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One day
in November the winds crested the Sierra at
perhaps a hundred miles per hour and descended
steep slopes into the Mono Basin. The lake
disappeared in a misty haze of white spray which
captured rainbows in the fleeting sunlight. Any
lingering leaves were pulled from the trees, as
were signs from their posts and fences from their
anchors in the ground. The wind roared, doors
slammed, and the streets of Lee Vining were blown
perfectly clean. Out in the basin, the deer and coyote have been on the move, searching out spots to spend the winter. Early storms have left tempting patches of snow atop the Mono Craters and up on the Sierra Crest, while not far away the ground shakes with the slipping of the faults which built this mighty range. |
Now we sit waiting for El Niño storms to blanket the east side with snow, looking forward to skiing along the lakeshore. Somehow with the rush to winter we always forget how beautiful the lingering days of autumn can be and, indeed, this year was spectacular.
Fall colors shone on the Parker Bench, beckoned from across the basin at Sagehen summit, cascaded down the moraines of Lundy Canyon. The leaves glowed like lamps in the sunlight, then disappeared on the winds of autumn.
Return to Winter 1998 Newsletter
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