Seeing the USA in our RV

---

Yesterday we toured Sheels Sporting Goods store with fish tanks, presidential anamatronic manicans, magnificent taxidermied animals and the most helpful staff I've ever seen. It obviously helps to have an employee owned store. One last breakfast buffet “deal” at Fudruckers and we headed south.
We decided to travel down US 395, although many of our “advisers” wondered “why” because of traffic, logging trucks, etc. We discovered a wonderfully scenic roadway with minimum traffic on the highway but chances to see National Forests, scenic visitor centers, and magnificent vistas of isolated lakes and mountains with glaciers. We saw some amazing sights of lakes, though drained by LA.'s quest for water, multitudes of people, though cramming themselves into Mammoth Lakes resort areas on Sunday (preventing us from taking a bus to see the Devil's Post-pile National Monument), and the U.S. M.C. Mountain Warfare Training Center entrance north of Bridgeport, which I experienced 30+ years ago. This previous visit was during 2 weeks of medical assistance to the Marine Reservists as a Naval Reserve Commander and sliding down the impromptu zip line was but one experience fondly remembered. We chose NOT to take the RV up the “dangerous and curvy road” but to picture it as it was. In the process we passed unnamed lava fields and fields of sagebrush leading to the mountain ridges. In Bishop we visited a wonderful Chamber Information Center and one of several informative US Forest Service Centers. Probably the most moving experience was the visit to the Manzanar National Historic Site depicting the internment camps for Japanese-American citizens during WWII. It wasn't until 1996+ that recognition was provided for this “misunderstanding” and monetary awards given to the remaining internees, signed by then President Reagan. Our stay in Bishop was a “rustic” campground with many tent campers on weekend visits to the “wilderness” and some historic relics in “Tom's Town RV Park”.
Traveling the remaining way on a mostly 4 lane US 395 we maneuvered our way into Edwards AFB for an elegant campground (cement pads, 50 amp electric, water, sewer, adjacent pool, clean and modern restrooms and common areas) at $15/night. With the temps in the high 90's (compared to Las Vegas with 104+ degrees) we're staying here for a couple of days and using this location as a hub to see some more of scenic Southern California. The camp host warned us of the duty bobcat's evening visit so Cappy has been briefed on staying indoors after dark regardless of biological need.

---