Ode to the Eastern Sierra

Ode to the Eastern Sierra is a 12"x12" coffee table book containing 240 full-color pages exploring the Eastern Sierra.The organization of the book follows the path many of my road trips on the 395 have taken. We begin in Owens Valley, spanning the region between Lone Pine and Bishop and including the wonders of the now-dry Owens Lake, the volcanic wonderland that is the Alabama Hills, Manzanar War Relocation Center, and the Volcanic Tablelands where we find ancient petroglyphs. Then,...
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Ode to the Eastern Sierra is a 12"x12" coffee table book containing 240 full-color pages exploring the Eastern Sierra.The organization of the book follows the path many of my road trips on the 395 have taken. We begin in Owens Valley, spanning the region between Lone Pine and Bishop and including the wonders of the now-dry Owens Lake, the volcanic wonderland that is the Alabama Hills, Manzanar War Relocation Center, and the Volcanic Tablelands where we find ancient petroglyphs. Then, perhaps impatiently, we jaunt up and down the 395, from Bishop Creek Canyon to the June Lake loop, Lundy Canyon, and the Ansel Adams Wilderness, in search of the golden leaves of autumn. A detour into the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains overlooking Owens Valley is next, and here we meet trees as old as human civilization.As we head north, the John Muir and then the Ansel Adams wildernesses begin to stretch to the west. The Wilderness section of this book is devoted to locations where at least a day hike, if not a backpacking trip, is required for access, and includes Little Lakes Valley to the south and many of the storied lakes, waterfalls, and vistas of the Ansel Adams Wilderness to the north. Entering Mono county, we visit Mammoth Lakes, Devils Postpile National Monument, the June Lake loop, Bodie ghost town and Sonora Pass. Mono Lake, the jewel of the Eastern Sierra, deserves and receives its own section. The last portion of this book is devoted to four travelogues written during backpacking trips in the Eastern Sierra in the last five years.