Where in the World?

Sunrise Tufa Towers at Mono Lake

One hour before sunrise I arrived at the Mono Lake Tufa Tower State Reserve. It was just me, some birds I could not see yet and a shadowy alien landscape that stretched for miles. Frankly it was a little spooky out here for a few minutes until I got adjusted.

Mono Lake is estimated to be over 700,000 years, is 80 times more alkaline and 2 1/2 times more salty than the ocean. This means that you will easily float if you got in the water. In fact sea gulls have a difficult time because they become very buoyant and lose their balance.

Originally the tufa towers, composed of calcium carbonate, formed beneath the water with the interaction of fresh water springs bubbling up into the alkaline water.

As the sun rose it bathed the tufa towers with a warm light while a pair of ospreys woke up and began to fly around the area. I had always wanted to photograph here at sunrise. Dreams can come true.

At the Top of Lembert Dome

I met my daughter and her boyfriend for breakfast. We drove back up the Tioga Pass Road to Tuolumne Meadows. Our goal was to hike to the top of Lembert Dome with an elevation of 9400 ft (2865 m). The trail to the top is 2.8 miles (4.5 km) long with a 900 ft. (270 m) elevation climb. Very tough for me as the air was thin and I wasn’t in the best cardiovascular shape, but with my daughter’s encouragement I made it all the way.

The first 2/3 of the trail is through a wonderful pine forest. My daughter and I saw a deer casually looking for tender greens to snack on. We watched in silence for a few minutes before continuing on.

The views were stunning as you could see 360 degrees. Storm clouds were forming in the distance and the wind became quite strong. We decided to head back down.

I had a little trouble on the way down as I went too far down the side of the dome and then had to haul myself and camera equipment back up to the trail. Doh! 

Overall, I highly recommend this hike.

View my photos for this day.

Michael