Mountains of Summer

Fall is rumored to be lurking on the edge of these 90+ degree days following the American tradition of laboring back to work and school in the shadow of the first Monday of September. I am still in the thrall of the Mountains of Summer and cooling my days with those memories as the hot winds blow. The other day hardly broke 70 and it rained in shear apostasy to the Santa Barbara tradition of no rain until November. But tomorrow the heat returns to our low pretender of a mountain and I, well I seek to recall the cool breezes of higher ground.
   This started when I noticed this evening my first photo of the June Lakes blog is an image of Falling Leaf Lake! You didn't notice? Well, it took me awhile, but we never saw June Lake through the trees like that. Brett Stearns and I hiked a high trail.

   Below is a photo of Jen and her cousin, Todd, down from Portland area with his family, sister Tanya and her family and their parents Bill and Carol. Somehow I missed most the most of the action with the camera, but this photo from the east end of Inspiration Point (SB) delivers the sense of fun and sharing we enjoyed for most of a week. I also missed the trip to the Mouse, when they all took in Disney Land. This opportunity for our families to be together needs to happen much more often!

  I don't know who the lady is, but she watched our every move on the street going up to the cafes and general store at June Lake. She needs a life.
   Mono lake has had a tough time over the years being guzzled by the metropolis to the south, but it's looking better than last we left it, a little bluer and a lot fuller.

All over the world Mark Twain was there before me, truly the Kilroy of an earlier era. While reporting from Virginia City, he ventured out to visit the tufa towers with the remarkable flies and shrimp of Mono Lake and for once he didn't have a better view than I. The lake was fuller and the towers were mostly still underwater and are now more exposed. They grow closer to flooding again and below another Sam expresses enthusiasm for how large the lake should grow and I agree.

  A view of the east escarpement from our stop in Lone Pine while we consider the hiking/climbing achievement of super mom (Jen) last summer.  This water valve gives tribute to water theft via the construction of water aqua ducts beginning with Rome and marching through history all the way through Owens Valley to Los Angeles. As Mark T. said, "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting!" Some people don't realize there is a fight until the water is gone. My quote check finds that Mark Twain might not have uttered the whiskey quote, but we're pretty certain he drank a little of it in his day and we're not so sure about water.

  Just for fun, here's another view from June Lake to show how paddling always provides another perspective. Life on the water is a little bit better. Yes, there was a little thunder timpani to punctuate the night with echoes among the peaks.