Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Glimpses of a Sierra wave sunset

This post was written by Emma Oschrin, 2013 Project Specialist.

When I began working for the Mono Lake Committee in June, I quickly accumulated an informal list of things I had to do before I left the Mono Basin. On this list were such tasks as finding the fissures at Black Point, visiting the islands, exploring Lundy Canyon during fall, starting a tab at Latte Da Coffee Cafe, and catching a Sierra wave sunset.

One of this year’s best Sierra wave sunsets: September 29 from the Mobil station. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Now, some of you may not know what a Sierra wave sunset is. Most of the incoming interns hadn’t heard of it before we started at the Committee. A Sierra wave is a type of lenticular cloud that occurs when there are specific wind patterns coming off the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Essentially, the clouds undulate in a beautiful wavy pattern that can linger in the Mono Basin for hours. Apparently, just before the 2013 seasonal staff arrived in June, there had been an amazing Sierra wave sunset because we kept hearing about it from everyone we talked to! And so began our fascination with and enthusiasm for seeing this incredible cloud formation. Over the course of the summer, I was able to see a few Sierra wave clouds, but I wanted to take this opportunity to share a special one with all of you.

Last week, as fellow Project Specialist, Julia, and I were heading back to the Committee after an afternoon of stream monitoring, we glimpsed a view that blew us both away. All afternoon, we had been keeping an eye on the clouds. We knew there was a Sierra wave hanging above us and we were not shy about sharing our excitement at the possibility of the upcoming sunset.

Dramatic clouds hang over the Mono Basin in the afternoon. Photo by Emma Oschrin.

And lucky for us, the sun is setting quite early in the Mono Basin these days so we were just finishing our monitoring as the sky really began to explode in color. Right as we were packing up our equipment the sky began to turn; the clouds took on a light peach hue and Julia and I knew our timing could not have been better.

The Sierra wave cloud just as the sun was dipping behind the Sierra Nevada. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.
The first colors of the sunset. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.

Although the sunsets are amazing while actually in the town of Lee Vining, we were a few miles out Cemetery Road, near the turnoff to Black Point. We were just far enough to the east that not only could we see the brilliant clouds in the sky, but we also had a view of the Sierra in all their early evening glory. After we stared up at the sky for a few minutes and snapped some photos we got in the car and headed back to town.

However, we didn’t make it very far. Our usually quick drive was drawn out, punctuated by stops to get out of the car and stare at the sky in awe. It just kept getting better and better. Literally, every 100 feet or so, we had a different view and the sky had changed ever so slightly to become even more astonishing. So we paused, we stopped, we stared; we had a very leisurely journey back to town because we could not pass up these views.

The sunset and the mountains below. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.
The colors continue to change. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.
Clouds over the Mono Craters. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.

Sierra wave sunset? Check! Now to start planning a trip to the islands….

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