Mono Morning

This shot of Mono Lake was taken very early in the morning when the sun had just appeared over the White Mountains to the East. It was 5:30 and the wind that usually rushes over the Sierra from the west and flashes across the lake hadn’t perked up yet. The water was so quiet the sense of distance lost all connection with reality.

Mono Lake was formed when the glaciers receeded from the Sierra and White Mountains that surround this area. It’s a huge lake. The water is icy cold and clear, but so alkaline that when you swim here, you will emerge with stinging eyes, and as you dry in the sun, a fine powder turns you white from head to foot.

This is a quiet, primal place. Whn there is no wind, it is so quiet you can hear tiny insects flying by. Sometimes I come here before dawn and sit in one spot and watch the first light begin the day.

In the water in the foreground, the sky has blended with the subtle features of the bottom, merging into a plane where bottom, surface and sky are one. Out of this plane, these white skeletons of dried meadow bushes radiate the morning sun. On the water's surface, the reflection of the bushes undulates in ripples that otherwise can't be seen.