Damkier's Travels: Mono Lake & Eastern Sierras

Carson River near Genoa, NV

A fortunate series of events allowed me to finally take a major road trip to some of the more remote portions of California and Nevada. I was able to secure some comp rooms from two casinos in Lake Tahoe and Reno and a last minute cancellation in Yosemite National Park over the week of Memorial Day 2017. Having a base camp in South Lake Tahoe allowed me to visit the back side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range including Highway 395 in rural California.

Mono Lake

The historic amount of snow dumped on the California mountains has remained long into the warmer months creating some spectacular scenery on the eastern side of the Sierras. This land sits in a major rain shadow and is usually hot and dry except for melting snow charging rivers and lakes. One of these lakes is Mono Lake which has no outflow.

Brackish Water with Tufa Island

All the water flows into the lake, but it evaporates slowly over time turning the lake salty and brackish. This has created some raw and unique scenery including several mineral tufa towers that create a surreal backdrop especially surrounded by the mountains.

Abandoned Mining Equipment at Bodie State Park

But most people did not come here for the scenery. They came for gold and silver. The eastern slopes of the Sierra held less fortune than the western slopes, but that did not stop the rush in the high desert. Bodie State Park is a well preserved ghost town very far away from anything. You need to take a long dirt road to get to the park entrance and hike around near 8,000 ft in elevation with little shade and extreme conditions.

No Gas Today

Even so, the town once was the center of civilization with near constant activity mining and playing like there was no tomorrow. Until they ran out and left the town nearly overnight. Books, bottles, and wagons were abandoned - not worth the effort to haul away. Bodie now sits as an eerie reminder of the boom and bust history of the region.

Remember the stuff about historic snowfall? The Walker River follows Highway 395 between Topaz and Bridgeport, and as you can see in the video is very full. The whitewater is both dangerous and fascinating and makes for a great background noise when driving in the area. Even the landscape is changing as the water is causing major landslides and destroying parts of the road. Erosion in action!

Genoa Bar

Nestled up against the back side of Lake Tahoe on the Nevada side is the small town of Genoa. It is home to the oldest bar in Nevada with a rich and colorful history. As you would expect in Nevada it is open 24/7 with no open container restrictions. Of course there is a video poker machine inside, but most people ignore it since they are focused on all the historic decorations and having a cold drink with their friends. What a great way to finish the post! Enjoy the rest of my pictures below.