As we cruise along the Eastern Sierra, on our trip South, we are often left in awe when we crest the mountain and view Mono Lake.
This beautiful body of water is a saline soda lake, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate which make its water alkaline.The desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, which thrive in its waters, and provides critical habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and alkali flies (unseen today). When the city of Los Angeles diverted water from the freshwater streams flowing into the lake (beginning in 1913), it drastically lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. The Mono Lake Committee (1978) formed in response and won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially replenish the lake level.We come to ogle the the many columns of limestone which rise above the lake's surface.These limestone towers consist primarily of calcium carbonate minerals such as calcite (CaCO3). This type of limestone rock is referred to as tufa, which is a term used for limestone that forms in low to moderate temperatures.We were extra intrigued with the ice crystals which covered the shoreline. Nature is an incredible artist.
Having a camper allows us to slow it down a bit. We now had the time to explore more of Bishop (hence this being only Part 1). Our first stop was at the Pioneer Cemetery District East. This is the newest of the two Pioneer Cemeteries, having been established in 1890 (the West is 22 years older... next time).I felt this gravestone was a rather lovely tribute to Sarah Frances Wildasinn, born in Ontario in 1839, dying here in 1910. She was the first wife of Charles Fell Wildasinn, I could find little about Sarah though her husband led an interesting life. "He was a pioneer lumberman and rancher of this county, who came west at an early age, and is said to have crossed the plains no less than eighteen times before the advent of the railroad. Mr. Wildasinn was one of the early members of the Odd Fellows here and was a citizen of high character and rigid financial honesty. He leaves a memory that will be cherished by those who came in contact with him."
We actually came here to pay our respects to Jill Kinmont Boothe, a figure from our childhood, and a Bishop local. For those who do not know her story, she was a promising young U.S. ski racer. In 1954, at age 18, she won the U.S. junior and senior slalom titles. She was a bright hope for the U.S. looking forward to the 1956 Olympics.
She was beautiful. The camera loved her, especially on the Jan. 31, 1955, cover of Sports Illustrated.
In one of those strange quirks of fate, the same week that she appeared in Sports Illustrated, she was competing in a race at Alta, Utah. On the racecourse she missed a pre-jump on a bump. The bump launched her off the course into the trees and spectators. She suffered a broken back, with resulting paralysis from just below the shoulders down.
In 1975, we all watched the film The Other Side of the Mountain, a lightly fictionalized and highly sentimental account of her accident, triumphant rehabilitation and discovery of a new life as a teacher. It starred Marilyn Hassett in the lead role and Beau Bridges as her handsome, daredevil fiancé, who is killed in a plane crash. Ms. Hassett’s performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination as best actress in a drama and a Golden Globe for “best acting debut in a motion picture, female.”
Better than the awards, the film drew attention to the plight of paraplegics and quadriplegics, and for a time Boothe — she married John G. Boothe, who survives her, in 1976 — was a frequent guest on television talk shows.
After her accident, she attended U.C.L.A. and the University of Washington, and taught in schools near Seattle and in Beverly Hills before returning to Bishop and continuing her teaching career in 1975. A public high school in Bishop was named in her honor.
Jill lived a life filled with accomplishments and she will be remembered for her abilities, and not her disability. As one writer put it, the wheelchair “was just a place for Jill to sit.” What a wonderful lesson to learn.
Our night in Bishop was spent camping down a dirt road with views that were breathtaking.“The open road is a beckoning,
a strangeness,
a place where a man can lose himself.”
-William Least Heat Moon
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2 comments:
Loved that movie and her story. Interesting follow-up. Thanks for sharing this.
Mono Lake is always so beautiful. I love the tufas... but I haven't seen such extravagant ice crystals!
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