• Miles 5.1

• Elevation Gain 250 Feet

• Highest Elevation on Trail 6,378 Ft / Lowest Elevation 3.450

• Total miles so far for the 54 for Dave pledge 20.2!

It has been a good snow season in the Sierra. That is a good thing but restricted my ability to retire mileage in my 54 for Dave quest. That said there are many very interesting places to explore in the Sierra that don't get snowed in. This post is about two of those.  Total opposites of each other; Mono Lake and Eureka Sand Dunes. While these are not hikes per say, I did rack up significant miles exploring them

Mono Lake - December 2015

Mono Lake located off of Highway 395 near Lee Vining.   Mono Lake is a large, shallow, alkaline lake. It is impressive enough from a distance but close up Mono has added interest in the form of unusual Tufa (calcium carbonate) pinnacles, deposited over thousands of years around underwater springs. The Tufas are now exposed because the lake level has fallen. These Tufas give the lake an eerie, unreal feel to it.

 Fun fact - You may recognize Mono Lake as it served for a backdrop for Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter film and another movie called Fair Wind to Java.

There are countless beautiful photographs of Mono Lake and its Tufas posted on the Web. Personally, I had never captured an image of Mono Lake Tufas that I was totally satisfied with. So on a quest, I got up early on a very cold December morning to explore the South Tufas. It was a brisk 17 degrees when I stepped out of the car. There was frost on the ground and snow patches scattered about from a recent snowstorm. The water was still, but not completely glass as it gets sometimes. As I hiked in and set up the “golden” hour was in full force!

The South Tufas are a very popular location for photographers and visitors. I was delighted that on this beautiful cold morning I had the place all to myself.

Mono Lake is absolutely beautiful and I am glad that in the early 1990's laws were passed to keep it from the same fate as the now dry Owens Lake.

Eureka Sand Dunes - April 2016

The journey to the Dunes started over five years ago.  We ventured up to see the Bristlecone Pine Trees. On the drive up to the groves there is a vista view point that provides an incredible view of the Sierra. I noticed toward the southeast a patch of bright yellow and wondered what that was.

Later when I was shooting photographs with some friends in Lone Pine I mentioned that yellow patch. They told me the yellow patch was actually the Eureka Sand Dunes in Death Valley. I asked if they were accessible?  They said yes and there were even remote campsites by the dunes. I put in on my list of things to explore. It was not till this year that I had a chance to explore them.  You see there is a limited time you want to visit the Dunes as in the summer they area can get up to 120 degrees!

I had some business in Mammoth on a Friday night. Our Condo was rented so I had no place to stay in town.  It was the perfect opportunity to drive down to the Dunes after the event. Camping out would allow me to photograph the Dunes in the early morning light.

The Dunes are located in a remote part of Death Valley some 50 miles in from Highway 395 east of Big Pine.  The roads are part paved and part dirt. Driving here for the first time, in the dark of night, was exciting. You could see brief glimpses of landscapes that you just knew were awesome.  It built an excitement about the drive home I would have the next day. It was also a bit unnerving because Death Valley road goes on for along way. If you miss your turn in the darkness it could be many miles before you realized it.

Turns out the turnoff is well marked. The unpaved road was pretty good but there were several miles of bumpy washboards. Reaching the Dunes I pulled into one of the marked campgrounds and stepped out of the car. I was treated to a show that I was not expecting. I explore the Sierra a lot. I have been in some remote areas at night where the stars are awesome. I was not prepared for the stars in Death Valley. It has to be one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever witnessed. So, me being me, I opened a bottle of wine and set up my tripod to try and capture them. The image below does not even come close to what it looked like in person.

After I got over my reaction to the stars I was given a second treat. The Sand Dunes were literally in front of me. It was pitch dark but you could see their faint outlines against the stars and the dunes were huge!

I got going early because I was not sure how quickly this big boy could navigate up the steep ridges. Running on the beach is good workout. Hiking up a steep incline that is made of sand was a total unknown.

Around 4:30 AM the moon rose. It was a beautiful quarter moon that put a soft light on the dunes. Went back to sleep till 6:00 AM then started walking to the dunes. As you can see in the images below they were stunning.

I was glad I got up on the Dunes early as the soft pre-dawn light was beautiful. I picked a position on a ridge, about 250 feet up It was were I wanted to be in when the sun hit the dunes.  I was not disappointed.

I thought I was the only one on the dunes. Then I spotted a spec that was a hiker at the top of the dunes. My guess he had to have started at least an hour before me. Man the view he must have had! It was only later, processing images, that I found another photographer had been on the dunes. In the image below if you look just above the curved ridge there is another photographer with a tripod. He is just a speck but he is there. Above him on the ridge just to the right was the hiker on his way to the top. The fact that they are just specs give you a sense of just how big these dunes are. They are actually the highest in North America!

Going home my sense the night before about how beautiful the scenery on Death Valley road would be was dead on.

20.2 miles in the books - 29.8 more miles to go!  Here is to you Dave!

Thank You(s)

Thank You - Rick and Lori Jackson, Thank You - Mike and Monica Barnett, Thank You - Ed Nash, Thank You - Pam Eye, Thank You - Emily Aguto. Thank You - Rob Wynner, Thank You- Matt Garelik, Thank You - Jim Langlois, Thank You - Brad and Karen King, Thank You - Anita Sobel  -Thank You -Jeff and Brenda Bissett

We have already reached $795 of our $2,500 goal.  Awesome!  Feel free to share this blog link to anyone who would enjoy the images and stories. Maybe enough to donate