DianaT
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Devil's Post Pile National Monument
It has been a few years, so we decided to visit again. The entire area looks a bit different after they suffered a horrendous wind storm the end of
last November. The unusually strong winds in Mammoth were funneled down into the canyon are reached 150-180 mph. Snapped a lot of trees in half and
uprooted many more, so there are a lot of cut trees around. But as always, it is still a beautiful area and worth seeing the great formations.
No shuttle now, but still many people on this cool cloudless day.
The main front part of the display
This part looks manmade.
And some fall color on the side of the rocks.
And then on the way to the top of the display, there are the horizontal posts.
And the top of the posts.
And a strange creature crawling up a log; or at least it looked like a creature to me!
It was amazing listening to different tourists. Some were really impressed and want to return, some were impressed and also loved the surrounding
area and want to return, and some thought it was not really worth it and have no desire to return.
[Edited on 9-29-2013 by DianaT]
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elgatoloco
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Devil's Post Pile is such a unique place. People could go a lifetime and never see columnar joints! They don't know what they are missing. Thanks for
the pics. Growing up my family spent a lot of leisure time in the Mammoth area. The geology is varied and to some of us fascinating. My mother bought
me a book on the geology of the eastern sierra when I was 9 or 10 and it was my job to educate everyone (who would listen) on what we were seeing from
the car (captive audience) driving up and down 395. In the summer my dad would make a point of stopping to explore one area or the other along the
way. I was going to be a geologist then I hit puberty and decided to switch to ski instructor. 
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by elgatoloco
Devil's Post Pile is such a unique place. People could go a lifetime and never see columnar joints! They don't know what they are missing. Thanks for
the pics. Growing up my family spent a lot of leisure time in the Mammoth area. The geology is varied and to some of us fascinating. My mother bought
me a book on the geology of the eastern sierra when I was 9 or 10 and it was my job to educate everyone (who would listen) on what we were seeing from
the car (captive audience) driving up and down 395. In the summer my dad would make a point of stopping to explore one area or the other along the
way. I was going to be a geologist then I hit puberty and decided to switch to ski instructor. |
I agree that it is all fascinating and it is still an active geological area. I would have enjoyed listening to your geology lessons. I remember
when I first learned about the Long Valley Caldera ---- had to be one heck of an explosion.
Now, I keep looking at the young cinder cone just south of us. 
Ski instructor --- good for you. One of my sons liked the area so much that he became a ski bum in mammoth for a few years.
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churro
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Very nice photos... Another good example is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by churro
Very nice photos... Another good example is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland |
Oh my, I looked that up and saw some photos and now I want to visit! It looks like an amazing place. THANKS
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RnR
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Great photos.
Interesting view of the "top" of the columns.
Not sure if you have visited Inyo Craters, yet. Not a place to have been standing around when it went off!
A few miles north off of the road to Devil'e Postpile.
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by RnR
Great photos.
Interesting view of the "top" of the columns.
Not sure if you have visited Inyo Craters, yet. Not a place to have been standing around when it went off!
A few miles north off of the road to Devil'e Postpile. |
Thanks. I have not been to the Inyo Craters for quite a few years --- time to go again and hope there is not another explosion.
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Skipjack Joe
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It looks like an interesting place to visit. And it also looks like a difficult subject to photograph. There are tons of calendar images of Mono Lake
but I can't remember any of the Devils Postpile.
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churro
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| Quote: | Originally posted by churro
Very nice photos... Another good example is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland |
Interesting Celtic mythology behind the Giants Causeway, Finn McCool the Irish Giant.... You can go to the nearby village of Bushmill, famous for its
whiskey, sip on some "water of life" then explore the geological site.
The geological site extends under the Irish sea to the Scottish isle of Staffa where there is a cave where the Scottish Giant was said to live...
Amazing !!
You can get an inexpensive fly/drive or tour package. We did it a few years back
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durrelllrobert
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When we lived in Ridgecrest we used to stop at the post pile on the way to Mammoth, but not during ski season. We belonged to the China lake ski club
that had a lodge at mammoth and every fall they had a weekend of cutting/stacking firewood and general maintenance/ cleaning of the lodge and that's
when we would stop.
When I first joined the older members told me that part of my job was to stop at the post pile and pick up a load of firewood. That was my first time
there and later found out it was a traditional initiation gag for all new members.
For anyone that doesn't know how Devil's Postpile was formed here is the link:
geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/depo/dpgeol4.html
[Edited on 9-29-2013 by durrelllrobert]
[Edited on 9-29-2013 by durrelllrobert]
[Edited on 9-29-2013 by durrelllrobert]
[Edited on 9-29-2013 by durrelllrobert]
Bob Durrell
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
It looks like an interesting place to visit. And it also looks like a difficult subject to photograph. There are tons of calendar images of Mono Lake
but I can't remember any of the Devils Postpile. |
It is very interesting, and yes not easy to photograph as it is in a rather narrow canyon with lots of shadows. Someday I hope to be able to get a
real photo of a part of it, maybe. ,
| Quote: | Originally posted by churro
| Quote: | Originally posted by churro
Very nice photos... Another good example is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland |
Interesting Celtic mythology behind the Giants Causeway, Finn McCool the Irish Giant.... You can go to the nearby village of Bushmill, famous for its
whiskey, sip on some "water of life" then explore the geological site.
The geological site extends under the Irish sea to the Scottish isle of Staffa where there is a cave where the Scottish Giant was said to live...
Amazing !!
You can get an inexpensive fly/drive or tour package. We did it a few years back |
I LOVE that story and it makes it makes the idea of visiting all the more enticing.
| Quote: | Originally posted by durrelllrobert
When we lived in Ridgecrest we used to stop at the post pile on the way to Mammoth, but not during ski season. We belonged to the China lake ski club
that had a lodge at mammoth and every fall they had a weekend of cutting/stacking firewood and general maintenance/ cleaning of the lodge and that's
when we would stop.
When I first joined the older members told me that part of my job was to stop at the post pile and pick up a load of firewood. That was my first time
there and later found out it was a traditional initiation gag for all new members.
For anyone that doesn't know how Devil's Postpile was formed here is the link:
geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/depo/dpgeol4.html
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Thanks for the story. And thanks for the link.
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Ateo
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We almost made it to Devil's Postpile last month, but the fire made air quality horrific, and the kids started whining about something, so we turned
around and headed for Bishop. Thanks for the pictures.
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tripledigitken
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Diane,
It's almost one year to the day I was there. Your timing was great, a little later and the shadows are gone.
Nice shots.
Ken
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Bajahowodd
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Ah Ha! You finally made it back there. Always a wonderful hike. Great photos. So, what's going on at Red's Meadow?
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ateo
We almost made it to Devil's Postpile last month, but the fire made air quality horrific, and the kids started whining about something, so we turned
around and headed for Bishop. Thanks for the pictures. |
Next time for sure. Buy your kids books like elgatoloco had! It really is a great area to study geology.
| Quote: | Originally posted by tripledigitken
Diane,
It's almost one year to the day I was there. Your timing was great, a little later and the shadows are gone.
Nice shots.
Ken |
Thanks Ken --- it is great up here right now! I hope you don't miss it.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Ah Ha! You finally made it back there. Always a wonderful hike. Great photos. So, what's going on at Red's Meadow? |
Some of the campgrounds are shut down for the season, the pack stations are beginning to shut down, their season is coming to an end. It really is
strange to see all the downed trees and they are still working on them. May head up to Rainbow Falls tomorrow.
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Bajahowodd
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Good choice.
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Skipjack Joe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
Some of the campgrounds are shut down for the season, the pack stations are beginning to shut down, their season is coming to an end.
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For some reason I started to feel nostalgic about those pack stations on my last trip. It was as though they were relics from the past. Perhaps I'm
mistaken about that. Do people still enjoy going up into those mountains by mulepack like they did in the past? There was a time when a packtrain was
one of the few visitors you encountered on a hike up there. It was always a tricky affair scrambling up off the trail with your 50lb backpack to let
them pass. You just felt uneasy when they passed within arms length of your face.
P.S. The Devils Postpile pictures are starting to grown on me. Should have given them a few days before writing.
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DianaT
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Igor,
I am glad they are growing on you. :-)
There are still several seasonally operated pack stations. It seems there is one up every major Canyon --- Kennedy Meadows, Onion Valley, Big Pine,
Bishop Creek (one at South Lake and one at North Lake) Rock Creek, McGee Creek, Red's Meadows, Agnew Meadows, and I am sure I have forgotten some.
How much business each of them does, I do not know, but they open every season and one does need to watch where one steps while on the trail.
The livestock winter down in the valley. Just down the street from us are a few very large fields where many mules and horses spend their winter. It
is a bit strange at the beginning of the season when all of sudden, the fields are empty.
I know what you mean about scrambling up off the trail to get out of the way. 
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