On October 27th we took a drive up to Whitney Portal,
the primary trailhead for climbing Mount Whitney.
A view of Mount Whitney from Whitney Portal
Varied Thrush in the parking lot
Looking down over the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine
On October 28th we drove up to the Cerro Gordo Ghost Town. The mines of Cerro Gordo were significant producers of silver in the late 1800s and contributed heavily to the growth of Los Angeles.
A view of some of the remaining buildings
Belshaw House
Gordon House
The American Hotel
The old wood burning stove in the hotel kitchen
Wood stove in hotel common room
Picture of the late Jody Stewart who bought Cerro Gordo from her uncle and began the preservation of the town
Ammonia based ice house next to the hotel
A business often found in mining towns
Victor Beaudry's mercantile
The assay office where ore samples were analyzed for value
The Bunkhouse
Chapel built by Mike Patterson after the death of his wife Jody Stewart Patterson
Remains of Victor Beaudry's silver smelter
View down the Yellow Grade Road with Owens Lake basin and the Sierras beyond
The Horseshoe Meadows Road climbing the Sierras way across the Owens Valley
The Cottonwood Kilns on the west edge of the Owens Lake turned logs into charcoal for use in the Cerro Gordo smelters. The logs were brought down from the Sierras by water flume.
