Mono Lake (Thanksgiving in Mammoth)

Regular blog readers will remember that our Thanksgiving tradition is to spend the holiday at some unexplored (to us, at least) location. Usually, this involves freezing our asses off in a tent in some rustic area (see blog entries for 2008, 2009). This year, for some reason, neither Pat nor I felt up to "roughing it" so we decided to splurge and get a hotel room. I want everyone here to know that I lobbied for Death Valley (average daily November temp: 70 degrees) but both Pat and I were intrigued to check out Mammoth Lakes, a popular mountain town on the East Side of the Sierras. So, we booked a hotel room in town, and off we went.

When we checked the Mammoth Lakes weather report, we were dismayed to discover that the low for our first day would be 11 degrees. Luckily, we had packed warm clothing and even thrown in our snowshoes. This is our first view of Mammoth, at the visitors' center where we stopped to get some local information. Since we arrived late, we had an early pizza dinner, and hunkered down for the night.

The next morning (Thanksgiving) we drove out to Mono Lake. Mono Lake is a salt-water lake with no outlet to the ocean that was formed at least 760,000 years ago. It recently made the news when scientists discovered a plant that synthesizes arsenic rather than any of the six essential elements previously known to sustain life. But, that is an aside. On Thanksgiving Day, there were no scientists or tourists. Just Pat and I enjoying this amazing, eerie landscape.

We parked at the visitors' center (closed) and walked down to the lake.

We soon came upon the first of many Tufas we would see. The Tufas are limestone formations created by underwater springs that have been exposed as the lake levels recede. This one was so big that I could stand inside.

Later, we drove down to the Tufa State Reserve where there were many more Tufas both on the shore and in the lake.


A good view of Tufas on the lake shore.

Up close and persona Tufas.

More.



A final view of some Tufas in the lake. I highly recommend a stop at Mono Lake if you find yourself in the area. It was unlike anything I've ever seen.

After a quick stop at the hotel room to change and call the families, it was off to Convict Lake for Thanksgiving dinner. A friend from work had recommended this resort for Thanksgiving dinner, and we weren't disappointed.

Both dinner and the view were terrific, and the rustic dining room reminded me of our favorite Montana restaurants. And, on the drive home, we saw a shooting star. What an perfect ending to a great day!

NEXT UP: Hollywood

Bad Blogger!!!

Well! How does one become such a slacker?

At first, my goal was to blog once a week. Then, I downgraded to once a month.

And, somehow, after one final post in September, I seem to have given it up altogether. It wasn't a conscious decision--I just got busy, and blogging fell off my list of priorities.

The worst part is that there have been several blog worthy topics over the last several months. Luckily, I did manage to take some pictures, and my goal now is to go back and share some of these with you. In a few weeks, I hope to be caught up to the present.

Let's hope that 2011 is a good blogging year!