CA 158 near County Road 1S30, Mono County, CA, 10/22/2009
I always look forward to seeing this beautiful stand of golden aspens whenever I travel the north part of June Lake Loop Road (CA 158) in autumn. The elevation here is about 7,050 feet above sea level. Although quite flat, the surrounding terrain is very rugged and covered with high desert shrubs, making the aspens stand out in a remarkable way. This year an early snowstorm had dusted the Sierra, and so the photograph also includes a snow-covered distant Mt. Gibbs (elevation 12,773 feet). The even more distant Mt. Dana (elevation 13,061 feet) is just visible at far right. The first recorded ascent of these two mountains took place in 1864 and 1863, respectively. They are each named after an Ivy League professor - Oliver Wolcott Gibbs, who was a professor of chemistry at Harvard University and James Dwight Dana, who was a professor of geology at Yale College.
