A Million Dollar View…. for Free!

Don’t you just love it when something you’re looking forward to totally exceeds your expectations?  We knew that the Alabama Hills outside of Lone Pine, CA was popular with bloggers and boondockers. Now I know why.  Wow, just wow.

The Alabama Hills and morning light on the Sierras.

A large area of Alabama Hills is BLM land open to, hiking, biking, off-road vehicles, rock climbers and dispersed camping (boondocking). There is a veritable maze of dirt roads winding around and through the fabulous formations that make up the Alabama Hills. And the views – they just melt your mind.

Alabama Hills Welcoming Committee. :) 

Shafts of sunlight illuminate the valley.

We arrived on Thursday, 4/26, and scouted in the CRV, choosing a spot on a hill with a cinemascope view of the Eastern Sierras and Mt. Whitney with the Alabama Hills in the foreground. The scene is always changing as the clouds, sun, and moon create magic on the mountains. Don’t think I could ever get tired of this view, but I’ll try not to bore you with too many pics!

Life is good. Very, very good.

Don't think I'll ever get tired of this view!

A little sunset color on the clouds.

Another advantage of our spot is the hiking trail just across the road. Riley has thoroughly enjoyed our daily evening walkies through the hills. He is very good about staying close and will frequently stop and wait for us slow monkeys.  He loves doing crazy dog and racing in circles. Pure puppy joy!

Lots of rock outcroppings to explore.

Not many wildflowers, but the cactus were starting to bloom.

Incredibly complex and convoluted formations.

Riley does crazy dog loops. :)

Pure puppy joy! lol.

There's my handsome boy!

Dusk and the moon is up.

On Friday we drove up to Whitney Portal, the last stop before those intrepid souls (not me!) venture on foot the rest of way up.  Mt Whitney, at 14,494 feet, is the highest peak in the lower 48. Whitney Portal is only nine miles from our campsite, but it’s 4000 feet higher! Much cooler there and Riley had a blast playing in the creek.

Mt. Whitney (14,494').

Stunning waterfall at Whitney Portal.

The trail squeezes between huge granite boulders.

Riley's favorite part - playing in the creek!

As beautiful as this area is, it is also home to some sobering history. Less than ten miles from here is the Manzanar National Historic Site. From March of 1942 until November, 1945 over 11,000 Japanese-American citizens and Japanese immigrants were interned here. Manzanar was one of ten camps that held over 120,000 people. Accused of no crime other than their ancestry, US citizens were unlawfully deprived of their freedom without due process. They lost homes, businesses, and in some cases, their lives. It is truly a shameful episode in America’s history. Although Presidents Reagan and George H. Bush issued formal apologies and reparations it was far too little, way too late.

Little remains of the one square mile camp. It wasn’t until 1992 that it was designated a National Historic Site. The visitor’s center gives details of life in the camp and shares the stories of some of the detainees. The living conditions were horrible – crowded, with no privacy. Eight people, often strangers, to a room with communal mess halls, latrines and showers. The “hospital” initially had no running water.

Would you be surprised to know that the decision to imprison Japanese Americans was driven largely by racism, economic exploitation, and political gain – not national security. It is disturbing to see the similarities in the anti-Asian propaganda of the time and what we see on the news today. The stories of the detainees are both heartbreaking and a warning to be vigilant in the face of racism, fear-mongering, and greed.

"...May the injustice and humiliations suffered here as a result of hysteria, racism
and economic exploitation never emerge again."  Can I get an AMEN to that?