Mono Lake and Devil's Postpile

After climbing Half Dome the day before we had a leisurely day driving through the park to Lee Vining and Mono Lake. Along the way we stopped at some viewpoints, and at Tuolumne Meadows.

Foggy view from Olmstead point. Clouds Rest and Half Dome.

A short break in the rain.

Lake where we had lunch.

Tuolumne Meadows, with a coyote.

It was rainy, but we were still able to get some views from Olmstead Point of Clouds Rest and Half Dome. We had lunch at Tenaya Lake, then walked around in a break in the rain.
Walking around Tuolumne Meadows was nice, and we saw some coyotes running around. This area is probably very pretty in June when the grass is green and the flowers are blooming. There were some southbound PCT thru hikers at the general store, repacking their supply drops and enjoying the food.

Bubbling springs in the meadows.

View in the canyon heading down to Mono Lake.

The next day we spend at Devil's Postpile National Monument and Mono Lake. After getting breakfast at the grocery store down the street, we drove down 395 to Mammoth Lakes. Here we got on the windy, narrow road for the drive to the monument. This road is closed to private vehicles in the summer, but there weren't very many people in late September. At the trailhead we bundled up from the wind and set out. It was a short walk to the base of the formation.

Devil's Postpile.

Top of the postpile.

We admired it and took some pictures, then continued around and climbed to the top. The top was neat, with hexagonal and pentagonal patterns in the rock. We then decided to hike down to Rainbow Falls, at the south end of the monument. This was a pleasant hike, though a bit chilly in the wind. The falls were neat.

Rainbow Falls. 

We hiked back to the parking lot, and had a chilly lunch by the river.
Next, we returned to Mono Lake to walk around the Tufa.

South Tufa.

Up close with the tufa.

There were some signs giving information about the area and formations. They were pretty cool. We then drove over to a small volcano and hiked around the rim. There was a lot of obsidian laying around, but we weren't allowed to take any home with us.

Mono Lake from the nearby volcano.

After we returned to town for the evening.
The final day of our trip, Friday, we went up to the Bodie ghost town and walked around. This was a neat area, and I wouldn't mind going back to explore some more.

Bodie.

Central Bodie.