Eastern Sierra

We left Yosemite National Park right before a storm was to move in, bringing rain, possible snow, and high winds. We drove to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range hoping to see some fall colors. A week before we left on this grand vacation, I had seen blog postings on the Internet showing the trees had starting turning already, a week or two earlier than normal. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the wind and rain wouldn't result in bare trees by the time we got there.

We arrived on the eastern side in the afternoon. Prior to checking into our hotel, we explored a few places, including Lake Elerbee (just outside Yosemite), Lee Vining Canyon, and Mono Lake. By the time we got to Mono Lake, the winds were howling around 45 MPH. We could hardly stand up and walk from the parking area to the lake. That evening, Tioga Road, the only road through the mountains, was closed due to high winds. While we missed the rejuvenated waterfalls in Yosemite, we would have missed more had we not gotten over the mountains when we did.