MAMMOTH IS A POPULAR DESTINATION for well-heeled Angelenos. They come for snow sports in winter and for hiking, biking, fishing and golf when the snow has gone. One of the year-round attractions is Devils Postpile National Monument, a volcanic feature reminiscent of another demonic National Park site, Devil’s Tower. It is indeed a long and winding road and we would have made the trip even if the elusive mountain quail hadn’t been seen in the area.
Connie at Devil's Postpile National Monument
Manzanar National Historic Site lies 50 miles in the other direction from Bishop, where we are staying. Like its sister camp, Minidoka in Idaho, it became the forced home to more than 10,000 US citizens of Japanese ancestry during the early days of WW II. Despite its name — Manzanar is Spanish for "Apple Orchard" — the government could hardly have chosen a more inhospitable location for the concentration camps but the Japanese families persevered and eventually returned to their lives.
Japanese Cemetery at Manzanar National Historic Site
We never did find the mountain quail, though not for lack of trying. The aspens appeared more golden each time we drove into the mountains. But John managed to find a nice stream filled with co-operative brown and rainbow trout.
