Lone Pine, California

One of the first towns you come to headed north on 395 from LA. It is one of our favorite places on the eastern Sierra to stay in. We have been exploring this area for some time. Such a very cool little town. People are friendly and there are some good food spots. It’s close to Whitney Portal and the Alabama Hills. It’s an epic spot to catch a sunrise or sunset. There are so many little canyons and rock formations to keep a person busy all day. It’s the perfect place to have lunch and take some pictures.

Sometimes I will be taking pictures and my wife will disappear for a couple of hours exploring the rock formations in Alabama Hills. If you have never been you can put Mobius Ach trailhead into the waze navigation app which will take you right to a parking area which is a perfect place to take pictures of Mt Whitney. The arch is a short walk and is a good photo op also. There is the Shark Fin Arete. A shark fin rock formation. I do think that this is one of the few places where it is impossible to take a bad picture. Lately I have been taking more pictures of the tops of the peaks using a telephoto lens. If you are lucky enough to have some clouds it just adds to the view. Last time I was up there was a storm moving in which made the mountains look especially epic. I also prefer when there is snow on them.

From Lone Pine there is Onion Valley Road which takes you to a couple of trailheads to some beautiful alpine lakes. There is also Horseshoe Meadows which we haven’t been to yet. Whitney Portal is always a nice drive with views of the valley. We have been up and down the 395 and Lone Pine is always our first choice of places to spend a few days. I’m not a food blogger but Castro’s taco truck next to the Mt Whitney motel is awesome. The burrito will make 2 meals. For breakfast we always go to The Totem Café, the country gravy is great.

I know a lot of people that just blow through Lone Pine headed to places north, but it really is worth the stop. They also have a big history of filming especially westerns and have a museum dedicated to the history of films done there. The Mesquite sand dunes in Death Valley is about 90 minutes away. Hope you get to check it out sometime!

Where it began

These are my grandparents, They were outdoor lovers before I was born. Everything revolved around the outdoors. So naturally I was surrounded by it. I've been going to the eastern sierra

since I can remember. Camping and fishing filled my summers. When they retired they moved to 29 Palms California. The road they lived on was an entrance to Joshua Tree park, When I was a kid my grandfather would take me there all the time and let me explore the boulder and wander around. It was my playground.

In those days it was a one lane road, I never remember seeing another person. There was nothing there and nobody cared about the place. I'm so lucky to have experienced it at that time. They also bought a trailer. We would take road trips to the northwest. Picking blueberries in Oregon and grandma baking a fresh pie were some of my fondest memories. I have always been drawn to the outdoors. I still visit the Sierra every chance I get.

I married a woman who had never been there. Luckily for me she fell in love with the Sierra. It is where we spend our free time now.

I have always taken pictures but in the last 10yrs or so I have been trying to get better at it and capture the feelings I get when I am there. It's a long journey but its fun. There is always something to learn in the outdoors and about taking pictures.

And I also remember the times with my grandparents. I wished I could thank them today for exposing me to the outdoors, but I think they knew what they were doing.