This morning we got away early and originally had planned to head back to Mono Lake and to a ghost town at Bodie State Park. However, the guy at the B&B had recommended that we take the road around the June Lake area. So far, his recommendations had been spot on so we took his advice. We've seen ghost towns before and this one was 45 miles out of the way. He was right - it was a beautiful drive.
June Lake
Horsetail Falls near June Lake
Silver Lake was especially beautiful and the
water was so clear
I don't think we've ever seen an Aspen Tree that
didn't have something carved on it! These are
Quaking Aspens.
The last lake was Grant Lake. When we first saw the creek that formed Grant Lake, it was pretty much dry. But, it was a huge lake and kept getting more water the further we went. The sun wasn't on our side for pictures, but we did get a few pictures.
This is the beginning of Grant Lake
This was toward the end of Grant Lake
Just after Grant Lake, we got back on the main highway and headed on north to Lee Vining where we were going to stop at Mono Lake Visitor Center. They had a real interesting museum there and told the story of the tufa we had seen a couple days ago. We also drove to the other side of Mono Lake.
Mono Lake from the north side.
There was a road on this side that took us to a small county park and also a cemetery. Most of the land on the north side of this road was owned by the city of Los Angeles! It's more than 300 miles from here. There was an aqueduct near here where they get their water. They used to get water from here but until the water level is A LOT higher, they can't use water from here.
One of the more interesting things we saw today was a motorcycle pulling a small camper with a bicycle strapped to the top of the camper! Never saw that before!
We needed to get back over the mountain since we have some stops scheduled. First though, the guy at the B&B suggested lunch at the Mobile gas station, the Whoa Nellie Deli. It was also recommended in one of the tour books we had. I ordered the fish tacos that were delicious and Conrad had the chili cheeseburger and said it was really good, too. This place even sold beer and mixed drinks at the deli!
Whoa Nellie Deli
After lunch, we were back on the road again. Notice in the picture that you can see leftover snow in the mountains from the week before.
Snow in the mountains
One of the first stops along this highway was at Ellery Lake. This waterfall is the Lee Vining Canyon Waterfall and originates in Ellery Lake. This is an avalanche-prone area that links the Tioga Pass Entrance of Yosemite to the Mono Lake Basin.
Lee Vining Canyon Waterfall
Ellery Lake
Here we go, back in to Yosemite National Park. It's another beautiful, clear day and a little warmer than when we went through here a couple days ago.
Entrance to Yosemite
Once in the park, the first main stop was at Lembert Dome. Lembert Dome is nearly 900 feet tall. We saw lots of people getting ready to climb this.
Lembert Dome
The next main stop (we pulled over at almost every pull-out) was at Olmstead Point. We spent some time here two days ago when we crossed over. This was a beautiful spot and what a view! In the picture below, you can barely see Tenaya Lake to the right of the road, just over the trees.
Tenaya Lake from Olmstead Point
Olmstead Point's mountains exhibit a landscape of mostly barren rock. Trees, shrubs, and other plants grow in cracks in the rock, as well as in locations where sand and gravel settle.
There is a great view into Tenaya Canyon.
Olmstead Point
View of Half Dome from Olmstead Point
Half Dome is a granite dome that rises more than 4,737 feet above the valley floor. The final 400 ft assent is steeply up the rock between two steel cables used as handholds It is an 8.2 mile hike and as many as 400 permits are issued on weekends for a day hike to the top. (Several were evacuated from the top about a month ago or so when the big forest fire was in the area, going strong.) During the next few days, I think we saw all sides of Half Dome from different areas.
Olmstead Point
By this time it was late afternoon and we still had to drive to Mariposa so we just kept on going. We wanted to get out of the mountains before dark. We got to the hotel about 6:00. We stayed at the Miner's Inn and it was a nice place and we had a huge room! Seems the rooms keep getting bigger!! Time to get some rest before we see all the big attractions of Yosemite tomorrow!
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