When we visited Bodie, it was in the middle of the day; it was hot; there was no shade; we were thirsty. The high desert is a dry, and to many, a barren place. I wouldn’t say that – instead, I would say it is a spare land with a spare beauty. It isn’t lush and verdant, but it is aromatic and clean – the light is clean, the air is clean, and it shimmers and dances with subtleties. You just have to look.
We spent a day in Bodie, California, a silver-mining ghost town in the middle of the high desert in northern California off Hwy. 395. It’s a photographer’s paradise, a state park, and a place with a very interesting history. The dry air keeps it preserved – as preserved as it can be – and the drive out is lonely.
So here we are, on top of Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierras. Altitude is about 11,000 feet. And no, we did not climb that high – we are lowland dwellers at 800 feet, and not at all climatized to such height! – we took the gondola. Getting short of breath was a really great excuse to look around and take in the scenery, from beautiful flowers and colorful rocks, to marveling at the mountain ranges beyond mountain ranges beyond mountain ranges. You can see them on the horizon! Whew!
This is a telescopic shot from the shore of Parker Lake in the Eastern Sierra. Taken in mid-August, the ice and snow is still visible from the winter before. We were up around 9000 feet (guestimate), but the snow field and waterfall are certainly far higher than that.
We hiked from the high desert with its low-growing plants into the alpine environment of the eastern Sierra Nevadas in California. Scrub gave way to aspens and pine, and soon we came upon the goal of this hike: a pristine, crystalline lake. If you look closely to the mountain in the “V” you will see the mountain stream and waterfalls which feed into Parker Lake. A two-mile hike at a high altitude (9000 ft?) was worth it all! Click to enlarge!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 