After talking with the guy who cooked our breakfast at the B&B this morning, we took a few of his suggestions and headed out for the day. Our first stop was at Convict Lake. (The temperature was 35 degrees by this time!)
Convict Lake
Convict Lake is known for its fishing and the dramatic mountains. The sunlight was perfect and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
The road out of the Convict Lake area
Back out on the main highway going south, we were surrounded by the Long Valley Caldera. A caldera is created by the collapse of a large volcano. This one was formed 760,000 years ago by a volcano that was 2,500 times bigger than Mount St Helens. Ash was deposited as far east as Nebraska. It is 20 miles long and 10 miles wide.
You can see the walls of the caldera in the background
of this picture and the White Mountain Range behind that.
Next on the list was Owens River Gorge, a steep 10 mile canyon on the upper Owens River. It's one of those places Conrad knew about and wanted to visit. He hiked down the river a little to investigate the powerhouse and see how the water was diverted. Water from here ends up in Los Angeles, over 300 miles away!
On the way back north, we had some pretty big hills to go up. Along the way, we saw two places where you could pull of to the side of the road and there were big water tanks to refill your radiator!
Owens River Gorge area
On the way back towards Mammoth Lakes
After this, we headed back to Mammoth Lakes and then further west towards the Devils Postpile. On the way there, we stopped at Minaret Vista for the view and for a picnic lunch.
Loved this spot!
The Minarets
The Minarets are all that remain of an ancient lava flow. These mountains existed millions of years before the formation of the Sierra Nevada. Their sawtooth appearance is created
by the freezing and expansion of water from rain and snow which seeps into cracks in the rock. This slow weathering process gradually chips away bits of rock enhancing the jagged look of these peaks.
A zoomed in picture of the Minarets
A view from our picnic site
Our lunch
From here we took the crooked, narrow road on down to the Devils Postpile. First, it was a volcanic event. Basalt lava erupted two miles upstream from today's postpile fewer than 100,000 years ago. As the lava cooled it contracted and cracked, forming the columns of Devils Postpile. The symmetrical vertical and hexagonal columns formed because this particular eruption provided ideal conditions: the lava cooled slowly and its mineral composition was consistent. Then it was a glacial event. Some 20,000 to 12,000 years ago a glacier flowed down the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River and overrode the fractured mass of lava. The moving ice carved away one side of the postpile, exposing a sheer wall of columns 60 feet high. Erosion and earthquakes later felled many columns that now lie fragmented on the talus slope below the postpile. (This information was from the National Park Service brochure.)
We had to hike about 1/2 mile to Devils Postpile. This is
one of the first views we had of it.
Devils Postpile
The trail on top of the postpile
The column tops were polished by past glaciers.
One of the columns that was broken off and fell along the path
More pieces that have broken off
We also stopped at the Mammoth Earthquake Fault but after reading more about it, it is really a fissure and not a fault. Because the rocks on both sides have not moved much vertically or laterally relative to one another, it is not really a "fault". It was about 60-feet deep and 10-feet wide. Whatever you want to call it, it was still neat to see!
Conrad checking out the big hole!
Mammoth Fault/Fissure
We headed back in to town to get some gas and then headed back out to see another area of the fault/fissure. From there, we took a dirt road towards the Inyo Craters. Once we got to the parking area, it was still another 1/2 mile hike or so to the craters. I made it about half way and decided to sit on a log and wait for Conrad. There was a steep hill and I was already having some problems with the altitude. The pictures didn't turn out real well because the sun wasn't working in our favor. But, you get the idea anyway!
The edge of the crater
The lake in the crater
After all this, we decided to call it a day. We headed back to the hotel after stopping to pick up something "to go" so we didn't have to leave the room. We're still trying to catch up on some sleep and get used to the 2-hour time change.
No comments:
Post a Comment