After two days in Utah, Linda and I drove across Nevada into California. We drove through Las Vegas, headed north to Beatty, Nevada, and then turned west on Highway 374 into Death Valley National Park. I guess we can’t get enough of the hot weather.
Death Valley was HOT. Not as hot as it will be in August, but when we climbed out of our car to hike on some sand dunes, the scorching heat affected us right away. The air was hard to breathe and the hot sand burned through our hiking shoes. We enjoyed the hike, but not for too long of a time.
We only stayed in the park for a few hours. Our destination was Bishop. California, which lies at the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. My (adopted) mom Sherrie and her husband Ernie moved to Bishop over thirty years ago, and every time I’m in California, I make a trip to Bishop to visit.
A few years ago, Bishop was a dying town. Lately though, rock climbers, boulderers, mountaineers, and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers frequent the streets and hotels and shops in Bishop. The small town even has a micro-brewery and pickleball courts. Bishop is heading into the 21st century.
On the second day in Bishop, after breakfast with mom and Ernie, Linda and I drove up toward Bishop Pass, high in the Sierra. Our destination was Long Lake, a very steep and brisk six-mile hike to the lake and back. We worked hard, but the trip was worth every step.
We left Bishop the following morning. It’s always hard to lave there. Mom is 94 years old, and I never know when a visit will be the last.
