Ever get the urge to just get in your car and drive far away? I get that feeling once or twice a year. I don’t mind driving as long as the scenery is lovely. The mission was to drive up to Oregon but in the end, we stayed in California but we went to explore new places we have never been.

It was Friday afternoon and I did not want to wait until Saturday morning to hit the road. We got a little bit of traffic leaving Los Angeles but once we passed the city, the drive was pleasant. After almost 5 hours of driving, we got a motel at a town called Bishop and called it a night.

The next day was the first destination on our list and it was the Crowley Lake Stone Columns. If you don’t have a four-wheel drive car, like us, you’re going to have to park almost 2 miles away and walk the rest of the way, like we did. It was a 30-40 minute walk which isn’t bad but there is no shade whatsoever and even though it was 83 degrees, it felt like 93 instead. We took plenty of water and kept walking. We reached the other parking lot and from there, it’s a steep decent down until we reached the shore. Despite the warm weather, the water was not tempting enough to make me jump in. There was a lot of algae but that didn’t stop a bunch of nudist from going in. We took our time enjoying the columns. It’s kinda scary in a way because the columns don’t seem to be that strong. You can chip away with just your finger. It’s fascinating. We took plenty of pictures and just enjoyed the place a little bit longer before we made our way back to the car.

We got there just in time because as we were leaving, more people were arriving. I’m just glad we got to enjoy the place without a crowd.

Our next stop was Wild Willy’s Hot Spring further north. I came prepared with bug spray but we didn’t need to use it. I think in total there were only 15 people there. Because of the warm weather, it isn’t that tempting to get inside a hot spring so many just dipped their feet and left. I wasn’t going to miss my opportunity since I’ve never been to one. I managed to get in and yes it was really warm. My husband just couldn’t do it since it was too hot for him. Zelda managed to sit down but Link very much disliked it. Everyone around left so we had the hot springs to ourselves which was great. After a nice soak and the kids complaining that they wanted to go, we got up and left to our final stop before calling it a day and that was Mono Lake.

From what I read, it’s considered the Death Sea of California. I wanted to know more so we went to the visitor center to get some info. We drove a little further where there was parking close enough to the shore. I was the only one interested to check it out while everyone stayed in the car. I would have loved to get in the water but I wouldn’t recommend in from the south side since the winds pushed all the dirt and debris to that side. I really wanted to drive north but the kiddos were tired already. I admired the lake for a little bit and made my way back to the car.

We got food and looked around for a campsite. The husband surprised me with a beer so why not. I was about to complete a month sober-free but we’re on a trip so why not.

I wasn’t hopeful we’ll find a great campsite since it’s Saturday and people reserved their campsites months in advance. My husband was positive and luck was on our side. We even got to see some deers just roaming the campsite nonchalantly. The kids loved it. Day 1 done!