11/10 Hike to Lone Pine Lake
Awesome! The lake was frozen, and made crazy sounds, first when I threw rocks on the surface, then, on its own, maybe from warming up?
Granite walls are awesome, and the giant trees are fabulous- Ponderosas, maybe Jack pines, Pinyon trees.
Manzanar,
This place was sobering, or maybe depressing. It's a historic site which highlights the patterns of abuse that the white "settlers" impose on other cultures. The Paiute tribe was displaced for settlers to grow apples and other fruit trees. In the early 1900s already Los Angeles had their eye on the water from the Sierras, and forced the farmers off by acquiring water rights and land. After they had the area declared abandoned, the government created the detention facility for nearly eleven thousand Japanese US Citizens during WWII. So now we get a museum like facility to remind us how not to be- yet we just voted in another DJT presidency- what is wrong with us?!?!
The Japanese story that's told here, though accurate seems to be rather whitewashed. I just read a book titled "Snow falling on Cedars" which illustrates the suffering imposed on the Japanese US Citizens and the attitudes from real people who were friends and neighbors becoming mean and hostile towards them, even though they were part of the community. I didn't like that book, but likely because it rings too true at the moment. Depressing.
Alabama hills
Lone Pine is a 2 star town (of 5)
Everything is inconvenient, and unhelpful. Cell service is sketchy, WIFI is largely avoided- or for store use only, even at the café- which is like a greasy spoon type of café. No guest wifi. What is there seems to be run down and neglected. The road to Whitney Portal and the Alabama hills is closed for construction, and the information place is blocked off, behind the detour area.
The grocery store is weirdly inconvenient, and hyper priced. The chicken we bought had 1 monster thigh, and 2 mini thighs- hard to cook that! That needed to be requested, rather than in a case to pick what you want.
Leaving town, I was coerced into topping off the diesel tank, only to have the auto shut off fail, and splash diesel all over the place, including my shoes and pants- with no apologies or concern given by the station staff. Good riddance.
The Alabama hills were very cool, even if you don't know the movies that were filmed there. Rock boulders and pathways around them were very fun. It may be a fun place to explore at some point especially if bouldering is something to do.
OK, let’s move on to somethig more positive and uplifting?!