(click on thumbnail photos to see full-size images)

day 3—
We started out the morning with breakfast at the Base Camp Cafe in Mammoth Lakes.  The food was less than impressive, but that didn't curb our enthusiasm for the day ahead.  We planned to cover a great many attractions in the eastern Sierras, including Convict Lake, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Manzanar, and Onion Valley.  Whew!

convict lake

Our first stop after breakfast was Convict Lake, a most beautiful scenic location south of Mammoth Lakes off Highway 395.  Convict Lake was named in remembrance of a shoot-out that occurred there in the 1870s between escaped convicts and a Sheriff's posse.
 

A wildlife information site along Highway 395 on the way to Convict Lake
View from the parking lot at Convict Lake

Me, with Convict Lake in the background
Close-up of me (nice ponytail, huh?)

Convict Lake, rimmed by mountains
This gives you an idea of the true beauty of Convict Lake
After leaving Convict Lake, we continued south on Highway 395, past the town of Bishop, and then headed east on Highway 168 toward the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

ancient bristlecone pine forest

We were really excited to visit the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (located at 10,000 feet above sea level), which contains the oldest living things on earth. Some of the ancient bristlecone pine trees are more than 4,750 years old!  The "Methuselah" tree is the oldest tree in the forest, and is intentionally unmarked (only park personnel know where it is) to keep it safe from vandalism or theft.

While there, we went to the Visitor Center and watched a fascinating film on the natural history of the bristlecone pine forest, and how the study of those trees led to the development of the science of dendrochronology (dating of trees based on their ring growth patterns).  This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!
 

On our way to see the ancient bristlecone pines, traveling east on Highway 168, we saw this road sign for Death Valley
Bristlecone pines dotting a ridge

Bristlecone pines over a creek
Long view of ancient bristlecone pines

Peter in the bristlecone pine forest
This is what the cone of the bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) looks like (we did not take this photo)

View on the way down from the ancient bristlecone pine forest
Peter shooting some photos on the way down from the ancient forest

manzanar

Manzanar sits off Highway 395 between Independence and Lone Pine, and is one of the ten internment/concentration camps in which Japanese-Americans were imprisoned during World War II.  The National Park Service has now developed Manzanar as a National Historic Site.  Before this shameful occurrence in the 1940s, Manzanar had a very rich history, having been settled by Native Americans, as well as ranchers/homesteaders.  Manzanar means "apple orchard" in Spanish.

We walked the grounds of Manzanar, and also went to the incredible 8,000-square foot Interpretive Center, which contains exhibits that span a century of history, a large-scale model of the camp (created by former internees), historic photographs and artifacts, a bookstore, a theater, and a graphic that contains the names of more than 10,000 people who were interned there during WWII.  As you can well imagine, we were emotionally spent and literally in tears by the time we left Manzanar.
 

Animal herd in the distance on the way to Manzanar
A few structural pieces left from the former internment camp on the grounds of Manzanar
We didn't get many decent photographs of Manzanar, but here are some additional websites with more information and graphical illustrations:
Manzanar Portraits
Manzanar: America's Concentration Camp
The Manzanar Committee
Ansel Adams' Manzanar Photographs

onion valley

Onion Valley is a majestic area of the Inyo National Forest.  It crosses through the John Muir Wilderness to reach the east side of Sequoia National Park, and then connects with the Pacific Crest Trail.  One of the main points of interest is Kearsarge Pass, with a summit at 12,000+ feet above sea level.

We attempted to reach the Onion Valley trailhead at 9,000+ feet (the staging area for Kearsarge Pass, which Peter remembered well from his years in the Boy Scouts).  However, after all of the traveling and sightseeing we'd already done that day, we were pretty burnt out.  We managed to get about 10 miles up the very winding Onion Valley Road, but then decided to turn around and head back to Mammoth Lakes for the night.  Unfortunately, we didn't get any really good photos from this leg of our journey, but the two pics below will give you an inkling of what we saw.
 

One of the many views from Onion Valley Road
Another view from Onion Valley Road

back in mammoth lakes

We made it back to Mammoth Lakes, two very tired and hungry newlyweds.  We took a chance on Angel's restaurant, which was just a short walk down the street from the Holiday Inn.  Well, that turned out to be a fabulous choice, as we enjoyed the most delectable barbecue dinner that evening. :)

Unfortunately, when we returned to our room, we weren't able to rest.  See, the dreaded "weekenders" had arrived at the Holiday Inn the night before, and had kept us up half the night with their racket.  When it became clear that the trend would continue for another night, we decided to move on.  Luckily, we managed to snag a room at the Cinnamon Bear Inn, an unassuming little bed & breakfast a few blocks away. After checking in, we snuggled up and pretty much passed out cold after our whirlwind day of activity.