We left the Bay Area by way of Sonora Pass and then turned south on Hwy 395, which follows along the east side of the Sierras. You can’t beat the great mountain scenery that the drive down Hwy 395 brings to the eye.

View south from the Sonora Pass road to the Emigrant Wilderness

Leavitt Pk., from the Sonora Pass road, view to the south

Extreme telephoto of Tower Peak, which sits on the ridge that forms the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park, view to the south

View west from Bridgeport, of Matterhorn Pk. (left), and the Sawtooth Ridge

Descending to Mono Lake, view to the south

At Gull Lake, on the June Lake loop, and the cabin once owned by Kathy’s family

Gull Lake, view to the north

Ruddy duck, on Gull Lake

Convict Lake and Laurel Mountain, view to the west

Mt. Morrison looms over the south side of Convict Lake, view to the west

On Laurel Mountain, this mountainside is identified on the topo map as the Sevehah Cliff

Returning to Hwy 395 from Convict Lake, looking north at Mt. Ritter (center) and Banner Pk (right). The Minarets are seen on the far left.

Wider angle view than the above, to include, on the left, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area

On the descent to Bishop, looking west to the Sierra crest and Pine Creek Canyon

And looking to the east from the same spot are the White Mountains

Looking west from Bishop, Mt. Lamarck (left) and a high snowy plateau that I once traversed, on the way to the John Muir Trail

Looking southwest from Bishop to Mt. Emerson

Looking west from Big Pine. I believe this is N. Palisade Pk.

Looking west from Lone Pine to Mt. Whitney

Mt. Whitney and Keeler Needle (center)

Seen to the south of Mt. Whitney is Lone Pine Pk.

Lone Pine Pk.
The Sierras begin to lose altitude as one drives south from Lone Pine, and into the desert. We spent the night in Kingman, AZ, drove through snow in Flagstaff and saw, further east, normally dry washes running bank to bank from sustained heavy rains. We arrived home that evening.