Eastern Sierra Road Trip 3/16/22

 

Continuing with the last post, by 10 am I already had plenty of activity (and pictures) in that Odisha saree. Although we had checked out of our room at 6 am our checkout time was 11 am. I went to the hotel reception and asked if I could use our room for a quick change of attire. The manager happily approved. Within 10 minutes we were on the road again, this time in the silk Bandhani in ruby red and black. I’ve showcased this fine piece of art in an earlier post during a visit to a Paso Robles winery.

Heading North on highway 395 we passed through  parts of the Owens Valley that had deposits of Obsidian on both sides of the freeway, glistening volcanic black rock that is the sharpest natural substance on earth, used since earliest recorded human history to make tools like spears. Also earlier we saw the large alkaline salt plains to the east of the freeway passing through Owens Valley. There is a lot of history to both these geographic features. The Osidian Trail is an interesting half hour documentary you can watch on YouTube.

About 15 miles north of Lone Pine we reached the small town of Independence. This town is the Seat of Inyo County. Established as a camp on July 4,1862, it has a post office built in 1866, a county courthouse built in early 1920s, the Eastern California Museum, and a native plants garden besides other interesting things. The courthouse is a lovely building in the classical revival style with a pretty garden in front of it. This time there were daffodils “tossing their heads in sprightly dance” in front of the courthouse.

Next we were in the vicinity of Big Pine. As I kept driving I asked my husband to consult Mr. Google about what to see in that area. The All Knowing Genius, second only to GOD,  came up with suggestion of a hike to Palisade glacier for which we lacked time, skills and gear. Fortunately the generous second suggestion from the Master was something we could do. Visit a radio observatory. 

For this we had to take a detour to Route 168. It led us into a single lane paved road surrounded by the snow covered mountains before ending into some unpaved gravel roads. At the far end were seen some satellite dishes spread out in the valley. A sign at the gate read” Authorized Vehicles beyond this point. No visitors allowed”. I parked the car outside the gates and walked in cautiously. There was no human being in sight but a few cars were parked outside the small buildings. I knocked on one door and gently peeped inside. A lone man was seated at his desk in the far corner working at a computer. He turned to see when I said hello. Mr Google had mentioned about tours for the public at the Observatory so I asked about that. The gentleman was very courteous. He told me that due to the pandemic they had closed the tours but gave me a number for a guy who could give me information about when the tours would resume. Thanking him I walked back to the car. 

The location was one of its kind. This place was run by university students and scientists from Caltech and other institutions to study what goes on in the universe, our solar system and much beyond. The huge satellite dishes periodically change their direction controlled from a center located in New Mexico. Situated deep inside into the Owens Valley and surrounded by the glaciers it was a unique experience that leaned on wonder and intrigue. We looked around the area for a little bit before tracing our way back to the freeway.

Driving along ,flanked by the Sierras on the west and White Mountains on the east, we approached the city of Bishop which is at the northern end of the Owens valley. It had remained windy outside all along starting from Lone Pine. The chill kept increasing as we kept going North. Bishop is a bigger town than the previous ones we had passed. We stopped by their Information Center (IC)and picked some brochures and got a few more tips about what to do. Found a nice Mexican fusion restaurant across from the IC. The entrees were yummy and the Margarita was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Of course I had to relieve myself of driver responsibilities after the Margarita. 

We followed the directions given by the sweet lady at the IC to go see the Railway Museum. However after a good 3-4 miles on route 6 we couldn’t see any signs of the museum. We turned back and continued north on route 395 instead. 

The road climbed up going through Sherwin  Summit sitting at an elevation of 6427 feet in the mountain pass. This is an absolutely gorgeous drive flanked by glaciers,snow covered slopes and evergreens. Further north there is the beautiful Crowley lake on the east of the freeway. A few miles past Crowley lake we made a left turn on the exit heading towards Convict Lake.

This beautiful lake with turquoise blue waters is nestled in a horseshoe shaped glacier. The lake itself it at an elevation of 7850 feet above sea level and one of the deepest lakes in the Sierras (140 feet). Mount Morrison is the tallest peak( 12,241 feet) overlooking this lake. The place is so named after an incident in 1871 when a group of convicts escaped from Carson City in the neighboring state of Nevada and found refuge near this lake. Word reached police and there was an encounter that ended with loss of life on both sides. Some convicts who escaped were later captured and lynched.

 Yesterday there was snow even on the grounds surrounding the lake. We spent some time soaking in the ironically peaceful beauty of the place. On our way out we stopped at the adjoining resort to use the restroom and pick up tea. The gift shop was stocked with fishing gear, food items, souvenirs and many other cute things. Trout fishing is a favorite activity in this lake.

What next ? We were less than 15 miles from Mammoth Lakes. Should we go up there, may be even farther? Or should we head down and see what we missed en route to here? May be the railway museum in Bishop or the sunrise at the Mobius Arch in Alabama Hills? The latter would mean waking up my husband again at the ungodly hour. I knew better to be testing my luck too far 😃 Although we had left home with a plan to return Thursday evening both of us had our hearts full by the time we were leaving Convict Lake area. It was 4 pm. With a brief stop at the same gas station in Lone Pine I made the drive back tracing the same route. This time a new color palette across the skies around time of dusk kept me wonder struck for the latter half of the drive. The orange and blue of the earlier day were replaced by pink, mauve, purple and grey. This occupied the attention for long time until the city of Bakersfield was visible descending down the Tehachapi hills, suddenly appearing as if a million stars had descended on to earth. A memorable day came to conclusion with a cozy dinner and comforts of own bed at home.