Mammoth Trip

We got back Monday from a winter trip to Mammoth over the holiday weekend. It was a good trip, if short.

Photos on Flickr

Some highlights:

- The snow was really wonderful. It was dry, settled powder most of the trip. It snowed a couple of inches on Sunday, and it was dumping as we left.

- The heavy snow made our trip home a lot more interesting than normal. We needed chains from Mammoth all the way to Sherwin Grade. Snow was falling in Bishop when we arrived, and again in the Coso Junction area. Thankfully the storm was gone by the time we arrived at Cajon Pass, but we could see it accumulated on either side of the road.

- Joe Profita spent Saturday night at the cabin.

- The cabin was wonderfully comfortable, and the solitude was wonderful. Going up there in the winter is a really great way to get away from it all. There was only one other cabin occupied while we were there, and we only saw them on Monday right before they left. We didn't even know anyone else was around all day Saturday and Sunday.

- Dad and I took a night ski down up the uranium mine road, back down, and then out onto Lake Mary. It was exciting going downhill with only a few yards of track illuminated ahead of you.

- We saw a Golden Eagle right by the road on the way up! Just a couple of feet off to the left side of 395 and right on the ground. What a wonderful, enormous bird.

- We spent all of our time skiing up and around behind the cabin. Mom and Dad went to Emerald on Sunday, and Libby and I joined them in a ski up to the meadow below it on Monday before we skiied out to the car.

- It stayed around 20 degrees most of the time we were there, which was quite comfortable when you were skiing and kept the snow in great condition.

Well, there are a few memories for posterity. We definitely had a good time, over all. It was nice to take a break from school for Libby, and I also enjoyed the change of scenery.