Mono Lake; rain clouds; vigra; clouds; highway 395; rain evaporating; rain; evaporation; blue; skies; panorama; pan; northern california; Eastern Sierras; mountains; California

There is something very soothing when you have grand vistas in front of you. When you find yourself looking out to the horizon that seems to stretch forever, like being on land’s end, and all you see is water and sky. In the southwestern desert you look at endless plateaus and big skies. Here is an image made about a month ago. It’s Mono Lake from the north looking south. It was snowing where I stopped to take this panoramic view. The wind was blowing from the Eastern Sierras as the storm rolled in from the west. What was unusual was the clear blue sky and a few clouds to the east, and several layers of rain clouds and mist on the west. The mist created diffusion in the atmosphere. The color of the water in Mono Lake was green and blue. Every time I come to Mono Lake it looks and acts differently, especially when you are on the leading edge of a storm.