Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile

Before we left, I solicited ideas of things to see on Highway 395 through California and received lots of good tips.    One surprise was Mammoth Lakes and the Devils Postpile area.   When we arrived at the Visitor Center by Mono Lake we picked up a Visitor Guide to the area.    The tufa hike at Mono Lake and the June Lake Scenic Loop stops were all successes so we decided to stay another day and check out the sights in the Guide around Mammoth.     The drive to Mammoth mountain is pretty pine forest with mountain views.   The town of Mammoth Lake and the nearby Mammoth Mountain resort are all very 'chic'.   They reminded me of Whistler and it was fun to see.    Our first real stop was the Minarets overlook.    Expansive views with a short trail to different perspectives.

Next stop, Devils Postpile National Monument.   The drive from the Minaret Overlook was one narrow, twisty, steep, scary road.   Fortunately, the one lane stretch had pull outs and we didn't meet any big vehicles.   But it was worth it.   The hike to the monument was through pines and aspens that glowed yellow with the sun and 'quaked' when the wind blew.   The monument was fascinating but not as awe inspiring as the Devils Tower.   Down the trail is Rainbow Falls which still had lots of water in it even though it has been very dry here for months.    We even saw the rainbow and captured some of its color in pictures.

From there, we drove to the Mammoth Lakes recreation area which would be a great place to return in the summer and camp.    There are tons of small lakes, short and long hikes, and miles of paved bike/walk trails.    Along with some fantastic views of the mountains.

Third visit to Yosemite and finally made it to the high country

Yosemite is so big and so diverse that we could never see it all in one visit.   We have been three times and still have areas to explore.   Our first visit was an overview with most of our time spent in the valley.    The second visit we stayed in the south so we spent most of our time between the south entrance and the valley.    This visit we didn't go to the valley at all.   We drove the Tioga Road from Lee Vining down the Big Oak Flat Road and then on to Hetch Hetchy for a hike around part of the shore of the reservoir.    The views were huge, with monstrous granite domes and cliffs.    Lots of high country lakes and streams.   The views from Olmsted Point were the highlight.   You could see Half Dome and down into the Valley.   Long, wonderful day.

Mono Lake and the tufas

Driving down 395 from Carson City to Lee Vining is a pretty drive but you are completely surprised when you hit the over look for Mono Lake and the White Mountains.   Also surprising is how good the Visitor Center is.    The tufas at Mono Lake are limestone formations that were formed under water with calcium and carbonate from natural springs.   Then when the lake dropped they were exposed.   We took a great short hike along the south tufas.

Eagle Lake, Virginia City, Carson City, Tahoe

Next stop Eagle Lake and Merrill Campground.   Another terrific place.   Karen the camp host was friendly and helpful.   She also shared a yummy Eagle Lake trout which is a type of Rainbow.    Soooo good.   The campground is full hook up and right on the lake.   They also have a 6 mile paved bike path that we enjoyed.

Eagle Lake was just outside Susanville so it was a short drive into Carson City.   We are really getting used to these short driving days.    We met a Desert Trails friend, Doug P at Carson City and explored a bit with him.    Lots of fun.   Toured Virginia City, the Capitol building in Carson City and also the historic area where the Governors mansion is.

A Little more Crater Lake and Klamath Falls area

Crater Lake is always a favorite.   When we left we drove less than 50 miles to Collier Memorial State Park.    It was close, cheap and we needed to do laundry.   What a surprise, it was also lovely.   Right on the Williamson River with an excellent logging museum (free) and hiking trails.   The sites were large and fairly private.    We stayed an extra day just to enjoy the park and also ride our bikes on the Klamath Falls rails to trails bike path.   What a nice diversion.

 

Crater Lake In October.... Amazing but cold!

We left Bend and headed to Crater Lake.    The most direct route is to take the park road directly south and along the rim of the lake down to the Mazama Campground.   What we didn't know is how narrow that road is and how much of the shoulder appears to be crumbly off.    The sheer drop offs gave both of us some real thrills.    Our last time at Crater Lake was with Shannon seeing the major sites.   This trip we repeated the rim drive but tried a new hike to Plaikne Falls which was lovely and also had lunch at the lodge with a great view of the lake.    

The first picture is lunch from the coach at an Overlook on the drive in.   The picture on the right is the view from the lodge dining room.

 

Bend, Newberry Volcano National Monument, Crater Lake

After a great catch up time, we headed out for Tucson.    On our way home last spring we made the trip in 4 days so this time we decided to take a month and enjoy the journey.   Our first stop was Bend Oregon where we biked the Deschutes River Trail.   We spent a day at the Newberry Volcano National Monument.