Snow might not be as big a wonderment for some of you as it is for this SoCal gal but I’m sure that you’ll agree with me about the beauty of the Mammoth Lakes area in the Eastern Sierra region of California. The Husband and I had the good fortune to spend last weekend exploring the area with Cathy (you can read more about her in Cathy: A Woman I Know), her husband Rob, and her brother Jimmy, Jimmy’s wife Julie, and their daughter Sammy. Jimmy and Julie had invited Cathy, Rob, and the two of us to stay with them during their yearly Mammoth vacation at a house that belongs to a business associate.
The Husband and I drove up with Cathy and Rob which took about 4 1/2 hours. From the L.A. area, the drive to Mammoth is mostly along Highway 395. Perhaps not a notable as Route 66, however, 395 is still just as historic and connected to the growth of the communities along its path. Check out this feature on Travel And Leisure for another perspective on the beauty of Highway 395.
Since Rob was driving, we met up at their house and we headed out at about noon on Friday. Neither The Husband nor I are skiers so spending time in a mountain resort town in the winter isn’t a regular pastime for us. I can only recall having been to Mammoth once before when I was about 8 or 9 and The Husband says that he’d never been there. It was a lot of fun to explore a part of California that was essentially new territory to both of us.
I’ve got a lot of photos to share so it’s perfectly fine if you just glance through and head straight to the link up. There are links for most of the places mentioned for easy reference if you’re heading to the Mammoth area anytime soon. Our first sighting of snow on the mountain tops occurred around the time we stopped at the rest area. By the time we got to Mammoth, we were in over our heads.
The day we went up was St Patrick’s Day so had met up with our hosts and settled into our accommodations, the group headed out in search of brews and food. The Mammoth Brewing Company and The Eatery did not disappoint. Later, we made it over to Clocktower Cellar for additional merryment.
Saturday was spent exploring around in Mammoth. The group took the gondola from the village station to the main lodge but at the time, we didn’t know about the gondola that takes you to the peak. Even so, we walk around a bit and took some photos before heading back to town for further explorations.
On Sunday, it was decided that we would make our way north with a stop at Mono Lake and perhaps a visit to a ghost town. A long time friend of Rob’s had recently moved to June Lake so a stop there was also on the itinerary.
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The visitors’ center was still closed for the season so our explorations were limited to the nearby pathways and trails. Heading back to the highway, we followed a sign pointing towards the Mono Basin History Museum which was also closed but some of the exhibits are outdoors so we walked around a bit there, too.
Our next destination was to be Bodie State Historical Park but the first route Waze sent us on was a dirt road in the middle of nowhere that wound up being closed dueย to earthquake damage. And now that I’m looking at the website, I can see a note that the park is also closed so it’s a good thing we opted not to take the much longer route and instead began to make our way back toward Mammoth. At least the scenery was pretty.
The group made a brief stop at Rob’s friend’s house in June Lake which was lovely. The friend gave us a tour and we chatted about how he and his wife have been adapting to a new way of life away from the big city. Back in Mammoth, the group stopped in at 53 Kitchen for a quick bite. Later, the June Lake friends drove into Mammoth to have dinner with the group at Campo Mammoth and then we spent a couple of hours back at the house playing Left Center Right, which somehow evolved into a bit of a drinking game.
All too soon, the weekend (an extended one at that) was coming to an end. Breakfast on Monday was at The Stove and a mighty popular place it was. With our bellies full, the four of us loaded up our gear and said our goodbyes to Jimmy, Julie, and Sammy, all the time wishing that we could stay longer.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link up for this week. My featured contributor from the last link up post is Nicole from High Latitude Style. Her shamrock scarf, with its various shades of green, tied in so well with last week’s Color My World theme.
How fitting it seemed to me to be able to spend the last weekend of winter enjoying winterish weather. As you may have heard, the Eastern Sierras (and especially Mammoth Lakes) have had nearly record snowfall this year. The timimg of our trip had us missing any actual snowfall but the snow was still an awesome sight.
What’s the weather like now in your neck of the woods? Are you still digging out from under the snow or are the temps starting to warm up? Is it time yet to pack away your winter clothes? How’s your spring wardrobe shaping up?
Letโs connect! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, love, pin, stumble โฆ all options are available and waiting for you. I look forward to hearing from you. And don’t forget to add a post or two to the link up.
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15 Comments
That Mono lake photo is just breathtaking Rena. Thank you for hosting x
http://www.vanityandmestyle.com
It seems like you were having a really good time in great company. That’s great
https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com.au
Wow! What a dream trip! I can’t believe all that snow. Our snow in Wisconsin just melted, but the days are still quite chilly.
What a fantastic get away, Rena!! It looks like the mountain towns here in Colorado!!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Looks yall have a fabulous time! I hope you enjoyed your drink at the brewery! Happy Saturday!
looks like such a great time!!! all that snow!!
That gondola looks fantastic! Your humour is great! Enjoy your weekend.
Hi Rena, I didn’t know that you lived in Greater LA (no one really lives in LA)… i’m close to Long Beach. My husband & I do a family trip to Mammoth over the MLK wknd every year and just love it, this year there was so much snow skiing was fabulous! If you’re ever invited to a Blogger meetup, please let me know so that I can come…. I so adore you!
Wow, Rena! What amazing views. It looks like a fabulous weekend getaway. I need to get away soon myself!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
How wonderful that you got out of the city and got such a major change of scenery for a relatively brief drive. You really looked happy and relaxed Rena. The photos were gorgeous. Thanks so much for sharing all of fun!
What a great getaway, Rena! I’ve only been to Mammoth and Mono Lake once in summer, more than 20 years ago. I’ve always wanted to go back in winter!
Thanks for the linkup & Happy Sunday!
What a lovely getaway Rena, The picture of Mono Lake looks so serene and beautiful! It looks like you had a great time and that there was lots to do besides ski. Thanks for sharing!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Wow! I had never heard of Mono Lake before your post. Thanks for sharing about it! I’m glad you had a fun time–and you looked great too!!
Hugs,
Sherry
http://www.petiteover40.com
Looks like a fabulous trip! The weather in the UK has been lovely the last couple of days, there’s actually some warmth in the sunshine at last. Now we’ve moved our clocks forward an hour it’s lighter in the evenings too – although it did have to happen on a weekend I was working so I lost an hour sleep! Thank goodness for coffee.
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Thanks for linking up to Top of the World Style.