Lee Vining, CA
March of 2018, I took a trip with two others to Lee Vining, CA, nestled in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. We were beginning to grow stir-crazy and wanted an opportunity to photograph something beautiful. We settled on the bizarre landscape of Mono Lake; the tufa formations and desert landscape drew us in fiercely. We hatched a plan to photograph the sunrise over the tufa. What we didn’t realize is how much more we’d end up seeing, and how breathtaking our natural land is.
Long exposure of South Tufa formation on Mono Lake, CA. Shot on Kodak Portra 400 with a Leica IIIF
After an uncomfortable short rest in my tiny hatchback, the three of us woke around 4am to pitch black skies. Lantern in hand, we tiptoed across the frozen sulfuric land, making our way to the South Tufa formation. Other photographers had begun to set up, for we all knew what beauty rewarded these patient hands.
Sometimes, getting lost works out.
We were exhausted. We had left early in the morning to make the 4-hour drive with as little traffic as possible. It worked, but that meant long, lonely roads in the wee hours. Once we finally made it to Lee Vining, we missed the turnout for the South Tufa formation, our main destination. We pulled off at the first road possible and took a break to get directions. While taking a break, we explored a small portion of the long road, and decided to revisit before leaving.
Day 2, after recharging from our morning shoot, we embarked upon that long, winding road, passing not a soul. The road crept up a steep hill, only to be blocked at the peak. A “road closed” sign blocked us from continuing…in a vehicle. Once parking off the road, we hiked past the sign, over a snow-covered road, past mountain lion footprints, to reveal a large, beautiful lake.
This spontaneous weekend trip was one of the most rewarding I’ve taken in the past few years. The landscape is unique and bizarre, almost alien-like. It was an unforgettable experience with great people, a trip I won’t soon forget.
