After my grueling nervous breakdown on the ET Highway, I finally arrived at my next stop, June Lake, CA around noon. Coming into the Mono Basin was a cool and refreshing change finally from the irrepressible heat of the desert the last nine days. The temp was right around a perfect 72. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and felt like I had literally come through hellfire and damnation to the promised land. I found the campground easily, as it is within a rock’s throw of the town itself, found my reservation slip on site 7 and moved in. Day One was spent getting dialed in, finding the grocery store and library, and walking the dogs around the campground before finally collapsing for the night.
Day Two was pleasant for the most part, although I spent a good deal of it on the phone with Apple dealing with a software issue I was having with my laptop. Also, after getting all prepared and situated to work on said computer for several hours at the library after it was fixed, I drove all the way over there just to discover it was closed. On a Friday. Who closes a library on a Friday? This was the first one in the history of the world that I had run across. I guess EVERYONE in June Lake gets Friday off. So I trudged back to Hammy and then discovered the wifi hotspot on my phone was not working. Call AT&T. Get it re-registered and working. (*Sigh*) Even when on the road you still can’t totally escape life’s little mundane chores. I then spent the rest of the afternoon happily writing and downloading and editing photos. After dinner I made a fire and gazed at the stars before retiring.
I must interject that it is here that I have begun to notice that people have begun to notice I am traveling alone and doing all of this “stuff” by myself. Although other people have noticed too from the places I have just come, it is here that the men in the nearby campsites have circled me warily and seem to be particularly both amused and impressed at the same time. I get more than one nod of approval and respect from the menfolk of this campground tribe. Yeah, I smile to myself; I kinda DO rock, don’t I? :) Suck it men; I ain’t your typical damsel in distress and this ain’t my first rodeo neither.
In the end, there wasn’t a whole lot to report about June Lake and I was a little let down. Don’t think this locale will be on my “Return To” list. Although the scenery and lake were gorgeous, my campsite nice and the campground host Mary an absolute doll, I found the town of June Lake itself to be pretentious, with overpriced gas and groceries, and its 400+ full-time residents only tolerant of tourists to the extent that it contributed to the local economy. The marina that is located next to the campground but is not affiliated with it charged $2 for 3 minutes in the coin operated shower, so a 9 minute shower cost me $6. What a rip. I was glad to be moving on to one of the “big” destinations on my trip - Yosemite. Let’s roll.
Until next time, I am somewhere out here; living small and loving it largely.
Eli
