Roadtrip II

After coming home from Roadtrip I & going straight to my foot doctor appointment, I got clearance to wear a shoe for the first time in 4 weeks with my Mt. Whitney hike one week away. After 3 days of hiking & biking, I decided 22 miles & 6000 ft elevation gain wasn't working for a still broken toes. But I packed up my truck anyway & hit the road by myself for a roadtrip of fishing, hiking, camping, mt biking, eating & drinking.

Monday, July 16th: A long drive up hiway 395 stopping by Lone Pine which leads to Whitney Portal, the starting point for the 14,500ft peak of Mt Whitney, the highest point in the contentential US. Just past Lone Pine is Manzanar, where they have a museum to the 10k Japanese-Americans that were interned there during WWII was my first stop. An extremely moving museum & movie, as my father was interned as a young boy in a similar camp in Colorado. All Japanese-Americans on the West Coast had less than 24 hours to sell everything they owned and move from their houses to relocate to these camps giving up everything they owned. Something definitely worth seeing.

Continued on 395 thru Independance, Bishop and finally to Mammoth. Sent up camp on Lake Mary & had a great dinner with my boss, his wife, sister-in law, and another coworker (two of which were climbing Whitney later that week and acclimating to higher elevation) at The Restaurant at Convict Lake. The prime rib of Elk and asparagus-mushroom soup were certainly not your typical camping food, but easily the most expensive restaurant in the area and worth a stop.

Tuesday, July 17th: Sleeping on the ground (despite 2 rest pads) never is easy to get used to. So after waking up early, I confidently tried my luck fishing on the lake that I camped, then another (Lake Mamie) with not even a bite for 3 hours. Then it was off to Devils Postpile Nat'l Monument, where a shuttle bus takes you down from Mammoth Mountain Ski resort. A pretty amazing site of symmetrical vertical and hexagonal columns formed by a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago.

We then hiked to Rainbow Falls and out to Red's Meadow.


Then it was more fishing (with no luck), some thunderstorms, then finding my tent filled with water that had leaked in which I had to clean up with dirty socks. Good times. Luckily, I was close to a resort town, Mammoth Village, only 4 miles away which meant improving my spirits & odds of sleeping in a wet tent by eating & drinking at Mammoth Brewing Company.

Wednesday, July 18th: More fishing early morning with no luck, then a high altitude mt bike ride, and more fishing and a hike to some remote lakes (TJ & Barrett). I moved to another great campsite right by Lake George with amazing views. I then caught my only fish which ended up getting away right as I brought it to the shore and some little girl was standing next to me shouting to her mother "IT GOT AWAY".
Luckily for not counting on fresh trout, I was invited to a great steak dinner at my boss's 40ft RV.


Thursday, July 19th: One of my most exciting moments came as I once again was fishing and came face to face with a black bear that was cruisin around the lake. Luckily, I didn't have food or catch any fish, so he just sniffed my tackle bag & moved on. I'm pretty sure I could have taken him. Another great hike to a remote lake (Lake Crystal) then off to a remote mtn bike ride above June lake where I repeatedly got lost and worried I wouldn't ever get back to my truck. I then drove the beautiful June Lake loop back to 395 and up to Mono Lake.


An incredible day was capped off by a great meal at one of the most unique restaurants you'll ever eat at, a gourmet restaurant in a gas station, the Whoa Nelly Deli. I had read alot od press & reviews of this place and all lived up to the hype. Despite actually being in a mini mart of a gas station, the food, outdoor patio and view of Mono Lake were all incredible. I had the lobster taquitos which was a hard choice over the Jambalaya, Elk, tenderloin, Tomba, buffalo meatloaf, fish tacos. After meeting a few families from the area, a fly fishing guide and a few Mammoth Pale Ales, I could actually see myself living up here.


Friday, July 20th: After more luckless fishing, I packed up my camp and hit the road again stopping at the Whoa Nelly Deli in Lee Vining at the 395 and Tioga's Pass for an incredible mushroom, onion, ham, bell pepper, sausage, tomato, bacon, cheese and smoked trout omlette with toast & blackberry marmalade & potatoes overlooking the lake. This is a must stop if you're ever in this area as its by far the best food you'll not only have in a gas station, but I venture to say outside of any major city. Then it was onto Hiway 120 on Tioga's Pass into the Eastern entrance of Yosemite. The eastern area of Tuolomme Meadows is much more remote than Yosemite Village and offers some incredible sites. I drove all the way thru the park into the Village and out the southern entrance by Wawona, which provide one of the most incredible drives you could ever see. The Village was packed, water flow low and so I opted for a few short hikes then out back down to Fresno after a quick stop at Bass Lake. If you havn't been before or just awhile, I highly recommend a trip back to Yosemite as its hard to imagine nature and the outdoors in any better environment or scenery.



Then another back to back (but drinking) weekend with the Barney family before heading back to LJ on Monday. But what would be a roadtrip with some winetasting? On my way down the 41 from Yosemite I saw a sign for the Madera Wine Trail. So after a quick web search and a quick 20 minute drive, I was at 4 local wineries tasting the speciality port & dessert wines and a wide range of reds with pleasant results exceeding all of my expectations. A nice way to spend a Fresno day.

A truly spectacular trip combining the best of the outdoors, food, friends and a black bear that didn't eat me. Take advantage of the summer weather, endure the crowds and get out and enjoy the incredible outdoors. Mammoth & Yosemite are two spectacular spots that should be on every one's life lists.