Sierra Mountain Sigh

KW

We're in Mammoth Lakes right now. It's best known as a great ski resort, which it is (except, IMHO, when the practically gale-force winds kick up!). It's less well known as a summer destination. We've been coming here in both seasons almost every year for a long time. Summer at Mammoth is full of gorgeous vistas and great outdoor activities ~ biking, hiking, and (for those who are into that kind of thing) fishing. One of my very favorite places here is Convict Lake. I love its long-ago history, its stark, magnificent beauty, and the pure clarity of its water.
   The lake is at the end of a long valley, surrounded on all but that side by high mountains. It got its current name in 1871. The story goes that, in September of that year, 29 men broke out of the state prison in Carson City, Nevada. Six of them made it to this area, followed by a posse looking to claim the reward for their capture. As you drive up toward the lake, you can imagine the convicts riding along there, looking for a place to hole up. What they found instead was a dead end ~ almost literally, for them, and literally, for three of the posse members, who were killed in a shoot-out. Two of the surrounding mountains, Mount Morrison and Mono Jim, were named after two of them. The convicts were later captured in nearby Round Valley.