| Owens River Valley |
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Owens River Valley, California 
Photo by Peter Dawson
Girded by the Sierra Nevada to the west and the White Mountains to the east, the Owens River Valley holds the most scenic thoroughfare (Highway 395) from Los Angeles to Reno. The valley’s southernmost town, Lone Pine, is a 3.5-hour drive from L.A. Another 2.5 hours north is Mono Lake and the valley’s end. Lodging Escape the heat and stay in the mountains. The Rock Creek Lodge is a rustic fishing and ski resort at 9,373 feet in Rock Creek Canyon off 395, halfway between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes. The resort’s shotgun cabins feature no phone, no TV, and total peace and quiet. A mile far- ther up the road is Rock Creek Lake, a clear alpine tarn ringed by granite peaks. For a place that’s so remote, the lodge serves a surprisingly sophisticated dinner menu of fresh fish, steak, and ample wine. $190 per night; rockcreeklodge.com Sustenance Don’t let Cocos Locos’ (760-934-6767) Mammoth strip-mall location fool you. For more authentic Mexican— tamales, pork mole enchiladas— you’d have to go to Mexico. Make a scenic morning run through Bishop to Mono Lake via Benton Hot Springs, and stop for lunch at the Mobil Gas Mart at the junction of Tioga Pass Road and Highway 395. Inside is Whoa Nellie’s Deli (760-647-1088). Order the fish tacos with a bottle of Mammoth Brewing Company ale and eat on the porch overlooking Mono Lake. Comments (0)
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