Many of you have now heard that there has been a 600-900 acre (reports vary) fire in the Old Marina area near Lee Vining. At last report there've been no injuries, deaths or structures lost, so that's good, once I knew that, my thoughts turned to many of many of the scenic resources in the area. I haven't had a chance to go check myself, but my network of Mono Lake-loving friends and colleagues have given me some data, a few stands of aspen along the west side of 395 have been lost, however, the signature trees near the parking lot of Old Marina (in particular, the one shown in this several-year-old image above) are well.
The fire is now about 75% contained, and conditions look promising for it not getting worse. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and look forward to seeing the area in person in October for my Eastern Sierra Fall Workshop, which of course you should sign up for today. :)