The big story here in the Eastern Sierra is the weather. The fall leaf color was coming along just fine until Wednesday.
The storm hit Tuesday night, and snow and winds raged until about noon Wednesday. Snow levels were down to approximately 8,000 feet.
All mountain passes were closed Tuesday night and on Thursday morning, all southern passes were still closed. The best way to the Eastern Sierra is Highways 80 or 50 to Reno or Carson City and down Highway 395. Luther Pass on Highway 89 connecting with Highway 88 to Minden is another possibility. Check the CalTrans website for road conditions.
I wanted to be in the middle of the storm Wednesday so, with my buddy Bob, we left Bishop and four-wheeled in about 9 a.m. to the Bishop Creek area and witnessed blizzard conditions with very high winds. I was able to make some photos of close-range subjects but the distant views to compare with ones I shot on Tuesday weren't possible.
I took the North Fork Bishop Creek Road (Highway 168) to check out the snow and it's effect on the color. I went as far as Sabrina Basin Campground, where CalTrans stops plowing. The road ends at Lake Sabrina, which is the lowest-elevation lake (9144 feet) of the three lakes in the Bishop Creek area.
The aspen trees in the basin were drunk with snow and ice -- bent over at a 45-degree angle. The ice is the key to future color in the leaves. If ice forms and lasts for a while, it will kill the leaf, turn it black and fall in about 24 hours.
The high wind was blowing snow horizontally, which made photography difficult.
Off this road to the right is the winding one-lane dirt road that hugs the edge of the mountain to North Lake, the second highest lake (9271 feet) in the area. I desperately wanted to see North Lake, as I had never been in the middle of a storm there in the 32 years I've covered this area.
I began up the road but the high winds and snow conditions made me stop at the packer trail a bit beyond the bridge over Bishop Creek. I left the truck to try a photo of the trees but was met with constant pelting of snow falling from the trees.
I made my way back to the main road and decided to try a trip up to South Lake on the South Fork Bishop Creek Road. South Lake is the highest (9785 feet) of the three lakes in the Bishop Creek area.
The snow line began at Four Jefferies campground. It was easy going until Parcher's Resort. There was about six inches of snow on the road. I slowly began to tire-plow my way up the road and the temperature was 32 degrees. I went as far as Weir Pond and decided to turn around.
It was Weir Pond in 2001 where I photographed fly-fishermen fishing in a snowstorm. I was hoping for a repeat shot 10 years later. The trees in this area (Stop 20 & 21 on the interactive map) were covered with snow. Only time will tell if they will recover, or turn black and fall.
After numerous stops with no other cars to worry about, we made a lot of photographs. My objective was to make photos of areas I had shot the day before and the previous week, for comparisons.
By now, the snow was letting up so thoughts of North Lake returned.
Emboldened by the lessening snow, at noon I found myself slugging up the winding, narrow and frozen dirt road to North Lake. Bob and I were the only ones there.
Within minutes there were glorious blue skies and very high winds.
What a thrill it was to find ourselves in a remote location just as a storm was clearing. I filled an 8-gigabyte card in no time at all.
A warning to fellow travelers: The road up was scary but the drive down seemed worse, because if the truck began to slide it meant an 800-foot drop to Cardinal Village below. Plus, who wants to back up in those conditions to let uphill traffic have the right-of-way. We made it down the road with no traffic.
We continued shooting in the basin and ended up at Lake Sabrina.
For the day I filled four 8-gigabyte cards.
It was the perfect storm!
Best Bets for leaf color
The best areas for photographers this weekend will be in the Sabrina Basin and Sabrina Lake (Stop 17 on the map) and Table Mountain Meadow to Parchers (Stop 20 on the map) along South Fork Bishop Creek.
Conway Summit meadows above the summit are your best bet for color, but the roads may be blocked and half the leaves were ripped from the trees during the storm.
Sabrina Lake and basin offer nice color this weekend. You will notice downed foliage, but the green areas will turn. Check the gallery for examples.
Table Mountain Meadow to Parchers on the South Fork Bishop Creek is the only other area for good color. There is significant leaf loss, but the other areas will make up for that.
See the map with color rankings here.
Weather
The weather this weekend is supposed to be sunny and in the mid 60s in Bishop and mid 40s at the lakes in the Bishop Creek area.
With the storm passing, the photography should be fantastic. Dress warmly and bring plenty of memory cards.
Get complete weather forecasts and information here.
On the road
Snow has curtailed the two major road construction projects that impacted travel to this area.
Gas is about the same as in the Sacramento area. I always fill up at Topaz Lake Casino, which is three miles north of where Highways 89 and 395 meet. I paid $3.89. Gas along Highway 395 from Walker to Bishop still averages about $4.90. Gas in Bishop at the Giggle Springs, Arco and Paiute Casino stations is still $3.87.
Lodging
The Eastern Sierra fall foliage season has really caught on with the public but the storms have caused some cancellations. Call ahead to book rooms.
Try these websites for more hotel listings:
Good eats
If you leave Sacramento in the early morning, you'll find yourself in Walker in the Antelope Valley. Walker Burger is a great local hamburger stand and you will enjoy the garden dining area too. They'll close for the year on Oct. 15.
On your way back from Bishop, you might want to try dinner in Walker at Mountain View Bar-B-Que. They are open on weekends until 8 p.m. The food is great.
Events
This weekend Lone Pine will host the 22nd Lone Pine Film Festival. Lone Pine is a destination of choice for film and commercial producers because of its proximity to Hollywood.
If you have an evening free, you might consider seeing a movie in an original small-town theater. The Bishop Twin theater is the only theater for 170 miles.
This week, the theater is featuring "Abduction" and "The Debt."
Photography tips
Now's the time to brush up on your photographic skills, so don't miss the opportunity to get help with our Tips & Techniques section.
Share your photos
Upload your own fall foliage photos from any area to the Sacbee reader gallery. Check out what other readers are sharing while you're there.
Email your fall leaf photos from your computer or mobile phone to fall@sacbee.com
Related links
Fall Leaves 2011 special section
Fall Leaves 2011 photo gallery
Fall Leaves 2010 photo gallery
Map: Interactive guide to Sierra fall colors
Story: Plumas County lures leaf peepers
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