Eastern Sierra
The Eastern Sierra has been on my to visit list for a long time. The Sierras even in 2008 are still quite the barrier since the direct passes to the Mono Lake area are closed for half the year. Once the snows start and the passes close, it's a long detour to drive over Highway 80 and then south. As such, even though in the summer and early fall, the trip is not long, it had never worked out previously for me to go.
The eastern side is far different from the western side. The mountains create a rain shadow on the eastern side so the east is much drier and without the mass of pine trees that populate the western slopes.
Mono Lake
The tufa formations which look other worldly are the primary attraction at Mono Lake. If it had not been for Los Angles county diverting water from the lake, they would not be visible. They can only form under water and were exposed by the lake level dropping. On my first evening, I took a walk at the lake, lead by a member of the Committee. In addition, to learning how tufa are formed, which is is from calcium rich fresh water springs bubbling up into the alkaline lake water, I learned that saving Mono Lake has been a constant struggle. Even with the court victories that protect the lake on paper, getting them implemented has taken dedication and resolve. Perhaps I've gotten too cynical about activism. It was refreshing to see committed people who through their passion and dedication are succeeding in saving a critical part of the natural environment
Sunset
My first sunset at the lake was mobbed with photographers. I could hardly believe how many. Turns out a local community college class was there. I prefer more solitude when photographing but when a place is known as a mecca for photographers, it's not surprising when there are so many tripods setup up, one is tripping over them.
Sunrise
Bodie
Bodie is one of the best preserved ghost towns in the west. In the late 1870's a profitable mining operation caused the town's population to explode. Unlike the typical gold rush stories of individual miners looking for gold, here the mines were investor owned and the miners employees. In order to attract miners to the remote location, the mines paid high wages. The town was notorious for its 65 saloons, brothels, opium dens, and gambling houses where those miners spent their earnings. The town not surprisingly earned a reputation as wild and lawless.
Today, Bodie is a state park and maintained in a state of arrested decay. Only a fraction of the town remains, much of it being lost to fire in the 1930s. Bodie is a fun visit but I didn't get a strong feeling of walking back in time. The buildings are there but perhaps because only a fraction of the town remains, my experience was more a glimpse of the past than a full immersion in it. As I discovered later at Masonic, I prefer my ghost towns to in a state of real rather than arrested decay.
Masonic
Nine miles down a dirt road, Masonic feels much more remote than Bodie. It has many fewer buildings than Bodie but its state of continuing decay gives it the feel of being a relic from a different time. On the day I visited, there was hardly anyone else out there. Only a couple of dirt bikers. The sense of isolation that the miners must have felt is still palpable.
Chemung Mine
Decaying shack
The view over one of the mining buildings.
Virginia Lakes to Burro Pass
The Eastern Sierra has some real scenic gems. The hike I took from Virginia Lakes up to Burro Pass was filled with stunning lakes. The air at 11,000 felt awful thin and it was quite the effort for me to make it to the top as air got thinner and thinner. The vista at from top was worth the climb.
The view from the top.
