In Lee Vining

On the way out of Susanville we came on this old church and old truck on the side of the highway in Doyle California that made good photo subjects - but no one was around and we didn't go looking for the story or origin -- just took photos.

Now we are in Lee Vining and seeing the sites here before we go up highway 120 to Yosemite tomorrow.  We went for a hike on the Panum Crater just outside town yesterday.  Really interesting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panum_Crater  shows a satellite photo of the crater.  It is next to Mono Lake so the views are great. 

The cinder cone rim of the volcano is on the right and forms a ring around the lava plug on the left in the middle of the ring.  We walked the rim and we went up on the plug.
Mono Lake in the background.  Also flowers on the rim.  I haven't found their names yet.

Then we went down to Mono Lake for a look at the formations and the migratory birds.  The formations were interesting and unique.  The birds were too.  The  Phalaropes were the most interesting and amazing birds. 

Female Wilson's Phalaropes leave the breeding grounds after they finish laying eggs. Males follow as soon as the young are independent. They migrate to staging areas on large western lakes (Summer Lake and Malheur Lake in Oregon, and Mono Lake in California) where they molt before their long journey to South America.  http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=184

These limestone formations are called tufas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufa
Wherever you find a tufa in the lake you know there is a spring feeding it, since Los Angelos has been taking water from the lake the tufas are being left above the water line.  Actions are being taken by the state to stop the shrinkage of the lake.

There  were several Osprey nests on the formations in the lake and we could see the adults going and coming from the nests.