On this day I had plans to drive over Tioga Pass to Yosemite Valley and back, because there were reports of peak color in the high country. However, I learned that the Tioga Pass road was closed due to a National Weather Service advisory that high winds would be arriving shortly. Naturally, a backup plan was quickly put into place, starting with a return visit to Convict Lake. When I was there a couple weeks earlier, trees were just starting to turn, so I figured it might be more colorful now, and this proved to be the case.
Next I wanted to drive into Mammoth Lakes, a town I had bypassed on my trip north based on fall color reports. Like many towns in this region, Mammoth Lakes was started by a mining camp but has since become one of the most successful ski resorts in California. Surprisingly, the population is currently around 7200, having lost about 1000 residents since 2010. Still, the number of permanent and rental living units numbers many thousands and continues to grow. I don't know exactly how many lakes there are on or around Mammoth Mountain, but I can say there are quite a few.
My last stop that day was at Mono Lake, which was created by volcanic activity some 760,000 years ago. Since it has no outlet, the salt content accumulates and provides an ideal environment for brine shrimp, which in turn attracts large numbers of birds. The area is still an active volcano area, the most recent eruption being some 350 years ago. Originally fed by four creeks, diversion by the Los Angeles water system cut off that supply entirely, causing the lake level to drop precipitously. After years of court battles, LA was ordered to restore some water into the lake, but it remains much lower than in the past. Springs beneath the lake produce high levels of calcium that mixes with the carbonated lake water, causing the formation of limestone columns called tufa. The tufa can be seen now that the lake is much lower than before.
