Back at the end of May I took a day off work and drove over Carson Pass to the east side of the Sierras, and then down highway 395 to Mono Lake.  For this late in the year, it was surprising how much snow was still on the pass and surrounding mountains. Here you are looking west from near Carson Pass.  The frozen sheet of water below is Caples Lake.

 Below is a picture of the Walker River coming down to the east off of Sonora Pass.   The Walker River flows out into Nevada, eventually ending up in a large inland lake of the same name.  There is no outlet to the sea, and the lake makes a strange sort of inland lake surrounded by desert mountains. 

Next, I came across this lonely east side barn near Sonora Pass, surrounded by the meadows of the Little Walker River (as opposed to the Walker proper, above).  The sense of remoteness and isolation here was strong, and although the meadows themselves are lush, the hills all around are sage covered and very much a part of the desert ecosystem.  Just a few miles to the west, the mountains leap up into pine forests and an alpine environment.   The transition from the basin and range country to high mountain ecosystems is abrupt and very interesting.

I'm not sure why there are large rocks along the outside of the barn, but it makes for an interesting photo.  Below is a view on the inside.  Pure practical construction, and some of the support poles in the middle look like tree trunks the builders might have cut themselves from the nearby forests.  Imagine finding shelter here during a strong winter snowstorm.