The Other Cali: Part I~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Psychological Self Care, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS

(click/tap to enlarge)

California isn’t all ocean,

sun and surf.

It is also mountains,

snow and ski.

Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes California averages 400 inches of snow each year.

We have been coming here to ski annually for almost 55 years.

Another storm is arriving this weekend!

Gearing up.

You can see Mono Lake in the distance where we are going tomorrow.

Cheers to you from Mammoth Lakes in February~

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178 thoughts on “The Other Cali: Part I~”

    1. Yes! People often don’t realize this about Cali. While fires burn in SoCal, avalanches are killing people in The Sierras. It is a really unusual and extreme state ᨒ↟

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  2. Saying hello from south of Sydney, Australia. No, we are not meant to have snow here either. Except all the American and European skiers come to our Southern Alps twixt NSW and Victoria to ‘keep up’ when the summer blazes hit you 🙂 ! Lovely photos of your snowy landscapes – no, I didn’t know you had as much! Hope the coming snowstorm is brief and you have a hugely satisfying time . . .

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    1. Helloooo to you in my beloved Sydney!! Say hello to all my bestie birdie friends too. I miss them all. I have heard of skiing in Australia and note you mention it is an activity mostly reserved for tourists!! Laughing….. They ski in Maui too. It is said to be the most dangerous ski resort in the world due to all the lava….. Would love to see some pics if you fancy to document this Ozzy touristy tradition. Cheers to you & thank you for the smiles ᨒ↟

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      1. Gave you a totally wrong idea – trust me 🙂 ! Yes, we have a lot of guest skiers but most on the slopes ARE ‘natives’ !!! I live 100km S of Sydney . . . promise to tell all the many birdies I I hear you talked about them!

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  4. Delightful white pictures Cindy. 400 inches…that’s over 11 yards. You wouldn’t find your way out of that one if it all fell at once 🤣 Great post kind lady, enjoy the white stuff 🤗❤️🙏

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    1. I took photos of the open door onto our third floor balcony and you have to see them to believe it. I opened the door! The balcony itself is buried above to well above the roofline. If you fell in the snow, you would drown. The snow is still soft 35 feet plus up!! ᨒ↟

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  5. I remember driving past the Mt. Shasta ski area and seeing cars parked at the roadside nearly completely covered with snow. So I see that there is more than one ski area in California. It seems to have a bit of everything. BTW, I just love those yellow flowers in your header, Cindy. What kind are they?

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    1. Yes! The Sierra are some of the snowiest mountains in the lower 48. Hard to realize with all the droughts and fires, but Cali has a bunch of truly different eco systems. The flowers are rununculus from The Carlsbad Flower Fields in San Diego. Hope all is well with you! ᨒ↟

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  13. Wow. Beautiful country. I must admit that I do tend to think of the sun and surf when I think of Cali. Until I talk to my son and he tells me about the desert or the mountains. I’m reminded that like most things …. A book is more than its cover. Ha ha.

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    1. It has, of course, changed over the years, in terms of business development, big rental condos, shops to serve them. To appreciate the place fully, I come off season, and stay at the highest place on the mountain, where I have been staying forever ᨒ↟

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    1. I know. I grew up on the ocean at the extreme end of Southern California. I learned the ocean early. Eastern Sierra snow lessons came in later childhood and terrified me, particularly the instensity of driving in a serious Sierra storm ᨒ↟

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  36. While I am not a fan of the cold, I am always a fan of your pictures and stories of family life!! Wonderful!! Enjoy the stories, the traditions and the family time together in such a beautiful place. Bundle up.

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  40. What a state of extremes!! I guess Cali is so long that it’s reasonable to expect the northern parts to exhibit different climates than the far south. Enjoy your skiing, Cindy!

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    1. Yes, in SoCal we left the fires mayhem, to travel to Mammoth, after it was hit with several stationary weather rivers triggering an avalance that killed caught two ski patrollers, one skiied out, the other perished. Frostian….Fire & Ice ᨒ↟

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