Munchin' around town

A few other stops on my trip included the Upside-Down House in Lee Vining.  The house was created by Nellie Bly O'Bryan, a longtime resident of the Mono Basin, and was inspired by two children's stories, Upside Down Land and The Upsidedownians.



Everything inside the small house is, of course, upside-down, including the (fake) cat.  Nearby is the Mono Cone where I got a chocolate soft-serve ice cream cone and battled alkali flies from landing on it!



In Mammoth Lakes, I bought this waffle-shaped donut from Vons.  Then I headed over to The Stove, a restaurant known for its country cookin'.



They served some delicious breads to start off with.



Then my main courses arrived.  This is the Sierra Sunrise -- potatoes, bell pepper, onion, ham, cheddar, and two mighty fine eggs!



I also had a plate of eggs, bacon, and potatoes.  D-licious!  The food was awesome!  And I had an awesome time in the Eastern Sierra!

Tufa, too cool Part II

After visiting the section of Mono Lake by the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, I headed back uphill.



I passed by this little guy on my way out.  I think he was dead.



Anyways, I headed south to the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve.



This reserve has an awesome array of tufa towers.  Tufa here, tufa there, tufa everywhere!  It was awesome!



There were also alkali flies here, alkali flies there, alkali flies everywhere!  And their larval shells littered the lake shores.  Not exactly an awesome aspect of Mono Lake.



But the alkali flies live in the lake along with brine shrimp.  They feast on algae, and they in turn are food for the migratory birds that stop by.



Overall, Mono Lake is one awesome place and I'd definitely recommend that you stop by for a visit! 

Tufa, too cool Part I

Tufa towers.  That's what I think when I think Mono Lake.



A great place to stop by before visiting this saline lake is the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center.



You can learn all about the different types of tufa!  If you're wondering what tufa is, well, tufa is calcium-carbonate formations caused by fresh water mixing with alkaline water.  



And if you're small enough, you can stand in the lake model!  You probably don't want to stand in the real lake because it's full of alkali flies and their larvae.



Outside the visitor center, it's a short hike downhill to the lake.



Shoobedoobedoop.  I had a grand time hiking in the heat and high elevation.



Come back for Part II!

Devil with a rainbow fall, not a blue dress

In the Mammoth Mountain area is the awesome Devils Postpile National Monument.



To get to the monument, you first have to take the mandatory shuttle bus down the mountain.  Then, it's a short hike to this:



This awesome wonder is columnar basalt. 



The part still standing towers 60 feet high!



I hiked the trail to the top of the postpile to view the tops of the columnar basalt.  Most are perfect hexagons.  A nearby sign said that hexagons "appear throughout nature because of its ability to save space and energy".  It mentioned beehives and turtle shells.  Hexagons are awesome! 



I then hiked back down and headed to Rainbow Falls.



I took a few breaks during the hike.  It was hot and dusty!



There were lots of big people at the base of the falls!  But I still had an awesome time!

The Bold and the Bodie-ful

It's a long, bumpy, and dusty road to Bodie State Historic Park, located in an isolated area of the Eastern Sierra Nevada.



Originally a gold mining town in the mid-1800's, Bodie became a ghost town in the 1940's.



Bodie is kept in what they call "a state of arrested decay".



Buildings and contents have been left as-is, and refuse is scattered across the town.



I came across a rusty old pot with an awesome green handle! 



Some buildings have held up to the elements better than others.  Sitting on a porch next to a rusty bucket.  Awesome!



Legend has it that if you take something from Bodie (which is a big no-no!), you'll be cursed and something terrible will happen to you.



All I took were photographs and awesome memories of Bodie.  I had a rockin' awesome time at Bodie!

A Texas-sized meal

My big friends and I went to a Texas Roadhouse to have a Texas-sized meal!



They gave us a basket of fresh baked rolls with butter...



...and a big ol' bucket o' peanuts!



The peanut and I were about the same size!



I cracked it open.



Mmm... Peanuts...



We first ordered some Rattlesnake Bites, which were tasty deep-fried morsels of diced jalapeños and jack cheese.  D-licious!



Later, our entrees arrived.  Steak, shrimp, and toast with some awesome yellow corn!



And here we have BBQ ribs, chicken, steak fries, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a bowl of veggies.



Everything was so tasty except maybe that untouched bowl of awesome yellow corn.  I passed out after that feast!

Exploring the Exploratorium Part II

I had an awesome time at the Exploratorium in good ol' crowded S.F.!

 

Everywhere I looked, there were big peeps.  A big peep here, a big peep there, everywhere a big peep peep peep peep...



This light and color display made me feel like dancing!  No need to put on my dancing shoes; my cool black shoes serve all purposes!



After a couple hours of exploring the Exploratorium, I headed out the exit...



...and headed south of S.F. to meet up with my big friends for dinner!



I had a bento box and a bowl of ramen.  Awesome!



Nothing like ending an awesome day with awesome food!

Exploring the Exploratorium Part I

I rode the BART to San Francisco.  For those of you who don't know, BART is the acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit.



I sat on a wrinkly BART seat; it was probably wrinkled by big people's rear ends.  Little men like me leave nary a dent.



Anyways, I brought my trusty red bicycle with me on the BART, so after arriving in the city, I hopped onto my bicycle and went for a ride!



First stop was to grab a bite to eat.  I bought a couple of sandwiches from Boudin, located along the pier.  The sourdough bread was super delicious but extremely chewy.  It took me a while to finish my sandwiches.



Afterwards, I headed to the Exploratorium, also located along the pier.  This is a human brain.



The place is full of hands-on, interactive exhibits. 



Come back for Part II!