Leaving California

by Jeff · April 1, 2023

We arrived at the SKP Park of the Sierras in California on a Saturday with a forecast of rain and snow.

We have been coming to the Oakhurst area for 21 years and I have never seen this much snow in the Sierra nor the Fresno valley so very green. Every ditch has water running and threats of flooding everywhere.

We pulled into the camp and got situated with a light rain falling and reports of over a foot of snow at Geezer Guy’s house. A long story short, parents were visited, some were saved from the flood waters and our visit was cut short.

The good news in all of it was that the parents are doing well, and we now are members of the SKP co-op with a nice hillside space with extra room. There is a lot of paperwork and some time involved in becoming members of the SKP co-op but the effort is well worth it for us, as it is pretty central to the parents and in a generally moderate fall/winter/spring climate zone. There is plenty to do when we are in residence along with membership duties (which we haven’t decided on which ones to take on) so we will never run the risk of being bored there.

The downside to this visit is that the weather is exactly what we left Washington to escape. So, with heavy hearts, we decide to leave a week or so early and try to find a dryer clime. We will miss the Sierra and are running away a week early for Geezer Guy’s birthday but it has to be done for our piece of mind. We love the parents but…

Jones peruses the rain in Park of Sierras.

Saturday finds us running south and east from the Fresno valley, destination; Calico Ghost town in Yermo, CA. We arrive after an uneventful drive in a dry, 70 degrees, and sunny campground full of off-road enthusiasts who are running everything from minibikes to full-on off-road race trucks in the area. I had been curious as to why there was only one available spot at Calico and this was the reason, some kind of “after the Mint 400 race get together”.

Calico Ghost Town is a San Bernardino County Park, and you can google the history and find out about this town or refer to my other post from a few years ago. We wanted to refresh our visit and also hang out for a few days prior to going boondocking for a week in Lake Mead Recreation Area. This old mine has a few different types of camping opportunities as well as cabins for rent. The nightly rate for full hookups is $40 and we had plenty of room to enter and get parked with our 43.5 foot Fifth Wheel “Bebop”. We were able to disconnect and get level with just our hydraulic jacks (no blocks) on this gravel space. There are trees spaced throughout the camping area along with campfire rings along the edges at each space. We backed into O-30 and found ourselves with a nice sheltering berm directly behind the rig and a tree on each side for shade. Karl the truck sits comfortably in front of Bebop with plenty of room.

We got settled in, and with dinner just a microwave setting away, got our home space set up, kicked on the house Wi-Fi and settled down to the History of the World Pt. 2.

The next day all of our neighbors started packing up and loading their off-road toys to go home. Sunday dawned cold and blustery but with a promise of little precipitation. We headed out into town (read climbing up the hill to town, which is built on a hill a few hundred feet above our home) for some lunch and a walk about. When we returned to our site, there were maybe 6 RV’s left in the “O” section.

Exploring town is a matter of stopping at the visitor center and seeing what they have for information and then weaving your way from the bottom of town to the top. There are a number of shops that of course cater to souvenirs of the area and Route 66 memorabilia, to the main rock shop with specimens from local sources and internationally. The print shop even has those dreaded child’s toys called *GASP* Cap Guns with firing caps and quick draw holsters so that your child can emulate their favorite old west outlaw, cowboy or lawman. There is a blacksmith shop, candy and made on site fudge shop, leather goods, life dioramas, a couple of sit down restaurants, and our favorite nosh joint that serves hot dogs and sarsaparilla. You can learn how to pan for gold, get locked up in the jail, take an underground mine tour, ride the short line tour train, and tour the topsy-turvey house.

In hiking this area you can be as safe or rugged as you want. There are the paved street and smooth walking trails around town, a little rock scrambling and stairs around the mine area or you can venture into the hills and explore the mining area. As we were returning to camp, we met Ted and Marsha, who were staying in the “A” area in their motorhome with their two German shepherds. Ted had just completed a jeep/hiking adventure to the mountain above the Calico name and planted a new American flag on the top and was very proud to have done it. Kudos to you sir.

We wrapped up our day, returning to Bebop with 2.5 miles of hillside walking under our belts.

Calico is just a couple of miles from Yermo, off of Highway 89. Take the “Ghost Town” exit and follow the signs to Calico. The camping and town are run by the San Bernadino County Parks and I would recommend reservations through their website. Entry into the town is included in your camping fee of $40 per night for full hookups. They also offer group camping, partial and no hooks as well as bunkhouses and cabins for rent. Contact them here: https://parks.sbcounty.gov/park/calico-ghost-town-regional-park/