Morning Photo Shoots At Magnificent Mono Lake, CA
Warning: This post has picture overload 🙂
For the past two mornings I’ve been getting up at 5AM. Yes, you read that right….5AM. That would be in the pitch dark of the night, before sunrise, before any sane person (well, other than vampires) should be awake.
I should preface this by mentioning that I’m not a morning person, not even in the slightest sense, so the fact that I’m doing this of my own volition is quite a monumental feat. Add to this that temps have been dropping to around 25F (-4C) overnight which means that in order to drag my reluctant butt out of my cozy, warm bed I need to put on 7 layers of clothing (approximately tripling my width) and wobble as best I can out of the rig into the complete FREEZING darkness beyond. It’s sheer insanity.
So, what in the world would possess me to do such a thing?
Why, the lure of a good pic of course.
Several days ago, the Wondertopia boys and us moved our rigs about 60 miles north to the Mono Lake area. It’s a place I’ve visited many times before and it holds a special place in my heart. Back in my youth (many, many, many(?) years ago) it was one of the very first places I tent-camped in the US.
In those days I was a fresh-faced & adventurous young thing (‘d like to think the latter, at least, still holds true), and I’d just moved to the big US of A from little ‘ol England. I was totally seduced by the vast open spaces here and, on a whim I decided to take a driving trip to the mountains and do some exploring. After stopping at Yosemite (where I spent a very cold night sleeping on the valley floor) I motored over magnificent Tioga Pass and that’s when I first saw it. An enormous aqua-blue lake, with two ying-yang islands (one black, one white) in the middle. The lake was surrounded by volcanic cinder cones and barren, brown mountains all of which reflected like mirrors on the perfectly-still water. It looked like the surface of an alien planet and it called to me something crazy.
Once I got to the water’s edge it got even better. Brilliant white sculptures dotted the shoreline. The bulbous, irregular spires looked like giant termite-hills and stretched like cathedrals of snow across the floor. Walking amongst them was like getting lost in a white wonderland. In places they towered over my head, in others they barely reached my knees and in spots they twisted and danced together in abstract shapes. I’d never seen anything like it in my life and I was immediately hooked.
That was my introduction to Mono Lake, and I’ve never been the same since. Everytime we come down 395 I look forward to my first glimpse of this magnificent beauty, and almost everytime we see her I have to stop.
Her stats are fascinating. She’s estimated to be at least 750,000 years old and possibly much older than that (1-3 million years) making her one of the oldest lakes in North America. She spans 45,133 acres and harbors a max depth of ~159 feet. But what makes her unique is her unusual chemistry. She’s a chloride-carbonate-sulfate “triple water” lake with a highly alkaline PH and she’s very, very salty, about three times as salty as the ocean.
The latter has happened over time, accelerated by the diversion of water from Mono by the LA Water Department (a sad story, that’s still being worked today). Due to her weird chemistry she has no fish, just algae, brine shrimp, and alkali flies but these latter, interestingly enough, attract millions of migrating birds each year. She also has underwater calcium-rich springs that bubble and bond with carbonates in the water to form calcium carbonate (limestone) spires. These are the white, alien-looking sculptures I first observed along the shoreline back in the day. Here they call them “tufa’s” and they’re only visible because water levels have dropped over the years.
It was because of the tufa’s that I was getting up at 5AM.
You see there’s a large formation of tufa’s on the south side of the lake (called, believe it or not, the South Tufa’s) that just happen to be in the perfect spot to catch the first light of the day. The sun rises on their face creating a back-drop of color from deep reds to blues and even purples right before she crests the mountains. Then, as the first rays hit the tufa’s they glow briefly and intensely orange before finally dulling to grey-white. It’s a morning theater unmatched anywhere else and as a photographer it’s one of the “must do” things in the area. To experience the full effect, however, you need to get to the tufa’s at least 1/2 hour before the sun actually rises. Thus our crazy 5AM wakeup call.
Before the day of the planned first shoot our buddies Island Girl**, fresh up from San Diego, joined us. So bright (night?) and early on Friday morning, freezing fingers and all, all 6 of us (plus 3 doggies) motored on over to the South Tufa’s to watch the show.
And it…was…PERFECT!
That morning was cloudless, but the sunrise was nonetheless sublime and I managed to capture a deep purple hue right before she crested the mountains that I’d never seen before. All 6 of us spent over an hour at the shoreline enjoying the changing light both before and after sunrise, following our outing with a tasty breakfast at Nicely’s in nearby Lee Vining. The next morning looked even better with a hint of potential clouds, so we couldn’t resist the draw to go back down and try it again. This time around Paul & Russ stayed in bed while the rest of us enjoyed flashes of color by the lake. Sublime!
Two days, two crazy early rises, but two absolutely amazing experiences. If you ever come to the area, I definitely recommend it even if it means dragging your butt out of bed in the freezing cold. You won’t regret it!
I’ve got one more post on this area (to bring you up to date) and then we’ll find ourselves in Reno, NV at the end of our spring 395 travels. After many dry months in the SW I’m looking insanely forward to the green, moist PNW and a summer of hosting on the coast. The season is changing and we’re moving north. It’s time and it’s gonna be good.
**Hector, from Island Girl is a fabulous nature photographer and just recently launched his new website hmlopezphoto.com. Ever seen a moonbeam (moon rainbow) in Yosemite?? Neither had I! But Hector has caught it and it’s spectacular. Check out his site for that and many more excellent shots!
Stunning photos!!
Fantablous!!
Great pictures, put this on my bucket list….Tom
Now you know where the phrase, “purple mountains majesties” in the song, “America the Beautiful,” comes from. You’ve seen the purple mountains majesties.
Interesting reference. I had no idea. This is the first time I’ve captured that purple light. So unique.
Nina
Mono Lake has always felt like another planet. As a kid, for some reason, I would swim (me and a Lab dog loved finally arriving). We both smelled noticeably funky most of the summer.
Secret find: New brewery in June–Fun place after work hours. There was a great Hawaiian BBQ food truck there a month ago.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/june-lake-brewing-june-lake-2
YES!!! We went to the Brewery!! I’ve got more on that coming in the next post. Sadly the food truck was closed when we were there, but the brews were good and we really enjoyed the atmosphere.
Nina
Beautiful shots!
Mono Lake is a rare place indeed. Your photos are wonderful….especially that last one!
Thank you! Nature provided abundantly on this one.
Nina
Absolutely stunning photos and so worth the morning rise. Now I look forward to seeing some of Hector’s shots.
Me too! I can’t wait to see what he captured. He actually went 3 days in a row!
Nina
Wow, stunning photos (not a surprise from you, but still). I especially LOVE the canvas of orange. Wow!
Thank you ever so much for sharing with us!
Thank you for the compliment 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post!
Nina
Excellent! Thanks.
WOW! Great photos. Did you use HDR for any of the pics?
Only one of my shots used HDR. The “fiery sunset” one with the pink clouds. I experimented with HDR on other shots, but didn’t like the results as much as the originals. But that one cloud shot I thought it worked well.
Nina
Oops…just remembered the black and white shot is HDR too. I needed the HDR to capture the wide range of light in that shot.
I did use selective lightening in several of the other shots (to lighten up the foreground a tad), and for several shots I did double exposures (one exposure for the foreground, one for the background), but the two above were the only true HDR composites.
Nina
Thanks Nina … your shots are beautiful!! What fun to be with you guys. ZZZZZZZZ … I just woke up from my nap recovering from this morning’s predawn outing. Such a beautiful place. Thanks for the shoutout and your kind words. It means a lot to me coming from a great photog such as your greatness 🙂
We are running a bit behind on our posts but are catching up – weather looks crummy so prognosis for progress is good!
See you in Reno soon!
Hec
Yeah, get your butt going on the blog…I’m dying to see your photos from our outing together 🙂 see ya soon!
Nina
I love it when people get to do things that are close to their heart!! Well-written! Not being a morning person either and loving photography, I was right their with you when you were describing getting out of bed on a COLD morning!! Bright and early and COLD — harsh combination!! lol Love following your blog!
It was TOUGH getting my butt out of that warm bed, I tell you. But it was soooo worth it in the end. I’m so glad I made the effort!
Nina
Beautiful photos! But I will enjoy that hour of the morning through your photos only. My butt just will not get out of bed that early!
Just this once it’s worth it…even if you never get up at that hour again 🙂
Nina
Those Mono Lake trout are the best eating ever.
Nice try. The lake is too alkaline for fish life. Unless you happen to like brine shrimp?
Nina
Great shots!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting up so early. What great photos! And you description of getting up early and bundling up was great writing.
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Nina
I love, love, love this area. We went there last June-July and it was my first time to Mono Lake. It is so unique. Your photos are wonderful and thanks for getting up early to catch the light.
I surprised it is so cold there. It’s been really warm here in Sacramento.
Rochelle
It’s still pretty chilly in the mountains, but then again it’s up at 7,000 feet or so. The last cold snap got us below freezing and then it warmed to lows of mid-30’s and even one night of 40’s. Next few days may be cold again. Spring is fickle.
Nina
I’m not sure there are enough words for these spectacular photos. It was definitely worth the 5 AM wake up to capture those magnificent colors. Wow! What beauty:) Thanks for sharing. I can hardly wait to see the tufa’s. Thanks for the information on the lake and the formations:)
They are just amazing Pam. I’ve seen the Tufa’s at least 10 times and they never cease to impress me.
Nina
We’re wondering where you are parked. We’re going that way tomorrow, 4/20 from Bishop and might like to stop.
There are a couple of options in the area. You can stay at Glass Creek (free campground) just south of Mono or you can overnight at the visitor area. There is also boondocking in the forest on east side of 395 near Mammoth, but that’s better if you have a small rig. Lastly there is a campground in downtown Lee Vining.
Nina
I agree with your feelings about Mono Lake but for a somewhat contrasting viewpoint check out chapter 38 in Mark Twain’s book “Roughing It.” He is somewhat less appreciative of that area.
I’m intrigued! I will definitely check it out.
Nina
Thank you for one of the best sets of photos I can recall on a single blog post. We lived in Cal for >30 years and our only contact with Mono Lake was a single drive-by on the way to the Mammoth ski area. We’ve put it on our list after seeing this post.
Thanks so much for the lovely compliment. I do hope you get to enjoy the lake one day.
Nina
Great photos (and definitely not a overload of them either ) I can not wait to get there…you have so inspired me…getting up that early will not be a problem…we are early risers…BTW what camera are you using
For this series I used my “big” camera…my Nikon D7000 with a basic 18-200mm zoom…aaaand a tripod of course. I wish I had a full-frame camera and dedicated wide angle for stuff like this, but I don’t. One day!
Nina
“Rise early, for the hours before dawn are stolen from Paradise.” That’s an old quote from somewhere, but your photos give the truth to it. I can’t think of much better than appreciating this kind of beauty and then heading to enjoy the alternative beauty of a big American breakfast. Nice one!
Love the quote! Cheers for sharing.
Nina
Great views of the lake, thanks for sharing them
Really nice pics !! Do you use HDR ? What are your conclusions ?
I only used HDR for 2 of the shots in this series (the black/white one and the “fiery sunset” one). I like HDR, but I’m still very much an amateur when it comes to using it.
I do however love to do double exposure shots where I take one exposure for the foreground and one for the background, and then combine them (much like an old ND filter) in Photoshop. It’s easy and it works well for sunrise and sunset shots.
Nina
I hope there was hot coffee ready when you got home.
Oh you betcha. In fact we made sure we had hot coffee before we went!
Nina
Gorgeous! Thanks for showing me the tufas in the early morning without my having to freeze my arse off! 😉
I’m happy I was able to keep your arse somewhat warm 🙂
Nina
I like your warning: there is no such thing as picture overload when traveling the 395!!
I think you might be right. It’s hard not to take a TON of pics when it’s this beautiful.
Nina
Wonderful. I’m a morning person but not a fan of cold it would still be an effort! Your captures are beautiful. Love the fiery sunrise. My mom used to love seeing the Trona Pinnacles at sunset as well. The area is pretty incredible.
Ah yes…gorgeous Trona. I’m so glad we made it out there earlier this year. It’s yet another of those surreal places.
Nina
Marvelous photos, Nina !!
Mono Lake is one of those “out of this world” places, always enchanting and never the same! Thanks for sharing them!
I definitely share your sentiments Kathy!
Nina
I have always admired, respected and appreciated your great writing and photography skills. But I think this post may be the best in both categories, in the same post. You’ve raised your own bar!
As so many have already replied with high praise before me, I’ll just say “what they said.” 🙂
Are the sunsets at Momo as stunning as the sunrises?
Why thank you {{blush}}. You’ve been a long-term commenter and follower and I always appreciate that deeply.
Sunsets are IMHO not quite as stunning as the sunrises at the Tufa’s mostly because of the direction of the sunset (which is behind mountains, and thus it sets early). I gather the North Tufa’s might offer some decent sunset shots, but I’ve never been.
Nina
Certainly worth getting up early for, even in the cold. Stunning shots! I’m not a morning person either but when on the road find I can get up earlier. After all, the mornings and evenings are best for photography.
I agree. I typically find myself syncing more with natural sunrise & sunset when I’m out in the boonies. I don’t ever get up naturally before sunrise, but I’m usually awake soon after.
Nina
Loved these spectacular photos and your blog! I am not a morning person either – especially when its cold! We used to live in Reno many yrs ago and have only driven past Mono Lake in route to somewhere else. Now that I am traveling about I will have to spend some there when I am in the area. Have a great day!
I definitely recommend the stop!
Nina
Great photos! We’re so anxious to get out west again this fall and next year. Hope to catch up with you guys again.
Hope we catch up too.
Nina
Beautiful! Mono Lake is one of our favorite places along 395. Thanks for getting out of that warm cozy bed to take such gorgeous photos for us. The subtleties of colors on the tufa are wonderful.
It truly was a fine experience. I was running around trying to capture shots of all the changing colors. It all happened so fast!
Nina
Try putting out honker goose decoys on a frigid January morning on the east side of Mono lake before daybreak for the real frigid deal of epic day break views on Mono lake. Only for the young, foolish and hardy, like I once was. Classic glass mirror reflections of the Sierras, etched only in my mind.
I can only imagine! Sounds like solidly good young and foolish fun 😉
Nina
Stunning, stunning images Nina. Thanks for introducing Terry and I to this beautiful slice of 395. I recall fondly the day you drug our butts out of bed on a freezing fall morning to see this wonder. 🙂
Yeah I remember that was a Coooold morning too!
Nina
Just beautiful, we are ready to come that way, too bad it won’t be till next year.
We spent a night in the parking lot at Mono Lake one time. There wasn’t anybody there but us after 4pm, it was mid April. One of our favorite drop in spots. It is also the darkest places on earth at night. Spooky dark.
Most Americans, and even Californians don’t even know this place exists. It was also used in the photos of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ LP. You really are still ‘fresh faced’ at least from this vantage point.
Now THAT little piece of Trivia I did not know. I’m going to look up the album cover now. And cheers for the “fresh faced” compliment. Thankfully Photoshop does wonders in that department 🙂
Nina
Reminds me so much of Cardiff Docks..yeh right. This Welshman and DW currently residing in Florida will begin our tour of the U.S. next year. Mono Lake is now a pin in our got to see map. It’s amazingly beautiful.
Thank you.
Can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure of the Cardiff Docks, but the good ‘ol UK does offer some fine views. As a Welshman you’ll appreciate that I climbed Elidr Fawr some many years ago. It’s not quite a high alpine Sierra hike, but it was a fine walk nonetheless.
Nina
Your photos are the best Nina…and actually, all those years I have stopped by the Lake, I never saw it as beautiful depicted as what you have shared. As we are early risers, our next visit there in September will have us at shoreline. We had heard from our friends at Parchers Resort that it has been a bit “brisk” up there.
Oh Nina. Beautiful!