The road from Tioga Pass drops into Lee Vining in a headlong rush, and the first thing you see is Mono Lake spread out below like a pool of molten silver. It sits in a basin at 6,400 feet, with no outlet, so the water that flows in from the Sierra streams leaves only by evaporation, and the lake has become strange. It is two and a half times as salty as the ocean and highly alkaline, with a texture that feels slippery on the skin, and it supports no fish, but trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies.
Rising from the water are the tufa towers, pale spires and knobs of limestone formed when calcium-rich springs bubble up through the alkaline water. They were built underwater and exposed when the lake level fell. The level fell because, from 1941, Los Angeles diverted most of the streams that fed the lake into its aqueduct, and the lake dropped by about forty-five feet. Local people fought a long campaign to save it, and in 1994 the state ordered the diversions reduced, and the lake has been slowly recovering since. The shrimp and flies feed huge flocks of migrating birds, including California gulls and phalaropes, and the lake is one of the key bird sites of the West.
For a rider, Lee Vining is the practical place after the long descent from Tioga Pass. The town is small, a strip of cafes, motels and gas stations along US 395, but it is the best place on this side for fuel and food. A gas station here has a restaurant attached, called the Whoa Nellie Deli, which is famous for its fish tacos and the view of the lake from the picnic tables. It is a favourite among riders, and the parking lot is often full of bikes.
The riding north and south on US 395 is excellent, with wide, flowing highway through volcanic and high-desert country. South leads toward Mammoth Lakes and the Owens Valley, and north to Bridgeport and the road to Bodie, a well preserved ghost town. The weather on the east side is dry and often windy, with strong gusts in the afternoon, and thunderstorms in summer. Winters are cold, and the pass may be closed.
Visit the lakeshore at the South Tufa area at sunset, when the towers glow and the water turns pink. The air smells of sage and salt, and the quiet is deep.