OWAC FALL CONF. DAY 3 BODIE AND JEEPS

JEEP/CHRYSLER PROVIDES RIGS FOR WRITERS TO EXPLORE BACKCOUNTRY

Day 2 was spent going to Bodie State Park, CA, where a ghost town stands pretty much in tact at 9000 elevation in the desert mountains a couple hours south of Reno.  Scott Brown from Jeep brought a couple JK's, a Grand Cherokee and a Ram Power Wagon for us to drive, enjoy and experience.

Our first stop was Mono Lake South Tufa where we enjoyed a tour of the tufa towers (calcium carbonate) standing in the salty lake, and even learned how to make Tufa.

Our tour guide, Bartshe Miller from the Mono Lake Committee showed us the wildlife that lives in the lake, like these brine shrimp.  Birds by the millions come to Mono Lake which makes it a birders paradise.


More on the Mono Lake Committee and their work to preserve the lake and its wildlife here:
http://www.monolake.org/mlc/

Lunch is always a good stop and this one is at the Tioga Lodge, overlooking Mono Lake right off Hwy. 395 south of Lee Vining. Gloria (middle) gave us the history and tour.

Lunch was amazing at Tioga Lodge, and here the cook is preparing meals that show home-loving care.
Gloria, the owner, explained how the lodge buildings are quaint and rustic, but very comfortable.  Several of the buildings that make up the lodge were transported from Bodie during "the day."

More on Tioga Lodge and restaurant here:
http://www.tiogalodgeatmonolake.com/

We stopped to see some naturally formed fissures near Mono Lake on our way to Bodie.  These were much like slot canyons, except they were formed under the lake in the distant past by an underwater volcanic eruption followed by rapid cooling of the ejected material.

Good thing we had Jeeps because the road to these babies was 4x4 only.

More on Mono County and the eastern sierra here:
http://www.monocounty.org/

Bodie State Park is a town frozen in time, standing in a state of arrested decay.  It was a booming gold mining town with 10,000 folks in 1880's.

The good folks at Mono County Tourism gave us a great day in the eastern Sierras.

More on Bodie at:
http://www.bodie.com/


We ended the evening with an incredible dinner hosted by the Virginia Creek Settlement (restaurant, lodge and camp ground) just south of Bridgeport, CA.  More on the Settlement here:
http://www.virginiacreeksettlement.com/

Many thanks to all the folks who put together this amazing Fall Conference of the Outdoor Writers Association of CA.  More on OWAC here:  http://www.owac.org/
Del

OWAC FALL CONF. DAY 1 -- MAMMOTH CA

OUTDOOR WRITERS ENJOY DAY 1 OF FALL CONFERENCE IN MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CA

We did the Board meeting and caught up with friends and fellow photographers and writers in the am, followed by a great lunch and plenty of Mammoth Mountain hospitality.

Gomez's Mexican Restaurant provided one outstanding buffet lunch, with goodies like Portabello Mushroom burritos and delectable fajitas.

Gomez's serves up a selection of items, including:

Sugarcane Shrimp; Chimale; Fajitas; Ceviche, and the usual combinations  you can't live without.

More on Gomez's at http://www.gomezs.com


The OWAC Board of directors were introduced and we enjoyed a relaxing lunch before heading back to the Westin hotel for workshops and craft improvement sessions.

Famed photographer, Jack Dykinga was one of the highlights of the workshops, with his breath-taking images of our natural landscapes.  Jack was down to earth, real and personable while showcasing us  a few highlights of his 40 years of photography experience.  He is truly a pro with an eye for light.



The evening found us riding the gondolas up to the ski resort Parallax Restaurant for an incredible dinner with an unsurpassed view of Mammoth Mountain and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The gondola ride was a thrill in itself.

Be sure to put a visit to Mammoth Lakes on your summer AND winter plans.  This place is amazing ---- oh, did I mention they also have an OHV area, motorcross races and plenty of trails to explore?

Learn more at http://www.visitmammoth.com

And learn more about OWAC at http://www.owac.org