Eastern Sierras- Mammoth, Pine Creek Road, South Lake

---

Gonna make this one quick. I head south on 395 to Mammoth Lakes, where I do some laundry, get groceries at the local Vons, and do a walk-in at a gym called the Body Shop. Get some apple strudel a la mode at a local eatery. In this eatery the cook gives me some tips on good places to camp.

Following the tip I head further south and go down Pine Creek Rd that heads into the Sierras. Beautiful scenery as usual. I head past a gate that's partially open. The road turns into a treacherous single lane rocky path. This is much worse than an unkempt gravel road- the rocks are large and they look sharp. Partway up I stop and get out to walk up the road a bit to see if it improves around the switchback bend, when I see something like a golf cart speeding down hill towards me. I ask the driver if the road improves further up, and he tells me in no uncertain terms that its not a public road and that I have to leave. I explain to him the ambiguity of the sign below but he doesn't seem to want to listen. He's also apparently in a rush and wants me to pull aside so he can pass. He's trying to tell me to drive up the side of the road, which basically goes straight up and looks impossible. I make a tentative attempt, but it when it looks like I could potentially damage my truck in the process, I say "Fuck this" and start down the mountain in reverse, my head looking backwards out the window. I'm not going to risk my truck to save this rude prick five minutes.

So that was apparently a tungsten mine. I leave and head back out towards the valley. I hang out in Bishop for awhile, parking right in front of some motel where I can steal some wifi. Unfortunately, it's also right across the street from a trailer park. One of the residents of said trailer park comes by to chat with me and of course ask if I have some change or a cigarette. I give him what I have in my truck (75 cents) and a dip. He later gives me a box of matches in return. It's the thought that counts I guess.

I run into this guy again later on the street where I tell him I'm looking for a bakery. He of course then tries to get me to buy him a cup of coffee, and I agree to, figuring it'll get him off my back. I stop in a market, panhandler guy in tow, and he then requests a pack of cigarettes. One of the cashiers recognized him and threatens to call the cops if he doesn't leave. He bails, and I am freed of him. She explains that he often hassles tourists for handouts. I don't bother trying to explain the matchbox gift.

That night, I drive up to South Lake in the Sierras just outside of Bishop and park in a parking lot that's got to have the most dramatic surrounding scenery I've seen in a parking lot- a typical U-shaped valley lined with snow covered granite peaks. Unfortunately it's super cold and windy- wind chill probably in the single digits, and I struggle to prepare dinner there.

Guess I couldn't make this one quick...

---

Photos

The Vons grocery store in Mammoth Lakes
The Vons grocery store in Mammoth Lakes

Pine Creek Road
The view from Pine Creek Road, before I trespassed on a tungsten mine.

Tungsten mine rocky road
I wasn't supposed to be here...

South Lake parking lot view
Now what a nice place to park.

Me in Bishop, CA
Me in Bishop, CA