El Mono Motel and Latte Da Cafe, Day 2, part 1

I have arrived at my Day 2 & 3 destination, El Mono. It is located right off of Highway 395, literally. This place is in full bloom with an array of Cosmos, Coreopsis, Echinacea, Gallardia, Lupine, and of course, a ton of Sunflowers. With a direct view of Mono Lake, I am in heaven.
Just to close out Kernville...I hit the Sportsman Lounge at 9:00pm. As I entered the darkened room, a voice came over the loud speaker..."LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, STANLEY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!" I asked a biker...."did Stanley say where he was headed?" The biker simply replied "North!" So after a quick bowl of oatmeal at the Cracked Egg, (Starbucks is still the best), I was on the road. My highlight for today was to have been Mt. Whitney in Lone Pine. I was so excited. But, I'm embarrased to say, I missed it. Yes, I missed Mt. Whitney, all 14,505 feet of it. It slipped by me. How? I don't know. I stopped in town at a coffee shop. There were tons of tourists who seemed to be frustrating the barrista. When it was my turn to get served, I began to run through my head various versions of "Did I miss Mt. Whitney?" I thought, "Have you seen Mt. Whitney?", or, "Where can I find Mt. Whitney?", or, "Can you direct me to Mt. Whitney, yes the highest peak in the contiguous United States," were all just a bit to ridiculous. So at the risk of seeming uncool and like a tourist, and having the entire cafe drop their jaws and gasp, I asked, "Can I please have a mango smoothie?" Reluctantly, I continued on the road. I stopped in Independence,visited the historic courthouse, and then Bishop. Schatz's Bakery is too crowded and I do not recommend their tuna sandwich.

Thursday: Bodie, and The South Tufa of Mono Lake