Two Lakes and the Valley Below
Lake Sabrina
North Lake
Up, up, up to 9,000 feet to Lake Sabrina, then over a scary road to North Lake, Diana's SUV hauls us into the high Sierra Mountains. Our timing is perfect, the aspens as yellow as the sun. The lakes--well, check out the pictures. We walk around awhile, looking down on Bishop, CA, and the Owens Valley below.
Thirty miles wide and 170 miles long, filled almost completely with colorful desert chapparel. Five thousand square miles with only a token population clustered in tiny towns along Hwy 395. The mountains make this a spectacular drive. The valley could have been a fruitful paradise. There's water aplenty; snowmelt cascading down the mountains. But----Los Angeles gets it all----almost all of it anyway.
Every citizen living here will tell you in bitter detail how smoothe-talking, money-flashing, secret agents of the LA Water Board quietly bought up all the valley farms and water rights. Then they sprung their trap, built the LA Aquaduct that carries away all the valley's water to thirsty Los Angeles. We see water company trucks everywhere, guarding, guiding their precious water south. And it IS great tasting water. I filched 10 gallons for myself!
Randy
posted by Diana | 4:17 PM
1 Comments:
I found you from JV's links, and when I saw your post title "Two Lakes and the Valley Below" I just KNEW you had to be talking about my native hometown, Bishop and the Owens Valley.
Here's my blog link www.borderlinegypsies.wordpress.com I have a recent post from having flown in a helicopter up Bishop Creek, over Lake Sabrina, and up the Piute Pass. Gorgeous trip. I enjoyed reading your adventures in the area.
One thing to mention about the water wars. Most of use realize what a blessing in disquise the whole mess was. I don't think there is a resident there who isn't forever grateful that the land is owned and will not be built upon, like what's happening in most of rest of the country. LADWP has come a long way to making mends for the horrors back in the day, most of us have moved on.
Ok, now you want to watch a new war? Keep your eyes on Nevada (Las Vegas inparticularly) there are going to be not only water wars to rival those of Mulhollands day, but power wars as well. It's gonna get ugly!
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