On our third day in the Eastern Sierra, we drove north past Bishop and checked out the Owens River near the Pleasant Valley Dam, drove back into Bishop to visit the Laws Railroad Museum, and decided to head north again to hike and camp along McGee Creek, just south of Mammoth Lakes.
After getting in late last night, we slept a bit longer than usual in the motel that morning. But we still managed to get going fairly early. It’s the way we are. Sleeping late just isn’t our thing. We double-checked that we had everything and loaded it into the car, then headed north on Highway 395, the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway.
The town of Bishop was about 45 minutes away. As we drove, we noticed lots of puffy clouds and a dusting of snow on the High Sierra peaks to the west. Very pretty. We were glad we spent the night at the motel. As I drove, Vicki checked the weather forecast. It seemed that the stormy weather was lagging, and there was more rain and snow predicted for this afternoon and evening. Oh well, we said to ourselves. This time we would be camping in it, as we didn’t plan on another night in a motel. We’d survive, of course. We’ve been in worse, after all. And it might even be fun!
Part of today’s plan was to eat breakfast at Erick Schat’s Bakkery in Bishop. It was somewhat famous here on the east side of the Sierra. We bought some coffee and pastries, and ate outside on the picnic tables. Vicki posed for a photo on a child’s mechanical horsie ride, and I stood next to a Wooden Indian. I like Wooden Indians. Don’t ask me why.
The railroad museum in town wasn’t open yet, so we needed to spend some time elsewhere. We checked our list of “Things To Do” and chose to visit the Pleasant Valley Dam and Owens River just north of town. Maybe I’d get lucky this time and catch a trout! We drove to the end of the road and there was a locked gate. Sad but true. We could just barely see the edge of the dam from there. Even sadder! But the river was flowing down below the road, so I got out my fly rod. It turned out to be flowing very fast! No wonder the sign said No Swimming. You’d probably get swept away and never be able to climb back out. There were no signs against fishing, however. Too bad they didn’t tell the trout that it was allowed, as none of them were interested in my fly. But at least I tried.
There was a campground nearby, and we decided to drive there. We didn’t think much about staying there tonight as it was quite open to the sun. But that didn’t stop us from driving down Chalk Bluff Road, which paralleled the river for many miles. The river itself was meandering through the wide flat canyon bottom, and every so often it neared the road. That’s when we stopped to try a bit of fishing. There weren’t many calm eddies or backwaters along there, but I chose the slowest water I could find. I was shut out yet again. This Owens River wasn’t being easy on me. I felt like I needed bigger gear, that a Tenkara Rod was too small. Maybe someday I would buy a proper fly-casting rod and reel. But not today.
We headed back toward the dam, but it was still too early to visit the museum. Vicki had noticed a small dirt road climbing up and out of the gorge. She checked my CalTopo map and decided that it would lead us to a good view of the dam from up above. Well, I was driving a 4WD vehicle, after all, so maybe it was time for me to put this power to use. I had some misgivings, of course, but I’ve also learned over the years that when Vicki has a crazy idea like this, that it usually turns out to be fun. We made to to the top, where there was a broad plateau with good views. We parked the car and walked over toward the rim of the gorge.
After a short walk, we stood on the edge of the bluff. There was the Pleasant Valley Dam down below us. It wasn’t that high, and only dammed about a third to half of the full depth of the gorge. This was yet another LADWP project, holding water to be sent to Los Angeles eventually. It’s a thirsty town, apparently.
Up there, we were in sunshine while across the way to the west were large clouds up above the mountains. We’d probably be camping over there later on. But now it was time to drive back down that crazy dirt road and head south to Bishop once again. I also gave Vicki credit for coming up with another great side quest, even if the road was a bit rough on the way there.
We drove south, down the hill to Bishop, and turned left at Silver Canyon Road. Laws Railroad Museum was just ahead. At this time of year, mid-week, there were very few cars in the parking lot. We found a shady spot and headed over to the entrance. We paid our donation and continued into the museum itself, which was set up like a small village. According to the museum’s website, many of these buildings were brought here after the Southern Pacific Railroad closed the line and donated the station (and one of the last steam trains) to the town, back in the early 1960’s. The railroad itself, a 3-foot narrow gauge rail, started operating back in the 1880’s, so it had quite a long run.
Meanwhile, lots of other cool stuff, antiques and memorabilia, were donated from all over the Bishop and Owens Valley area. This museum had a little bit of everything, not just trains. There were buildings full of knick-knacks, antique machinery, home appliances, old-time pharmaceuticals, branding irons, barbed-wire displays, a printing press, a doctor/dentist office, a schoolhouse, an auto shop, and an old time bar. Like I said, a little bit of everything. Just getting it organized must have been a monumental task. And forget about dusting it!
After strolling through the old-time town, we headed out into the backyard, where the Big Stuff was displayed. The railroad part of the Railroad Museum. We were glad it was a cool day in late September, because it often breaks 100 degrees out here in the Summer. Instead, we had pretty clouds, and fine views. Much of the rolling stock was sitting out in the yard, exposed to the weather, and it was showing its age. Like all museums, they would love to get both money and volunteers to help restore these antique railcars. And, like all museums, they prioritized their projects and did the best they could with the budgets they had. Luckily, there was an engine shed where the remaining steam engine resided, safely out of the elements. It was named the “Slim Princess” because it rode on the narrow gauge rails.
On the way back, we visited the Laws Railroad Station itself. There was a loading dock, old time displays of schedules and fees, and a Western Union office in the main waiting room. It really felt like the Good Old Days being in that room, a place that was old when I was still a young boy. Quite nostalgic. They had a wood stove for heat in the Winter, and I imagined the clouds of tobacco smoke that must have filled the air back then.
After that, it was time to head on out. Since we intended to visit the Bodie Ghost Town tomorrow, which was an hour or two north of here, we chose to camp up on the hill toward Mammoth Lakes, along McGee Creek Road. Vicki and I once drove up that road by accident, intending to visit Convict Lake, but we turned around before checking it out properly. This was going to be our chance.
We arrived at the McGee Creek Campground just after 4pm, and claimed a campsite. All of these sites were out in the open, and would be roasting in the sun during a typical Summer Day. But not now. It was breezy and cool, and the rain clouds were still gathering and brooding above the nearby high peaks. The big steel and wood picnic table shelters looked like a great idea for this campground. I’d never seen any built quite like it. Very strong, and all of them blocked both the sun and wind out of the west.
Since it was still a bit early for eating dinner and going to bed, we decided to take a short hike on the McGee Pass Trail. I was at the opposite end of that trail a few months ago, back in July 2024, when I was hiking solo on the Pacific Crest Trail. I told Vicki about it as we drove to the trailhead parking lot. There was a range of red and white mountains back there, much like the ones at Convict Lake, in the next valley toward Mammoth Lakes.
We packed the daypack with snacks, water, and raingear, and started hiking. This elevation was a bit high for Vicki’s non-acclimated lungs, but I assured her that it wasn’t too steep. At least not the first part. She agreed to give it a try, trooper that she is. It helped that we could see the relatively flat valley extending outward toward the west. We decided to hike as far as she wanted, and then we’d turn back.
The main feature of the trail at this end was McGee Creek, which was flowing down below us within a narrow grove of aspens. Elsewhere there were very few trees, as this canyon was in the rain shadow of the High Sierra.
It was breezy, and there were plenty of dark, puffy cumulus clouds scudding by above us, but none of them seemed threatening. As a photographer, I thought they were great! Last night’s dusting of snow on the higher peaks made everything even better. We hiked on, and I took far too many photos of the same exact mountains, but with different lighting and cloud patterns each time.
There were several trails within this lower region of the canyon. The horse packers down the road even had a trail of their own. We decided to make a bit of a loop out of the hike, by using more than one of them. We chose the lower trail first, as it headed down into the aspens along the creek. It looked like the horses liked this area, too, as there was both water and shade on roasting Summer days. Today it was useful for getting out of the cold breeze.
After that, we climbed up a short hill to the junction with the main trail. This was also where the John Muir Wilderness began. We posed by the sign, and Vicki decided that this was far enough for one day. Also, the weather looked to be getting a bit more threatening, with fewer blue regions between the clouds. Getting wet really wasn’t part of our plan, after all, as the air was very cool, at the perfect temperature for inducing hypothermia in soggy hikers.
Naturally, we were about halfway back to the car when it started raining. At first it was just a few small drops. Then a few larger ones. This didn’t bode well, in our experience. If the clouds above us were any darker, or if we heard some thunder, we would have expected hail at that point, but it didn’t happen. Just plain old rain. I started hiking quickly, but Vicki was having none of that. She was already wearing her goretex rain jacket, and that would have to do. She put on the hood, then her gloves, and stuck her hands in her pockets. Meanwhile, I decided to hike a bit faster, though I was also wearing a goretex jacket. I hustled along, looking back every so often to check on Vicki, and to watch as the rain came down the canyon, directly toward us, intent on soaking everything in its path.
I reached the car first, jumped inside, and turned on the engine. Soon, the heat was blasting. Vicki joined me and we laughed. We were only slightly wet, and neither one of us was cold. Still, the heat felt good as we made our way down the road toward the campground. I was glad that the car had been converted into a mini-camper, and that I didn’t have to set up a soggy tent in the rain. Being dry inside a tent while it’s raining is wonderful, but getting into one when you’re soaked leaves a lot to be desired. We parked the car in our spot and simply sat inside for a while. We could get the same cozy feeling listening to the raindrops pelting the roof above us as we would in a tent. We read our books together in the warm car. Life was good.
After a while, the rain’s intensity lessened. Vicki decided that she was hungry. I mentioned that I brought our tarp along, so I got it out and handed it to her. This tarp was rigged according to Vicki, and setting it up was her domain. She decided to string it up above the picnic table, but underneath the wooden boards, which were already soaking wet and dripping. We looked around, and one of our neighbors managed to get a bigger tarp on top of the entire structure, but it was too late for us to try that. While Vicki got the tarp hung, I was able to get the inside of the car all ready for the night, with air mattresses, sheets, and our fluffy goose down quilt on top. Very cozy. Then I went over and joined Vicki at the now-dry table. Dinner time!
After dinner, we took a short walk around the campground and brushed our teeth in the bathrooms, which had running water and flush toilets. Very advanced compared to many forest service locations. We said hello to our neighbors, and watched a few new neighbors arrive. I was glad that we didn’t have to maneuver one of those monster RV trailers into a small spot, although having a dining room and bedroom didn’t sound so bad. No, for now we’ll stick with our trusty car, which did almost everything we really needed. We were backpackers, after all, and living in a car was relatively luxurious. At least that’s what we told ourselves as we listened to the light rain pattering down, all snug under our blankets together.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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