Fall leaf color season

[SSSdave]

Looked at the NWS Reno and LV forecast discussions and then played with windy.com over the next week looking at large scale circulation, and then eastern Sierra wind, and cloud. Rather complex situation. Current weather is forecast to eject the current low with its rain today across SoCal and LV quickly. Thursday early looks like a lot of cloud and some rain. Then clears with a high building off the coast providing some weather around its periphery as inside slider weather from the Northwest. Sunday shows some am cloud.

For those interested in Bishop Creek areas above 9k, the peak is now so don't wait. For North Lake it is about the morning with front lighting from the eastern morning sun. The upper areas of the North Fork of Bishop Creek become quite cold like the other two BC canyons thus usually have significant cold sumping flows down canyon by sunrise that makes the surface of the lake very wavy and unaesthetic. All the vegetation around the stream will be icy. That was the situation on all my 4 days last week just likein past years so expecting that, I only worked the lake the last morning. If one climbs up just a bit higher on canyon walls than near the canyon bottom stream flows, one will find calmer air even at sunrise allowing near foreground elements that won't be blurred moving. There are a lot of stunted aspen for foregrounds above the NL campground however finding open views of peaks beyond requires topo/satellite work then exploring.

I'm just completing all my image processing today and then will take another day to code the html before such gets up on my site. I did get an excellent 15400 by 8600 5 column 2 row stitch panorama reflection of NL from 103 blended shots with a near full moon and nice high clouds. The lake surface usually does not become calm till mid morning when the sun on higher areas shuts down the sumping flows while an up canyon breeze from expanding air in the Owens briefly balances the two breezes. Even then a reflection is never a mirror because of the great many trout surface feeding, thus more painterly. Another reason to avoid NL shores too early is one will be in shade and the icy sump flow.

Also several high pixel panos with aspen and peaks from higher areas I'd already explored years ago. A good place to spend early morning is southward above the big parking lot along the dirt road at the southeast end of the lake people use to get to the outlet. One can climb up from there to the end of the ridge that has lots of yellow aspen in color with views right up the canyon. The parking lot trees themselves have some excellent red and orange stunted trees one can isolate for close-ups using skylight before sun reaches down.

NWS long range showing more weather moving into the Sierra about Wednesday October 10 so I am likely to be on a second road trip up north of Mono Lake about then.

[maverick]

NWS long range showing more weather moving into the Sierra about Wednesday October 10 so I am likely to be on a second road trip up north of Mono Lake about then.

Have a trusted source reporting Lundy is looking good, will drive over 108 to check it out on the way in tomorrow, if good, will spend the night, 120 corridor is supposed to be still looking pretty good, but that is not from a trusted source. McGee on the other hand is looking good, may drive down there Friday and spend the night, and the go up to NL for Sat, Sun, to work Bishop Creek areas, and then spend a night at Mono Lake to work with some tufa/Rabbitbush combos at sunset and sunrise.

[SSSdave]

Target elevations above 8.5k as lower areas still very green. Have never found much of interest off SR120 area along Lee Vining Creek. Lower aspen tend to turn really late and out of sync while lower creek is junky and not many trees above 8.5k. The small SR108 grove east of the pass at 9k had vibrant color. Lower down, my fav spot in Leavitt Creek gorge area was at peak with some excellent creek dogwood, black cottonwood, and other plants beside aspen, though it is difficult to work and requires diffuse cloud or skylight. Did get an excellent image there after sun dipped behind the crest. Good plan to work Mono Lake and rabbitbush as much is now at peak yellow though I did not have time. In order to get the aquamarine lake color, needs to be a sunny afternoon. Good luck.

[SSSdave]

Close-up of quaking aspen with leaves dangling like colorful Christmas tree ornaments, from last week on my North Fork of Bishop Creek Eastern Sierra road trip:

Completed processing images and html coding the noted feature on my web site with text and images per below link.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/2018_Trip_C ... 18-10.html

[overheadx2]

Thanks for the heads up Dave! I have seen some fall colors, but this past weekend in the bishop Basin was amazing.
Mav, I looked for you on sat afternoon at North Lake but assumed you were one of the masses running around taking photos.

fall camp.jpg

fall valley.jpg

fall van.jpg

Fall road.jpg

fall eye trees.jpg

What a difference a day makes. South lake after the snow storm sat night.

fall south snow.jpg

[SSSdave]

Fine image looking up into the Middle Fork Basin. Such a great experience that surprisingly few summer only visitors have yet to discover. Glad you got to experience snow in those areas that can be special. Imagine maverick will have some nice work too.

I'm packed up to hit the road tomorrow morning on a short road trip. Windy dot com is showing optimal conditions for the Mono County areas I'm targeting with a good couple days with clouds allowing and light breezes including another light dusting of snow above 8k Thursday. After that a large high builds off our coast likely to last at least a week so this next bout of inside sliders may be the last while leaves are still hanging on trees except along lowest stream elevations.

[maverick]

Mav, I looked for you on sat afternoon at North Lake but assumed you were one of the masses running around taking photos

Sorry that we did not get a chance to meet . Sunday morning, after the snowfall the night before, had me focusing on the area underneath Sabrina Lake, beautiful conditions, snow and Fall colors are a photographer's dream.

Conditons as of Tuesday post wind and storm events:
South Lake:
SFB: Lower sections, not far up up from Aspendell:

Aspendell:

Sabrina Lake:
MFB: Lower sections, not far up from Aspendell:

North Lake:
NFB:

Rock Creek Lake:
RC: Best area's around Iris Campground

McGee Creek: Best area was around pack station, still lots of green at lower elevation

June Lake Loop: Still a lot of green

Lundy Canyon: Starts off pretty good as you start up, mid section lots of leaves gone, lake area had alot of green or bare trees.

Hwy 108: Eastern side from pack station up towards pass:
Hwy108: Western side, pockets of color along creek.

Many area's have bare trees from the heavy windy, and there are a lot of trees with leaves turning black from the cold temps, some nights were close to 20F.

[SSSdave]

Returned last night 10/13 from my second trip to the Eastern Sierra this fall. 10/10 drove south on US395 as far as the June Lake Loop surveying how much change had occurred since returning 12 days earlier from my North Fork of Bishop Creek trip that was near peak at that time. Following days was in Mono County areas of East Fork of Walker River basin canyons.

There is much more variation between non-streamside upper elevations and non-stream lower elevation groves this fall that I suspect may be due to the odd summer with a wet May and July and very dry June and August with above normal average temperatures. Streamside trees always stay green longer unless cold temperatures cause changing yellow leaves to brown spot. And the latter has occurred in some places due to cold night sumping flows down canyon bottom stream courses. One symptom was creek dogwood are more advanced than nearby aspen thus difficult to get the two species together in color.

I was surprised to see how little many of the lower grove areas had changed about the lower elevations during the 12 days so had to change my expected focus to higher elevations. For instance the large Conway Summit grove at 8.1k was still very green with 5% of trees yellow while a few hundred feet higher aspen were at peak including the several areas way up above 9k on the Dunderberg road. However note many of the higher elevation dry groves were not as vibrant as during wet years so I didn't waste time thereabouts. Instead focused on hiking into wetter groves at 8k to 8.5k with considerable all summer seeps and streams where I found strong material.

On the drive home east on SR108 noticed most black oak below 6k are already quite yellow.