March 31--If you've ever driven Highway 395 to Yosemite or Reno, you have zipped past Lee Vining, Calif., a hamlet of about 200 on the shores of Mono Lake. Like most anglers and outdoor enthusiasts who love the Eastern Sierra, I've thought of Lee Vining largely as a spot to fill my gas tank or stock up on bait. But while researching new fishing spots -- trout season opens April 30 in Mono County -- I discovered that Lee Vining is a prime launching point for a weekend of angling at a nearby ring of secluded and serene lakes. I also learned that despite being named for a prospector who accidentally shot himself to death, the roadside town is well stocked with charm and hospitable people. The tab: $280 for two nights at the Tioga Lodge at Mono Lake, $8.95 for breakfast at the Whoa Nellie Deli, $23.50 for a two-day state fishing license, and $83.70 for a rental car for three days.
The bed
Lee Vining offers a variety of lodging, from rustic and quaint to modern and comfortable. I went with quaint -- and cheap -- by booking a room at the Tioga Lodge at Mono Lake on the north end of town [54411 U.S. Highway 395, Lee Vining; (760) 647-6423, www.tiogalodgeatmonolake.com. Reservations for the season will be accepted beginning May 20]. My room was $139 a night, booked in late August. The resort, built more than 100 years ago as a toll station, has been restored with 14 rustic cabins, each with a bathroom, mini fridge and access to free Wi-Fi but no TVs or air conditioning. A creek runs through the resort, emptying into a pool of cattails. The rooms are well appointed with big, comfortable beds. Light sleepers may get little rest because of the din of passing trucks on Route 395.
The meal
Downtown Lee Vining includes several eateries, but I was surprised to hear locals recommend a diner at the Mobil gas station at Highway 395 and Route 120. The Whoa Nellie Deli [(760) 647-1088, www.whoanelliedeli.com], which opens for the season on the last Saturday in April, is crammed behind shelves stuffed with gas station snacks, T-shirts and road maps. Still, the humble menu of burgers, tacos, pizza and meatloaf offered the ideal down-home energy food I needed before a long day of trailblazing and fishing. I chomped on a trout-sized breakfast burrito -- gooey with melted cheese and bacon grease -- so huge I could barely finish it.
The find
My search for fishing nirvana drove me about 13 miles east of Lee Vining along Route 120 to the Saddlebag Lake Resort (www.saddlebaglakeresort.com) and Saddlebag Lake, a 325-acre body of water at the southeastern edge of a pine-studded basin. An eight-mile hiking trail, starting at the top of Saddlebag Lake, circles the basin, accessing 20 alpine lakes, including the four-acre Hummingbird Lake and the 25-acre Steelhead Lake. I took my time, hiking first to Wasco Lake, then cutting east across the basin to Z Lake, a shimmering turquoise-blue pool shaped like the last letter of the alphabet. That is where I hooked my first golden trout. After lunch, I hiked east again to tiny, aqua-green Hummingbird Lake, where the shores were alive with jumping frogs and blooming wildflowers. It was so quiet, flying beetles sounded like turboprop planes.
The lesson learned
Back at the Saddlebag Lake Resort, I sat down to have a cold drink with one of the owners, Richard Ernst. Word has spread about the serenity of the 20-lakes loop, which is drawing visitors in increasing numbers from nearby Yosemite National Park, he said. The secret about this backcountry gem is getting out. "We are getting people from all over the world and from Yosemite," Ernst said. "But we also have families that have been coming for four generations." The ring of lakes rests at about 10,000 feet above sea level, so don't expect the resort to open until the snowpack melts, sometime near mid-June.
hugo.martin@latimes.com
