By David Haerle

I have this bug — always have, always will. Most call it wanderlust. It means I can only stay in one place for only so much time before I become a useless blob of boredom and discontent.

Spring is one of my usual times for travel, but for obvious reasons that wasn’t happening this year.

So I spent much of my self-isolation these past months planning this trip, which saw me leave last Friday headed for California’s Sierra Nevada — Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, mostly.

I am writing this from a gorgeous little condo I rented for a few nights in June Lake, California — a hidden gem of a town at 7,600 feet tucked between two alpine lakes in the Eastern Sierra, about 15 miles from the Tioga Pass entrance to Yosemite’s high country.

But the first part of the trip was getting here with a brief two-night stop in South Lake Tahoe, where I met up with my longtime friend Boyce Jeffries, who I have known since my earliest days in journalism. He was one of my first and most “reliable sources,” back then — in more ways than one. (Read into that what you may.) We have been close friends since.

Boyce also happens to own a cabin tucked among the trees above the lake that’s been in his family since 1968. That was a godsend, as he and I stayed safely there over the weekend because Tahoe was mobbed!

People everywhere and, on the Nevada side of the lake, not a lot of mask wearing with mass gatherings everywhere along the shoreline. Lines of cars to get into every park along the lake and completely full campgrounds and hotels with “No Vacancy” signs everywhere.

Prior to reaching Tahoe on Saturday, I made a brief stop that morning at Burney Falls State Park in very remote Shasta County. And that was mobbed, too — so much so that I only spent 15 minutes there after waiting 15 minutes in line just to pay my $10 entry fee. Honestly, I’ve seen Disneyland less crowded. So I bailed and made a beeline toward Highway 395 and Lake Tahoe.

Fortunately, after covering four states in less than 30 hours, I spent two relaxing days there watching squirrels chase each other around Boyce’s yard, raccoons searching for food each night, and even visits from the local bears. A young male wandered through the neighborhood the first night, and a mama bear with two small cubs paid us a visit on Sunday night.

My only outing in Tahoe was a 4:20 tee time a Lake Tahoe Golf Club, where I played my first round of golf in three or four years. Let’s just say my game did not match the magnificent scenery, but the round was worth every penny of my $50 twilight green fee.

Monday morning, Boyce and I caravanned down Highway 395, which fronts the Eastern spine of the Sierra Nevada and was the only part of this trip I have never driven before. I plan to do it again someday, as the scenery is spectacular the entire route.

As you read this, the two of us will be exploring the high country of Yosemite, where I worked for five summers during my college years. This would normally be peak season there, but all lodgings, campgrounds and services in Yosemite’s high country are closed. The only way you can stay overnight is by backpacking into the wilderness campsites.

It’s going to be interesting to see my old stomping grounds without the normal summer crowds for the first time ever.

I will let you know what I find and see on Saturday, because we can still be adventurous and safe at the same time.

David Haerle is city editor of The Daily World. Reach him at dhaerle@thedailyworld.com.