Night before:
“I want to shoot Mono Lake at sunrise.”
“No, you don’t.”
“What do you mean? Of course, I do!”
“I don’t think you really want to. It’s going to be below freezing in the morning.”
“Yes, I do want to. I really do.”
Next morning:
“It’s 5:00! Time to get up!”
“Uh-uh.” Burrow deeper under covers.
“You said you wanted to shoot the sunrise. We have to leave here in 15 minutes if we’re going to get there in time.”
“Changed my mind.”
“No, you didn’t. Come on. Your coffee’s ready.”
He was right. I really did want to go. And so we drove 15 miles from our campground at June Lake to Mono Lake in the dark, traipsed down to the shoreline in the freezing cold and waited for the sun to rise.
There were at least twenty other hardy souls on the shore—apparently some kind of photography workshop. Each person had a tripod, expensive camera, and a bag full of enormous lenses. They were fiddling with their settings, discussing exposures and apertures and depth of field. I had my camera in one hand (set on automatic exposure) and my coffee mug in the other. These are the moments when I think I really should get around to reading my camera manual.
We waited. And waited. Finally, the sun rose—but it never got that exciting. I think we got better photos a couple of days previously at sunset, which in my opinion happens to be a much more respectable time of day.
However, I did overhear one of the photography instructors mention that he was going to walk through the tufas to the other side of the lake to capture the sun’s reflected glow on the mountains and water. Out of curiosity, I followed. Now that was worth getting out of bed for. The alpenglow on the mountains, reflected on the lake, was sublime.
Why Mono Lake Is So Unique
Mono Lake is a unique, otherworldly place. It’s a large lake, at 65 miles square, and ancient, at over a million years old. Because it has no outlet, it’s almost three times as salty as the ocean.
What makes Mono Lake so unusual are the rock formations that emerge from the water—knobby limestone spires called “tufas” that are formed by the interaction of carbonate-rich alkaline lake water and calcium-rich freshwater springs. The conditions are perfect for tiny brine shrimp and alkali flies, both of which provide nutritious snacks for millions of migratory birds. In fact, Mono Lake is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and provides critical nesting habitat for tens of thousands of water birds.
It’s magical to see the towers silhouetted against the sky when the sun is rising or sinking. The sky turns various shades of pink, purple, and orange, and the tufas turn to gold at the magic hour just after sunrise or just before sunset. The best concentration of tufa towers is at the South Tufa grove, about 10 miles south of the visitor center, where a stroll through a tufa forest leads to a picturesque view of tufa islands just offshore.
Tufa grows underwater, and the only reason these towers are visible is because of the unquenchable thirst of Los Angeles, which began diverting water from the lake in 1941. In less than 40 years, half the volume of water disappeared, and Mono Lake was dying. Thanks to tenacious citizens who recognized the value of the lake, the area was declared Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area and mandates were established to control how much water can be siphoned off. Since 1994, the lake has recovered to about two-thirds of its original level.
We had planned to kayak the lake during our stay in the area. Alas, the weather didn’t cooperate—it was either too rainy or too cold, so we’ll save that adventure for another time. For now, we’re happy that we experienced both sunrise and sunset at lovely Mono Lake.
Your sunrise pic turned out wonderful!! Kudos on getting up for it. I know how hard that is! Love your other pics too of course. One of my fav areas in the country!
Nina
Thanks, Nina. I think you and I feel the same way about those super-early mornings — but they’re also worth it, as you know!
WOW, was that worth it or what? Such gorgeous
shots you captured. Breathtaking. This is one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen. Thanks.
It was definitely worth it, Peggy. I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos. oxoxo
Nice images! Yes, set the camera on auto and shoot, shoot, shoot!
My philosophy exactly! ;-) No need to read the manual!
Beautiful!
Thank you! :-)
one of those places on my list that we haven’t yet made it too… thanks for showing me why I need to go there…
It’s definitely worth a visit — that whole stretch of 395 is terrific!
It was definitely worth the early morning rise. Beautiful photos. It’s the cold that usually stops me.
Thanks, Ingrid — we were happy we made the effort, despite the cold and early hour!
Great images of one of my favorite places! They take me back almost a quarter of a century, when I spent a good deal of time in the Yosemite area. And, Mono Lake was the first “cause” that I ever became involved with. A very special place – thanks for the memories!
That is so cool, Dick. Thanks to people like you who got involved, Mono Lake seems to be recovering. It truly is a very special place.
Beautiful! I could not make myself get out for sunrise shots…thank goodness others are so inclined to brave the freezing temps for the beauty of sunrise on the tufas and those incredible peaks!
Lisa, I always think I want to get out until the morning actually arrives! But I’m glad Eric encouraged me to follow through. It was pretty spectacular!
Feeling pretty smug sitting here by my fire with my feet in my slippers, coffee in hand perusing your lovely pictures (not feeling the cold a bit). Thanks again for your talent,tenacity,and timing. And thanks to Eric for the coffee and nudge.
What a lovely image, Sue, thinking of you cozily sitting by the fire perusing our photos! I’m glad you’re enjoying them, and I’m glad you’re accompanying us. :-)
Please thank Eric for getting you up so early! That opening shot is amazing (especially sitting in my nice warm chair at a decent hour). I love how the water is a different color in every shot :-)
Eric’s feeling pretty sanctimonious about holding me to my desire for that early morning in the tufas! Glad you enjoyed the photos from a comfortable vantage point, Jodee. ;-)
Just gorgeous!! I’m glad you got up so we could all enjoy the the beautiful lighting. Your header is magnificent…you don’t need any fancy equipment:)
Thanks, Pam. :-) I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos — and I’m happy to not be toting around a lot of extra camera paraphernalia. I don’t want all those extra lenses interfering with our hiking/biking/kayaking adventures!
I adore Mono Lake and your photos were quite lovely, even if you aren’t quite the sunrise gal. I have done Mono Lake sunrise twice and have yet to get back there at sunset. We probably should have chosen sunset this past visit,as this is where we had our very close encounter with a deer at dawn. I never tire of seeing these fascinating formations.
LuAnn, although we’ve visited Mono Lake several times, this was the first time we managed sunrise and sunset. Always before it’s been mid-day, which doesn’t offer the most striking lighting. Nonetheless, I agree that it’s a fascinating place, any time of day!
Truly magical!
It is always difficult to get out of bed early in the morning just to get a shot of an alpenglow. But after your body has been warmed up it is truly worth it.
Like you I’m good in saying I want to do a sunrise shot and usually the cold weather wins. But our hubbies know when to kick our butts and get out of bed and we’re thankful for their prodding.
Your captures are just fabulous, Laurel.
Haha, yes, it’s good when our hubbies know what we REALLY want. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos, ML — I was happy when I saw that alpenglow on the mountains — otherwise I’m not sure it would have been worth getting out of bed for that adventure.
Love all your photos–what a cool place!!
Thanks, Janna — Mono Lake really is a unique place!
“We don’t need no stinkin’ manual”. All of your photos have been super wonderful. There really are some magical places out there. Thank you so much for sharing. What is your ideal hiking shoe? Hugs to you both.
Haha, great comment! So glad you’ve been enjoying our photos, Brenda. As far as hiking shoes, after going through many, many brands, my favorite is the Keen Voyager — super comfortable right out of the box, plenty of toe room, lightweight but sturdy, and good traction. Hugs to you two, too!
Yay sunsets…..booo sunrises!
Fancy equipment not needed – it’s your “eye” that makes the pictures what they are! Thanks.
Sue
Haha, I’m with you, Sue! Plus sunsets come with happy hour. :-) Thanks for your nice comment.
You may like happy hour, but it looks like after your spectacular sunrise experience you found some coffee. I love the name Latte Da, for a coffee shop.
Sheila, it was great to have a cozy place to warm up after our chilly early morning adventure!
I had to laugh and read this post out to my husband. Sounded very very familiar. But you see it was worth it, great pictures!
Haha, always nice to know I’m not the only one! Glad you enjoyed the photos, Jane. :-)