pmatusov
AK6PM
During the last eight years or so, every long trip began with a heated argument – which vehicle to take. The female half of our family was dead set against spending hours in the old beat-up Disco or even in the LWB Classic; the male half, with just as much resolve, refused to be seen in the swedish comfort of an XC70. This year we’ve finally came to an agreement – in the form of a 2010 Land Rover LR4 with 17 kmi on the clock.
Then the time came for a Christmas break… in Souther California the Winter is not a temporal, but rather a spatial term: while the coast is basking in mid-70s and sunshine, the mountains just might get cold and snowy. So off we went from San Diego to Mammoth Lakes, a town in Eastern Sierra Nevada.
Eastern Sierra Nevada
By that name we usually mean the Eastern slopes of Sierra Nevada Mountains and the valley between Sierra Nevada and White Mountains and Panamint Ranges. The “High” Sierra begins North of Highway 14 and includes Mount Whitney (the highest peak in continental U.S.), several National Parks and Forests, and gradually tapers off towards Northern California.
White Mountains on the other side of the valley are only barely lower than Sierra Nevada – the highest peak, called, well, the White Mountain, is only about 200 feet lower than Mt.Whitney – and it is in the direct line of sight from it. Unlike Mt.Whitney, one could drive almost up to the top of White Mountain.
The snowmelt runoff from Mammoth mountain and nearby peaks feeds the Owens River – the former primary water source of the city of Los Angeles. North of Deadman Summit on U.S.395, the valley is part of the Great Basin that includes Mono Lake; the waters from the Great Basin don’t reach any of the oceans.
Mammoth mountain – home to a popular year-round resort – is approximately at the same latitude as San Francisco, about seven hours’ drive from San Diego or San Francisco, and five – from Los Angeles.
This year, we took a brand new for us LR4 to the trip; loaded with six adults and a choke-full 18-cubic-foot Yakima box on the roof rack, it made it from San Diego to Mammoth Lakes in seven hours flat, including a stop near downtown Los Angeles.
Saw a nice old Plymouth in Mojave –
Between Big Pine and Bishop, the haze gave the sunset outline of Sierras a little mystic feeling:
Next morning at Mammoth Lakes our party split. The skiers hit the slopes, and I went to roam the valley. During most winters, the valley North of Bishop is buried under several feet of snow; this time, snow was all but inexistent, so many places I could never get to in Winter and never cared to get to in Summer became accessible.
Inyo Craters
The road leading to the trail to Inyo Craters is usually buried under deep snow in winter, and groomed as a snowmobile trail. This time it seemed to be in “mixed use” – with foot traffic, Nordic ski tracks, and snowmobile tracks present. All of those were crisscrossed by some deep ruts – indicating a possibility to drive to the trailhead. We took the road – and the Land Rover made it, drawing curious looks of people on skis.
From there – on foot, fairly steep uphill.
The edge of the crater shows up without much of a warning. If you fall – rather, slide – into it, you’d have to work quite a bit to get out.
There are several craters altogether, but we were too lazy to see more than two of them.
On our way back we had a bit of an argument with a snowmobile driver on the subject of rights of way; not that this issue is common (snowmobile vs. wheeled vehicle), but I have not been able to get a definitive answer from Forest Service people back in town. One mentioned that he had a huge 4x4 truck and wouldn’t dare drive there; when I told him that I just did, he suggested the appearance of the snowmobile trail as a guide (“if it’s groomed, don’t drive on it.”). Whatever, all I care for is not to be ticketed by an overzealous law enforcement lacking proper guidance.
In the afternoon, we decided to check the Hot Creek.
Then the time came for a Christmas break… in Souther California the Winter is not a temporal, but rather a spatial term: while the coast is basking in mid-70s and sunshine, the mountains just might get cold and snowy. So off we went from San Diego to Mammoth Lakes, a town in Eastern Sierra Nevada.
Eastern Sierra Nevada
By that name we usually mean the Eastern slopes of Sierra Nevada Mountains and the valley between Sierra Nevada and White Mountains and Panamint Ranges. The “High” Sierra begins North of Highway 14 and includes Mount Whitney (the highest peak in continental U.S.), several National Parks and Forests, and gradually tapers off towards Northern California.
White Mountains on the other side of the valley are only barely lower than Sierra Nevada – the highest peak, called, well, the White Mountain, is only about 200 feet lower than Mt.Whitney – and it is in the direct line of sight from it. Unlike Mt.Whitney, one could drive almost up to the top of White Mountain.
The snowmelt runoff from Mammoth mountain and nearby peaks feeds the Owens River – the former primary water source of the city of Los Angeles. North of Deadman Summit on U.S.395, the valley is part of the Great Basin that includes Mono Lake; the waters from the Great Basin don’t reach any of the oceans.
Mammoth mountain – home to a popular year-round resort – is approximately at the same latitude as San Francisco, about seven hours’ drive from San Diego or San Francisco, and five – from Los Angeles.
This year, we took a brand new for us LR4 to the trip; loaded with six adults and a choke-full 18-cubic-foot Yakima box on the roof rack, it made it from San Diego to Mammoth Lakes in seven hours flat, including a stop near downtown Los Angeles.
Saw a nice old Plymouth in Mojave –
Between Big Pine and Bishop, the haze gave the sunset outline of Sierras a little mystic feeling:
Next morning at Mammoth Lakes our party split. The skiers hit the slopes, and I went to roam the valley. During most winters, the valley North of Bishop is buried under several feet of snow; this time, snow was all but inexistent, so many places I could never get to in Winter and never cared to get to in Summer became accessible.
Inyo Craters
The road leading to the trail to Inyo Craters is usually buried under deep snow in winter, and groomed as a snowmobile trail. This time it seemed to be in “mixed use” – with foot traffic, Nordic ski tracks, and snowmobile tracks present. All of those were crisscrossed by some deep ruts – indicating a possibility to drive to the trailhead. We took the road – and the Land Rover made it, drawing curious looks of people on skis.
From there – on foot, fairly steep uphill.
The edge of the crater shows up without much of a warning. If you fall – rather, slide – into it, you’d have to work quite a bit to get out.
There are several craters altogether, but we were too lazy to see more than two of them.
On our way back we had a bit of an argument with a snowmobile driver on the subject of rights of way; not that this issue is common (snowmobile vs. wheeled vehicle), but I have not been able to get a definitive answer from Forest Service people back in town. One mentioned that he had a huge 4x4 truck and wouldn’t dare drive there; when I told him that I just did, he suggested the appearance of the snowmobile trail as a guide (“if it’s groomed, don’t drive on it.”). Whatever, all I care for is not to be ticketed by an overzealous law enforcement lacking proper guidance.
In the afternoon, we decided to check the Hot Creek.