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Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes in June 2013: an out-of-season ski village all to ourselves, bear statues, island signposts and a well-earned Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Mammoth Lakes was our overnight stop on the June 2013 drive up the eastern Sierra, and we got one of California's biggest ski resorts almost entirely to ourselves: snow gone, lifts still, and the village pleasantly unsure what season it was.

Inga beside the wooden Village at Mammoth sign set among boulders, pines and aspens
Checking in at the Village at Mammoth.
Dileep on the quiet paved lane of the Mammoth village with timber lodges, empty cafe tables and a clock tower behind
Peak season this is not. We liked it better this way.
Inga standing with a carved bear statue rearing beside a tree in the village square, a cub at its feet
The local wildlife, conveniently stationary.
Wooden street signs reading Old Mammoth Road and Tavern Road against pine trees
Old Mammoth Road meets Tavern Road, which tells you the town's priorities.
A signpost of hand painted wooden arrows pointing to Pacific islands including Kauai, Maui, Easter Island and Palau with distances in miles
Arrows to Maui, Palau and Easter Island. Someone up here is dreaming of sea level.
The United States flag and the California Republic bear flag flying in front of pines and a wooded mountainside
The bear flag in its natural habitat.
A bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on a wooden dinner table with plates and drinks behind
Drinking a Sierra Nevada in the Sierra Nevada. Obligatory.

In the morning we drove north and turned into the mountains for Yosemite, in over the Tioga Pass.