I started out around 5 a.m. Saturday leaving the South Bay.
Driving through the San Fernando Valley on the 405, I passed an orange McLaren 570S (pretty sure it was a 570). He was going pretty slowly…I think this is because of the shoddy shape of the 405…has to be pretty jarring in that car. When I got to Palmdale for Starbucks, there was another M4 owner from the South Bay there…his is a 15 with SO interior, but the same MGM exterior…what are the odds?! We exchanged info for future meet-ups!
First light coming out of Palmdale and Mojave was great as usual.
My stop at Starbucks chatting with the other M4 owner took a while, so I’m sure cars passed me…as I got further north, there was the Orange McLaren just chilling…there was also nobody around…and he TOOK OFF! No real details here, it’s no McLaren, but this is a good car.
Some pictures of first light and the Owens Valley…immensely beautiful as always.
Time for the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. At the end of Big Pine, it’s a right turn onto highway 168 and then you continue onto White Mountain Road up into, you guessed it, the White Mountains. It’s a windy and humpy up and down road that would really be good with practice and with fewer little pebbles on the road (recent rains don’t help with the runoff). Nonetheless, the 25-mile drive is totally worth it when you reach the end. It’s about 10,100’ elevation at the visitor center. I got out for pictures and for a nice 4.5-mile hike through the forest. This is not your usual forest. It's very sparse and barren up here...these are some hearty trees. You can even see off into Death Valley on the back side.
When the hike was done, it was up the hill to Mammoth for some lunch and then up to the mountain for pics in front of the Minarets.
I drove down into Red’s Meadow for a short 3 mile or so hike from Devils Postpile to Rainbow Falls. The Postpile is a volcanic rock formation that looks legitimately like Superman’s Ice Crystal hangout!
Then, THEN it started to HAIL! I was mid-hike to the falls and freaking out about the car…the hail was about macadamia nut size but not too hard, like snow clumps not ice…so I hoped and hoped for no damage.
The beauty of the San Joaquin River, leaves changing and the falls were amazing, but provided little solace.
When I got up the hill to her, I was relieved to find that she came out seemingly unscathed…further examination after today’s wash has confirmed that!
Here she is covered in melting hail bits!
I drove up the windy bumpy access road slowly as it started to rain/snow mix. The lifted oversize-tire wranglers behind me were pissed at my lack of speed, but there was no way in frozen hell they were getting by to spray me with their no-mud-flap shit!
I got to the top to find Mammoth covered in the white stuff! Did I mention the Ikon Pass?!
The rest of the day was relaxing... jacuzzi and dinner with friends at Bleu, some good wine (2003 Pahlmeyer Merlot), bed…big day tomorrow!
