Mono Lake

Hello from California (again!). We are in Mammoth Lakes. It is a beautiful, sunny day and we had a very nice drive, south along 395 with views of the snow-covered Sierras to the West! Our elevation is 7847 feet (according to our new altimeter which has been calibrated to be correct to +/- 15 feet!). The highest elevation reached today was 8143 at Conway Summit around noon today. About a mile past this summit, there is a view of the entire Mono Lake. Just breathtaking, (or is the elevation?) as the waters of Mono Lake are a brilliant Caribbean blue! I am sure you have heard of the fight to save Mono Lake? California was diverting so much water from the rivers and streams that flow into Mono Lake; the lake lost half its volume. There was a legal battle, and in 1994 the diversion stopped. The lake is 10-times saltier and 1000-times more alkaline than the ocean. We stopped at the Visitor Center for a view and gourmet brunch of Cheerios and bananas and I took this photo for your viewing pleasure:

Mono Lake

We then continued south on 395 through Lee Vining, where we could see the East side of Yosemite, crossing Dead Man's Pass at 8000 feet and turning into the resort town of Mammoth Lakes, where we will camp for a few days while exploring the area. We checked into a ghost town of a campground. They had our name and space number on the office door. No one around. No water because it still freezes here. We just pulled in and set up camp. No one else here - kinda eerie. I seem to have good cellular service though - who knew? We arrived in time for DT to watch the last two hours of the Master's golf tournament (while I baked a loaf of banana bread).