Blogs from Lee Vining, California, United States, North America - page 2

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North America » United States » California » Lee Vining August 23rd 2009

Day 3: I woke up very early this morning planning to see the sunrise over Mono Lake because everything I read said it was a "must see." I woke up to overcast skies and relatively cool weather and left the hotel room before 7 am. Ouch. I don't even get to work that early!! I should have slept in. Mono Lake has no outlet so through evaporation, the lake has become 2.5x more saline than the ocean and 1000 x more alkaline. They call this the "sister lake" to Salt Lake in Utah and I think this is even more saline.. These pictures are not so bright because of the clouds. The first one shows Buzzy in front of volcanic lslands that became visible as the lake decreased in volume. Fresh-water springs bubble up from below ... read more
Buzzy on a tufa
tufa and flies
Sand Dunes

North America » United States » California » Lee Vining June 29th 2009

June 29th 2009 Armpit of the world There really is no way to describe it. The drive from L.A. to Las Vegas along I-15 is long and rather tedious: mile after mile of unremarkable terrain occasionally broken by a small mining town. The highlight was a trip to the gas station and Denny’s in Barstow - a town my aunt described as the armpit of the world. We have discussed at length what people must do in these towns which revolve around people passing through and have come to the conclusion that they eat, sleep and have a lot of sex. There is simply nothing else to do. We didn’t stay for a long visit……. We’re in Vegas, baby! Alex has declined to comment on Vegas as she has been there before. But I think it’s ... read more
The Strip from our hotel room
The Strip at night
Alex and Jenny, come on down...

North America » United States » California » Lee Vining November 16th 2008

Mono Lake, Lee Vining, 20-10-2002. There are several campgrounds near the creek west of town but a friendly chap I met in a restaurant yesterday after arriving, offered me a free place in his garden right in the middle of town. Three big Harley Davidsons are my neighbors in this garden. I've to admit american politics for me, an european, might be agressive and sh*t but so far the locals in this massively big country have been really nice to me. I've enjoyed hospitaliy to the max so far! Lee Vining seems to be mostly a transit point, a city where people can gas up, eat and sleep and buy the necesary supplies, a place where all the big mobile homes that overtake me during my hard work on my bicycle during the day, have a ... read more
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North America » United States » California » Lee Vining November 14th 2008

Mono Lake, Lee Vining. 19-10-2002. I've my breakfast in Bishop, a city with covered sidewalks and probably the biggest city I've seen since entering Owen's valley. Hunting and fishing must be real popular around here if I can judge from the number of hunting and fishing stores in this place. I stop at a bicycle store to but some grease for my bike's chain and a small spray can containing WD-40 anti-rust. I'm actually quite surprised how well this cr*ppy old 100 dollar bicycle has been doing since setting out from Tijuana. Let's see how this old steel lady under my *ss is gonna do today. I've to get across Dead Man's Pass which is at 8036 feet altitute and right in the haert of Inyo National Forest. The pass is also the end of owen's ... read more
Grand Lake
Dead Man's Pass

North America » United States » California » Lee Vining September 4th 2008

Sept 4th Thursday-6th sat Drove from Vegas to Lee Vining which is on the edge of Yosemite. Hardly any traffic at all - very scenic drive. Lee Vining was small place very near lake Mono. Stayed in motel and left fairly early next morning - drove 76 miles through Yosemite- stopped to walk up to Dog Lake which was a short walk but very steep, at quite high altitude- about 8000 ft. We stayed in a tented cabin in Curry Village right in the middle of the park. We had to put anything scented into a bear box- each cabin has one.It was warmer than expected for the time of year at Yosemite but it became a lot cooler at night. There were a couple of restaurants and a grocery store- very busy with tourists. We ... read more

North America » United States » California » Lee Vining August 26th 2008

Hiking on the clock. We probed, we dug holes, we played with soil plugs, we took pH and temperature readings, we filled out reports, we crawled around on our hands and knees looking for botrychiums, and we cooked our nightly gruel by a small campfire. Eight days working in the Emigrant Wilderness went by quickly and smoothly. It was a beautiful hike in from Leavitt Lake. We started at at 9000 ft and climbed up to the Pacific Crest Trail at 11,000 ft, then made our way off trail down to Kennedy Lake at about 7,500 ft. Mike and I worked hard all week and were exhausted by the end of everyday. 3/4 of the time was spent surveying a giant 50 acre meadow, where we found lots of fens, but no sensitive plants. Like all ... read more
Group Photo(Pre Fen Survey)
Bull Thistle Shenanigans(Pre Fen Survey)
DSC00524

North America » United States » California » Lee Vining August 15th 2006

Tuesday was quite a day. While we had a lot of frustrating moments, we experienced some wonderful hikes and terrific moments. We had breakfast at Nicely's Restaurant, which has an awesome homemade oatmeal breakfast - perfect for getting a lot of energy. We needed it for our morning adventure, which went a little differently than planned. We drove to the Black Point area, on the northeastern edge of Mono Lake. Mono Lake is very flat here, and you can see out to the two islands. Apparently, California diverted a lot of water from this lake to San Francisco for years. It got to the point where the lake was drying up, and a sand bridge emerged from the lakebed to one of the small islands. This allowed coyotes to get to the island, which stopped birds ... read more
North Mono Lake
The long walk around Mono Lake
Saddlebag Lake




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