Jeff  BISBEE  GALLERY

Click on photo to enlarge.

Onion Valley, White Mountains, California, USA

Trip to the White Mountains, and Onion Valley.      Once a year on the Labor day Holiday, they open the gate so that you can go all the way to the end of the road which ends at the Military hight altitude research Lab. at 3'730 meters [12,250 feet] in the White Mountains. The first photo was taken in Owens Valley at the foot of the range. The mountain in front of you is a full 3'000 meters [10,000 feet] above you at this point. It was interesting to follow the temperature on the car thermometer on the way up. When we started at the Owens Valley it was 37°C [99°F]. Were we ended two hours latter, it was 7°C [45°F] with a very strong 50 mph wind blowing. The top of the mountain, at 4'330 meters [14,200 feet] was still 600 meters [2,000 feet] above us. It must have been near freezing there!

Sierra Nevada - near Onion Valley Sierra Nevada - Mt Williamson Abies lowiana - Onion Valley Abies magnifica - Onion Valley It is possible to find in the same stand of firs cones with exerted bracts, and others without. I am beginning to think that Abies magnifica var. shastensis in the south is the same as var. magnifica, only with longer bracts, and not the same as the var. magnifica in the north which seems to have other differences besides the longer bracts such as a more grey colored bark. Abies magnifica - Onion Valley The first cone barely has some of the bract tips visible. It was only a few hundred feet from the cones in the previous photos. The second cone is from another tree in the same stand with intermediate length bracts. Abies magnifica & Pinus balfouriana var. austrina in front of University Peak. Pinus balfouriana var. austrina Pinus longaeva - White Mountains Pinus longaeva on dolomite soil Ancient timberline In the cold dry climate of the White Mts. wood takes thousands of years to decompose. These trees are growing 500 feet above the current timberline, giving evidence of a warmer time. Above timberline Pinus flexilis - Bishop Creek, Sierra Nevada Pinus flexilis - Roots, White Mountains Powell Glacier - Bishop area Pinus monophylla - White Mountains Mammoth Lake At this location, Pinus monticola, Pinus contorta var. murrayana, Pinus albicaulis, Tsuga mertensiana, and Abies magnifica are all growing together. Mammoth Mountain These trees were killed by carbon dioxide gas of volcanic origin in the last several years. Tsuga mertensiana var. grandicona

Photos : © Jeff Bisbee