Tarantulas and Love

We went to Eastman Lake to camp and check out the water level.  Last time we were here in Feb 2022, the lake was almost dry. On this RV trip, we were elated to see the lake full--or almost. We learned that they had released some water from the lake that week. It might be in preparation for this winters rains or it could be that the farmers are in need of water for their crops. 

We also learned that end of October/ beginning of November is Valentine's Day for Tarantulas!! They are out looking for love. We saw 8 of them while hiking the trails. 

We also saw 1 bald eagle, two coyotes, 1 rabbit, and two deers. 

And lots of jets busily heading to their destinations.

For the first time, we checked out the visitors center, which is excellent and has an awesome vista point. The views of the lake and the Sierras that day were spectacular and so clear. 

This is the view of the dam from the visitor center.  

We met a guy fishing that told us more history on the dam and Chowchilla. We drove over to the day-use area to hike to 1.5 mile trail there. The trail is ok with great views of the lake, but...

I prefer this trail to Raymond Bridge! 

Wildcat campground doesn't have views of the lake, but I don't care with a view like this right out my window. I kept looking for a coyote to come walking up to the window, but none showed. Instead, we were serenaded at night from the howling of the coyotes! Eventually, they stopped and we fell into a peaceful sleep. 

Eastman Lake Wildcat-- or Coyotes

On Superbowl weekend, we headed to Wildcat Campground at Eastman Lake to hike the entire Lakeview Trail up to Raymond Bridge.

Last time we hiked the Lakeview Trail was with Meeks. We went from the campground to the bench at the 1 mile marker on the trail and back to campground, total 4 miles. That was in May 2021 and Meeks was still able to hike that distance. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 17 at the end of January 2022. 

Since we no longer had to worry about long distances, we decided to try completing the 8 mile roundtrip from the parking lot to Raymond Bridge and back. Last time we tried this hike in May 2017 the water level of the lake was so high that we could not complete the hike. This time on a very unseasonably hot day, 84 degrees, we made it! 

The water level is extremely low! California needs rain or this year's snowmelt better be enough to fill the lake like it looked back in 2017. The Chowchilla River is so low that sandbars are visible. 

Back at camp, we enjoyed our favorite quiet spot away from the crowds, which are located over the knoll in the other campground. There was one other camper during the day and another couple came in right before dusk. Although numerous times through the night we heard the coyotes howling, the howling didn't disturb us since we knew we were guest in the coyotes' habitat. 

We woke after a very peaceful sleep to sunshine and warmth. We sat outside for our breakfast and enjoyed the view with sounds of the birds chattering. 

Ming checked the screws on RV before heading down the trail by campground to the spillway area. 

From the spillway area, we took a trail that turned into an animal trail down to the lake. This area is normally way under water. The dam is in the background of the photo above. California needs rain because I doubt the snowmelt will fill this area to how it was in 2017. 

We passed many areas that had mooring balls resting on the ground beside rocks. So sad to see this, but at same time interesting to see how many mooring balls are positioned around this area of the lake. 

A bit of Spring's sunshine to remind us that Winter is almost over. 

Wildcat In May

 

Late posting our end of May trip to Eastman Lake. It was the weekend before Memorial Weekend and before the heatwave due that week. Everything is totally dry and brown.  We were in Wildcat site W14. There were two other groups, but no one was camped near us. So again, it was like having the campground to ourselves.

We cut across Cordoniz Campground, walked across the main road, up the hill, and down to parking area for Lakeview Trail head. That was about a mile. Since our dog is now 16 years old and not moving as quickly as a young pup like she did last year, we only hike a mile on the trail.

I did say very thing is parched, and the water level is extremely low for this time of year. We are in for extreme drought conditions this year. You can see the dam off in the distance and take note of the water level. Eeks!

We take a rest at the 1 mile marker bench for dog, to enjoy the views, and breeze before heading back to camp.

Back at camp, we rest from the 4 mile hike and enjoy the solitude of the campground. We watched a large bird taking care of its young in the campsite across and slightly up the hill from our site. Great entertainment for the evening! I'm sure even with temperatures going into the double digits the campground was still full on Memorial Weekend--no thank you. We are looking forward to returning, but for now Eastman will have to wait until late Fall or early Winter when temperatures are much cooler. 

Eastman Lake

My husband and I headed off to Eastman Lake for an overnight camping trip. There are two campgrounds at Eastman Lake. We stayed in the less popular campground, Wildcat. We were happy that we did not follow the norm of other campers. For we were rewarded with having the entire Wildcat Campground to ourselves! The only sounds were that of the birds chirping.

Eastman Lake is a beautiful lake with a hiking trail that follows the lake.

We hiked the Lakeview trail that starts at the parking lot at the bottom of the hill by the Group Campground.

During our hike, we only saw one kayaker and the patrol boat. There weren't any other hikers on the trail.

The Lakeview Trail is 4.5 miles one-way. We were hoping to hike to the end to see the Raymond Bridge, but a mile from the bridge our path ended into the lake. The route for the trail was underwater.

The tall grasses and the roaring sounds from the feeder creek deterred us from the challenge of connecting to the trail across the newly formed inlet. We could see where others had made the circuit to connect the trail.

Plus, our lack of adventure to make the circuit was also due to the fact that the clouds were starting to look ominous and it was late afternoon.

Across the lake was an area of hillside that had some stone extracted from the hill. We wondered if the stone was used for the dam.

We were blessed with numerous plants still in bloom. The Buckeye trees gave off a wonderful sweet scent.

A couple of times we passed by areas with large boulders. In those areas with the boulders, the temperature along those sections of the trail was much cooler than the other sections of the trail. We wondered if there were some cave entrances by the boulders along those cooler sections of the trail.

After a peaceful night with only the sounds of the owls and light rain, we awoke to the quiet and dry campground. After breakfast, we took the trail from the campground downhill to the Spillway. Again, we were the only folks out hiking.