Bakersfield Life

Romancing the Eastern Sierra Nevadas

larger view

    If you’re hearing the call to adventure this spring, hop in your car or RV and head north toward Lone Pine via Highways 14 and 395. Almost every form of physical recreation can be found along these two highways, but if physical activity isn’t your thing, there’s also great photography, history and just kicking back.
    Leave Bakersfield via Highway 58 and take SR 14 to Jawbone Station, (760-373-1146) the entrance to Jawbone Canyon, where off-road vehicle enthusiasts and equestrians can explore nearly 8,500 acres of open use public land. Here, you’re limited only by your skill, your wheels or your horse. The canyon also offers some 280 miles of limited-use trails outside the off-highway vehicle area and primitive camping.
    Further north on SR 14 is Red Rock Canyon State Park. You can’t miss the colorful cliffs and buttes that served as landmarks during the 1870s for 20-mule team freight wagons. The red sandstone, white clay and pink volcanic cliffs lure photographers and artists. Fossils of saber-toothed tigers, camels and other animals have been found in the soft bed rocks near the park’s entrance.
    Tucked behind the imposing red walls is a visitor’s center and Ricardo Campground, which is on the site of the old stage station. Nature walks and ranger talks are regularly scheduled during the spring and fall. Families can walk the self-guided nature trail, rock-climb or ride off into the desert on their OHVs. At night, after the kids are tucked in, mom and dad can do some serious star-gazing. Or not.
    Thirsty? Love antiques? Just before SR 14 merges with 395 is Robber’s Roost (760-377-4271), where bandits did indeed hide out in the outcroppings, then swoop down on unsuspecting travelers. Now, the inhabitants of Robber’s Roost will only take your money if you’re willing to part with it.
    Next stop, Olancha aka Yawlanche (the Shoshoni name). Stretch your legs, get an espresso or a meal at the quaint Ranch House Café (760-764-2363). The biscuits and gravy are to die for and the fruit pies are homemade. During the summer months the giant cottonwood trees, planted in the 1860s, make the café a cool respite.
    Northeast of Olancha is the 110-square-mile Owens Lake (albrightseed.com/owenslake.htm), named by John C. Fremont for Richard Owens, a member of his third western expedition. It’s hard to believe that ore-hauling steamboats once plowed the lake’s waters. Thanks to the late William Mulholland and some shady Los Angeles officials, all the water was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct, leaving Owens Lake dry. In 1998, the first steps were taken to irrigate part of the lake to keep the dust and pollution down. Today, rivers of water sparkle between  
islands of saline crust.
    Once you pass Owens Lake, you’ll see Diaz Lake, a small natural lake created by the 1872 earthquake. Tent campers and RVers have access to large open single or group camp sites, swimming, water skiing and fishing.
    A favorite place for RV, photo and quilting groups is Boulder Creek Mobile Home and RV Park (760-876-4243). The park sits at the base of Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain peak (elevation 14,495) in the contiguous United States. Boulder Creek has it all, from full hook-ups and free WiFi to a pool, spa and clubhouse. For non-campers, there are cozy cabins for rent. Kids will love the playground, the resident pygmy goat, desert tortoises and the indoor aviary full of finches.
    At the junction of Highways 395 and 136, is the Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor Center, which is also the jump-off point for Death Valley. This is worth a stop even if you only get the free printed information on what to see and do in the area.
    Your final stop is Lone Pine, named for a Jeffrey pine downed in a storm. For all its small size, the town has a lot to offer. Every October it hosts a film festival to celebrate the more than 200 movies (mostly Westerns) and TV series made in the area. The Museum of Lone Pine Film History (760-876-9909) displays an impressive collection of movie memorabilia.
    The historic Dow Villa Motel (760-876-5521), built in the early 1920s, catered to the filmmakers and stars. Today, it’s an inexpensive fun place to stay and it’s within a short walk of all the restaurants and fast-food spots.
    For an experience of a lifetime, get up before sunrise and drive 2.5 miles west on Whitney Portal Road and turn right on Movie Road in the Alabama Hills. Park your car and watch the sun bathe the snow-capped peak of Mt. Whitney. The Alabamas, one of the earth’s oldest geological formations, served as the setting for “Gunga Din,” “How The West Was Won,” “Charge of the Light Brigade” and many other movie classics.
    When you’ve had enough movie history, continue up Whitney Portal Road, a good road despite being steep and winding. Several beautiful campgrounds with trout-laden streams await campers and fishermen.  
    Driving time from Bakersfield to Lone Pine — without stops — is a mere three hours. Along with the stops suggested here, there are many more places to see and things to do.