This last trip, I took my friend camping, and learning! He is not an experienced camper so I decided to take it fairly easy on both of us. Our trip took us to the Loon Lake area of the Eldorado National Forest. That is just west of the Desolation Wilderness. To get there, take US-50 to Icehouse road. Turn North on Icehouse road (forest highway #3). If you stay on Icehouse road, you will get to Loon Lake. There are lots of other very interesting spots on the way!
Camping for me almost always means finding a spot outside of a campground and this trip was no different. We did check some campgrounds out along the way at Gerle Creek, Union Valley Res., and Loon Lake itself. None of them seemed inviting to me and they are now charging $20 per car per night. The end result? We found a place right beside the road to Loon Lake that had its own spring fed pond and loads of birds to watch! since it is not part of a campground, there is no charge. The only minor drawback is that we could not have a fire. That was no big deal since I had planed on not having a fire anyway. The danger of wildfire is just too great.
The top photo was taken on Icehouse road over looking the Rubicon River Valley. It is a series of 4 photos stitched together. The views along that road can be spectacular!
All around the pond we camped next to, the birds were busy. That is pretty much what we were able to see and photograph.
This bufflehead duck was pretty much a permanent resident. Here is another shot of the same duck.
Of course there were other birds hanging around!
I have to apologize for the blurry photo of this ladderback woodpecker! The little guy was hammering away at the tree so fast that I couldn’t get a clear shot of him!
Of course there ar still lots of wildflowers in the wilderness. I thought I got some good shots but I had some focus problems and only a couple came out well enough to share.
Thank you for letting me bring this to you! Please invite your friends to take a look!
Dear sir/madam,
i just found this weblog of you from areply you had posted to a question on Yahoo Answers page.
i followed the link and found this nice weblog. it’s very nice that you share your discoveries with the world.
i’ll come to US next year and live in Los Angeles (Glendale). we’re immigrating from Iran.
i have always climbe a mountain in the north of Tehran. it’s called Tochal. of course i haven’t been on the peak yet. it’s 3994 m above sealevel. the route is very difficult in some areas.
anyway i like to continue this sport when i reach California.
i have a question to you. how far is the area you mentioned from Gelndale (California)? how much time must be spent to reach that area by public transport? and how much will it cost? do you think a one-day camping is possible to arrange in that area moving from our home in Glendale (California)?
thank you very much for your reply in advance.
and hope you great time in climbing and camping.
Sincerely, Stella
Stella,
Wecome to the United States in advance. If you are moving to Glendale, California, the best bet for your camping would be in the San Bernadino National Forest. The Eldorado is several hundred miles for Glendale and public transportation would be difficult.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Absolutely amazing photos – must be one chunky SLR jobby you’ve got there.
Great photos and a superb contribution to outdoor and camping blogs!!!!
Ben, Thanks for the good words! Those photos were actually taken with a Sony H9 point and shoot. I do now have a digital SLR but have not had it out in the field yet.