The place:
Ansel Adams loved the Owens Valley area of California because of its geological uniqueness. It is a valley of elevation about 3000 ft that runs for a very long stretch between two 14,000 ft. mountain ranges, the White Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.
This group of photos stretches from Convict Lake up to the Bodie Ghost town area north of Lee Vining.
Capturing this place with a camera:
- The focus area for me are the trails that are so conveniently near Mammoth Lakes. These include stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Muir trail. There is a trail that starts near the Mammoth Ski Lodge and, in a day hike, can put you looking across a reflecting pond at Banner Peak. Astonishing.
- Lakes are a key feature of this area, and in the mornings and evening they are calm and enable the mirroring effect.
- If you base in Mammouth, not only are there inexhaustible options right in that area, but you can range up to Mono Lake and Bodie State Park, or, south to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Rich diversity.
Interesting fact about this place:
The Mono craters are some of the youngest mountains in the United States, and resemble a lunar landscape… much as do the tufa towers alongside Mono Lake.
