Central California - May/June 2009
Mammoth Lakes - …and Ice
Along with
the interesting volcanic features in the Mammoth Lakes area there are several
features generated by glaciers. Most of the lakes in the region were formed by
glaciers, and the region contains many prominent moraines.
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Looking west along June Lake Loop
Road. This is a very popular hiking/fishing/camping area, and was a nice
~45min ride. There are several glacial lakes along this route. |
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June Lake with the eastern Sierras in the background. |
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Convict Lake, another glacial lake and popular fishing area.
Named in 1871 for several escaped convicts, the story behind it in pretty
interesting. |
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This shot was taken along US395, looking west into the Sierras.
Note the green colored ridge running across the foreground. I would estimate
it is pushing 100ft high. Also note that the ridge seems to be “granular” as
opposed to the solid rock slopes behind it. The green coloration is grass
growing on this huge pile of debris. This debris was deposited here by a
glacier that once flowed down the background valley. In other words it is a moraine. |
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A shot of manmade Lake Crowley and the White
Mountains in the background. The story behind this lake, part of the California Water
Wars, is very interesting. In a nutshell, the problems began in the early
1900’s. At this time the city of Los Angeles was trying to secure a water
source for its growing population. They ended up buying most of the water
rights in the Owens Valley, many times by fraudulent means. This deprived the
local farmers/ranchers of needed water. And since the representatives of the
city had political connections in higher places (state and federal), the
locals lost. |
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Another shot of Lake Crowley. Here we see some impressive
storms over the White Mountains. |
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Mammoth
Lakes – ... and Ice |
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All images copyright ©2009 by Al Hann All rights reserved |
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