A real bear at last - at Mammoth Lakes

Our first bear!!!!!!

Mammoth Lakes is located south-east of Yosemite NP.  We visited Yosemite on our last trip two years ago and will not be going there again, which is a shame for blog watchers as it is an amazing NP.  The scenery at Mammoth Lakes is similar but a little less spectacular.  For those blog followers who are interested, please see our blog of two years ago titled Andrew and Nikki in the USA 2011.  www.andrewnikkiusa.blogspot.com or google the words andrew nikki usa 2011.  We covered Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Valley on that trip and included many photos on that blog.

In winter Mammoth Lakes is a ski resort area.  In summer and fall, the series of glacier carved mountain lakes form the Mammoth Basin, and these lakes are full of trout. The hiking and fishing opportunities, the jagged  granite peaks and the pine forests and wildlife attract thousands of visitors, including us.  The elevation is high and the scenery spectacular.  Mammoth Lakes is surrounded by two million acres of Inyo  National Forest and there are 6 lakes you can see by car and beyond these, the upper Mammoth Lakes Basin hosts an additional 6 lakes. 

The black bears come down to look for fish the fishermen discard or they take them off their lines where they keep fish fresh in the water. These bears are not aggressive and they are unafraid of people. They come to the lake each morning and afternoon looking for fish.

Convict Lake.  We did a nice walk right around it and stayed at the campground there overnight.

Twin Lakes.

Andrew sitting at Mary Lake.  He was brave enough to take a swim in the afternoon.  Pretty damn cold water.