Moving to Paradise

It has been a week since we moved all our worldly possessions from Southern California to June Lake. It is so beautiful here – the crisp fall air, the golden light of the sunrise on the peaks, or the brilliant hues of the autumn aspen. Despite the chaos of moving and unpacking, I am sometimes overwhelmed with a feeling of pure joy to be living what has been our dream for many years. We celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary in our new home on October 4th, working from dawn to dark unpacking. Not a day has gone by that we have not looked at each other in amazement on how lucky we are.

The journey started from our 10’ by 15’ storage unit in Hemet. We had to drive 30 miles to Moreno Valley that morning to pick up the Budget rental truck – it turned out to be almost $600 cheaper than U-Haul, with just the added inconvenience of more distant pickup and drop off points. The temperatures in Hemet were peaking in the low 100’s for the several days we stayed with my parents in their mobile home. Moving day was only a bit cooler, but by the time we loaded the truck and were ready to leave we were dusty and sweaty. After a quick shower, we were on the road by 3 pm, John at the wheel of the 14-footer, and me following in the smaller red truck.

Our plan was to camp halfway, and we pulled into the Fossil Falls campground by 8:30 pm. A front was moving through, pelting us with some rain overnight, but the next morning was crisp with just a few remnant puffy clouds. After a quick breakfast (top photo), we continued our journey north.

By noon we were on the June Lake Loop road, covering the last couple of miles along the shore of June Lake itself (second photo). The last two places we lived were second floor units, and lucky for us, this one is, too. The rest of the afternoon was spent moving boxes and furniture upstairs. Our friend Charles, who lives in Mammoth, came to help (thank goodness), and soon much of the floor space was covered by boxes (third photo). By dark all was unloaded, and we dug out some cans of chili and our camping cook pots, and ate our first meal together.

Anxious as we were to unpack, we had to make a six-hour round trip drive to Ridgecrest to drop off the rental truck. But the day after (our anniversary!) was our day to unpack. It has been quite a challenge to fit all our STUFF in the apartment – it is two bedrooms, but the rooms are small. It is a very nice place – only 10 years old, with modern cabinets, double-paned windows, and ample storage, of which we used every inch. We did significant “purging” – old t-shirts, unused gear, and odd kitchen tools were set aside for donation to the local thrift shop. Entire boxes with notes from college were tossed.

By the end of the week we were (more or less) settled. We decided to do a hike from our front door via the Yost Meadow trail. It traverses the slope to the south of town, offering spectacular views of the village of June Lake and the chain of lakes. The bottom photo is looking northwest, and if you find the yellow arrow in the bottom right corner, that is our new home. Paradise, indeed.