This 11,000 foot lava dome has some of the finest skiing in the state. It’s where the US slalom team often trains in the early summer and as the snowfall has been exceptional this season, I want to finally see for myself what it feels like to carve some turns in shorts and a t shirt.
The dramatic 300 mile drive from our home in LA crosses the Mojave desert to the magnificent Owens Valley where the Sierra mountain range towers up to two miles high above the valley bottom. Finally, past the evocatively named town of Lone Pine which hunkers in the shadow of Mount Whitney, the high desert gives way to grassy ranch land of incredible variegated hues, with the stark White Mountains looming to the East, before the final ear-popping climb to Mammoth where deep snow still surrounds the Main Lodge, despite the 30 degree temperatures.
I’m out on the slopes by 8 the next morning, but talking to the locals on the lifts it’s clear that I’ll need to get up much earlier to hit the sweet spot between sheet ice and mush for more than a couple of hours. Still, the sensation of descent at speed from summit to base on the couple of runs that remain open, surrounded by a green summer world, is one that I won’t forget and Sabrina and our daughter, who have been sleeping in are surprised and delighted to meet me for a late breakfast at our hotel.
With the day stretching out before us we head north up Interstate 395 through more stunning mountain country to the little town of Lee Vining, which overlooks surreally beautiful Mono Lake. This ancient body of water has three times the salinity of the ocean and its surface is studded with tufa rock formations which ‘grow’ from warm mineral rich springs calcifying in the cold salt water.
Despite this year’s exceptional snow pack, we find to our surprise that the Tioga Pass road, California’s highest mountain pass at a shade under 10,000 feet, is open to traffic. We cross the dazzlingly green Tuolumne Meadows and continue to the pass’s highest point where a stunning vista of lakes, conifers and granite outcrops stretches out before us. Climbers are out in force splayed on rock faces amongst tangled webs of red and black ropes.
Much as we would love to have continued on to the giant redwood groves at Humboldt Flats we had spied a classic American diner on the hilltop above Mono Lake and wanted to try it out. Sabrina is longing for a thick wedge of pastrami slices or some fried chicken, so we high tail it back over the pass to the classic neon directional sign, slide into a booth and make a start on the bottomless coffee.
The place is packed with locals, most of whom seem to be enjoying today’s Meatloaf special. So we follow the crowd and are amazed at its deliciousness.
Meatloaf: Serves Five to Six
Every so often you come across a dish in a diner which is simply superb. I hadn’t made Meatloaf for years but this one was so good that it’s now firmly back in my repertoire.
2 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
12 oz button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp EV olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Mix all the ingredients together. Grease a baking tray and put the meat on the tray and form a loaf. Roast in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 1 hour, if the juices are running clear it is done. Rest the meat for 10 minutes before you cut into it.
Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables; (sliced Brussels sprouts and onions go particularly well).
I can’t resist trading sleep for snow on our final morning. It’s the fourth of July and I’m unlikely ever to have the opportunity to start the holiday this way again. It’s a good thing I’m out early as what remains of the piste goes from ice fields to slush in the space of an hour and anyway I’m looking forward even more to soaking in the sulphurous eddies of Hot Creek, before we hit the road for home.
Must have been exhilarating, the vistas, experience, and parts to the journey you describe.
What a Beautiful trip to a “must see & experience” destination. FYI, those little side of the road diners often have surprising delicacies. I’m glad this one did not disappoint.