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| A stop at Mono Mills before heading to the lake |
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| Yellow floral landscape of Mono Lake |
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| Elise was intrigued by the tufa towers |
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| Limestone tufa tower amidst the scenic Mono landscape |
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| Standing by the incredibly tall tufa towers at Mono Lake |
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| The girls loved exploring the unusual terrain |
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| Mono lake tufa formations; unique and imposing landscape |
Sometimes the best part of long road trips are those special and unexpected stops you make along the way. This was definitely the case, when we decided to forgo our usual I5 route in favor of CA-95 on our drive back to Northern California. CA-95 took us on a journey through Southwestern Nevada, and we all felt like we were on a mini desert adventure. We drove through Death Valley and the open stretch Nevada desert where other vehicles were far and few between. The best part was watching the desert scenery slowly spring to life as we made our way through the Inyo National Forest and Eastern Yosemite National Park.
I soon realized we would be passing by Mono Lake, which I had been wanting to visit for years. We made about an hour stop at Mono Lake and it is a truly breathtaking place to visit. Mono Lake is literally right off CA-95 and while you get great views just passing through, it is well worth stopping and walking down to see close-up. The limestone tufa towers are incredibly unique and make for quite interesting photos. It is a bit of an alien looking terrain, seeing this tranquil desert lake amidst huge limestone tufa towers set against a mountainous backdrop. The girls loved running around and exploring the unusual tufa towers with the grandparents. After stopping here, we enjoyed the rest of our drive home through the El Dorado National Forest. All in all, it was a fun journey home and the girls did great on their first interstate road trip.
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| The tufa extend out into the depths of lake |
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| Family shot at Mono Lake; love this landscape |
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| Limestone tufa towers - natures works of art |
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| Admiring the tufa...one of a kind photo opportunities |
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| Love the mountainous backdrop at Mono Lake |
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| Heading back after a fun afternoon of exploring |
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| Exploring the Nevada desert, earlier on our road trip |
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| Dry salt lake in Nevada |
