Three Lakes, One Day

We were off!  Early!  Our goal was to scout North Lake, return to Sabrina and South Lakes and have a whole lot of fun.  Mission accomplished!

All three lakes are accessed from Bishop on Highway 168.  The road into North Lake was just opened and we were anxious to check it out.  If this scene looks familiar and you are a 'Mac' person you may recognize it as the opening screen on new Apple computers.  But the vivid color of fall that you see in that photo looks much more toned down in the spring before the aspen across the lake have even started leafing out.  You may notice the very thin layer of ice along the water's edge in this photograph.

The road to North Lke is partially paved and partially gravel and is narrow and winding. There is a small campground near the lake and fishing is very popular here.  Trailers and RVs, however, are prohibited.  In the spring and early summer it is reported that mosquitoes can be an annoyance but we did not have that problem this early in the season.

We are coming back to this area in the fall and we expect all this gray will be gold!

Local photographers are not happy that North Lake has become so well known as a photographic destination.  "Gets too crowded in the morning.  Can't get my favorite spot!"

This time Sabrina Lake was blue rather than covered in ice.  What a difference two weeks can make!  Very popular fishing area.

This guy had it going on!!  Four poles!  I cannot imagine how they keep from tangling up under the water.

I came so close to renting one.  Pick me up later, Tom!

We took a lunch break and returned to the lovely little cafe in Aspendell.  There was a group of artists and they were happy to share their art.  We did not even notice this pond on our last trip where the snow storm had covered this all up.

South Lake had more snow in the surrounding mountains.  I cannot get over how blue the skies and lakes are!

This family reported that they caught their limit of trout and were on there may home.  Lakes around here are stocked, starting in the spring, with rainbow and brown trout.

Thanks for hanging out with us.

Sunrise at Convict Lake

Convict Lake is a lake in the Sherwin Range of the Sierra Nevada in California, United States. It is known for its fishing and the dramatic mountains that surround the lake. Its surface lies at an elevation of 7,850. It is one of the deepest lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is surrounded, in places, by rock more than half a billion years old! Its interesting name comes from an incident here a group of convicts escaped from a prison in Carson City and took refuge near the head of Convict Creek.  One posse member was killed in an effort to 'round them up'.  The 1951 film The Secret of Convict Lake was based mostly on the events that occurred during the conflict between the escaped convicts and the agents seeking the capture them.  In addition to its reputation as a magnificent and dramatic mountain, the area is highly prized by anglers for its Rainbow and German Brown Trout (it is stocked weekly during the summer).

We arrived before dawn and spent a bit of time searching for just the right spot to capture a sunrise.  We found it at the end of the road, right along the lake in a Day Use section of the park.  Once that sun starts to color the mountain I just stayed put!  In retrospect, I wish I had thought of photographing the whole process to create a time-lapse.  May just have to go back!

Big Pine Creek & Rock Creek Lake

Big Pine Creek is a 12.1-mile-long stream that flows through Big Pine Canyon in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Bishop down to the Owens Valley, where it is a major tributary of the Owens River near Big Pine. The canyon is heralded for having both the largest and southern most glaciers in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  You can see the impact of glaciers in the shape of the mountains that surround the canyon at the end. Rock Creek Lake is also located near Bishop and flows from Rock Creek Lake.  Both destinations are very popular for their trout, including brown, rainbow and brook trout. Hikers, bikers and campers make good use of just about every space available during spring, summer and fall.

Looking towards the back of the canyon.  The creek runs along the right side.

Pine Creek runs through a narrow canyon.  The walls of rock were fascinating.

We drove the road as far as we could to a trailhead.  At that point we turned around and drove to our next destination, Rock Creek Lake.

There are lots of ranches in the area.

This old stable caught my attention.

A scenic lookout stop.

Rock Creek Lake is not too far up the road.  It is still partially iced over and the strong winds cause the patterning you see from above.

Down lower, on the lake's edge, the patterns are not as discernible.

Fisherman at Rock Creek Lake.  Very happy to have his photograph taken!

On the way home at the same scenic viewpoint.

I decided to put all the road photographs at the end.  Don't get carsick!