Harmony had 3 days scheduled off, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get out of town…
We decided on exploring down the Eastern Sierras and find somewhere close to Mono Lake to camp. I found information online on where some dispersed camping was available, so we had a basic idea where we were going.
After a stop at the Mono Lake Visitor Center, we sought out our first choice for camping. This was a free campground that provided picnic tables, fire pits and pit toilets. Unfortunately there was a gate across the entry so we were off scouting for a different location.
The map we aquired at the visitor center for dispersed camping showed another campground farther to the south and closer to Mammoth Lakes. When we arrived we found no gate blocking access and proceeded to pick a fine site next to a babbling creek to set up in the otherwise empty campground.
With camp set I wanted to scout out the Mono Lake South Tufa area for a sunrise shoot the next morning. We spent a couple of hours exploring the the weird Tufa formations and got some decent images with the dramatic and moody storm clouds that had moved in.
For those interested, Mono Lake is a saline soda lake, similar to the Great Salt Lake, with no outlet which causes high levels of salt to accumulate. The lake has a very productive and thriving brine shrimp ecosystem which attracts millions of migratory birds. The area also has a very interesting geological and volcanic history. The Tufa are limestone formations created under the water surface by high concentrations of calcite at natural spring orifices. As the lake has receded, the Tufa are now visible above the water level.
After scouting, with the hour getting late and darkness approaching, we headed back to camp to grill some burgers for dinner and rest up for a pre-dawn start to shoot the sunrise in the morning.
Upon arriving back at camp, we found a note placed under a rock at the door to the tent… It was from the Inyo National Forest Service. It stated that the campground was not currently open and could we please leave by the morning! UGH! That meant we would have to get up even earlier to break camp in time for the sunrise shoot!
The night was pleasant, quiet and cold with frost covering the tent when we arose at 4am the next morning. I brewed some coffee for the road, we broke camp and off to the Tufas in the dark we went.
Timing was perfect, arriving just as the first signs of light touched the sky… We made the short hike to the shoreline and I mounted the camera to the tripod and began some long exposures as the color of the approaching sun began. There were no clouds to speak of to make a dramatic sky, but it meant that the alpenglow would surely hit the high peaks to the west. I shot all the way through the sunrise until the best light had disappeared and came away with some fine images.
After sunrise it was time to find a new place to camp… We explored some dispersed camping areas off of the Pumice Mine road and found a nice site close to the Mono Craters (old volcano craters) and pitched our tent.
From here we drove off and explored the June Lake Loop and decided that we would have to return for a stay in the Silver Lake Resort cabins sometime. We then continued south to Mammoth Lakes in hopes of driving to the Minarets Vista but the road was still closed due to snow.
After lunch in Mammoth, we explored the Hot Creek Geological Site and then made our way back to camp for the evening.
It was a nice three day trip and our first time camping, since moving to Reno, in our new outdoor playground of the Eastern Sierras. We will undoubtedly be back many times for further exploration and adventures…
