Hidden Gems of Highway 395

The colors and incredible rocks at Mono Lake draw you in. It is like no place I have ever visited. The rock formations are called Tufa towers which form in a variety of ways at Mono Lake. The most visible formations are the towers on the lake’s shoreline. The largest concentration of the tufa towers is located at the South Tufa grove just off of Hwy 120 East, at the south end of Mono Lake which is exactly where we stopped. For a place that was kind of desolate and unfriendly, the colors were gorgeous.

Paul Schat’s Bakery is a local favorite, so the lines are a bit nuts, but if you are looking for fresh baked pastries before heading out to hike or ski (or any other outdoor activity in Mammoth Lakes) then you want to stop at Schat’s. Dutch by heritage, the bread is “softer” than say, a traditional French bakery, but tasty none-the-less. Cookies, pastries, bagels, and a must-try jalapeño bread, you can’t go wrong no matter what you choose.

Hidden in the local airport of the small town of Bishop, California, is one of the best Thai restaurants in the state. Owner Weng-Cheong of Malaysia hooked-up with his Thai friend and cook, and as he explained, was “fated” to open this restaurant after years of living in Washington for several decades. There’s pretty much nothing worth eating along a 150+ mile stretch of Highway 395, so the two mile detour off the main drag for delish pad thai and spicy cashew chicken is a no brainer. Closed everyday from 2:30-5pm and all Mondays, 703 Airport Road, Bishop, 760-872-2595.