Conditions in Raccoon Straight looked favorable so we crossed to Angel Island and landed on the beach at the Immigration Station. On our return the wind tried to tease us a bit, coming at us from various directions, deflected by the land masses. We hung close to the shore admiring the mansions and estates along the Tiburon Peninsula. Our paddle covered 9.4 miles. You can see more photos here and view a track of our paddle here.
Track of our paddle from Paradise Cay to Angel Island
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