Millerton Lake State Recreation Area

2009-08-01: It was dusk when I began the winding descent back into the central valley. Night came quickly as the sun vanished behind the western mountains. It seemed no one wanted to be in the front of the line of cars travelling down the mountain highway, as they pulled aside, letting me pass them whenever I got close enough. The line of cars thinned and eventually disappeared, and I faced the narrow roads and sharp turns on my own. Surprisingly, though I was straining to see it, I encountered no wildlife.

My destination was Millerton Lake State Recreation Area. I was not eager to visit another California SRA after McConnell, but I tried to be optimistic. After registering and finding my designated site in the dark, I inspected the camp and found bits of trash scattered about. I kicked aside what I could and set up camp, leaving the rain fly off of my tent to enjoy the pleasant temperature and starry sky. I used the only shower with a working light and tried to sleep.

Sleeping was not as easy as I had hoped. A Hispanic family a few sites over was grilling some midnight sausages, though they weren't being unreasonably loud. An owl decided the tree above my tent would be a good place to perch and make its loud owl calls all night. I doubt I could have chased it away. In the morning, I observed just how much garbage was lying around the camp, including a shoe hanging from the tree.

I resolved to avoid using any more SRAs in California after this one.