We headed South again Thursday morning and had a very delightful asphalt adventure.

Our first stop was in Lee Vining (founded in 1852).  Our destination was The Upside-Down House, Mono County's first "man-made" tourist attraction (1956).
This unique dwelling was created by Nellie Bly O'Bryan (1893–1984), an actress, the first female licensed projectionist and hunting guide, visionary, entrepreneur, and long time resident of the Mono Basin.  Her creation was inspired by two children's stories—Upside Down Land and The Upsidedownians.

If you were a fan of Huell Howser, this house was profiled in his California's Gold series titled - Places I've Always Wanted to Go. This was our second visit to this unique house but only the first time we were allowed in. Fun stuff.

As we were zooming along, I saw this "love" on the mountainside. It summed up how we feel about this Eastern Sierras drive.



This business in Bridgeport had us chuckling until I looked at the website. Kitty Cat Dojo sounds pretty cool, if we had a cat.

As we rolled along, we witnessed the Skyline Fire, in Corona, just taking off. We were aware that fire season is here for most of our trip. 
Returning to Tahoe had us parked in many places as road construction was happening.

This particular pause gave us the opportunity to admire the tufa of Mono Lake.

All along 395 there are monuments like this one. On occasion we have stopped to learn a little history about the place being immortalized. I thought it was interesting to learn more about the people who have placed these interesting markers- The Order of E Clampus Vitus. This is one of the oldest and oddest entities in a state known for having a few, a Gold Rush-era organization whose goofball sensibilities are offset by a single, serious pursuit: a tendency to plaque all things historical, an obsession that continues to this day. With little more than mortar and their ever-present red shirts, the Clampers, as the organization’s members are known, have placed more than 1,000 bronze, wood and granite plaques throughout California, from the remote stretches of coast to mining towns. I think it might be fun to try to find them all. Hmm.
Our trip ended with an amazing summer storm which lowered the 100° temperatures and provided us with a delightful lightning show as well.