Activating on the Road:  Gems Along the Way – Part 1

by Brian (K3ES)

This two-part article continues my series from our 2024 road trip across the United States (Six Weeks and 7300 Miles:  Activating on the Road).  I hope to wrap up the series with one or two more articles (not yet written) over the next few weeks.  In this report, I plan to cover some of the parks and places we found during the trip that were interesting and spectacular beyond our expectations.

As we traveled across the country from Pennsylvania to California and back, we spent a lot of time looking for parks to activate, and sights to see.  While we tried to keep the sights and parks interesting, some of them were unexpectedly amazing, and I would like to share a few of those here.  Part 1 covers our westward trip from Pennsylvania to California.

Moraine View SRA, IL

Since I had already activated parks in Ohio and Indiana, we planned to do our first activation of the trip in Illinois.  To be honest, we chose Moraine View State Recreation Area (US-2311) as our Illinois park, because it was at the right place and the right time.  We had committed to arrive at my niece’s home in Minnesota at the end of our third travel day.  To stay on schedule for this, I needed to complete two activations (Illinois and Iowa), along with ending the the second day’s travel in Prarie du Chien, WI.  We picked US-2311 as the park for Illinois, because it was close to our travel route, and at the right distance from home for our first day’s drive.  That way I could do an early morning activation and be on the road quickly.

Choosing a park based on proximity to the travel route might seem like a poor way to find spectacular parks for activating, but that does not account for having Becky engaged in the process.  In this case, she picked our first gem of the trip.  I set up in a shady picnic area to activate, while she and Molly took a walk along the lake that is the centerpiece of the Recreation Area.  They found beautiful views and some spectacular birds.  I finished the CW QRP activation in about an hour, with 11 contacts split between the 40m and 20m bands.  It turned out that six of the contacts were with activators working in other parks, and one of those activators was working from a 2-fer location, so I got credit for 12 contacts in total.  Following the activation, I packed up, and we headed out toward Iowa and our second activation of the day.

Great Salt Lake SP, UT

The Great Salt Lake is one of the state’s best known geographic features, so it was natural to look for a park near the lake as we planned for an activation in Utah.  Great Salt Lake State Park (US-3075), on the southern tip of the lake, seemed like a good choice.    We had no idea what a GREAT choice it would be.  Stopping at the park was also convenient for eating our lunch, since we would arrive there mid-day.  US-3075 has scenic views of the lake and surrounding mountains, a marina for pleasure boats that sail the lake, beaches for swimming, and it had at least one unoccupied, shaded picnic table that worked well for activating.

During the activation, I logged 11 CW contacts in 50 minutes, which gave Becky and Molly the chance to walk, look around, and take pictures.  My picnic table overlooked the marina, and the shade was very welcome, since the day was bright and warm.  The table also made it convenient to eat lunch during the activation.  After packing up, we continued our trip across Utah and into Nevada, with a particularly sobering passage across the salt flats, which went on for miles and miles and miles.  We were very glad to be driving through at highway speeds in our pick up truck, and could hardly imagine crossing that beautiful, but desolate expanse by horse and wagon.

Washoe Lake SP, NV

During the last day of our westward leg, we needed to complete activation of a park in Nevada.  Washoe Lake State Park (US-2640) was again in the right place at the right time.  Our route took us around Reno, NV and southeastward toward Lake Tahoe.  US-2640 was close to our travel route.  Washoe Lake is located in a scenic valley, with a variety of facilities and ameneties.  We parked near a picnic area next to the lake, and I set up to activate at a shaded picnic table.  While there were trees at hand, I elected to use a collapsible fishing pole lashed to a park grill to support my end-fed random wire (EFRW) antenna.

As I did my activation, it was nice for Becky and Molly to enjoy a walk along the lakefront.  This was particularly beneficial, because of the pictures that Becky was able to take.  For my part, I logged 12 CW contacts in half an hour.  While I was operating, I had the opportunity to answer a few questions about amateur radio and POTA for a gentleman who was walking his dog in the park.  He returned again as I packed up my gear, and we had a very nice philosophical conversation that wandered into the realm of politics.  It gave me great hope in the lead-up to the 2024 election, to have a meaningful conversation with another knowledgeable citizen, without differing viewpoints leading to rancor.  I was really sorry that I had to excuse myself to continue our journey.

Carson Pass Highway

It was our intent to drive along the shore of Lake Tahoe as we crossed from Nevada into California.  Unfortunately, we missed a turn, and found ourselves driving away from the lake.  Rather than turning back, we continued on the Carson Pass Highway, California Route 88.  All of us decided this was a great decision, because the trip through the mountains across Carson Pass was spectacular.  The driving wasn’t quite white-knuckled, but it did require concentration, and we were pushing to arrive at my parents’ house before dinner.  As a result, I did not stop to activate the El Dorado National Forest, and the pictures were limited to a few snapshots that do not fully convey the mountain splendor that our memories will hold for a long, long time.  Suffice to say that your loss was our gain, because Mom is a great cook.

End of Part 1

To keep this report to the length of an article, rather than a novel, I will stop here at the end of our westward trip.  Part 2 will pick up with gems discovered during our travel homeward from California eastward to Pennsylvania.

Gear

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• Elecraft KX2
• SideKX end-panels and cover for the KX2
• Bioenno 3 Ah LiFePO4 battery
• Elecraft AX1 antenna
• ProAudio Engineering AM1-2 clamp-on antenna mount
• Maxpedition Fatty organizer pouch
• Tufteln EFRW antenna with 35 ft radiator and 17 ft counterpoise
• 15 ft RG316 feedline with BNC male connectors at each end
• 2 ft, 3 ft, and 5 ft homebrew RG316 feedline with BNC male connectors at each end
• Homebrew VK3IL-designed, pressure paddles
• Generic earbuds
• Rite in the Rain No. 946 notepads
• Pentel Twist-Erase mechanical pencil in 0.9mm
• US M7 Army Light Weight Service Mask pouch:  WWII vintage, canvas construction
• Packtenna 10m Fiberglass Antenna Mast
• Goture 6.3m Carbon Fiber Telescopic Fishing Pole
• Arborist kit with 2mm Marlow Excel line and Petzel 9 oz (250g) throw bag and Tom Bihn Small Travel Tray stuff sack

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Best 73 de Molly, Becky, and Brian – K3ES

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