(GPS: N37 58.645 W119 10.150)
One of the obvious scenic areas I drive by every year at least once, if not more, is Mono Lake just off the 395. It is a huge salt lake in the Eastern Sierra not too far from the Nevada border. I did some minor hikes near the lake, and to be honest, the more the sun comes out the worse I feel. It is a lake, but I feel like I am walking in a desert. This year I went up above the town of Lee Vining and took some pictures near an old mine. I did actually hike up there which is a story I do not really want to get into. One can drive up there, but the people in town do not recommend it mainly because they do not want the traffic on the road. They do not want the road damaged more than it is.
I do not believe pictures do justice to this area. It was very dramatic. The clouds were perfectly mirrored on the lake. The ledge of the area I shot this from was very epic and everything was so big. At one point a helicopter was flying below me over the lake. The one word I would really use to describe this scenic view is WOW! The following is a composite of two pictures. They are not perfect, but the best I could do to show you how the whole lake looks if you are there.
This next picture is looking south. I actually walked down this way when I left. There is a way up and down forming a loop. Yes, I did walk the road up and down. I would not recommend that unless you are really in shape. It took me a few hours to pull it off.
The following is looking northwest. Lee Vining Peak is to the left. You can see some of the old mining structures to the left and the right if you look closely. These are part of the Simpson Mine artifacts left up there. I will probably show some of the structures up close in my next entry.
