Showers at the Whitney Portal Hostel, Lone Pine

If you're boondocking near Lone Pine, California, and you want a real shower, try the Whitney Portal Hostel at the corner of US395 and E. Post Street, a block south of the traffic light, on the east side of the highway.

Five bucks will get you a shower and a towel. There are three showers (#1 has the most room), a shared toilet (in a water closet) and sink. They're well-maintained and appear to be clean. The nozzles are handheld and the water eventually gets hot. There are liquid soap dispensers, but you can bring your own soap, of course. The shower "rooms" don't have anywhere to sit, so you'll need to be adept at putting on socks and shoes while standing.

A clean body calls for clean clothes. There's a laundromat across the highway on W. Post Street. I've been told the restaurant next to it serves excellent pancakes.