Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Goodale Creek Campground (CA)

Goodale Creek Campground was another beautiful location we were reluctant to leave. Margaret found it using the Campendium app after we'd spent the previous night (06 May 2019) on U.S. Forest Service Land northeast of the town of Big Pine: a location where we thought we would have a cell signal, some quiet time, and great views. It turned out there was a peek-a-boo signal (which is highly frustrating!), and we also had an incident of a disgruntled, drinking person, who showed up the following morning. He seemed very displeased that we were camping where he wanted to meet someone. He did finally leave without incident.

We ended up driving back into Big Pine seeking a signal and a new place to camp—hence, our lovely six-night stay at Goodale Creek Campground. What an amazing alternate choice it was!

 Photo by Margaret.

The campground is not far off of Highway 395 in Owens Valley with the Eastern Sierra Nevada to the west and the Inyo Mountains to the east. It was very quiet with large campsites, modern vault toilets, trash, and recycling. It also had a decent T-Mobile signal (2 out of 4 bars LTE for most of our stay). We had planned to stay two nights, as I was waiting for a General Delivery package in Big Pine; but the package ended up being a day late. Margaret and I both loved Goodale Creek so much that we decided to stay until the following Monday.

Our dinner the night before arriving at Goodale Creek Campground was Tofu Scramble & Potatoes O'Brien. Yum!

 Vegetable Tofu Scramble and Potatoes O'Brien. Dinner and photo by Virginia.

Purple wildflowers near our campsite. Photo by Margaret.

View of snow-capped Eastern Sierras from our campsite. Photo by Margaret.

Western view of Roadtrek parked in our campsite with trees! Photo by Margaret.

Another lovely view. Photo by Margaret.

Since we had a cell signal, we were able to keep up with things, such as the weather. And on Thursday evening we received rain in Owens Valley and fresh snow on the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was so amazingly beautiful!

Morning of the 4th day after a snow storm the night before. Photo by Virginia.

 The Inyo Mountains from our campsite. Photo by Virginia.

 The Eastern Sierra Nevada from our campsite. Photo by Virginia.

On Sunday, 12 May, all three of us (Margaret, Peaches, and I) walked around the campground taking photos and videos. The weather was clear and cool, and the sun felt divine. 

A simple walking bridge over Goodale Creek. Photo by Margaret.
 
A wild rose popping up next to the creek. Photo by Margaret.

 12 May 2019: The creek level was up and rushing through the campground. Video by Virginia.
[If you have trouble viewing this embedded movie,
 you may view it directly on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/K5d97lWYCdw]
 
After our walk, Margaret said we should take advantage of the warm weather and wash our hair. As I was moving one of the camp chairs, I nearly stepped on a snake (not a rattler)! I'm guessing it was a Spotted Leaf-Nosed Snake (from a photo on a herpetology site). After a startled scream from me, it simply slithered off into a nearby bush to hide. Margaret washed my hair for me, and then washed hers afterward. I sat in a chair supporting my messed-up neck with my hands. She stood over me using the outdoor shower nozzle with warm water. What a treat it was having clean hair!

Clean hair, thanks to my sister! Selfie by Virginia.

 Steamed and sautéed vegetables in marinara sauce over organic brown and wild rice and spinach. Meal and photo by Virginia.

I read three books while staying at Goodale Creek...


Eastern view of Roadtrek in our campsite. Photo by Margaret.

We left Goodale Creek Campground on the morning of 13 May 2019. Both of us would like to return someday in the future. We recommend it wholeheartedly!


NOTE: Clicking on the photos in the post will open them in a larger view (recommended!). If you want to see more photos of the beautiful places we've shared, we have them in this Flickr Collection: Over the Hill Sisters Photo Collection.

7 comments:

Mary Jo said...

Va you and Margaret taking amazing beautiful pictures. Some can very easily be sold to a company making postcards. Looks like you are both having a relaxing interesting journey.

Havefaith1 said...

I love that I can live the nomad life through you two and your pictures. That one of the 4th morning? Breathtaking! Look forward to your next entry.

Anonymous said...

It is so lovely getting to travel along with you via your blog. The photos make us feel we are there with you!

Besides Mr. Snake (eek!), do you encounter a lot of wildlife?

A personal comment: your hair is gorgeous!

Virginia Hill said...

Aw, thank you, Mary Jo! The places we're visiting are very striking and our iPhones take beautiful photos. I think we both have a good eye, as well. We both love being out here, taking in the scenery, and sharing with you all. Thanks for your sweet comment.

Virginia Hill said...

Thank you, Roberta! We love having you along with us here. We've been to some truly stunning places and look forward to sharing them with you.

Virginia Hill said...

Hi Paula and Rick! The sites are truly beautiful, so taking photos is a high priority. Most of the wildlife we've seen has been small. No deer or elk or bears...yet! My hair was clean for a short time. I'm in desperate need of a washing again, but it is extremely cold where we've been camping and there is no water. Hopefully, we'll be able to get showers somewhere before too long. *fingers crossed* Thank you SO much for your comments and support!

Margaret Hill said...

Paula and Rick, as Virginia said, the wildlife we've seen have been small so far because we've generally been in desert and high desert with chaparral type critters. There have been lots of lizards (Peaches' favorite!), various species of birds (including roadrunners and quail), the one snake (not counting a very small but very dead mummified snake I saw), and lots of chipmunks! The chipmunks are so small, cute, and fast! We don't see chipmunks in the wild where our home base is, so they have been a treat. The small birds are more colorful, too, than the sparrows that are so common in San Diego County. We did see elk crossing signs on the highway but no elk so far. Our last campground (not published yet) was bear country and has bear lockers to store food in, but we saw no bears during the two nights we were there.