Pictured here is a sign I saw as I took my first bike ride of the trip. 3205 miles is a long way to ride, so I think next time I will fly. A little web research found this information about this very long highway. It took me about eight hours to drive to Bishop, so I was ready for some exercise. Besides, there wasn't much to do in this town. After my ride, I ate dinner at Whisky Creak, a restaurant within walking distance of my hotel. They had a selection Mammoth Brewing Company beers, of which I tried and enjoyed all four, especailly the Double Nut Brown.The next day I headed north to Mammoth Lakes. Since this drive was so short, I took the long way there. I headed up Highway 6 to a town called Benton. From there I took a turn to the west where I saw a sign saying "No services next 47 miles". I looked at my gas gauge at it was close to empty! So a quick U-turn I made and filled my tank up with gas at $2.79/gal.
The drive across the mountains was very scenic. There was no one else on this road. I rolled down my widows so I could smell the clean, crisp mountain air. It didn't take long for me to reach the 395 and then Mammoth, where I arrived before hotel check-in time. My first destination was the Inyo Craters. I had been here once before during the winter, where my friend and I hike through the deep snow to get there. This time I was able to drive to the trailhead and take a short hike. I extended my hike as much as I could, walking around these interesting holes in the ground. From there I ended up driving to some lakes above Mammoth.
Pictured here is Lake Mary (I think). I took a short hike and snapped a few photos. I would have like to taken a longer hike, but since I was by myself and didn't have any maps and not enough food, I didn't walk far. I drove back down to Twin Lakes where I hiked by some campsites to the base of a waterfall. This looks like a great place to camp, despite the threat of bears. By now I could check in to my hotel. I got there by early afternoon and after a short break I hopped on my bike and went for a little ride. After about 45 minutes I was done. At 8000 ft., this was the highest elevation I had ever ridden. After another break, I ate a steak dinner a local restaurant and then turned in for the night.
The next morning I concluded my Mammoth stay with a trip to Devils Postpile. I took the shuttle as required and was lucky to have a bus drive that was very knowledgeable about the history of the national monument. She gave us a very interesting overview during the drive down into the valley. The hike from the ranger station to Devils Postpile was very short.
All of a sudden I was there! Because of the position of the sun, it was hard to find the best angle to take a good photo of this strange formation of rocks. After a short hike to the river below and then to the top of the Postpile, I headed on to Rainbow Falls. It always amazes me the number of people that are ill prepared for hiking. They have no water and are wearing sandals! I had two bottles of water and good hiking boots.The hike to Rainbow falls wasn't that difficult, but the sun was very intense, and the last 1/2 mile of the trail was an area devastated by a wildfire a few years ago, so there was no shade. Rainbow Falls was one of the best waterfalls I have ever seen. A steep hike to the base of the falls provided relief in the form of a heavy mist. A few photos and movies later, I began my trek back to the shuttle stop for the ride back to my car.
The drive to Lake Tahoe went by quickly.
I arrived at the house by 5 PM, before most of the others, who had driven up to participate in a softball tournament. I come just to watch, since I don't play softball. The weekend tournament started off with a loss, but after three wins, the team made to Sunday. The morning game didn't go so well, and after a valiant effort by the players, they lost their second and final game - time to party! After all, we are at Lake Tahoe. 
The rest of the week we did the usual: bike ride, hike and boat ride on the lake. The hike this year was a repeat of years before, but with more people. There was about 16 of us on the hike, kids and adults (I'm not sure which one I am). It was the children leading the group, anxious to reach our destination: Eagle Lake. Once there, we relaxed. The kids took off their shoes and waded in the water.
I walked around taking photos. Our bike ride was fun as usual, but with two flat tires and one wipe-out. The boat ride on the lake was enjoyable. I opted not to ride the inner-tube for fear of dislocating my shoulder like last years disaster. I did however swim to the island in Emerald Bay and jump off a rock with the kids. It was funny. After swimming back to the boat, the rock looked much smaller and shorter than it did when I was standing on the top about to jump in the cold waters.
After a few nights of beer drinking and poker games, I needed to drive home a day early so I could attend the Comic-Com (see posts below). The drive took eleven hours, and due to lack of sleep, I was lucky I didn't close my eyes and drive off the road! The desert was extremely hot, but my car's A/C saved me. Once again, another fun trip to Lake Tahoe.
1 comment:
Nice write-up! Now we know which Mammoth Brewing Company beer to try at Ocktoberfest this year.
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