Trip to the Cabin--Luke Day 1

Trip to the Cabin--Luke Day 1

September 25, 2014, a beautiful sunny California day and time to head to LAX airport to pick up 12 year old Luke who is flying solo to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  We will be heading directly to the South Eastern Sierras for an SDS weekend.

Mary and I finish loading the truck and off we go.

I love our pickup!  A purchase from CarMax a year ago it is everything I ever dreamed about, having never owned a pickup before.  Justification was easy; Everyone in the mountains has one.  It is a 2007 Black Ford F150 4x4 with super sized king cab and 6 ½ foot bed.  Pristine shape with “only” 92,000 miles at time of purchase.  Complete with lots of goodies, like Sirrus Radio, backup camera, with a lockable fiberglass top on the bed, etc.  While it is quite long, it fits in ‘many’ parking spots.  I like the size, isn’t the rule of the road: "Whoever has the biggest truck has the right of way?"  I think so. In the back we keep bins of spare clothes, chains, tools and of course we always have carry our hiking gear for any adventure that presents itself.

This morning only the big cooler sits in the back cab and the big side of split rear seat is down for our special guest.  Mid-morning LA traffic, never great, but I love the diamond lanes. The airport. I hate airports.  In previous careers I traveled almost every week for 20+ years, and now I just do not like going to the airport.  But today, I forget these feelings, for Luke is coming.  Pulled into the parking ramp and found a parking space immediately!  Going to be a great day.  No need to remember exactly where the truck is parked as it sticks out at least two feet beyond any other vehicle.

I need to go through security and get the “hand-off” of Luke (being an “unaccompanied minor”) from a Delta person.  So ask where I can get a security pass and told to stand in a nearby line.  After about 25 minutes someone comes and is asking what services I need, which I explain, and she says I am in the wrong line.  Well my turn was to come up next and am fortunate to be able to stay where I was.

Finally get a pass and through security.  Luke is last off the plane, escorted and is easily transferred to me.

 A couple of photos and off we go to meet Grandma.  As one can imagine, Grandma and Luke have a big hug moment and after a few more photos it is off to the truck.

As Waze (I am moving back to Google Maps) was calculating the route, I made the wrong turn, and we took the ‘road less traveled’, so to speak, around the back of the airport. 

. “Hey Luke, there’s a sign you won’t see in Minnesota” as we pass a blue sign with white lettering stating “Tsunami Evacuation Route”.  

We finally get on the I405 which soon cuts through the end of the Santa Monica Mountain Range.  “Hey, Luke, count the number of lanes on our side”  He responds, “six!”  We are on a twelve lane LA freeway, on which, years ago in LA visit, I could not imagine how people managed such traffic.  I have come to learn that a traffic in six lanes is really no different than a two or three and traffic jams are no more or less frustrating.

Soon we are heading North on the Antelope Valley Freeway up some more mountains and then down into the desert cities of Palmdale & Lancaster.  A few more miles to Rosamond and we are about an hour and a half into our journey. Time for a break and to do the weekend grocery shopping.  We take an exit to go to an Albertsons grocery story, which is the same exit which would one could take the opposite way into the desert to the world famous Edwards Air Force Base.  I keep an eye to the sky as we frequently see some great military aircraft.  We seen numerous planes including a B1B as well as the bat winged B2 bomber on past visits.  With the cooler now stocked with vittles and a quick trip through McDonalds drive-through, we are on the road again.

Shortly, as we pass through the city of Mojave and looking west Luke witnesses the windmill farm in Tehachapi Pass of the Tehachapi Mountains. This, the largest windmill farm in the world,boasts of having over 5000 huge windmills.  I have never been in Mojave when it has not been windy, it is just a question of whether you have to hold onto the car door when one opens it.  The windmills are always just slowly turning and turning.

Another amazing sight, as we leave Mojave is a commercial airline graveyard.  From the highway we can see many planes, never again to go anywhere, including big ones like old DC10’s, which I have spent many hours in.

Not too long has passed and we come to Jawbone Station. Decent biffys, information center, and a store of maps and many books of the region’s history, topography and plants and animals.  Also, it is home of Mr. Bob the 116 year old tortoise.  The sign says he is very friendly and will come out of his hole for a visit.  He would be happy to eat some green leafed items or perhaps a grape or two.  True to form, Mr. Bob comes out to greet us and enjoyed some of the just purchased salad for this evening.

Shortly we begin climb into another mountain and the stunning red rocks and formations of the Red Rock canyon emerge.  After an hour or so, we are back down to about 700 feet and the desert air is about 96 degrees when we make the turn to go up Nine Mile Canyon Road.

The First Least Steep Part of Nine Mile Canyon Road

In these first nine miles we will climb to about 6100 feet for a total climb of over a mile.  This amount of climb in such a short distance, makes for a breathtaking ride and view.  If one is faint of heart, best not to look down over the edge. There are no guardrails for most of the trip up but there are a couple of guardrail lengths on the most steep, curvy and narrow stretches.  For Luke, it was no problem, but a few WOWs were heard.

I had told Luke take the bag of Lays Potato Chips and Tostitos and lay them next to him to see what happens on the way up.  Additionally, we played ‘guess the temperature at the top’. I guessed 80, Luke guessed 72 and Mary was at 77.  The higher we rose the chip bags began to crackle, by the time we reached the top they were blown stiff like a mylar balloon.  If one wishes, it’s a science lesson on air pressure.  When we reached the top, the truck thermometer read a very comfortable 76.  Mary won the game.

As we rolled off the top, the scenery changed from rocks and sand mountain to like a rolling plain of an immediate thick forest of Pinyon Pines, with mountains on both sides. This area is considered the ”high” or “very high desert”.  This area is officially classified as a Juniper Pinyon Biome. I shall write about the uniqueness and fascinating aspects of Pinyon Pines in a future blog.

Another 13 miles of weaving in and out, up and down to where we finally turn up the dirt road to our cabin. About a half a mile in we are there!

Nestled in a small valley of sorts, there is the 864 square foot cabin with a porch on two sides and surrounded by many Pinyon Pines, sage brush, and other bushes, a few cactus, sand, lots of sand, and of course, mountain views.

Park the truck next to the deck, time to unload and prepare the cabin and then time to begin Luke’s weekend adventure!