Yes it is. It’s often a gas stop for the skiers coming from LA and going to Mammoth. Or outdoors explorers. I used to have family who lived there while I lived in/near San Francisco. Over the years because of changing weather and especially snowfall I’ve been over every pass road over the Sierras, from Donner Pass in the north down to Tehachapi Pass in the south and every pass in between. On both motorcycle and car.
Anyway yes, because of family there I’d go often. I love the beauty of the rugged eastern Sierra Nevada. Some great starry nights too.
I have a friend who lives just outside of Bishop – There is the railroad museum in Laws and some nice pictographs. It is also roughly halfway between Yosemite and Death Valley.And don’t knock bowling alley food – the best perch fry is at the Sister Bay Bowl in Sister Bay, WI IMHO.
You can still see stark evidence of the 1862 flood around my area of SoCal. All of the canyons and arroyos along the 10 from Redlands halfway to Palm Springs were carved by that inundation.
Not to get too far off topic, but up the road is the Mobil in Lee Vining, which has a very good selection of grub. Went there a couple years ago and was impressed. Worth a stop if you are that far north.
Bishop is also the western terminus of US Route 6…only 3,198 miles to Provincetown, MA!
I can vouch for the tasty food at the Whoa Nellie Deli. You can drive just up the hill and enjoy your sandwich with a terrific view overlooking Mono Lake. They are looking to sell the place but when I was there last fall they hadn’t found a buyer yet.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Whoa Nellie Deli; Google said it was “temporarily closed” and the website says it will reopen for the season on May 19th.
I don’t usually stop in Lee Vining for a meal. Maybe gas on occasion. On google maps the deli appears to be closed. Located on Vista Point Road, it’s in a spot with a nice view. I hope it’s open the next time I pass through.
So, subsistence is the really big issue here. A substantial portion of the CA aquifer storage capacity has already been lost. If not actually forever, close enough to it to make no difference. I’ve heard it described like a house of cards - as you draw down the aquifer the surrounding ground loses structural integrity and collapses and compresses, eliminating many of the cells where water used to accumulate. The aquifers can’t be fully recharged, because some of the storage area is now simply gone.
This is one of the biggest long-term impacts of CA’s most recent long drought. That emergency supply of water has been permanently depleted, never to return to what it once was. Any recharging is good, but come the next droughts (and they WILL come), we’re going to find ourselves with an ever-narrowing margin of tolerance.
