Travelogue

Erick Schat's Bakery MobileWe have been to Bishop several times before. In fact, the stretch of 395 from Lone Pine to Lee Vining is one of our favorite roads in the west.

Since we were just passing through this time, this trip stop write-up does not do justice to all the things there are to see and in this incredible area. For that, I refer you to our visit in 2015:

http://www.cross-country-trips.com/eastern-sierras-south-mammoth-lakes-b...

After our sleepness night battling the wind and wild burros of Saline Valley, we decided to spend the night in a motel. There are so many of them in Bishop that you can get a pretty good deal with all the competition. I think we paid something like $65 for a nice room right off the main drag.

We really were beat from our sleepness night, so we grabbed a cup of coffee at one of our favorite Bishop establishment, the Erick Schat's Bakery, known for its delicious pastries and other baked goods.

Somewhat rejuvenated, we drove back down 395 a few miles to the primitive, natural pools just below the Keough Hot Springs resort to take a soak. We had enjoyed these pools numerous times on our previous journeys up and down beautiful 395. Unfortunately, however, the flooding from the record breaking winter rain and snow had changed the flow from the resort to the “Ditch” as it is called. Rather than a series of distinct pools, it was now more like a continuous river. I stuck my hand in and the water felt a bit cooler than I remembered as well. Oh well. We definitely prefer natural pools to the concrete, cement variety, but with that comes the risk of changing conditions.

It was pretty late in the afternoon and we were still pretty beat from lack of sleep, so we just walked around town for a bit before settling in for the night.

Description

Great western town located along the Owens River on the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway (Highway 395) between the towns of Big Pine and Mammoth Lakes. The town lies between mountain ranges - the Sierra Nevada to the west and the White Mountains to the east.

Known as the "Mule Capital of the World," the town holds a week-long festival called "Mule Days" every Memorial Day weekend since 1969. It is also an extremely well-known and popular rock climbing area.