I have been photographing around Mono Lake since the early 1980’s and it is one of my favorite places in the California high desert. It can be reached from the North and South by Highway 395, from the West by Highway 120 through Yosemite National Park, from the East by Highway 120 from Benton which skirts the south side of the lake, and Highway 359/167 from Hawthorne Nevada which skirts the north side of the lake.

Spring, Summer, and Fall are my favorite times to photograph this area below the east scarp of the Sierra Nevada mountains. I’ve seen bright sunny days turn into powerful lightning and thunder storms. One time I had to chuckle as I was driving along highway 395 when it was raining heavily and passed a couple of backpackers who had pulled over to the side of the road to soap-up and take advantage of the downpour. Sometimes it is so calm and quiet that I hold my breath just to experience the absolute silence, but then I hear my heart beating (which is a good thing). It’s been truly hot in mid-afternoon and truly cold while photographing the Milky Way at night. There are beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I’ve seen wonderful reflections of tufa disappear in minutes as strong easterly winds whip up waves with whitecaps. Waves of foam looking like large dollops of whipped cream are blown from north winds which collect and undulate along the south shore of the lake. Coyotes talk to me when photographing early in the morning. Alkali flies congregate along the edge of the shore and provide food for the many California gulls that migrate to the lake to breed and smaller birds nest on and around the tufa towers. Brine shrimp also provide nutrition for the gulls. When Rabbit Brush is in bloom it looks like the whole basin is covered with a yellow carpet.