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!