We hiked the perimeter of Convict Lake, ~ 3 miles with plenty of stops for photos and to rest in the shade. I couldn't convince my DH (damned dear husband) to go there for sunrise, so we settled on a morning walk with lunch in a shady glade near the marina.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convict_Lake
I'm quite sure the image is level since I always use the built-in level in the 7D; must be an optical illusion caused by the rippled water.
I rented the EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens for this trip and am quite pleased with the images that I captured. I like the flexibility of the range of focal lengths; might just have to buy this one...
Tags: 6281 6284 Vertorama Convict Lake CA California Eastern Sierra alpine Sherwin range Mount Morrison reflections alpen clear day blue sky geology 100+VIEWS
© All Rights Reserved
We hiked up to the Devil's Postpile to admire these most unusual geologic formations. The slope below the cliff of basalt "postpiles" is littered with the slabs that have fallen from the mountain. Some are so perfectly symmetrical and long that they look like they were designed by an architect !
Similar formations exist in Giant's Causeway in Ireland and probably elsewhere in the world, but these are the most well known.
www.nps.gov/depo/index.htm
The formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60 feet high and display an unusual symmetry.
I can't find the exact spot on the map because we were driven up the Minaret Summit Road in a bus then dropped off at the Devil's Postpile Ranger Station, then hiked for a while on the Pacific Crest Trail to reach the monument. We encountered several really fit looking young men with large backpacks who were hiking the PCT - they asked us for directions :)
We can now honestly say that we have hiked the PCT - at least a mile or so of it :)
Tags: 6038 Devil's Postpile Mammoth Lakes CA basalt rock outcroppings pillars hexagon hike Eastern Sierra conifer forest national monument columnar Pacific Crest Trail clear day blue sky Inyo County PCT geology formations stone tumbled fallen ice 100+VIEWS
© All Rights Reserved
on the road to Mono Lake. Taken with cell phone camera thru the windshield.... I really need to get that crack fixed...
Tags: 0149 HTC phone camera Mono Lake vanishing point road pole wires clouds high desert Cloudy day blue sky Eastern Sierra highway 395
© All Rights Reserved
We walked up the hill above the town of Bodie where there are 3 fenced graveyards. Some of the graves are being restored. The headstone on this one looks like it was recently cleaned or whitewashed. We saw many markers for children. Life in Bodie was no doubt harsh and dangerous. The winters are bitterly cold and Bodie was quite inaccessible year around. We can drive there on paved and graded roads now, but the trip to nearby Lee Vining or Bridgeport must have taken days over rough dirt roads in 1897.
Tags: Bodie State Historic Park Ghost Town cemetery arrested decay abandoned abandonment mining mine boom bust sad tombstone girl angel resting eternal rest evelyn myers 3 years old 5316 5317 5318
© All Rights Reserved
The sunset didn't look very promising at first - there were great clouds in the eastern sky, but only a few wispy clouds in the west. But I hung in there snapping many images and changing my comps while the clouds changed for nearly 90 minutes. Towards the end the colorful clouds filled the sky - it was a 360 degree sunset !
Tags: 5788 Sunset Eastern Sierra Mountains Mono Lake South Tufa saline salt alkali cloudy day 100+VIEWS
© All Rights Reserved