F1Addict
10-16-2013, 02:07 AM
This trip started off like any other so I won't bore you with a recap of my ridiculously early departure. I did leave a little earlier this time, hoping to reach the only open campground before all the spaces being vacated were filled by new arrivals. I rolled in around 9:30 in the morning and was surprised to find that it was only 1/2 full and when I left, five days later, there were only four occupied spaces. Perhaps it was the government shut-down or the weather forecast that scared people off but I wasn't complaining.
Because this trip was only half pleasure, I spent the first day scouting the best foliage for a Fall Preview article I'm writing that will hopefully be published next summer. I didn't have to look far, I was camped smack in the middle of it.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5854_zpsbb522e6a.jpg
There are some amazing places back east to view the changing leaves, places that overwhelm you with color, where brilliant yellows and reds and oranges stretch for miles. The Sierra display is a little different, the Aspens and Birches grow in bunches among the more common Jeffrey and Lodgepole Pines. In some ways, the contrast adds to the impact.
When we arrived, the daytime temperatures were fairly typical for this time of year with highs in the 80s and overnight lows in the high 20s but that was forecast to change by mid-week. The first night was an early one, I didn't sleep much the night before and the 400 mile drive and setup had taken it's toll. I was up before the sun on my first full day and ready to go. My first destination was the east entrance to Yosemite National Park. I was curious to see how the government shutdown had affected the area. The roads through the park remained open but stopping for any reason other than a "provable emergency" was prohibited and the Park Rangers were citing anyone found "recreating" within the National Park... pathetic.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/Park-Closed_zps2aa39f41.gif
I didn't actually enter the Park. For one, despite the fact that you couldn't actually do anything, they were still charging the $20 entrance fee but also because this place is a part of my life, I've probably been here a hundred times since my mom and grandpa first introduced me to Yosemite at the age of three, to enter with the restrictions imposed by the shut-down would be too disappointing and even depressing. The signs of our government's inability to pry their heads from their asses were everywhere...
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5799_zpsba8ce4b8.jpg
From the thousands of U.S. Forest Service managed roadside restrooms
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5786_zps48b21bf2.jpg
To the dozens of Forest Service and concessionaire managed campgrounds.
Disgusted with my elected officials and still feeling the effects of the altitude and yesterday's long drive, I decided to have a little birthday party for myself and sleep early. I had a full day planned for Tuesday.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4096_zpsc443529f.jpg
The Tuesday morning sunrise was spectacular.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5784-1_zps6bcef9b9.jpg
Even after the brilliant colors of first light had faded, the beauty remained.
While I was shooting the sunrise I realized I had forgotten my GoPro back at camp so I ran back to pick it up when I was finished. As I was leaving I spotted a herd of Mule Deer in the meadow that surrounds the campground. There were probably 10-15 total but this one was the most curious and funniest looking.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4119_zpsb3bb2aff.jpg
I spent the balance of the day circumnavigating Mono Lake via off-road trails. The vast majority of these trails are extremely soft sand and since this is my first 4x4, I find it really rewarding to go places normal cars can't.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5824_zps2f5a80df.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5823_zps1403dfa0.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5839_zpsa6ec20be.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5836_zps5db7dc53.jpg
Lizard tracks in the dunes.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5834_zps3ea079ce.jpg
This area is highly volcanic. One of the islands in the lake, the larger one (Pahoa), is only 350 years old and when you consider that the lake is believed to be some 750,000 years old (one of, if not the oldest in North America), the island is a fairly recent geologic addition. There are also several volcanoes in the area, volcanoes that are not extinct and still rumble from time to time. This basin is located just above the northern edge of the Long Valley Caldera, a depression in the Earth that resulted from a massive eruption long ago. The Long Valley Caldera represents one of the largest eruptions on Earth which created a caldera (crater) 20 miles long, 11 miles wide, and over 3,000 feet deep. The result of all of this volcanic activity are hot springs. Water is super-heated by magma close to the surface and forced through fissures in the Earth's crust. Some of that water emerges as sulfur-scented steam which rises from cracks like the byproduct of some huge, evil industrial process. The ski town of Mammoth Lakes actually utilizes this super-heated steam to generate electricity for the town. In other places it bubbles to the surface as water which then flows until it's either reabsorbed by the earth around it or emptied into a lake, stream, or pond.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5819_zps4b6971b6.jpg
One of several unnamed geothermal springs flowing along the eastern shore of Mono Lake.
While traversing the deserted eastern shore I interrupted the lives of several birds.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4135_zpscf691782.jpg
Red Tail Hawk
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4148_zpsbbf385de.jpg
Cooper's Hawk
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4155_zps4273b53d.jpg
Mountain Blue Bird
As I reached the end of the sandy trail I came across this crazy tree that looks like Mickey Mouse! Nature can be funny.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4154_zps6c1f73c4.jpg
As I headed back to camp, I stopped along a dirt trail for this shot of one of the more spectacular Aspen groves.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5865_mod_zpsf328a1c1.jpg
The day had been crystal clear without a cloud in the sky. Now, late in the afternoon, clouds began to lace the upper atmosphere, the first signs of the snow that was forecast for tonight and tomorrow. I wasn't convinced that it would actually happen but I was prepared, either way.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5883_zps88725a2d.jpg
After eating dinner, I made a fire and watched the stars and thin clouds pass overhead. Tomorrow I would head to the ghost town of Bodie, a Gold Rush era town that has a checkered history full of fire disasters, wild west shootouts, hardship and lots and lots of gold and silver.
Part Two will be up tomorrow!...
Because this trip was only half pleasure, I spent the first day scouting the best foliage for a Fall Preview article I'm writing that will hopefully be published next summer. I didn't have to look far, I was camped smack in the middle of it.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5854_zpsbb522e6a.jpg
There are some amazing places back east to view the changing leaves, places that overwhelm you with color, where brilliant yellows and reds and oranges stretch for miles. The Sierra display is a little different, the Aspens and Birches grow in bunches among the more common Jeffrey and Lodgepole Pines. In some ways, the contrast adds to the impact.
When we arrived, the daytime temperatures were fairly typical for this time of year with highs in the 80s and overnight lows in the high 20s but that was forecast to change by mid-week. The first night was an early one, I didn't sleep much the night before and the 400 mile drive and setup had taken it's toll. I was up before the sun on my first full day and ready to go. My first destination was the east entrance to Yosemite National Park. I was curious to see how the government shutdown had affected the area. The roads through the park remained open but stopping for any reason other than a "provable emergency" was prohibited and the Park Rangers were citing anyone found "recreating" within the National Park... pathetic.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/Park-Closed_zps2aa39f41.gif
I didn't actually enter the Park. For one, despite the fact that you couldn't actually do anything, they were still charging the $20 entrance fee but also because this place is a part of my life, I've probably been here a hundred times since my mom and grandpa first introduced me to Yosemite at the age of three, to enter with the restrictions imposed by the shut-down would be too disappointing and even depressing. The signs of our government's inability to pry their heads from their asses were everywhere...
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5799_zpsba8ce4b8.jpg
From the thousands of U.S. Forest Service managed roadside restrooms
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5786_zps48b21bf2.jpg
To the dozens of Forest Service and concessionaire managed campgrounds.
Disgusted with my elected officials and still feeling the effects of the altitude and yesterday's long drive, I decided to have a little birthday party for myself and sleep early. I had a full day planned for Tuesday.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4096_zpsc443529f.jpg
The Tuesday morning sunrise was spectacular.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5784-1_zps6bcef9b9.jpg
Even after the brilliant colors of first light had faded, the beauty remained.
While I was shooting the sunrise I realized I had forgotten my GoPro back at camp so I ran back to pick it up when I was finished. As I was leaving I spotted a herd of Mule Deer in the meadow that surrounds the campground. There were probably 10-15 total but this one was the most curious and funniest looking.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4119_zpsb3bb2aff.jpg
I spent the balance of the day circumnavigating Mono Lake via off-road trails. The vast majority of these trails are extremely soft sand and since this is my first 4x4, I find it really rewarding to go places normal cars can't.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5824_zps2f5a80df.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5823_zps1403dfa0.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5839_zpsa6ec20be.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5836_zps5db7dc53.jpg
Lizard tracks in the dunes.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5834_zps3ea079ce.jpg
This area is highly volcanic. One of the islands in the lake, the larger one (Pahoa), is only 350 years old and when you consider that the lake is believed to be some 750,000 years old (one of, if not the oldest in North America), the island is a fairly recent geologic addition. There are also several volcanoes in the area, volcanoes that are not extinct and still rumble from time to time. This basin is located just above the northern edge of the Long Valley Caldera, a depression in the Earth that resulted from a massive eruption long ago. The Long Valley Caldera represents one of the largest eruptions on Earth which created a caldera (crater) 20 miles long, 11 miles wide, and over 3,000 feet deep. The result of all of this volcanic activity are hot springs. Water is super-heated by magma close to the surface and forced through fissures in the Earth's crust. Some of that water emerges as sulfur-scented steam which rises from cracks like the byproduct of some huge, evil industrial process. The ski town of Mammoth Lakes actually utilizes this super-heated steam to generate electricity for the town. In other places it bubbles to the surface as water which then flows until it's either reabsorbed by the earth around it or emptied into a lake, stream, or pond.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5819_zps4b6971b6.jpg
One of several unnamed geothermal springs flowing along the eastern shore of Mono Lake.
While traversing the deserted eastern shore I interrupted the lives of several birds.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4135_zpscf691782.jpg
Red Tail Hawk
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4148_zpsbbf385de.jpg
Cooper's Hawk
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4155_zps4273b53d.jpg
Mountain Blue Bird
As I reached the end of the sandy trail I came across this crazy tree that looks like Mickey Mouse! Nature can be funny.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_4154_zps6c1f73c4.jpg
As I headed back to camp, I stopped along a dirt trail for this shot of one of the more spectacular Aspen groves.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5865_mod_zpsf328a1c1.jpg
The day had been crystal clear without a cloud in the sky. Now, late in the afternoon, clouds began to lace the upper atmosphere, the first signs of the snow that was forecast for tonight and tomorrow. I wasn't convinced that it would actually happen but I was prepared, either way.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/Fall%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%202013/IMG_5883_zps88725a2d.jpg
After eating dinner, I made a fire and watched the stars and thin clouds pass overhead. Tomorrow I would head to the ghost town of Bodie, a Gold Rush era town that has a checkered history full of fire disasters, wild west shootouts, hardship and lots and lots of gold and silver.
Part Two will be up tomorrow!...