We just got back from an end-of-summer camping trip, September 9-14. Our first stop was the White Mountains, where we wanted to take a look at some back roads and see the bristlecone pines.
We drove up Silver Canyon Road from Laws to the top of the Whites. It was a nice drive, except that it was very hot and very dusty, so we ended up sweltering with the windows closed. We were disappointed not to find any bighorn sheep, but everywhere we looked there were Mountain Bluebirds in their winter plumage.
After the White Mountains, we made a brief stop at Mono Lake, where we shared a sunset photography session with a photo tour group from China. We all crowded together at South Tufa to watch the changing light, and then Joy and I drove up to a cold campsite at Tioga Lake.
The next day we decided to hike up to the top of Mount Hoffman. We got a late-morning start, and the weather turned out beautifully -- sunny at the start, and snowing by the time we walked down.
That night we gambled on finding a campsite at a campground near the western end of Tioga Road. That didn't work out, so we ended up driving out of the park to eat a fine meal at Evergreen Lodge near Hetch Hetchy, and then we camped on a Forest Service road nearby. On the way home we spent the morning in Foresta before heading out.