Mono Lake in Mono County California and the Tufas it’s home to, play host to nearly 2,000,000 migrating water birds every year that feed on the lakes only living inhabitants, Brine Shrimp. While most birds just stop for a rest, some birds like the California Gull and the Snowy Plover nest at the protected secluded lake.
Of the over 100 structures still standing in Bodie, a couple are used as housing for the park’s Rangers that live there full-time during the open season. This house was originally occupied by a gentleman by the name of Seiler, who also owned a saloon on the corner of Union and Main streets here in Bodie. The contrast of the brown sun baked wood and the blue California sky is awesome.
At an elevation of 9,638 ft, Tioga Lake is flanked by California’s highest paved road State Route 120. Mount Dana sits in the background reaching a height of 13,061 ft. and is the second highest mountain in Yosemite behind Mount Lyell. Though we did stop along this road, this particular shot was actually taken while driving.
This is a shot of the boardwalk leading to Mono Lake. If standing in the spot where this shot was taken in 1941 you would have been waist deep in water. The lake has dropped more than 45 vertical feet since 1941 when the city of Los Angeles began diverting water from the streams that feed the lake.
The road into Bodie, CA. from the south is a 30 minute drive off the main road on dirtthrough hills and valleys. Along the way we encountered these cows just hanging out on the side of the dirt road. The Skeletor looking cow on the left caught my attention. Soon after this was snapped they all ran, more like trotted, off up the hill and joined the rest of the herd.
11th Hour
No idea what kind of flower this is, it was in the yard of a house I was working on back when I did roofing. The sun was shining bright on it and the colors really stood out against the browns and dark greens of the leaves. I named it 11th Hour because as you can see it’s starting to decay and was gone soon after this picture.
I like the eerie feel to this shot. The chandelier hangs in the Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, CA. The Mission was built in 1823 by the Mexican Authorities as a barrier to Russia’s attempt to control the federal territory of Alta California.
This guy is from the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The Rainforests of the World Exhibit is a 4 story rainforest filled with free flying butterflies and birds, frogs, bugs, reptiles, dozens of different fish species in the underwater tunnel part of the exhibit and much more. It’s a must see in SF.
The Dog Tags in this shot are part of the Dog Tag Garden Memorial located at the garden of the Old North Church in Boston. It’s made up of over 500 dog tags that were hung during Harborfest weekend by 200 volunteers which included Service Men and Women and their families.
An old jack-o-lantern inside the schoolhouse in Bodie, CA. There’s a story of a young girl whose family was moving from San Francisco to Bodie, she wrote in her diary “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.”
This might be one of the most deformed trees I’ve ever seen. It’s growing through cracks in a giant slab of granite. There’s one other tree on the whole slab and it’s standing straight as an arrow. This one, not so much. The picture was taken at the top of Tioga Pass which peaks at 9,943 ft. There was no doubt the air was much thinner, even bending down caused your heart to speed up.
This Gladiolus in my front yard was only in bloom for 2 days before the July heat & humidity wilted it away. The shot was taken early in the morning right after a short rain shower. I did brighten the photo a little to bring out the natural vibrancy of the Gladiolus
This tree immediately caught my eye when we were walking through the park at the Cliff House and Sutro Baths. It was extremely foggy, which is not a rare event in San Francisco and made for a great photo opportunity. It was the perfect time for lighting before all the light was gone for the night. I have no idea what kind of tree this is, if anyone knows I’d appreciate the knowledge.
This is a shot of Mono Lake and the Tufa formations it’s famous for. Tufas are a type of limestone and are formed by carbonate minerals in geothermal vents. Surrounded by desert created by the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background, the shallow, saline Mono Lake is an oasis for thousands of migrating birds who feast on the lakes only living creatures, brine shrimp.
This is the Northwest face of Clouds Rest which is 5,000 feet of solid Granite rising up from Tenaya Creek. This shot was taken from Tioga Pass Road which was only opened for the season days before we went and is miles away from Clouds Rest.
