Day 3 Mammoth Mountain and Devils Postpile

We really had a busy day today. We started out at a bakery in Mammoth, some outstanding pasteies, bread, candy, jams just all kind of goodies. We proceeded to Mammoth Mountain Gondola for a ride to the top. I do not like heights and could not get out of that gondola fast enough, leaving my purse behind. Steve was in our gondola and saved the day, asking if I was missing something. The elevation at the top is 11053 feet. The scenery was nothing but spectacular. There was still snow on the ground and some of us did some slipping and sliding. There was a little snack bar up there and I think we should have had a bite to eat, we were planning lunch at a restaurant at the bottom but never made it. There were mountain bike riders riding down from the top and interesting watching them, some would be flying off some of the hills. Ed and Len were thinking about walking down but would have taken at least two hours, so they passed since we had plans to move on down the road. There are several riding, hiking paths and quite a few of ski lifts on that mountain.


When we got down, we found out we had to take the bus to Devils Postpile, got our tickets and hopped on the bus. NO time for lunch. The ride down was speedy and curvy and a few of us were feeling a bit queasy when we got off the bus. Once we got to our destination we had a half mile walk in to Devils Postpile, it was an easy walk, I think the only thing really bothering us would be the elevation issues. The monument was interesting and hope the pictures will show that when I get them posted. In this area there are tent campgrounds, some gorgeous lakes, the river was flowing swiftly and the waterfalls were awesome. On the bus back to the parking lot, a family of four got on with two Ridgeback dogs. The Dad was sort of an ass, evidently they just hiked out about four miles after camping for three days and could not get on some of the busses ahead of us because they were full. He yelled at our driver and she put him in his place right away. The interesting thing was the dogs, they were so well behaved and had packs on carrying some of their supplies, like camp stove fuel and other stuff. Good looking animals. By the time we got back to the parking lot, I think our group was pretty tired and hungry, we did not have lunch and already 4:00 in the afternoon. We were having huge dinner at camp tonight so we all headed back.


Cocktail hour was immediate upon our return to camp. Garry and Marilyn were cooking spaghetti and grilling steaks tonight. Salads, bread and dessert provided by the gals. What a feast!! We had so much good food and everyone was mighty hungry. A big thanks to Garry and Marilyn, especially since Marilyn has not felt too good this week. Thanks to Lynn, April, Dorothy, Betty and Jane for the sides and desserts.


We topped off the evening with Butch breaking out the guitar and doing our campfire and sing a long. Since Rosie was not here to accompany Butch, Steve played the SPOONS, and a fine job he did. Very interesting.


Tomorrow is a free day. Several of the guys are going fishing at 6:00 AM with specific instructions NOT to wake the wives. Some of the gals are doing a bit of retail therapy in Mammoth. Very cute town with outlets and specialty shops.


Until next time......

Mammoth Lake Pictures