PICKS:
Walking in to the Bridgeport Inn was a little bit like stepping back into roadtrip times of yore. The owner’s young son seated us in the small hotel dining room as Frank Sinatra played softly on the radio. We sipped our coffee and watched the locals go about their daily business in this one street town. The one clue that modern times had reached this old hotel was that free wifi was readily available for all restaurant and hotel patrons.
Virginia Lakes Trail to the peak above Summit Lake in Toiyabe N.F.
Just south of Bridgeport, a road winds up into the mountains and eventually deadends at the Virginia Lakes trailhead. We hiked through snow to reach the Frog Lakes and then decided the peak above us was just too tempting to resist, so we continued the hike all the way to the rocky top, where we could see Summit Lake far below on one side while the Virginia Lakes Valley opened up toward Mono Lake on the other side.
Situated in the desert hills above the town of Bridgeport and with a clear view of the towering eastern Sierras, Travertine Hot Springs was a magical place to end our first day in the area. After a few wrong turns on the maze of dirt roads near the springs, we made our way through the dark to the four steaming pools at the base of a travertine ridge. We had the springs all to ourselves (probably a somewhat uncommon event due to our late Fall and late evening arrival) while we soaked in the steamy water and gazed at the stars as the new moon set over the mountain horizon. The rock formations created by mineral deposits from the hot springs were so incredible we had to return the next morning to see them in full light. And when it was time to move on toward Mono Lake, it was hard to imagine we would find a better hot springs on our travels.
showers at Virginia Creek Settlement
As the weather cools, the availability of showers seems to quickly diminish with it, so we were happy to find the Virginia Creek Settlement south of Bridgeport on 395. Along with their motel and cabin accommodations, they offer 24 hour coin operated showers, year round.
These are some amazing foliage photos! Gorgeous! But, Erica, what happened to your toe? Too much hiking among the fall leaves? Have a great time in SF, and be sure to stop by the Buena Vista for an original Irish Coffee. It was actually invented there. Joe and Janie took us there in February–it was great, but definitely go during the off-hours. It can be a zoo. Can’t wait to see what you guys get up to for Halloween.
Yeah, the fall colors were pretty perfect. As for the toe, I injured it on our hike to the Keyhole at Longs Peak all the way back in June and it finally succumbed to its inevitable fate and fell off…helped along by two hours of soaking in Travertine Hot Springs, so at least it had a gentle death.