Mono Basin Journal
A roundup of less political events at Mono Lake
by Geoffrey McQuilkin
| Seventy
degrees and hazy, and it looks like another day
of thunderstorms ahead. The anvil tops of
overgrown thunderheads have been prevalent this
summer, spreading far and wide across the Mono
Basin sky. Sudden downpours, sweeping sheets of
rain, distant thunder, and late night flashes of
lightning have all marked the season.
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Numerous lightning strikes have electrified the surrounding mountains and a few not-so-far-away trees. Fires burn here and there for a few days at a time, smoky reminders of storms now evaporated. Driving after dusk, distant mountain tops— usually dark—hosted small beacons of fire shining out into the night.
Down by the lake, waves cut terraces and cliffs out of the shore, revealing hidden underground secrets. Tufa coated pumice boulders, layers of loose pumice, roots of grasses and willows, and soil are all briefly displayed in cross section. Once underwater, underwater they go again.
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