This post was written by Julia Runcie, 2011 Project Specialist.
Today is the first day of spring. You wouldn’t know it to look around Lee Vining, where a swift winter storm dumped over 18 inches of snow between the hours of 10:00pm and 9:00am. When I tried to leave my house this morning I was briefly stymied by the thigh-high drifts piled against my door—I have a broken right arm and wasn’t sure I’d be able to shovel myself out one-handed. Luckily I devised a system of using my cast as a fulcrum against the shovel’s handle, a trick that came in handy when I arrived at work and had to shovel my way in.
Those of you who have visited us know that the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore has a slanted roof. I had only been sitting at my desk for a few minutes when I heard an ominous, sustained rumble and rushed outside to see that the roof had shed enough snow to completely block access to part of the building. Around the corner the Third Street sign was barely readable under a domed cap of snow. The summery mural that decorates our storefront now seemed to show beleaguered gulls fighting their way through a blizzard.
A few days ago we tempted fate by posting Mono-logues about the advent of spring. There were no more Red-winged Blackbirds calling outside my window this morning, and as I look out on the unremitting snow it’s hard to imagine that we will ever see grass again. On the bright side, the skiing is sure to be excellent once my arm heals!
For information about road closures, please visit the website of the California Department of Transportation. Monthly Lee Vining weather summaries through February 2011 are available on the Mono Basin Clearinghouse website. Don’t forget to keep checking our webcams for a glimpse of big weather in the basin!
Editor’s note: This was posted the following day, when the Mono Basin was bright and sunny and highways were clear, but all roads to Yosemite National Park were closed due to three feet of snow and downed trees and power lines.