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This isn't so much of a hike as a little stroll. The parking lot was only
half full on a Tuesday morning. Still, I could distinctly hear foreign
languages being spoken, as this is a pretty popular place to see for
international visitors.
Mountains looming behind tufa formations
Mono Lake
The setting here is beautiful. The Sierras rise up to the west. The Mono
Craters rise up to the south. I won't go into the history of the lake,
which is probably well-documented elsewhere on the web. I was here mainly
to see the distinctive tufa formations, and I wasn't to be disappointed.
Mountains over Mono Lake
The main trail to the shore is paved. Small displays of tufa on the left
frame the Sierras beyond. When we reached the shore, we could see
alkali flies on the ground, tufa here and there, and birds fluttering
about. It's definitely not someplace you'd want to hop in for a swim,
but some people do just that over at nearby Navy Beach. The water is
three times as salty as the ocean!
Bird sitting on tufa
Tufa towers at Mono Lake
It's hard to really describe the tufa formations. I'll let my pictures
do the explaining. My only wish is that I can revisit this place at
sunrise or sunset, rather than 11am, which is when we arrived. The
lighting at sunrise or sunset would turn this place into a photographer's
delight. As it was, I shot several different scenes. I could easily spend
a couple hours here, but we were heading back home today so I tried to
restrain myself.
Tufa towers in Mono Lake
After following the shore for a bit, the trail turns inland through the
low brush and returns to the parking lot.
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