On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
UncleEbeneezer
We needed our annual trip to the Eastern Sierra mountains for Fall foliage even more than usual this year, but life complications made things very difficult and we had to change our plans a couple times in the days leading up to our trip. We finally decided to stay at French Camp (Rock Creek) and use that as our jumping off point since it would provide us decent cell service even while camping and easy access to Rt. 395, allowing us to easily hop on the road and drive wherever the best color would be. It’s also right near the legendary Tom’s Place restaurant/store/resort.
Warning: most of the Fall Color (aspens) will be in parts 2-4
Located at the bottom of Upper Rock Creek Rd., French Camp is a lovely campground that is mostly high-desert in feel, with lots of pinyon pines. On the backside of the large loop, however, there are a couple campsites by the creek with some scattered aspens that were just starting to show color so we parked at site #65 and started setting up camp.
After 5+ hours of driving and more stress than you can imagine in the previous days, nothing feels better than stretching your legs for a selfie by the creek.
Did I say “nothing?” Ok, well maybe a cold beer from Mammoth Brewing Company and a fire. Here is our campsite, largely set up by my wife Kelly who is really great at that sort of thing (while I ran up to Lake Crowley to get cash to pay for the site)
After a yummy dinner of Trader Joe’s cheese-brats and a couple beers by the fire, we settled in for night. Unfortunately it was a half-moon so our stargazing was limited, but still rather nice. After a hot summer, it is always nice to enjoy the clean air of the Sierra. And at a relatively low elevation, French Camp wasn’t too cold.
Another shot of the stars ringed by the trees of our campsite.
As it got darker we could even see the Milky Way (I think…)
Morning was chilly but once the sun came up, not too bad.
This little birdie, a Stellar Jay, I believe, was very interested in our affairs, visiting often during our stay.
One last sip of coffee from her Autumnal mug and Kelly and I are ready to hit the road to go see some of the real Fall action. Where will we go first? (trying to build some suspense). Hope to see you in Part 2 :)
Arclite
Anyone watching the eclipse? Good stuff.
Paul in St. Augustine
@Arclite: Caught the full eclipse in Jacksonville. Crappy phone cam made the moon look like an acorn.
Martin
@Arclite: Would, but it’s pouring rain. We need the rain, so worthy trade.
Reboot
Reflected campfire light in photos 4 & 5 is relaxing. Knit beanie (or is it a bucket hat?), glasses, mug, plaid shirt–Mrs U.E. is stylish!
UncleEbeneezer
@Reboot: Thanks I will tell her that! Living in LA where it is warm most of the year we revel in the opportunities to bust out long sleeves and warm hats when we visit the Sierra.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Love the shot of the stars
JAFD
@Arclite:
Tried to be up early, but didn’t get outside till after moonset. Beautiful morning here, tho.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
I was up there about 2 weeks later and hiked up Little Lakes Valley to Marsh Lake and then a bit up the Mono Pass trail to get an overview of LLV. The fall color was really at its peak in the Upper Rock Creek area, but I was having problems finding parking and getting a good composition. I headed to South Lake and it was also peak but was raining on the way up, got to South Lake and it stopped raining, it was SNOWING!
HinTN
@Arclite: Cloud cover here precluded viewing anything but the fact that it was dark. Got a great look at that moon when it rose, though.
@Martin: Glad you’re getting that rain.
HinTN
@UncleEbeneezer: Cassiopea framed by the trees is lovely. Also, the Sierras are a wonderful place to be. Thanks for taking us with you.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@HinTN: I was questioning your ID, but then noticed M31(Andromeda Galaxy) to the right.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@Martin: We had a break in the clouds just before the eclipse started, then it started raining. I would have driven to someplace with clearer skies, but that doesn’t exist in the state. I ended up watch all three blu ray disks of “Get Back”.
Van Buren
@Paul in St. Augustine: My phone made it look like an egg.
UncleEbeneezer
@🐾BillinGlendaleCA: We initially planned to do part of Mono Pass if we used a full day for hiking, but since we ended up only getting up to Rock Creek on the day we still had to drive home, we were pressed for time so we had to pick something quick and easy. I bet the views from Mono Pass were superb.
JanieM
Nice pictures, very evocative. I can almost smell the high country. Thanks for sharing the trip with us.
UncleEbeneezer
@HinTN: You’re welcome. Thanks for the stellar ID!
We are getting a heavy amount of rain here in Altadena now. Hopefully the Sierra will get enough so that the falls in Yosemite will be flowing when we visit at the end of the month.
Yutsano
@UncleEbeneezer: I’m just gonna hone in on Albatrossity’s turf and confirm you were indeed glared at by a Stellar’s jay. And a pretty one to boot!
UncleEbeneezer
@Yutsano: Yeah, a friend of our who is a bird-watcher identified it almost immediately when she saw the pic. I could tell it wasn’t quite the same as the Blue Jay’s that we had in MA when I was growing up, but was pretty sure it was related.
munira
Love the night shots – the stars and the trees.
StringOnAStick
Love those Ponderosa pines!
Mike Mundy
Mike stayed at Tom’s Place once!
eclare
Your trip looks very relaxing and fun! Looking forward to more photos.
J R in WV
Great Road Trip photo set ~!!~ Thanks for sharing, will see all the pictures. Watched it get dark last night, although by the time the Red Moon part started, things were already past our very high western horizon, so all I really saw was the change in light on the hillsides and boulders outside the house I went outside VERY briefly around 2 am and looked at the still fully lit full moon, was quite chilly on the back deck when just out of the warm snuggly bed inside.
Dogs were outside most all night, BooBoo [ the pretty littler girl ] just did come in a few minutes ago, lying beside me as I type. I suspect they are guarding a deer carcass on the ridge behind the shop building, they have quit eating the high-end kibble we serve, as is usual in late fall early winter here.
UncleEbeneezer
@Mike Mundy: We usually try and grab a meal there (cause I love some good chicken-fried steak) but things just never really lined up right on this particular trip.
JustRuss
Love the pink camp chairs, adds some bling to your campsite. With all the rain and gray we’re getting here, really enjoying these photos.
Interstadial
@StringOnAStick: Actually, those are the similar and closely related Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) which is common in the moderately high elevations of the Sierra Nevada. Usually it grows at higher elevations than ponderosa pine. On the east side of the southern Sierra, ponderosa pine is essentially absent but you’ll find Jeffrey pine at suitable elevations. It’s common along the lower parts of upper* Rock Creek.
Jeffrey pine has bark that’s more orange-reddish with skinnier plates than ponderosa pine. The cones are larger with the prickles turned under so you don’t feel them when you grab the cone. On a warm day the cracks in the bark will smell like butterscotch or vanilla, depending on your personal sense of smell.
Rock Creek is one of my favorite spots in the Sierra. I was there just a couple of week ago though I missed most of the fall color.
*Rock Creek flows down a canyon in the mountains (“upper Rock Creek”), then after exiting the mountains makes a turn and flows in a small canyon down a long desert slope below the mountains (“lower Rock Creek”). So the lower part of upper Rock Creek means the lower part of the creek and canyon in the mountains, as opposed to the creek and canyon below the mountains. Sorry if that includes any spoilers!
UncleEbeneezer
@Interstadial: So was the campground book wrong to say “Pinion Pines?” That’s the only reason I used the phrase. It’s a really good book as a resource for planning.
Interstadial
@UncleEbeneezer: No, the campground has piñon (or pinyon) pines. Those are the little squat ones you camped among. They live where the sagebrush desert transitions to the mountains, below the zone of heavy winter snowfall.
The Jeffrey pines live up the canyon and look more like traditional pine trees.
weasel
@UncleEbeneezer: We call those talkative jays midnight blueberries.