The Owens Valley
Only on a small handful of occasions have I driven through the stretch of Highway 395 between Lone Pine and Bishop without stopping at least once, without spending at least one night under the starry skies of the Owens Valley. Even a trip to Death Valley often warrants a stop in Lone Pine, if for no other reason than to witness sunrise in the Eastern Sierra. Lone Pine is arguably the point at which the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway becomes unforgettably gorgeous, the White Mountains on the right and the Sierra on the left competing for our attention, but on most occasions coming second best to the tip of the iceberg jumble of volcanic rock that is the Alabama Hills. Drive westward on Whitney Portal Road from Lone Pine, make a turn off the asphalt at Movie Road, and you find yourself in a surreal landscape often used as a substitute for the planets of our imagination.
The brilliant honeyed glow of sunrise far outshines the muted colors of sunset, as the Sun sets behind the Eastern Sierra, but each has its own magic, its own transcendental value in our exploration of the landscape. Let us journey together, then, from Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills northward to Bishop, and share some of the wonders I’ve witnessed in this magical stretch of US 395.
Read MoreThe brilliant honeyed glow of sunrise far outshines the muted colors of sunset, as the Sun sets behind the Eastern Sierra, but each has its own magic, its own transcendental value in our exploration of the landscape. Let us journey together, then, from Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills northward to Bishop, and share some of the wonders I’ve witnessed in this magical stretch of US 395.
