June 12th and 13th

Day 12

Woke up well rested to a beautiful sunny day!  Shortly into the ride I stopped to climb up on a big rock hill to check out the view.  So glad I did, it was awesome!  After relaxing for a little bit and taking a few photos I started my climb up to Conway Summit.  About halfway up I spotted a large red fox on the side of the road.  When I reached the top of the summit I was treated to an excellent view of Mono Lake. From there it was an exciting downhill ride to the lake with 2 lanes so I got my own personal lane!  So nice!!  I took a break at Mono Lake and walked the boardwalks for a better view.  The lake is quite interesting as you can see from the pictures below.  The only living species in the lake is Brine Shrimp which the birds love to feed off of.  Aerial surveys have revealed 1.8 million birds on lake in the fall!  I met some very kind people at the lake.  One man gave me an ice cold water and I chatted a while with a guy named Sten who was on vacation with his family.  Very kind folks!  After the lake break I headed up a steep hill to the town of Lee Vining.  I really like Lee Vining, small and charming mountain town.  Made a stop at the grocery store and got a free camping suggestion from the cashier which turned out to be excellent!  This was actually my first night camping on the trip and I couldn't have asked for a better campsite.  It was located right on a beautiful river and I had it all to myself.  After getting set up and cleaning myself up in the river I headed back into town to get some beer and food for dinner.  Made some spaghetti over the fire, hung my food in case of bears, and had a few beers while listening to the sound of the river.  What a day/night! 

Mono Lake from Conway Summit

The river I camped next too

Awesome Campsite!

View from the hill on the way to the campsite

Delicious Beer!

Chilling my beers in the river

Day 13

Woke up to sunshine and the peaceful sound of the river.  Nice!  Got all packed up and headed into Lee Vining to do laundry and get some coffee.  I biked alongside the Eastern Sierras and the Ansel Adams Wilderness.  It was a day of rolling hills but nothing too big until the last 5 miles which was a huge uphill into Mammoth Lakes.  My first stop was at the Mammoth Lakes brewery.  I had been drinking there very tasty beer for the past few days and was excited to go to the source.  I got to sample each beer free of charge and met some really nice folks.  The brewery is at 8,000 feet elevation, the highest brewery in California and 3rd highest in the country.  After the brewery I headed downhill to the Sierra Lodge who donated me a room for the evening.  Thanks Sierra Lodge!!!  I had a tasty calzone across the street at John's Pizza Works and then headed back to the lodge to soak in the jacuzzi overlooking the mountains. So nice and relaxing!

www.mammothbrewingco.com

www.sierralodge.com

Lounge at the Sierra Lodge

Jacuzzi deck at the Sierra Lodge

Contest

The winner of the postcard contest was Steve Cianciola, conrats Steve!  I would like to do another contest.  Next person to make a donation to either Make-A-Wish or Feed Kevin will receive a calendar of my trip.  The calendar will consist of my 13 favorite images and will be available by Thanksgiving.  Thanks for your support!!!