Mud Flats of Lone Pine

This week I spent a couple of nights on the mud flats east of Lone Pine.

I think the flats are formed when flash floods come out of the canyons of the Inyo Mountains. The large boulders and rocks drop out quickly as the flow slows down. Then the gravels and coarse sands settle out and finally the silt laden water flows out into the valley forming shallow ponds. When the ponds dry the mud flats remain.

The flats are smooth and so firm you can drive (and Scamp) on them.
This boulder fell from the nearby slope onto this small flat.
This is a great spot for the cyclocross bike as you can simply cruise around wherever you like.
The recent rains have been kind to the Desert Plume.
There are many "islands" of vegetation on the flats.

With the morning clouds we've had some fine sunrises.
Riding west on the Dolomite Road.
And Now For Something Completely Different

Sadly, people have dumped all sorts of trash and junk at the mudflats, but as nature reclaims the debris it becomes, well, "interesting" and maybe even, beautiful. Click on pic to enlarge.





Even the cattle got in on the action!