This post is about the work of a friend and colleague, John Goldberg. John is a technical professional who lives in Capitola, CA. But I know him from the land we both love, the Mono Basin in California’s Eastern Sierra. John has spent countless hours there, photographing the land and some of its creatures. And he has been a great help to inkeepers that he and I dearly love, Nancy and Bill Boman. These dear folks just retired from years of managing Murphey’s Motel in Lee Vining. They made it possible and so very enjoyable for John and I and many others to visit and to feel at home.
John and I share a strong attraction for the magic land of the Mono Basin. This is where the Great Basin Desert, having plodded across Nevada, runs into the mighty Sierra Nevada Range, a giant fault block tilted down to the west, baring a high scarp with rows of the highest peaks in the US and revealing mighty volcanic forces. And it is the home of Mono Lake, a closed basin that is home to a part of the water brought by the Sierra snowfall. The lake is salty but it is alive and productive. It supplies food to millions of birds traveling through California in their migratory flyway. Walking around Mono Lake or up its western valleys always reminds me of the power of the earth. And I, like John, feel at home in this magic place. I have been traveling below these peaks since I was young, going north on US Highway 395 and I never tire of dropping into Mono.
As a result of his devoted work, John has shared two sets of images: the Mono Basin and the mustangs of Montgomery Pass. These came from a presentation that John shared in his home range. I present them to with great pride and joy.
Mono Basin: The Mono Basin: An Enchanted Land
Mustangs: The Mustangs of Montgomery Pass