Today we went to Mono lake, which is interesting for a few of reasons.

It’s ancient lake over a million years old, and it’s 2.5 times saltier than the ocean! It also has some cool statues protruding from it, called Tufas. They look like hoodoos and are made from calcium carbonate. They were really cool.

I really wanted to swim and float on the water, but there were loads of critters swimming around in there. They were just krill, and harmless, but they creeped me out. And the water felt slimy from all the minerals. So I sent Mike in. I wanted to see if he floated!

And he did! And Mike never floats!

I still wasn’t tempted. The water was so calm and I wanted to put the kayak in. But there were signs warning about strong winds after midday, and around 1pm we noticed the wind picking up so we didn’t.

We then drove about 40 minutes to Yosetime national park. It was a stunning drive in, up a steep hill to almost 10,000 feet!

We did a short hike along some of the Pacific crest trail, and 5 minutes in I rolled my ankle on a rock. My other ankle this time. I sat and swore as it hurt like mother cluckery! But after about 10 minutes I was able to continue walking.

We walked for about an hour through trees and beside a creek, and it was more a gentle stroll.

We spent the rest of our time driving through the park admiring the polished granite cliffs, carved smooth by ancient glaciers.

We headed down off the mountain and spent the night overlooking Mono lake. We saw the sunset and the moon rise. It was pretty special.