Another result of our unexpected detour?

A lovely surprise view of Mono Lake! I've seen numerous pictures of the lake in all sorts of settings and was so surprised that we had a nice vantage point from above and from the visitor's center.

Mono Lake has no outlet, and is fed by runoff by creeks and streams from the nearby mountains. The lake is high in salinity naturally, and was made even more so when the city of Los Angeles pumped a lot of the water out. And with the severe drought, the water level is even lower than usual. I read that the lake does receive snow and receives a fair amount of precipitation, but the lake level lowers drastically during the summer in the intense heat. The famous area of the lake features tufas, which are a type of limestone formation that sticks above the water. Unfortunately, we did not visit those because we were eager to visit Yosemite. Till next time Mono Lake!

Happy travels,
Cat