June Lake - Lee Vining and Bridgeport, California

June 20 - 22, 2022:

I start my day by back tracking a few miles south to see another E Clampus Vitus historical roadside sign, this one gives the legend of the Dead Man, which explains why there is a Dead Man Road and a Dead Man Creek in this area.  

I also stop at two other signs on my way to Lee Vining, the West Portal and the grave of the unknown prospector, see photos below.

I exit onto route 120 just before Lee Vining and travel by dirt road to the Panum Crater which is another volcanic event, which occurred very recently in geologic time, about 650 years ago.   It was a massive explosion producing large quantities of Obsidian. The native Americans used obsidian to make arrowheads and to use as a trade commodity.  The trail was beautiful with both mountain views and the vast Mono Lake in the valley below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panum_Crater 

Great views in all directions

Into the crater I go

Very distressed looking rock

Seems like I am level with that mountain snow

Nice wildflowers here as well

A solid obsidian bolder

I next ride down into the valley to Mono Lake where there is a nature trail leading to the lake shore for a closeup view of the amazing lake mineral formations.  This area remains an active volcanic field with the most recent eruption only 350 years ago.The main attraction is the almost artistic Tufa towers made up of limestone. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_Lake 

View of Mono Lake from Panun Crater

The lake was much higher before Los Angeles started draining water

Artistic Tufa towers

It's a fantasy view

All different

They are also underwater

I then enter the town of Lee Vining which is a very cute tourist town and also the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park via Tioga Road.  I stop at the visitors center in town for information about the need for a reservation into Yosemite and find that they have a similar arrangement as Devils Postpile National Monument.  If you arrive at the east gate prior to 6 AM you just drive in and can stay all day and go anywhere in the park.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Vining,_California

I had been checking for dispersed campsites and found one that seemed off Tioga Road which is off the way into Yosemite, so that’s my spot for the night.  I will try to get to sleep early as I should get out of the campground about 4 AM.  It’s going to be a very dark crazy drive, it is the highest elevation pass in California.  

The other worry is bears, this is bear country and every campground or parking lot has bear boxes with warnings to not leave any food or fragrant products in your vehicle, at any time, especially at night.  I carry quite a lot of food, kitchen stuff and toiletries in the van and it’s a pain to move it all to a bear box whenever I park the van.  So I put what I can into a bear box at night and half sleep with my bear spray nearby. 

I’m driving on Tioga Road at 5 AM and the road is curving up higher and higher, it’s pitch dark and I can’t see much on the sides of the road except road signs for falling rocks so I know it must be kind of scary.  I also don’t see anyone else driving which seems strange.  I later find that this road is the highest highway pass in California.  I get to the eastern gates for Yosemite which are open, I enter and start driving into the park.  I am seeing no one else driving but several vehicles are parked at each parking area.  I was expecting the Tuolumne Meadows Visitors Center to be a few miles away, but actually it was more like 25 miles and when I get there it’s not what I expected.  All I see is a small parking lot half full with cars, RV’s and camper vans.  I manage to get back to sleep for a while, then get up and walk around to find that the visitors center is closed, there is no food vendor here and there is major road construction going on for miles in the area.  You can’t just get on the road and drive east or west, you must wait for a guide vehicle to come and then follow them through the construction zone.  As a result I didn’t see much of the Tuolumne Valley, I spent most of my time outside of the construction zone.

I stop at the Olmsted Point view point which affords a good view of Half Dome far in the distance.  There is also a slick rock dome across from the parking lot that is fun and rather easy to walk up.

It was steep but not that slippery

Up and little higher

I had to see that incredible tree

Near the observation point, I get my big lens out for this view of Half Dome

Tanya Lake was next where I hiked partially around the lake, a most perfect lake !

Pothole Dome was another steep uphill scramble in mid afternoon that actually looks worse than it is.  It's a killer for those leg muscles !

Great vegetation growing from the cracks

At the top, great views of distant snow covered pointy peaks

I took many roadside pull offs with great views, to many to show here.

How could you not stop for this

This is one that I hoped to climb, but it was in the construction area

After leaving Yosemite, dual views on Toga Road

Tioga Pass road is an engineering marvel

Arriving back at Lee Vining, I stop at the Who Nellie Deli which looks like Mobil gas station but inside it is also a general store with many souvenir items and a great restaurant.  In fact the restaurant is run by a trained chef who has quite a reputation, I get a slice of pizza and a beer, it was very good. 

I then scout the downtown for an overnight spot, see another Camper Van in lot across from the Mono Basin Historical Society Museum and join him.  No worry about bears tonight and it's a reasonable temperature !

I treat myself to a very good breakfast in the morning, then see if the museum has opened, it hasn’t, but as I’m looking around outside a woman approaches to open the upside down house.  This is the main attraction here, it is a small cabin set on a foundation upside down and everything in the interior is also upside down.  Someone had a lot of fun building this.  As I am standing outside a bird flies into the upside down birdhouse on the exterior.

 

I then continue north on route 395 and as I approach Bridgeport, California I start navigating for the Travertine Hot Springs which is also a dispersed camping site.  It’s down a rough dirt road as usual, but worth the ride.  The parking lot is half full and there are several small hot springs located along various trails.  The hot springs don’t seem to be too hot and smell, Actually, I'm more interested in the rocks.  The rock walls and hills here, created by the mineral springs have, have very colorful layered rock.  

Bridgeport is the count seat of Mono County and is is a very nice small town with a tourist oriented main street.  There is an impressive Mono County Court House and the historic Bridgeport Inn. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeport,_California   

It rains during the night and into the morning hours, I haven’t seen that in a while.  As it is cloudy, I go to the excellant Mono County Museum. 

In early afternoon, the weather clears and I take a ride to nearby Twin Lakes.  It’s a beautiful drive through lush green ranch land with small creeks and rivulets  of water running everywhere.  The cattle look very healthy and happy.  There is an impressive looking mountain range in the distance that is still covered with considerable snow at the higher elevations.  The Twin Lakes are gorgeous as expected and the shores are lined with forest service developed campsites.    The sun is now out beautifully with huge billowing cumulous clouds and I am trying to frame those clouds in my photos.  It’s easy with the iPhone, all automatic, while it’s a struggle at times with my 35mm camera.

A failed camera experiment

In the morning I drive back to the Travertine Springs to take better photos in the morning light, then decide to get into my swim trunks and partake.  I find this incredible spring with a series of three pools which all varying temperature.  I hang out for a while, it feel so good, then a I am joined by two other people, a middle age man who seems to have lived everywhere and talks non stop and a middle age woman from Sedona, Arizona.  

 

Another day finds me heading to the Bodie State Historic Park, one of the most original and complete ghost towns in the west.  I spend about four hours there walking about, take the stamp mill tour.  It’s then back to Bridgeport for the night, needing rest and nourishment. 

 

That's all for Bridgeport; the next stop is Virginia City, California