Sunday in Mammoth Lakes
Sunday morning we got off to a slow start in Mammoth Lakes. We slept fitfully Saturday night, the altitude and dry air causing lots of congestion and difficulty breathing. As a result we didn't rise from bed until after 8am. Then we puttered around the room for a bit before going downstairs for breakfast. Free breakfast in this fancy hotel is a perk of my Marriott Titanium status. (Yes, really, it's called Titanium. They ran out of precious metals naming so many status levels.)
After breakfast we still weren't ready to go hiking. We were ready for some outdoors time, though. So we put on our swimsuits and went down to the hotel's hot tub. Actually there were two hot tubs (the nearest and farthest pools in the photo above) so we had one all to ourselves even though there were a few other guests on the pool deck.
The water felt great but the air outside- especially when emerging wet from the pool- was cold. Although it's June the temperature was not even 50°, a combination of the high altitude (7,500' elevation) and the cold snap in California the past few days.
Our morning lethargy continued after we returned from the hot tub. We stretched out in the room with our computers. As noon approached our conversation turned to, "Where do we want to hike today?" We decided on Ruby Lake.
The trailhead for Ruby Lake was about 20 miles away. It was an easy drive over there. Five miles but half the driving time were spent ascending along Rock Creek to the Mosquito Flat trailhead at just over 10,000 feet elevation. We were afoot on the trail just before 2pm.
Although the trail starts at a lofty elevation nearly 2 miles above sea level the trail to Ruby Lake goes up, up, up to more than 11,000'. The views are, of course, amazing. I'll post more about the trail & more pictures soon.
We got back to the trailhead just after 6pm and drove back to Mammoth Lakes. We ate dinner at a local brew pub. The beer was delicious and the food was good, too.
After dinner our plans for the evening evaporated. "Let's use the hot tub then come back to the room and stretch out on the floor in front of the fireplace for a while while enjoying dessert," I had proposed. Then we didn't actually have the energy to visit the hot tub, and the fire in the fireplace was just background scenery as we took turns taking showers. Dessert stayed in the fridge, and I was in bed by 10pm.
After breakfast we still weren't ready to go hiking. We were ready for some outdoors time, though. So we put on our swimsuits and went down to the hotel's hot tub. Actually there were two hot tubs (the nearest and farthest pools in the photo above) so we had one all to ourselves even though there were a few other guests on the pool deck.
The water felt great but the air outside- especially when emerging wet from the pool- was cold. Although it's June the temperature was not even 50°, a combination of the high altitude (7,500' elevation) and the cold snap in California the past few days.
Our morning lethargy continued after we returned from the hot tub. We stretched out in the room with our computers. As noon approached our conversation turned to, "Where do we want to hike today?" We decided on Ruby Lake.
The trailhead for Ruby Lake was about 20 miles away. It was an easy drive over there. Five miles but half the driving time were spent ascending along Rock Creek to the Mosquito Flat trailhead at just over 10,000 feet elevation. We were afoot on the trail just before 2pm.
Although the trail starts at a lofty elevation nearly 2 miles above sea level the trail to Ruby Lake goes up, up, up to more than 11,000'. The views are, of course, amazing. I'll post more about the trail & more pictures soon.
We got back to the trailhead just after 6pm and drove back to Mammoth Lakes. We ate dinner at a local brew pub. The beer was delicious and the food was good, too.
After dinner our plans for the evening evaporated. "Let's use the hot tub then come back to the room and stretch out on the floor in front of the fireplace for a while while enjoying dessert," I had proposed. Then we didn't actually have the energy to visit the hot tub, and the fire in the fireplace was just background scenery as we took turns taking showers. Dessert stayed in the fridge, and I was in bed by 10pm.