14. Tag - day 14 (for english scroll down)

It seemed like there was less smoke in the morning, so we decided to wake up early. It turned out to be a great idea! We changed our plans and drove east to avoid the smoke. We drove over Tioga Pass (elevation 3031 meters), the bare granite slopes of the mountains, the pine trees bent by the wind and harsh weather, the alpine meadows, the snow-capped peaks, and the small lakes and rivers reminded us so much of Engadine!! We stopped often, took photos, dipped our feet in the water, and enjoyed the nature. At the eastern end of the pass and park, we arrived at Mono Lake. A beautiful saltwater lake (2.5 times saltier than the sea) surrounded by the Sierra Nevada. On the shore, the bizarre rock pillars rise from the salty, alkaline water - the Tufa's. The pictures speak for themselves... “Mono” means fly in the language of the Native American inhabitants, and flies were their main source of food!! Millions of flies - black dots on the greenish water - a spectacle! Afterwards, we made our way back and continued to Fresno. On the way, we wanted to swim in a lake similar to "Stazersee" that we had seen in the morning. But unfortunately, the smoke from the fire reached the eastern part of the park, so we had to abandon the beautiful plan. However, we weren't sad for long because we suddenly saw a BEAR!! Right in the forest near the road! We could hardly believe our luck! It was still a young bear and Zoë wondered where the mother might be. I didn't mention the father right away 😊

We figured out that there was less smoke early in the morning, so we decided to get up early again. As it turned out, it was a very good idea. We changed our plans and drove east to avoid the smoke. We drove over Tioga Pass (3031 meters above sea level), the bare granite slopes of the mountains, the pine trees bent by the wind and harsh weather, the alpine meadows, the snow-covered mountain peaks, and the small lakes and rivers reminded us so much of the Engadine!! We stopped often, took photos, dipped our feet in the water, and enjoyed nature. At the eastern end of the pass and park, we arrived at Mono Lake. A beautiful saltwater lake (2.5 times saltier than the sea) surrounded by the Sierra Nevada. At the shore, the bizarre rock pillars rise from the salty, alkaline water - the Tufa's. The pictures speak for themselves. The name "Mono" means fly in the Native American language, and flies were their main source of food!! Millions of flies - black dots on the greenish water - spectacular! After that, we drove back and continued to Fresno. On the way, we wanted to take a dip in one of the beautiful lakes we had seen in the morning. But unfortunately, the smoke from the fire reached the eastern part of the park in the afternoon, so we had to give up the beautiful plan. However, we weren't sad for long because we suddenly saw a BEAR!! Right in the forest next to the road! We couldn't believe our luck! It was a young bear and Zoë kept wondering where the mother would be. I didn't mention the father right away 😊