Down the road

After visiting Crowley and Convict Lakes on the beautiful second morning, I decided to cruise through Mammoth. 

I thought about hiking back to Rainbow Falls again but it was awful hot and the memory of hiking with all of my equipment in the heat with Ken made me give up the idea.

Besides, Devil's Postpile was closed and I was not sure that the trails were even open to Rainbow.

I tooled around with the windows down, enjoying the beautiful clean mountain air and gentle breezes, eventually taking the scenic loop.

I had never been to Inyo Craters before and decided to hike up to them. 

The trail was not very well marked but I eventually found them after backtracking and visited two of them, one beautiful turquoise, one rather dingy dark green.

I talked to various people including three birders who were happy to have spotted an olive warbler in the trees and spent a brief moment discussing native woodpeckers with me.

Beautiful morning in the mountains. I wonder how many Mammoth skiers ever even see the place in the late spring or summer?

I walked back to the trailhead and returned over the rough dirt road to the pavement. 

My car is behaving so admirably but I think the next tire change I will go all terrain and it will be even better. I do a lot of driving on the dirt.

I casually drove on up the road, no real plans or itinerary except stopping and shooting nearly every lake and pretty mountain ridge I came across.

This might be June Lake, I don't rightly remember but I believe so.

Too much beauty, I might have lake overload. Need to visit a few sleazy ghettos, stat.

I drove up the long and fairly gnarly road to the Parker Lake Trailhead. I think Los Angeles owns and gets some of its water from this lake. Make sure you have a high clearance vehicle on this road. 

I was pretty tired and didn't walk to the lake. Crowded with people and I wanted my space.

You do get a nice view of Mono Lake from up there.

I drove up to Bridgeport and went to the market to get a sandwich. It was a long wait, the affable girl behind the counter said it took about six minutes to make one, her record was five and there were thre ahead of me. 

She suggested I walk around town, visit the tackle shop or something. I quickly lost interest, an emotion evidently shared by the surly older woman at the register with the ugly and somewhat butch tattoos on her forearm.

Afterwards I had a decision to make, Walker, Bodie or Twin Lakes. I called a friend and he texted me, definitely the latter. Very pretty up there for sure.

I drove back towards my hotel, the pretty nice Lakeview Lodge in Lee Vining. The I saw the sign for Bodie. What the hell, why not? I have a definite need to want to find out what is around the next corner.

I drove back to the motel, blown away at my good fortune in shooting the couple, all of us simultaneously traveling back and forth in time.

Took a nap and then eventually left to grab the sunset at Mono Lake from the South Tufa beach. You really never know what you will get at the lake, unfortunately, the light and clouds never came together for us this evening.

I would be bummed but I can't be as I have nailed it there before and will nail it again there one day, I do believe.

Did my best with what I had to work with.

I went back to the hotel and had dinner, then took a nap. Got up about 10:30 and decided to see if I could get a good milky way pic from the overlook. I couldn't with my 24 -70mm. Didn't dial in the focus properly, squibbed it. Here it is, warts and all.

Pros never show their failures. So this either confirms my amateur status or shows my zen like emotional detachment. I'm cool either way.

More tomorrow.