Bristlecone Pine Forest

Sadie slept well last night and didn't stir. I let her out at 4am to pee and again at 7am when I got up, and the second time she had a solid bowl movement.

We were out of site 11 by 8:30am, driving out of Sagebrush Flats after nine days. Dora and Gerry weren't "home" so our departure was quiet. Only our angler neighbors were aware of our leaving.

Dragonflies bumped up against the truck as I drove into town. Mary said later she nearly hit a deer again. The dead deer from a few days ago was already well-eaten, according to her.

We stopped in Bishop for breakfast at Jack's, stopped at the Looney Bean Cafe for a quick WiFi check, got gas and then went up to the Bristlecone Forest again. Mary wanted to check out Silve Canyon road, an old, narrow dirt road that takes explorers to the ridge of the Bristle Cone Forest. I was game for this. This is where Bighorn Sheep are known to cruise by. And what an adventure this was! It started out mellow enough as we entered the canyon along a small creekbed lush with birdlife and green trees. We crossed the creek several times and meandered up the canyon before we could see the valley in the distance grow further and further away. Mary was up front and I was behind her, watching her carefully stop many times to photograph the scene. But at one point we both must have realized that what we were driving up was not just some dirt road. This was a treacherous drive and we could no longer turn around! We were more than half-way up this road when the grade got steep. Mary's Subaru couldn't quite make it at the speed she was going without acceleration and I pulled back wondering if my Ford Escape would make it, too. It took me three attempts to overcome that switchback and my nerves were frayed. The scenery around me opened up to peaks and rocks and that cool mountain air. No doubt this was a beautiful drive. It took us almost two hours to make it to the top. We pulled over at an overlook and relaxed. Sadie peed. "Thank goodness we didn't do this at night!" said Mary, who was no more frazzled by the adventure than I was. I needed a break from driving at this point. Mary drove on to the visitor's center and I headed out to Patriach's Grove to walk off some tension. I stayed on the main road despite signs leading to other canyon drives along the way. There were several other cars parked at this make-shift parking area. People wanting to see the Patriach's Grove had to hike a mile in thanks to one small but tricky patch of snow on the trail. Sadie and I walked up one mound of brittle rocks to an overlook before starting on the hike to the Patriarch Grove. This was a nice, fairly level walk on the road to the trailhead, ideal for someone needing a quick break from driving. We were alone despite people in the distance and explored both short trails at the parking lot. The widest tree here, the Patriach, is worth seeing along the shorter .5-mile Nature trail, replete with information signs for the curious. This is a worthwhile photograph opportunity. Sadie and I also completed the 2.5-mile loop across the parking lot, the Discovery Trail. This is also a worthwhile visit but nowhere near as exciting as the Methuselah trail we did several days earlier. My little sidetrip to these two trails took no more than two hours. Mary and I agreed to meet at the parking lot, and I drove back there to rest and wait. Other people were still coming to explore, including a man with two big setters who were aggravating Sadie who was resting inside the truck with me. I read a bit and napped as well. When Mary finally joined me an hour later she was hurting from a cut toe she suffered while walking around the Shulman Grove area. She had been wearing her open-toe sandals (not a good idea in this brittle area!) and had her foot wrapped in a gauge. The cut had stopped bleeding, but the injury meant she wasn't feeling up to any more walking today. "I'll know tomorrow morning if I feel up to hiking up White Mountain with you" she told me. The day was now turning to late afternoon, then dusk and finally sunset. We parked at the trailhead for the White Mountain trail, along with a few other cars whose drivers were getting acclimated to the elevation. I wasn't sure what to expect for the night other than much colder and frostier temperatures. It would be a long day and I needed the energy. Once the sun set I stayed inside the truck with Sadie. My focus was to get as much sleep as possible, as tomorrow I would need it. So would Sadie. http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=stelprdb5129900&navid=100000000000000&pnavid=null&ss=110504&position=Not%20Yet%20Determined.Html&ttype=detail&pname=Inyo%20National%20Forest-%20Special%20Places