dottie & i scooted on up the 14 north through mojave till we hit hwy 395. i've wanted to roadtrip up this classic old highway forever.
a strip of grey that ribbons through one of the united state's deepest valleys - 14,000 foot peaks on either side.
this is THE WEST. scenic beyond compare. a real geologic masterpiece.
you can't help but be impressed with the bigness of it all. and the smallness. little outposts along the way with quaint motels, cafes, and friendly people.
we stopped for grub and weren't disappointed in what we found.
inspired by impressively vast & scenic landscape we took a lot of photos. there was so much to see.
we ended our sojourn in bridgeport then headed back south. next time i want to keep going up hwy 395 and explore carson city & lake tahoe. come back after may when all the mountain roads reopen for the summer. cross over the tioga pass into yosemite. ride a phantom stagecoach. poke around in the ghost town of bodie. do the complete june lake loop. california dreamin.
i'm working out a few ideas for projects involving these photos.
hope you're well and dreaming big dreams of your own. it's a big wild world.
there's so much to do. so much to see. so many hungers to satisfy.
i'll just be sitting here tonight in cool wintery los angeles. hunkered down in warm moss cottage. spinning straw into gold.
If you go that way again you should take a side trip to Mono Lake -- the tufa formations are weird and wonderful and that whole area is gorgeous. And off to the west a little is Devil's Postpile, a magnificent rock structure. Take a Google peek and you will see what I mean!
Posted by: Rhonda H | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 06:34 PM
You Moss gals always have great adventures!
Posted by: Connie Rose | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 06:51 PM
I agree with Rhonda H about Mono Lake and the Devil's Postpile...both worth seeing.
Posted by: Janet | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 07:05 PM
I recognize that area! My husband grew up in L.A. then moved to Bishop. Those mountains, Mono Lake, June Lake, all the way from CA to Reno, NV. I know that road trip! But more importantly, that's the BEST looking potato salad, and I want the bowl of beans, too!
Posted by: Barbara Hagerty | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 07:14 PM
395 is one of my favorite road trips. Haven't made it to Tahoe yet, but the Tioga pass is just spectacular. At the top, you can get out and pet marmots...or try to. Love your Dottie Does Dance post too:)
Posted by: Violet Cadburry | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 07:20 PM
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
Posted by: cynthia | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 08:22 PM
amazing! i love the desert and the mountains....i am drinking in the views you so generously share, thank you.
Posted by: julie macneil | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 09:18 PM
Is it very horrible of me that with all these gorgeous images of landscapes and mountains my eyes are totally fixated on that piece of chocolaty pie/cake? It just looks so yummy! ;-)
Posted by: Caatje | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 at 11:50 PM
Did you really see that dust devil? Scary but cool. What a fun trip. I have done bits of it- but not the whole trip. Next time I come to California think it will be on my list. Thanks for sharing.
PS-I want some of that chocolate cream pie-yum!
Posted by: Erika N | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 02:44 AM
Your photos remind me of driving through Monument Valley. Now I have a hankering to go road tripping in California. Okay, I've always wanted to do that but now I want to even more!! I too loved the Dottie dancing shots, very entertaining!
Posted by: Cynthia | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 04:26 AM
Fabulous trip. How I miss the open road. Can't wait to see the spinning you are accomplishing. xoDonna
Posted by: donna Parker | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 04:51 AM
I always enjoy the perfect moments that you capture while traveling. I think the bond you Moss sisters have is priceless. Nobody can tell a travel story in pictures like you girls can. Another great adventure for the journal! I will probably be thinking about chocolate satin pie all day......after already spending hours thinking about poptarts after an enjoyable visit on Carol's blog......
Posted by: Saguaro Chick | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 05:25 AM
Wow! Amazing scenery! Makes me want to hit the open road.
Posted by: tina zappone | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 05:36 AM
Mono Lake is the most incredible sight to see when you come out of the desert and there she sits so ethereal and unreal. California's best kept secret.
Posted by: Monica Smith | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 07:50 AM
We keep our little Airstream in Bridgeport in the summer, and the Mojave in the winter. 395 is like home away from home for me and I love it. My favorite place to camp is the Alabama HIlls just out of Lone Pine. Watch the movies "High Sierra" and "Out of the Past". They are great noir movies, filmed in that area. I can't wait to see what you do with the images, you captured the place perfectly. Lorrie
Posted by: lilylovekin | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 08:05 AM
You spin beautiful gold Mary Ann. The photos are G O R g e OUS beyond compare. I'll be sittin' har' slowly rockin in my sweet ole chair waitin to see what ya done with yar' photos, no hurry of course, time means nothin when ya've got so much beauty stretched out in front of you. Glad you had an awesome time.
Posted by: Susie Lafond | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 10:38 AM
keep going north to Inyo National Forest and remember Nevada Smith
Posted by: susan w | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 03:10 PM
Oh yeah. Flying into LA late, after work, picking up a friend, and heading up 395 in the middle of the night. Owls swooping into the headlights. Watching the needle on the gas gauge move closer and closer to the E, and knowing there is nothing ahead but open road. Totally worth it, however, when you hit Tuolumne Meadows and toast the dawn with hard boiled eggs and Guinness.
My crazy youth=;-)
Posted by: kim | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 03:15 PM
Hwy 395 is the best road trip EVER! I love all the little towns along the route. DO NOT miss Bodie Ghost town...one of the best preserved towns in the west. Tons of photo ops there. Lake Tahoe needs a week of your time...explore Truckee as a side trip. My sis & I stay in Tahoe City (CA side) as south shore is too commercial with gaming/casinoes, etc. Good eating places in TC
I have been a Hwy 395 traveler since I was a little kid ( I'm 73) So many gorgeous sights along that road. There's a Flickr site devoted to photographers of the Hwy and all sites along the road. Wonderful to browse through.
We make frequent birding trips to the Eastern Sierra, to Oasis and Dyer in Fish Lake Valley...love, love it.
Your pix bring back very fond memories.
Posted by: Joan | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 03:24 PM
I've always dreamed of taking a "real" road trip.....now I'm longing!
Posted by: Stephanie | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 04:01 PM
Oh yes, this is a wonderful road where you really get the whole "wilderness'" experience. And the diners. Old school. Love it. Just don't need gas while you are in this area. Pay attention to those no gas for x miles signs!Glad you had a fun trip.
Aloha, Kate
Posted by: Kate Burroughs | Thursday, March 07, 2013 at 09:19 PM
Lovely, awesome, and yummy!
Posted by: Judy H. | Friday, March 08, 2013 at 07:11 AM
Living here in FL - looking at your photos is like a wonderland of wild west and authentic gusto - thank you for bringing it! Just beautiful, evocative, lush yet somehow stark. Mysterious; like a kaleidescope of another time and place. Love it.
Posted by: Jane Bumar | Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 08:03 PM