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| Mono Lake |
While we were on the east side of the Sierra's, we visited Mono Lake, 22 miles east of Yosemite. Wondering among the Tufa Towers here is most comparable to touring a cave filled with stalagmites.
These odd looking structures are formed when clear ground water bubbles up through the floor of this very salty alkaline lake. The calcium carbonate chemically form into the limestone "tufas" as the water bubbles up.
These very old tufas have been exposed since the streams feeding the lake were diverted in the 1950's, causing the lake level to drop up to 50 feet.
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| Bodie State Historic Park |
In the afternoon we visited a ghost town at Bodie State Historic Park. This old gold mining town reached its heyday in the 1870's.
At one time Bodie had a population of over 10,000 people and over 2,000 buildings. By the 1880's the mines were depleted, and fire had ravished the town causing many to leave. By 1940 it had become a ghost town. In 1962, the small part of the town that survived was designated a state historic park. What remains of the town of Bodie is now preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Preserved as it was when the last residents left. In fact, many of their possessions can still be found inside the buildings.
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Bodie -- a town so lawless that in 1881 it was described as
"...a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion."
Quote by Reverend F. M. Warrington |
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Tioga Pass Entrance
Elevation 9,945 feet |
We returned from our two day adventure through the Tioga Pass Entrance on the east side of Yosemite National Park.
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