A New Adventure Begins

Giggles - You can't help but, well, giggle!
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We started off fairly early this morning so we could take a leisurely drive to Mammoth.  You never know what photo ops might pop up along the way!  After grabbing some freshly baked bagels we were on the road.  Our truck is packed to the gills with stuff.  We want to be fully prepared for what is shaping up to be a very snowy weekend.

On the way, we stopped at Manzanar, a World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans.  We had heard about this place, but neither of us had ever been there before so we decided to stop.  We were surprised to see there were no buildings remaining - or much of anything actually, except a couple of entrance buildings, one guard tower and the museum.  Manzanar was in use for a little over 3 years.  During its peak it housed 10,000 Japanese - most of them under the age of 18.  We did not spend long at the museum, but I will tell you I was angry by the time I left.  I could not believe that this had been done to these people.  How did we let this happen?  They were crowded in to small living spaces, had communal toilets and showers and had to work to pay for their meals - a whopping $16 month.  A meal was approximately 12.5 cents.  There were never any accusations of spying or convictions of spying.  We even send Japanese American soldiers to war.  But we didn't trust our own citizens because of the color of their skin and the way they look.  Shameful.

Giggles store - it has to make you, well, giggle!

Manzanar Guard Station
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Something that really stood out to me was that they perservered.  They were inventive.  Their turned their living quarters into homes.  There were classes on how to do that.  They schooled their children.  They played games.  They built furniture out of discarded wooden produce boxes.  They lived.  I don't know how they turned their situation around and made the best of it, but they did.  I was awed by their accomplishments.  Of particular interest was a photographer that snuck the bare bones of his equipment in to the camp and built his own camera, then took pictures.  After being released, he returned to Los Angeles where he restarted his photography business.  Remarkable.

We arrived safely in Mammoth after stopping briefly in Bishop across the street from the Giggles Market.  Just saying the name made us laugh, so I guess it worked!  We tried to check in, but we were too early, so we got a recommendation for a BBQ lunch at Angel's.  It was an OK place and filled us up.  I got to have sweet potato fries - a particular favorite of mine.

Off on a little exploring, which led us to the Visitor's Bureau.  We were directed to Benetton Crossing and then stopped by Convict Lake - a personal favorite.  Both of these stops would be much better at sunrise, though.

A light dinner at a local Irish pub - nice!  It is very cold here - 35 degrees at 5:00 p.m. so we will have to be sure to bundle up in the morning for our sunrise shoot at Mono Lake.  We have a fire place in our room, which will be hard to leave.

It's been a long day and I am exhausted, so it's off to la la land for me.  More tomorrow.