TRIP LEADER: Roger Vargo

We'll explore historic and scenic areas north of Mono Lake and into Western Nevada. This is a companion to our other Owens Valley tours (Land of Volcanoes and By God, to Bodie).  On one day we'll visit Aurora, Nevada (the original county seat of Mono County, Calif.).  The next day we're off to the historic mining area of Dunderberg and a more modern site at the Log Cabin Mine.  Stay two nights in Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vining or Bishop.  Tour starts and ends in Mammoth Lakes.

WHAT: Early fall is a great time to explore the backcountry of Mono County, California and Mineral County, Nevada.  The weather is cooler and the flocks of summer tourists have migrated to their home nesting grounds.  Deciduous tree leaves are starting to turn golden along trails once used by nineteenth century gold seekers.  Since the mid-1800s travelers, from argonauts to agriculturalists, have made this semi-arid, volcanic, land a stopover point or home.

Our explorations will take us across high desert and into coniferous forest.  Elevations will range from about 4000' to above 8000'.  We'll spend three days and two nights exploring in and around the northern Owens Valley, Mono Lake and High Sierra areas. This tour is a companion to our annual Land of Volcanoes and By God, to Bodie tours.  Suitable for stock vehicles in good mechanical condition (including full size), this tour combines interpretive history with backroad 4-wheeling adventure.  First timers and family groups are welcome. No prior class or trip is required.

Our tour itinerary is dependent upon Sierra snow pack and related weather conditions.  We'll meet in Mammoth Lakes Saturday morning.  Mammoth is an approximate 6-hour drive north of Los Angeles on Highway 395.

Starting each day from our base in Mammoth, our tour days will comprise two loops, starting and ending in Mammoth.  On one loop we’ll venture back to the 1860’s and visit the site of the original county seat of Mono County, Aurora.  Once a major mining town that reached dominance before Bodie, time, sagebrush and brick hunters had erased much of Aurora.  We’ll search out the townsite and cemetery from one of the old wagon and freight routes. 

Aurora is a high desert ghost town with lots of sagebrush and few trees.  In contrast, Dunderberg lies in repose amongst the conifers and shadows of Sierra peaks.  On the second loop we'll explore several sites in the general direction of Mono Lake and Bridgeport.  Our first destination will be the Dynamo Pond where water was collected to power a generator that fed electricity over one of the first long distance power lines to the Standard Mill in Bodie. 

From the Dynamo Pond, we'll climb high into the mountains in search of the site of Dunderberg, one of the earliest settlements in Mono County, then traverse the terrain southward.  Next, we'll continue south along Highway 395 and again ascend into the mountains to the site of the Log Cabin Mine and mill.  The elevation offers spectacular views of Mono Lake and the Mono volcanic craters. Again, with a bit of luck, and the right weather conditions, we may also be treated to an explosion of bright fall colors. 

We will be traveling on Public Lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests.