The Sierras At Last!

May 6, 2014

Greg's morning hike around Lunar Crater was a lot longer than he expected. Distances in the West are so deceiving. The crater was far bigger than we could tell when we stood on the edge by the rig. He had close encounters with a few lizards, and after circling the crater, he returned and we drove back out the wash boarded road to US 6. We'd love to boondock here again, but would need to be prepared to be totally out of communication and far from civilization.

Nevada got drier and more barren as we continued west. Finally we saw the high peaks of the White Mountains, containing the highest peak in Nevada, Boundary Peak, 13,140'. Right next to it over the California border is an even higher peak. As we entered California we had to stop at the agricultural inspection station. When the inspector learned we had driven from Maryland, she had to slide under the rig and look for evidence of gypsy moths. No hitchhikers were found so she let us enter the state.
With the snowy White Mountains to the east of us and the equally snow covered Sierra-Nevada range to the west, we traveled south, down the long valley to Bishop. Whoa! We stopped for fuel, lowered our windows and discovered that it was 90 degrees outside! After lots of cold, windy, and snowy weather, we were shocked. Well, welcome to California!

Heading west on US 6 through western Nevada

Sand dunes in a Nevada basin

Boundary Peak, the highest mountain in Nevada

The White Mountains along US 6 in California

At Bishop we finally reached US Route 395, our destination since we left Maryland. Time to explore the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. We found a small campground, Horton Creek, just north of Bishop. We were going to boondock, but for $5 a night, we got water, which meant, dumping the tanks, filling up the water tank and a few jugs, and showers in the rig. I got to use the torture tool Urgent Care gave me to remove Greg's scalp staples, and he finally got to wash his hair. The campsite was gorgeous. We were situated at the base of the Sierra Nevada and the John Muir Wilderness. The snow is still melting off the peaks. I never tire of the sight of snow covered mountains.

Spring Wildflowers at Horton Creek

Our campsite with a great view and fresh air - going by at about 50 mph!

We discovered a USGS geologic site a short distance north and east off of US 395, so the next day we drove off the highway and onto another wash-boarded gravel road to the Hot Creek Geological site. Hot Creek flows through a gorge and an area of geothermal activity, in other words, hot springs! A popular soaking spot, it is now off limits to swimming due to a very sudden rise in temperature and activity in 2006. Since 1968, 14 people have died here due to the unpredictability of the water temperature. The whole area is seriously fenced off, and there is copious signage warning visitors to stay on the walkways. Trout fishing is allowed upstream, but only catch and release.

These boiling springs were favorite soaking pools in the mid 1970's

Looking down the gorge. Geysers were boiling continuously in the center of the channel.

Steam from geysers and fumaroles with vegetation growing on the banks

Looking upstream

There were a few rocks to touch - travertine geothermal deposits in the ryolite ash flows.

Fly fishing for poached trout

Steaming geysers in the stream channel and on the banks.

 We parked and hiked down into the gorge. Greg was frustrated because he felt the area was overprotected. As a geologist, he was unable to look at things more closely, but still be safe. I guess it has to be protected from the public who want to endanger themselves. It is closed at night when most of the deaths occurred. Anyway, it was still a very interesting area, like a mini Yellowstone! We wanted to boondock there, but the signs made it very clear that to do so would risk a fine, so we drove back down the road a ways, past the restricted area. Just below the USGS gate, Greg found a road that dead ended on a bluff looking over Hot Creek and we decided to stay there. We had a “patio” amongst the rocks on the cliff, so we set up our chairs there and enjoyed the scenery, until I decided that I'd had enough of the high winds that have followed us since the Mid-West! Just before sunset, a flock of migrating white pelicans rose up from the creek below and set off for another spot for the night.

Our boondocking campsite about 1/2-mile downstream from the hot springs

Looking up Hot Creek gorge toward the geyser area

Our sunny patio on the top of the gorge

Another beautiful night under the stars, and the next morning we set out to explore the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes. After a quick visit to the Inyo National Forest office, to be sure we were boondocking in legal spots, we drove into town. Mammoth is sort of your typical pricey ski resort. The mountain itself is huge and has snow late in the year. We weren't interested in skiing, we were looking for the Mammoth Brewing Company. Our Lonely Planet guidebook gave us an address, but we never found it. We parked the rig, walked around The Village, and ate lunch at Toomey's. Greg got his Mammoth Brewery beer there. We had a conversation with the host/owner(?), and found out that a bad snow year at Mammoth Mountain is 355”, and they had only 200” this winter. We were surprised to find out that summer is the bigger season for the town. Mammoth Mountain becomes a huge mountain biking mecca, and there are lots of other outdoor activities as well.

Hawaiian-style Tuna steak sandwich - Not your local Sierra Nevada food...

Deciding that we had done Mammoth Lakes, we drove out of town on the Mammoth Scenic Loop. The roads up to the scenic area, forest service campgrounds, and the Devil's Post-Pile National Monument were still snowed closed, so we went looking for a free forest service campground nearby. After three attempts at finding open campgrounds back, you guessed it, more wash-boarded roads, we finally settled on Hartley Springs, a spacious, almost empty campground in the huge Jeffery Pines at 8,500'. The wind was still howling, and the pines sounded like the surf at the ocean. The Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels entertained us scampering from the base of one pine to the next.

Hartley Springs camp

 It was a cold night at that elevation and after checking the weather forecast we realized our sunny weather was ending for the next few days. We needed to get to a lower elevation to avoid getting snowed in up on the ridge. But, first we drove a short distance to the Obsidian Dome.

Greg's report – Obsidian Dome is a small volcano that is a recent offshoot of the huge Long Valley Caldera that covers 20 miles of the Owens River Valley and sent ash plumes more than a thousand miles. The dome consists of an almost circular eruption of very viscous lava that pushed out of the volcanic vent and immediately solidified. The lava froze into a rough-surfaced hill of obsidian and pumice, both forms of volcanic glass, about one mile in diameter and 500 feet thick. The top of the dome consisted of pumice that erupted as gassy and steam-rich lava, which solidified into amazingly light frothy glass. Around the perimeter and at other squeeze-ups where gas and steam were missing, the lava froze into perfect, shiny blobs and boulders of very heavy and hard, black glass. Obsidian Dome looks like it just erupted and on top we saw no plant life other that a few widely scattered pine seedlings. Geologists estimate that the dome erupted in 1350, only 664 years ago.

The clearly defined edge of Obsidian Dome

Boulders of beautiful obsidian glass

Climbing up to a big squeeze-up of glassy lava

House-sized outcrops of obsidian at a squeeze-up where lava froze before it could flow any further.

Obsidian with smeared out blebs of ryolite and bubbly pumice

Gas bubbles in obsidian at the squeeze-up

Kathleen had sense enough not to climb 100 feet of sharp, broken volcanic glass

Smooth and shining surfaces on a bubble-free obsidian boulder

After putting on more layers, we faced the wind and explored. Greg climbed halfway up while I stayed at the bottom trying not to get blown over! Then we discovered a trail that would take us up a path to the top and we explored a bit in the volcanic rubble. We could see snow blowing over from the next large ridge to the west and decided it was time to get farther down the mountain and back to US 395.

We found an easy trail up to the top or the dome

Lunar landscape of pumice and ryolite boulders

Only a few small Jeffrey Pines pioneered the dome

The Sierra Nevada with snow fast approaching

This boulder of pumice weighed about the same as wood

Driving north again on 395, we took a turn west onto the June Lake Loop road, and drove past several lakes, through the town of June Lake, and signed up for two nights at the Pine Cliff Resort. We walked to June Lake and along the shore a bit, until the wind brought the snow from over the peaks at the western end of the lake. It stung from the strong winds. It was time to go back and cocoon for the night. The snow started in earnest last night, and we were very happy not to be dry camping. Hooked up to electricity, we cranked up our little electric space heater and enjoyed dinner and a movie.

Grant Lake looked like it was way below normal elevation due the the drought

Looking into the Sierras from the June Lake Scenic Loop

June Lake near our campground

Looking across the lake at the town of June Lake and the snow squalls coming fast.

The snow squalls have been coming through today. It snows, it melts, it snows, it melts. The temperature is just above freezing, but for now the forecasted winds have stopped. Greg went to the showerhouse and had to chase a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel out the door. Guess he didn't like to be out in the snow either!

Our campsite during today's snow

Tomorrow we will drive further north to Mono Lake. More cool geology. Hoping to boondock near the lake, and hoping it warms up a bit after this storm system passes!