I rented a car to drive back to San Francisco to pick up the rest of my things that I’d left behind at my aunt’s place.  The rental agency gave me a Ford Fusion (which was suprisingly an excellent car, but more on that another time).  I headed north on 395 and for the most part, it was a sunny and clear-going trip.

But once I cleared the summit pass around Mammoth Lakes and started heading down to Mono Lake Basin, I was greeted with the sight of a massive low-lying cover of clouds in the basin.

The first thing I thought of as I raced down and towards the edge of the clouds was Stephen King’s ‘The Mist‘.  Would I be swallowed up in the mist to never be seen again?

A surreal world laid below the mist, as everything was coated with frost.

I made a short break for drinks and snacks in the town of Lee Vining and tried my hand on a car-placement shot.  Mr. 2010 Ford Fusion SE in Metallic Gray.  Quite the looker, huh?

Leaving the town of Lee Vining – ghostly trees and brushes floated into sight and faded away quickly.  There were virtually no traffic to be seen, giving an even more eerie sense of another world and time.   As 395 climbed upwards out of Mono Lake Basin, I was greeted with a beautiful sight high above what I’d just drove through.  You can see in the photo below, 395 coming out of the cloud cover.