Getting out of San Francisco was pretty easy with the well-planned highways and the assistance of Google Maps. The trip this time went via Oakland Bridge which is special because it is a double storey bridge meaning that out of San Francisco you drive underneathh the traffic that wants to get into SanFrancisco – double deck so to say…

 

Oakland Bridge San Francisco

From there it was easy traffic following the 580 Highway out of bypassing Oakland and then continuing east towards Oakdale and the Yosemite National Park.

 

Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome.

 

Yosemite is regarded as one of America’s most popular parks and could not be missed by Team Lipstick although the traffic through the mountain is rather slow with overtaking strictly forbidden.

 

Sequoia Trees in Yosemite and the giant granite mountains
Deep Canyons and waterfalls from the Yosemite mountains

The drive through this mountain range was spectacular and took about 3 hours with a few stops in-between until the boys reached route 305 going South to Lone Pine.

 

Nevada State route 305 winding through this Cowboy country

Named after a solitary pine tree that once stood at the mouth of Lone Pine Canyon, this small California town’s roots stretch back into the Old West — and Hollywood’s Wild West, too.

Back in the mid-1800’s, the town of Lone Pine was founded to supply local miners with provisions. Farmer and ranchers followed soon after, and after that, the Carson Colorado Railroad pulled into town. A few kilometers to the east, you can also wander among the decaying ghost-town ruins of Cerro Gordo.

 

Since the ’20s, Lone Pine’s unique scenery has been the backdrop of more than 250 films. The first “Lone Ranger” ambush was filmed here, and it was here that Roy Rogers found Trigger.

 

 

Many famous Wild West movies were shot here in Lone Pine

Many famous Wild West movies were shot here in Lone Pine as can be seen in the local Wild West Museum.

 

Wild West Museum

 

The local Wild West Museum

Many actors shot to fame in Lone Pine as recently as September 2017.

Team Lipstick found a nice Motel against the backdrop of the close by mountain range before consuming some great Steaks and some of Wild Wests famous bar drinks…

 

Lipstick parked off for the night in Lone Pine

 

 

 

 

Day 23 – 9th September – San Francisco to Lone Pine