Family trip down the 395 - Mono Lake & more!

[Big50]

I've been wanting to checkout Mono Lake for a while now and timing worked out with the recent Memorial Day weekend for us to finally go. I had hoped to cross over via Tioga Pass but it was not open and looks like it won't be open until July. Anyhow, We had to settle for passing through Lake Tahoe...oh how terrible lol.

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We checked out the main area with all the Tufa's which was fun. We actually went to an area a little west of the main area so there were no tourists photo bombing our pics!

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After wondering around for about an hour we decided to go find a campsite. I'd plotted a route around the lake and identified a few possible camping spots. We found a great open spot with views of the lake. We even got to see some wild horses during golden hour. My son had had a blast lining up his minions and then blaming mommy when the wind would knock them over. According to him the wind were her "toots" lol. It was a wonderful evening to say the least!

Also, I would not recommend venturing off around the lake without 4wd if you're solo. Could easily get stuck out there if you stop in the wrong spot. It's pretty sandy in some spots.

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[Big50]

The next morning I woke up at an ungodly hour of 4:45am. I couldn't sleep so I decided to hike down towards the lake edge to catch the sunrise. It was worth it!

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After the sun had risen I started wondering towards a larger tufa I couldn't get to in time for the sunrise. Well as I approached it turned out to be an oasis. There were lots of birds flying around and hanging out. Very cool find.

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And the boy decided to bust out the Toy Story cast in the morning. I guess he had enough fun with the minions the night before.

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After much debate we decided to pack up camp and head to another spot I wanted to checkout. I won't name it but I'm sure some will know it. The spot was an hour away so we weren't sure if we wanted to camp there or just return to the amazing spot we had. We decided to gamble and pack up. It worked out for us.

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This was our first real taste of the 395 and we so badly wanted to continue our adventure but reality was calling. We packed up the next morning and headed home. It was great to see my son have an absolute blast on the trip. We'll be planning more trips down the 395...hopefully sooner than later!

 

[EMrider]

Excellent report and pics.

Hwy 395 and 120 are simply awesome for exploring remote and beautiful areas.

R

 

[Big50]

Excellent report and pics.

Hwy 395 and 120 are simply awesome for exploring remote and beautiful areas.

R

Thank you sir. Yeah, I've explored a lot of the norther Nevada and Southern California desert but have really never spent anytime exploring the 395. That's certainly going to change!

 

[goldtooth]

We are heading down that way in a week or so in the Westy. What/where are those column like formations your son is standing in? Looks interesting. BTW, nice pics.

 

[Tatted]

awesome writeup

 

[Big50]

We are heading down that way in a week or so in the Westy. What/where are those column like formations your son is standing in? Looks interesting. BTW, nice pics.

Nice, you're going to love it!

awesome writeup

Thank you!

 

[islandthymetaco]

Great pics. It looks pretty empty out there, was it really not filled with tourists?

 

[Big50]

Great pics. It looks pretty empty out there, was it really not filled with tourists?

I stayed away from the main Tufa area and checked out the area to the left of west. It didn't have as large of a cluster of Tufa's but was worth the piece and quite. For camping, we were the only ones out there...it was awesome!