Trip to the Eastern Sierra, May 14 & 15 (7 pics)

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ifernau
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Trip to the Eastern Sierra, May 14 & 15 (7 pics)

Post by ifernau »

I left the Bay Area at 2:00AM on Sunday and got over SR 88 around 5:30AM. Lots of deer out on the road. Drove slowly. I never seen this many during my travels over the Sierras. Took some shots of the setting moon over the Monitor Pass. Temperatures were already in the high 50s. Stopped in Lee Vining at the Mobile Station for coffee. Once I was re-energized I drove into the Lee Vining Canyon, lots of rushing water, but no good photo ops. The McGee Creek Canyon has no signs of spring flowers yet. I got there around 8:00AM. Being back in the Sierras and surrounded by these majestic mountains is enough to leave me in awe and humble me.

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Stopped by Convict Lake and then pressed on to Rock Creek Lake around 10:00AM, lots of sunshine and it was very warm, took a few shots, but the light was pretty harsh.

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I had to harass “sierra_smitty” at Parchers, with all that snow shoveling. They were pretty much done and are ready to open. Smitty told me with the warm weather lately, the snow is melting like crazy. I spend a little time chatting and ended up checking into my motel room at 1:15PM, went and had breakfast and drove to Division Creek around 2:30PM to scope out photo locations for the Lupines. The thermometer inside the Explorer showed 97ºF. Division Creek was a total bust. Only a few Lupines bloomed and what I saw was dried up and most of the petals were on the ground. Big disappointment! I had the hardest time to get the Explorer going up that road to the part where it forks, so I could turn around. It seemed really sandy this time.

Went back to the motel and took a nap until 6:00PM and took of again to catch the sunset. Drove back to Rock Creek Lake for a few shots before the sunset.

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Wild Iris are blooming in Round Valley (along Lower Rock Creek Road), a lot more than last year. They are also along both sides of Brockmann Lane. Clouds had been gathering to the west and the air was really humid (like thunderstorm weather). I got a nice sunset along Round Valley with wild Iris in the frame.

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Got up at 4:00AM Monday morning for the sunrise and maybe the moon setting. I had scoped out an area with a view into the Sabrina Basin for the moonset, but when I got there it was completely cloudy and the moon was a wash. I turned around and drove back to Round Valley, got a decent sunrise shot.

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Back up the Bishop Creek Canyon for a photo op at Lake Sabrina. There is a lot of construction going on and only the natural lakes way in the back have water. By this time the high clouds were thick and slowly the overcast extended into the east. Time to go back home.
Inge
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Snow Nymph
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Post by Snow Nymph »

Beautiful photos, Inge! Were you able to drive to Rock Creek? Drooling over the pics!
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison


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Post by ifernau »

Snow Nymph wrote:Beautiful photos, Inge! Were you able to drive to Rock Creek? Drooling over the pics!
Thank you, I drove as far as the Pack station. Could not get down to the lake yet. Did not bring my snow shoes. It was getting warm up there and snow is melting fast. Some people seem to think that the lake will be ice free by Memorial Day. East Fork campground is open, actually all campgrounds are open EXCEPT Upper and Lower Pine Grove and Rock Creek Lake.
Inge
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Post by copeg »

Beautiful pictures Inge! That's one early start
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ifernau
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Post by ifernau »

trailblazer wrote:Beautiful pictures Inge! That's one early start
Thank you trailblazer! I always try to leave the SF Bay Area around 2:00AM, that gives me enough time to get over the mountain passes to catch a sunrise. No traffic, only have to watch for deer, coyotes, rabbits, etc.
Inge
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Post by Hikin Mike »

Great shots! Thanks for posting them! :D
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Post by sierra_smitty »

Great pics inga, and it was great to meet you. We certainly do have our hands full getting things ready for next weekend, I'd imagine the folks at Rock Creek are going through the same scramble. We went up to South Lake this afternoon and it was shocking how fast the ice is melting.....we'll be ice free by tomorrow night I think, I would imagine RCL will be as well by mid-week at the latest. I have wanted to break out my camera SOOOOO bad to take some pics but time isn't on my side but with any luck I'll have some pics of South Lake up by Monday night...hopefully ice-free!
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Post by SSSdave »

Fine job Inge considering what was available. I did a photography road trip there this time of May in 2004. Photography picking are rather slim. Much better by late June when there are quite a number of wildflowers blooming in the lower sagebrush moraine areas. A decade or so ago we did another May trip there during a big El Nino year and there were some large expanses of wildflowers along the US395 slope on the volcanic tuff landscapes between Pine Creek and Tom's Place. But that doesn't happen but on rare years. Also far to the south, below Owens Lake, there are often wildflowers from the Mojave Desert that have evolved to bloom up in the relative wetter Sierra foothills. Still there are some wildflowers blooming and all are down below at the foot of the Sierra in the sagebrush. In particular is desert peach, prunus andersonii,that has lots of small pink wildflowers. The following view is from near the Hilton Creek road.

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Buck Forester
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Post by Buck Forester »

Great images! It's nice to see up-to-the-minute images of the Sierra, especially when I wasn't there!
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Post by Windwalker »

Awesome Images!!!
I love the Eastern Sierra.
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