For mental health reasons, it seemed necessary to get away from the campground for a couple hours. I can never just work my 2-4 hours per day and use the rest of the time as my own. Hikers, swimmers, fishermen, locals, campers, and various officials feel like I’m the local information booth, so I get asked questions all day long. Usually I don’t mind, because it keeps boredom away and I generally like people. But occasionally I want time to myself. Like today.
It was 4 pm and I hopped in my van to get an ice cream bar at the store. Unfortunately, they were completely out of everything but popsicles, which didn’t sound good to me. So I bought a small package of Nutter Butter cookies instead. I didn’t want to return to the campground just yet, and headed to the closed campground to see if any campers were camping illegally. No one there. The road continues past the campground and climbs a few thousand feet to the Indian reservation. I realized I had never gone all the way there before and decided to see if the road was in better shape than last time I tried to go up. It was.
It is a narrow, one-lane road that is partly gravel and partly dirt. But it used to be all paved many years ago. There are sections of pavement still intact at places. I could tell that a lot of grading had been done recently, so the road was passable. Occasionally there would be a deep pothole or some washboarding, but the road didn’t abuse my van too much. It took about 45-50 minutes to climb the 6 miles to the Indian reservation. No guard rails, of course, even when the dropoffs were 500-1000’+. Awesome views.
There used to be a small settlement called Roger’s Camp, but only two houses are left and both are boarded up. That was at the four mile mark. After another mile, I reached a side road to the Mountain Aire community. A few dozen cabins are there, most rarely used, from what I’ve heard. A locked gate kept me from seeing them, except at a distance. I did see an elderly couple come through the gate with bicycles. They waved as I went by. I should’ve stopped and asked them a few questions about that area. Hindsight.
A few other private side roads peeled off from the main road. I finally reached the Tule Indian reservation, where signs warned, absolutely no trespassing by non-Indians. It doesn’t matter if you claim to be heading to the casino (which is currently closed due to the virus) or didn’t see the signs, you would be in big trouble if caught. That part of the reservation is where their ancestral burial grounds are and where they do sacred ceremonies. I’ve heard of people getting shot at, for trespassing there. I could’ve continued on a road that skirted the reservation’s right edge, but it looked much rougher. It goes for a couple more miles through a Sequoia grove that was recently the scene of a forest fire, and eventually peters out. I’ve heard there are a few more cabins towards the end. But I didn’t want to abuse my van anymore.
Going down was much quicker. I descended the 6 miles and 3-4000 feet in elevation in around 25 minutes. I met three other vehicles, while going down, but luckily near turnouts each time. It was about time to return to work when I arrived back at my campground. But it was nice to get away for a couple hours and see some new scenery. Some stuff in my van had gotten rearranged because of the potholes and bumps, so I spent a half hour putting things back, better than they were before.
I could imagine myself living up there in one of those cabins. They have a shared spring and water storage tank. But no wires, of any kind, that I could see. So, they likely use solar or generators for electric, along with satellite dishes for internet, TV, or phone service. Wood stoves for heat. I saw one small cabin that was only about 12’x18′. That looked the perfect size for me. Access to those houses is probably only from April-November, unless one had a rugged four-wheel drive. Even then, you would need chains if there were any snow at all, because of how steep the road is.
Fun little trip. Wish I had someone else to show this area to.
iggyvandweller 