Brooke and I decided to go to Mammoth for the New Years weekend to take some sunrise/sunset pictures at Mono Lake and to get some skiing in. We drove into a blizzard just after leaving Bishop on thursday (1/1/04), and could hardly see the road the rest of the way to Mammoth. Friday we drove to Mono Lake, and the snow was still coming down hard. We took some sunset pictures of Mono Lake, and camped out by the lake to get sunrise pictures. The next day we explored Lee Vining Canyon, then headed back to Mammoth. When we got home on Sunday, we found out that Mammoth had received 40 inches of snow on the 1st, and 10 more inches on the 2nd... Friday afternoon when we hit the road to head to Mono Lake, the snow was still coming down hard. This is a view out the window of the car from the side of the road. We could hardly see the road as we drove... Mono Lake at sunset from the Visitor Center in Lee Vining. The storm that we had driven through was clearing, and the sky was starting to come out. After sleeping in the back of my Explorer by the Lake, we got up for some sunrise pictures. At this point, I don't think I could feel my fingers. It was a lot colder than normal for that area... Another sunrise picture at Mono Lake. When we woke up that morning, we had a layer of snow on the outside of the Explorer, and a layer of ice in the inside of all the windows. It took us at least a half hour to scrape the ice off. This is one of the side windows in the back after we got back from taking pictures. Close up of ice crystals on one of the car windows. We had to stop here and take pictures for Luke since we know how much he loves pictures of barns in front of snowy mountains. Sorry Luke, its not the Tetons, but it'll have to do... After leaving Mono Lake, we drove up towards Bodie as far as we could. But soon found where the snow plow had turned around... Having a little fun leaving our mark in the fresh snow... The road to Bodie with a foot of snow on it. I guess this is where we turn around... Watch where you're throwing that thing! If that's not talent, I don't know what is... On the way back to Mammoth we took a drive up Lee Vining Canyon. This is a shot of the river that runs through the bottom of the canyon. Looking up the trunks of some trees by the river. Rabbit tracks in the fresh snow.