It is less than 60 miles from Lone Pine, CA to Bishop, CA but I would have liked to stop and explore for a couple of days in between the two. There seems to be no lack of things to see along Hwy 395 in California. There are books written about this route and I am certainly starting to understand why. I was again traveling in between wind storms, so I didn’t stop this time. I liked Bishop as soon as I drove through it. It’s a small town, with mountains on 3 sides. It still has horses and cattle within its boundaries and ATV and Kayak rentals available on Main Street. The only box stores are the Kmart and the Von’s .. Not even a Walmart. You can buy fishing lures and supplies at the Grocery store. There are still plenty of chain stores here, tucked in amongst the independent restaurants and stores, but it so nice to be some place that box stores don’t rule. It reminds me of what, Montrose, Colorado might have been like 20 years ago.
The roads that go up into the mountains and to the nearby lakes were still closed due to snow, so playing in the mountains wasn’t an option. The Owens river, however was flowing well and fishing season was just getting ready to start. The Erik Schatts bakery, “Home of the Original Sheepherders Bread”, was baking up a storm as well. It is a great bakery, with all kinds of breads, they make sandwiches and have gelato as well. Definitely, a place to visit while in Bishop. I spent several days the Brown’s Town RV park, enjoyed the town and sat out a couple of wind storms. I was able to find the RV supplies I needed at the Feed Store, where they were also selling newly hatched chicks. (Something, being a suburbanite, you don’t see often or ever.) I really really really like the feel and size of this town and all the recreation within close proximity. I would have loved to stay the month but Brown’s Town has a 14 day stay limit and no price breaks for longer stays. Brown’s Town Rv spaces were a bit tight but I liked this park better than the other options in town.
 |
| Browns Town RV site |