Friday, November 30, 2001  

Hello from Lone Pine, California!

Start time: 0745

Start odometer: 26916

Weather: Partly sunny, temperature 44 degrees F.

 

I am back on my favorite highway in California, Route 395!  Tonight I find myself in Lone Pine again, a town I have visited several times before.  West of Lone Pine are the Alabama Hills, an area of interesting rock formations and high prairie lands that have been used as locations for at least 269 movies and television productions!  See the list at the Internet Movie Data Base.

 

Highlights:

Click on picture for larger image, hit back button to return to this page.

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Main Street, Sutter Creek, California.

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A shop in Sutter Creek.  Note the covered sidewalk, which continued along the street.

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Historical marker about a winery started in 1856.

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Sobon Estates, currently residing on the grounds of the D'Agostini Winery.

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The grounds of Sobon.

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Route 50, closed to tire chained vehicles only the previous night, was opened for all vehicles this morning.

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Another view of Route 50.

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The recent snow created beautiful images along the road.

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From an overlook to the south, Lake Tahoe is visible in the distance.

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Me, in the way of the beautiful view of Lake Tahoe!

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Below, a close up of the monument.

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Along Route 88, this plaque indicates how this area played an important part of the Pony Express.

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Signs help me decide which roads to take (or not to take!)

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Heading east towards Route 395, my favorite road in California.

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Once on Route 395, I headed south, returning to California

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Entering Mono County, a great place to visit.

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Another sign to direct me!

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Walker River.

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The Bridgeport Inn, Bridgeport, California.

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The Mono County Courthouse.

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A plaque located on the front of the courthouse.

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Beautiful snow covered mountains along Route 395.

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Just over Conway Summit, this spectacular view appears.  Words cannot describe, nor pictures can show, how beautiful Mono Lake looked with the mountains freshly covered with snow!

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Another look at the view, slightly north, with Boundary Peak (the highest point in Nevada at 13,140 feet) to the left, and White Mountain, at 14,246 feet, near the center.

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The view with a wide angle lens.  Mono lake is twice the size of San Francisco.

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My car overlooking Mono Lake.

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Down the hill and beside the lake, the tufas are visible to the right.

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A view of Mono Lake from the Visitor Center.

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Sage, at a different angle.

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The location of the Mono Lake web cam!

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Looking north from the visitor center.

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The Visitor Center.

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The Mono Lake Committee building in Lee Vining, California, just south of the lake.  I have circled the location of their web cam.

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Lee Vining, looking north along Route 395.

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I hiked a trail that takes one through a tufa field along the south shore of the lake.

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As the sun was getting low in the sky, I took these two pictures showing the reflection on the tufas (and background.)

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A large collection of tufas.

 

Tomorrow I head into Death Valley, and if it remains dry (we are expecting rain) I will walk a few miles on the salt flats of Badwater, the lowest point in North America!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Routes traveled today: Ca49 - Shenandoah Road 55 - County Road 16 - US 50 - Ca 89 - Ca 88 - Kimmerling Road - US 395

Lodging: Best Western Frontier Motel 120100.jpg (26261 bytes) - 120100a.jpg (34647 bytes) (The breakfast room of the motel, with autographed pictures and posters of the movies and actors that performed in Lone Pine.)

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Page created by: igorn@igorn.com

 

Copyright © 2001 Igor N. Nikishin

All Rights Reserved

Pictures may be used with permission.