The plan was a little two-day getaway, and as plans go, it went well. My neighbor Peter had mentioned Sardine Lake as a pretty place to visit, so I drove up there with the idea of checking it out, staying there or somewhere for a night, then back to good ole Sierra Hot Springs for a night.
They are still road resurfacing on I-80 between Verdi and Truckee, so it was a little slow, but it was not a 5 mph parking lot like like last time I went that way. Right on SR 89 past Sierraville, then up into the northern Sierras, to the Sierra Buttes region … then another right at Bassett’s, then a left, and in exactly two miles from SR 49 you are at Sardine Lake, which is nestled at the base of the Sierra Buttes and is indeed very scenic.
It is much more alpine and central Sierra-looking than the area in general, which is a good thing, because the northern Sierras – north of I-80 – are generally pretty boring. There are great rivers for rafting and swimming and camping, but not much to look at, unless you like strip mining wastelands.
Anyway, the Sardine Lake road is one of those disappointing dealios where the end of the road is all private property and not much use to the casual visitor. There are very cute little cabins, and a restaurant which serves dinner only; allegedly a very good restaurant, but not on my agenda.
The useful part is 1/4 mile before the end, where there is a small pond, left over from the gold mine that operated here in the 1880’s, that is posted for swimming, and a National Forest campground another 100 yds further down. It looked pretty user-friendly, but it cost $21/night, and I ain’t down with that.
So I explored more – back down to SR 49, through the funky little town of Sierra City, and on to the Loganville campground, which looked interesting on the web. It was $17, and not interesting at all it turns out.
So… what to do? One option would be to just punt and go back to Sierra Hot Springs and make it a one-nighter. I’m ok with that, I’ve got plenty of stuff to do at home now that I have decided to do the Big (cross-country) Trip. But in the spirit of exploration, I want to check out the more out of the way campgrounds, since i am here and have the time and inclination to do so.
So …. turn around, back through Sierra City, left then left-left to the Sardine Lake road, then right on a new side road, which takes me the 2-ish miles to Diablo Campground. It was $17 also, and not remotely interesting or appealing as a place to spend the rest of the afternoon. The wigger-looking dudes in the broken-down car didn’t help the ambience much.
So … if $17 is the going rate for a back-woods trailer park, then $21 looks a lot better for a nice swimming hole and a trail. I drive back to the intersection which will take me away from Sardine Lake and I am frozen with indecision – picturing swimming in that sweet little pond on the one hand, and $21 on the other. Eventually someone comes up behind to force me to do SOMETHING, and I magically transcend my crippling cheapness for the moment, and am off to site #10 at Sardine Lake.
Did I mention that I brought my bike for the first time on a camper-van trip? My friend Elton, bless him, rehabbed it back into usability, so it is in tip-top shape for the first time in about two years, and bless me, I am actually using it! It is not convenient to carry; bikes never are, but it sure turns out to be fun to have. I rode up to Sardine Lake, then back to the swimming hole for a late afternoon dip in this perfectly still little pond. It turns out you can clamber up to the gravel dam at the back of Sardine to get a straight-up dose of the late afternoon sun and a picture-perfect vista of the Sierra Buttes.
There is a little two mile loop hike across the marsh and around the valley, which I of course timed to give me maximum sunset and an all around excellent afternoon.
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