After having left our $5 camping fee in the iron ranger at the other campground, we headed out for California, winding our way back through Oregon, then down into California, where the moment we crossed the border it became an agricultural dream. We passed thousands of acres of green fields dozens of semis filled with hay and alfalfa, and lots of other grasses and similar crops. We arrived in Alturas, where we got gas, groceries and liquor, stopping for a couple of bales of hay (at a whopping $22 for a grass/alfalfa mix and $20 for grass hay, albeit it 3-string, 110 pound bales) because Clio just won't eat the stuff I bought up in Bellingham, and has started to lose weight because of it, also a stop at the ranger station where they didn't have anything even remotely like a trail map, but did let me know that there is only really one linear trail that runs from one end of the forest to the other, and anything off that trail would be treacherous. We finally headed out to the country road that would get us there, and it turned into dirt with seven miles to go before the horse camp. The road wasn't too bad, having been graded fairly recently, but it was pretty twisty, and had tow one-lane bridges, at which, naturally, I ran into a horse trailer coming from the other direction at the same moment, so I had to back up to give him room to come across. We finally reached the turnoff to Pepperdine Horse Camp, turning by a couple of large pieces of equipment that were evidently doing some kind of road or forest work. We managed to find the campground with no problem as there was good signage, and circled around to find a good spot. There was a spigot by the day parking area, another by the group camping area, and a third up near the individual camping area. Unfortunately, the top one, which was nearest to our camping site, didn't have any water coming out of it, so I stopped to fill up at the lower spigot while Hubby reconnoitered which site would give him the best chance at a satellite signal. I was disappointed in the water situation, but discovered to my delight that I was actually able to get a good enough cell phone signal for both calls and internet!! I had lost the signal miles back, but I guess we climbed close enough to the top of the mountain to clear the obstacles. Eventually, Hubby managed to get a satellite signal, while I ran back down to fill up a rain barrel in the back of the horse trailer for the horses. We were so tired from the drive, I couldn't wait to settle down. It's tough to move every single day, and we hoped that we could settle down here for a spell, though being at almost 7000 feet, the temps were definitely a consideration. We knew nights would be cool, just not sure how cool, we'll have to wait and see. The water situation wasn't promising, because I had hoped to get some laundry done, and the prospect of having to fill a water barrel then sump pump it into the RV for that wasn't particularly attractive. We put both horses in one of the large corrals, though after trying to feed them separately without success, we ended up moving to separate corrals, giving them lots of space, but no shared warmth. We put on their warm blankets just to be on the safe side. Eventually, we finally settled down for the evening, already getting dark by the time we finished all our chores, having seen only one car with a couple and a dog come into the parking area. Otherwise, looks like it will be quiet here, and the best part, it's free!
Speak Your Mind