Back in the high desert.\u00a0 And I am reminded again, that much as I love the people and social environment of Reno, the physical environment is quite hard on my body.\u00a0 I went from wet to dry<\/strong> yesterday, from a little lake with thick vegetation and humidity in the Oregon Cascades, to a huge dry lake bed in the arid wastes of south-central Oregon.\u00a0 Then tonight I am at 6200′ in the Warner Mountains, just over the hill from the real northern Nevada desert, and it all comes back, the dry eyes, itchy throat…\u00a0 I dunno why I put up with this stuff…<\/p>\n

Morning at the hot springs was very nice.\u00a0 I have not lived in this van in hot weather yet – I got it in December, so today was my first morning waking in an open field to a cloudless sky on a hot day.\u00a0 It got pretty warm pretty quick in there.\u00a0 As soon as I opened the big door all was well – it is it’s own shade structure, and there was a little breeze and it was very pleasant.\u00a0 But it is a little preview of what B-man or Coachella will be like should I get it together to go.<\/p>\n

Hit the tubs one more time, then hit the road.\u00a0 Because of the wet spring, the landscape is still green-ish instead of brownish and extra-lovely for it.\u00a0 Late (1:30) breakfast at Jerry’s in Lakeview<\/strong>, where I think I’ve stopped and eaten every one of the four times I’ve ever passed through Lakeview in my life.<\/p>\n

After Lakeview is the huge but very shallow Goose Lake on the right and the Warner Mountains on the left.\u00a0 The Warners are a pretty substantial mountain range – 8-9000′, with the pass across at 6200′.\u00a0 I pass through Alturas<\/strong> on the way to the Alturas Wildlife Refuge Auto Tour, one of my favorite little things in this corner of the state.<\/p>\n

Most of these little California towns are getting gentrified to some extent, but Alturas seems to be the same slightly grimy unappealing little cow town it’s been forever.\u00a0 If there’s anything nice about the place I haven’t found it.\u00a0 Gas is way more expensive than it needs to be, this time and every time, you can depend on it. I have not found edible food there, and the motels are disreputable.\u00a0 But the wildlife refuge is exquisite.<\/p>\n

Drive over the hill to Cedarville<\/strong>, which I find to be the esthetic opposite of Alturas.\u00a0 It is quite a bit more isolated, but gas turns out to be the same price over here and the station is cleaner.\u00a0 But its main attraction to me is this cool little restaurant with wifi(!) and good food that has become my goto spot in this remote part of the world (called Surprise!<\/em>, I think, as in the Surprise Valley).\u00a0 I zoom in there to research the local campgrounds.\u00a0 I had missed my lovely campground on the way over, and wanted to check the internet, which confirmed it’s existence for me.<\/p>\n

Yet I STILL cannot find it, so I aim for the other campground on this highway – Stough CG.\u00a0 But this little c.g. turns out to be stuffed full of cars and people – some kind of extended family gathering it appears, so I head on up the gravel road and find a perfect little meadow about a mile onward, not much in the way of scenic beauty, but it’s level and quiet and it’s almost dark anyway, so it’s a great place to overnight.<\/p>\n

My first real night of dispersed camping<\/em>, which is what the rangers call it when you don’t stay in an official campground.<\/p>\n