Friday Sep 8, 2023 - Convict Lake Campground to Silver Lake Resort

The bed in this van is amazingly comfortable. We woke from a dead sleep at 7am and had coffee/tea, then a quick stop at the dump station before heading down the couple of miles to Rt 395, then north. We stopped at Stellar Brew in Mammoth Lakes (the town name) for coffee, chai latte, and WiFi. Mammoth is not that big a town but it has the huge developed ski area, Mammoth Mountain. We tried to go to Devils Postpile National Monument but were stopped by a helpful young woman in a small Forest Service toll booth. She told us the only way we could go would be to take a shuttle bus that we could catch down at the base of the ski area. Kind of makes sense since this area is flooded with people, even this time of year, and they have limited parking spots which limits how many people can be in the area at the same time. Maximum capacity at these parks is limited to how many cars they can park. We opted not to go and instead returned down the hill (Rt 203) and then back north on Rt 395. Next stop was the June Lake Loop, which is called the Swiss Alps of California. It’s a small road (Rt 158) which is very beautiful due to the crystal clear lakes with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as backdrop. 

We decided to hike into Parker Lake, about 4 miles round trip, and first we had to drive 2 miles to the trail head on a washboard dirt road. The parking lot was full but we found a wide spot in the road to pull off. Quick climb up the first ½ mile or so and then a nice easy walk through pine forests with a pleasant breeze blowing and 70-something temperature. Parker Lake (elevation 8,300 ft.) was lovely and we ate our lunch sitting on a sunny log overlooking the lake. Then back down the hill and returned to Silver Lake where Deb found a spot (only 2 left) in the Silver Lake Resort. This is an RV park, but a clean and well-run one with laundry and hot showers, the two things we needed and usually stay at a hotel to get. Hotels near here are pricey and full so at $56 for the night this was a win-win. Our neighbors at the park come here from Southern California for 12 weeks /year and have been doing so for 14 years. Very nice folks. We walked to the general store which is super quaint. Silver Lake Resort has been here since 1916 and it seems to be doing great. The hot tip is to go to the general store for breakfast at the Silver Lake Resort Cafe. Best breakfast in the Sierras, according to our neighbor.

So tonight we sit with clean bodies and and clean clothes in our cozy van. Life is good.