Moonrise over the Inyo Mountains

Driving South on Highway 395 presents a multitude of challenges. Avoidance of the "crazies" heading toward Los Angeles after a weekend in Mammoth is hard enough, but the snowclad Eastern Sierra to the West and the fantastically lit Inyo Range to the East is an unbearable distraction for the driving photographer. The Eastern Sierra rises quite steeply from the floor of the Owens Valley. This contrasts sharply with the slope of Western Sierra, where low foothills gradually give rise to high peaks. This gorgeous moonrise through a narrow break in the cloudcover at sunset was a rare treat.