Weird Hikes

In the ancestral lands of the Yukian Wappo in rural Napa and Lake Counties near Lake Berryessa, this Bureau of Land Management park is a destination for off-road vehicles. Nestled in the Mayacmas Mountains , it is largely undeveloped, with only one primitive campground with pit toilets. There is no potable water here.  In retrospect, taking four dogs and two humans on an astrophotography camping trip with new (see: untested) equipment in the midst of a forecasted rainstorm was all but begging cruel Fortune to smite us. But the new moon beckoned: a requirement for optimal conditions to capture that elusive glow of the Milky Way. Knowing this was primitive camping, we had everything we needed to be completely self-sufficient, including 10 gallons of water and a portable toilet. The rain was forecasted to end just in time for the Milky Way to make its 4am appearance. Besides, rain would scare away humans with a weaker constitution than a former Army Ranger from Texas (husband) and a natur