Mt. Whitney Trip --on the way back--

To The Summit (Mt. Whitney Trip)

□■□■　Return Trip ■□ August　19th　The way back home
Lone Pine－Mono Lake―Tuolumne Meadows－ My home

　I dove back to my home in Bay Area passing through Yosemite National Park. I came by Mono Lake and Tuolumne Meadows (in Yosemite NP) in the fair sky.

　I left the motel at around 9am heading north on the US395 after a late breakfast. I feel exciting more at the tirp style in which each route is different between outward and return. That is same for mountaineering. A great view of Mt. Whitney was on the left hand. This day was also fine.

　 I reached Mono Lake with a neat view after 2 hours driving north on US395. I dropped off my car to walk around there attracted by the peaceful mood.

　I stopped my car at the south of the lake called South Tufa area. There were a lot of yellow flowers looking Brassica. (An instruction said that the flower is Green Rabbitbrush. Interesting name...)

　I payed a bit at a small entrance. I was asked by a gate man which was my home country and he gave me a brochure written in Japanese.
"Do you feel particular accent from my pronunciation?"
"Yes. A little."

　Big white towers like monuments could be seen everywhere as I approached to the lake. They are called by Tufa made by carbonate pulled up by spring water.

　There were numerous black spots near a bird on the surface of the lake. Can you guess what are they?

　This is the answer. Black spots are tiny flies. There were quite a lot flies! "Mono" of Mono Lake means "fly" in the native language. Mono Lake means fly lake.

　The instruction says "Surprisingly Edible!" But I can never think about eating them!

　This is a picture of Alkali Flies on the ground. You might recognize them as sesame seeds. It is interesting to take a movie of them to see their movements.

　This is especially big Tufa.

　The lake looks very clean (as far as it is seen distant not to recognize the flies).
(^ ^;)

　An father and a sun were watching something. It seems a Alkali Fly.

　I left South Tufa and drove around to the west side of the lake where there was a Visitor Center. I took a lunch seeing the view. And then, I left from US395 and drove up on the road passing through Yosemite National Park over Sierra Nevada Mountains.

　The picture was in a Visitor Center at Tuolumine Meadows, in Yosemite NP. The butterflies also looked similar to Japanese species.

Swallowtail
Mourning Cloak
Buckeye Butterfly

and so on... Each American and Japanese name seems to have different meaning (origin) for a particular one. （The picture can be enlarged by clicking it.）

　The land scape near the Visitor Center was very beautiful with a calm river. That cultivated my heart.

　I drove back to home with satisfaction after enjoying the nature of Tuolumine Meadows. Thanks for the trip!

（Updated；8/18/2024）

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