The Inspiration of Nature
The Eastern Sierras inspire the viewer with their physical beauty, majesty, and ruggedness. The vast array of scenery is due to the extremes of altitute — from the 12,000 foot peaks of the Sierra Mountains to the high deserts of eastern California and western Nevada. This site is dedicated to the scenery, wildlife and outdoor activities in the Eastern Sierras of California, an area which holds a special meaning for me.
Bridgeport, located in the heart of the Eastern Sierras and in the shadow of the Sawtooth Ridge, is the Mono County seat and the gateway to the region, its annual events and celebrations, and its popular outdoor recreational activities. Bridgeport is known for its scenic valley, historic buildings, lodging and fine dining. From Bridgeport one can enjoy the Eastern Sierras in all its splendor — especially its beautiful cloud formations and spectacular sunsets.
Bodie was once a booming gold-mining town, with a population of nearly 10,000 in 1879. Devastated by fire and earthquakes in the early 1900's, and by looting later on, it is now a ghost town preserved in a state of 'arrested decay' as a state historic park. Bodie was notorious for its saloons, brothels, gambling halls, and opium dens. It developed a reputation as one of the toughest and most lawless gold-mining camps, exemplified by its nearly daily killings.
Mono Lake is a high-desert body of water covering over 60 square miles. Throughout its long existence, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams. Since Mono Lake has no natural outlet, and freshwater is diverted to Los Angeles County, water evaporating from the lake has left the salts behind such that, like the Great Salt Lake, it is nearly two and a half times as salty and eighty times as alkaline as seawater. Mono Lake is well known for its tofu formations, brine shrimp and walkways to view the natural features.
Yosemite National Park is well known due to the striking photographs of Ansel Adams and the conservation efforts of John Muir. The northern end of the park, from the breathtaking 9,945 foot elevation of the park entrance at Tioga Pass to the Big Oak Flat Road, traversing Tioga Road (SR 120) enables the visitor to enjoy the grandeur of the mountains, redwood and pine forrests, wildlife, lakes and streams.
I hope that my photographs will inspire you to celebrate and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds the Eastern Sierras.