East Lake Resort

Date of Trip July 18 & 19th 2009.

Lesson 1: Bonnie packs a lot of crap. A lot. Be prepared to take everything and the kitchen sink. Yes, we even went to BiMart to get water even though I was sure that there was water at the campground. Also, be prepared not to leave on time. Actually, while waiting just get a book out and start reading.
So after a very late start we headed East on Hwy 58 to get to Newberry Crater. The resort allows you to reserve a spot online. It was $27 for one night- spendy compared to the $12 at the nearby campground. But, it was good we booked a spot as most of the campgrounds were full by the time we got there. East Lake resort is ok, they had showers and flush toilets, a small gift shop, cafe, boat rentals, and cabins. They even had an espresso cart. The spots are not too scenic- a fire went through the campground so there is no underbrush at all. Across the street there is underbrush so it seems like a very small fire. Also, 90% of the other campers were RVers. We didn't have any mosquito problems- actually I didn't even see one up there.
We went to the Pine Mtn observatory the back way. The good was that we saw lots of wildlife- most of it darting in front of my car- but I didn't hit anything. Lots of jack rabbits, mice, & birds. Love the sagebrush too. It was a bit nerve wracking to go on the forest service roads but they turned out to be fairly well marked. The area is a big ORV place so that accounts for the decent signs. I don't know if we ended up saving time getting to the observatory but the drive was much cooler. Pine Mtn was awesome, saw lots of stars but clouds kept getting in the way. Bring a red light as they don't allow flashlights.
Got back to camp late- it gets cold up there at night! My toes were a bit cold :( But, by 10 am it was nearly 70deg F and I put on shorts a little later. Paulina Peak is worth the car ride- you can hike it but it is quite a hill. Beautiful views! Paulina Falls is pretty as well & right off of the road. They have a small Forest Service station up there too. There is a resort at Paulina Lake as well- didn't check it out.