Mammoth Lakes Vacation, August 14-18, 2013 Pt. 1-Convict Lake Resort

The family (Tom, the furkids, and I) traveled to Convict Lake Resort for 5 days for the Eastern Sierra Agility Group's (ESAG) agility trial.  It was a lovely vacation for all of us, especially the furkids!  Convict Lake Resort is located 10-15 minutes from the town of Mammoth Lakes, CA, but only 5 minutes to the trial site, so it was a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery.  This is a photo I took of Convict Lake and Mt. Morrison, taken in the morning of Aug. 15, 2013.

We arrived early to acclimate to the altitude (Convict Lake is about 7600 ft elevation).  It was important for me to get both myself and the dogs ready for the trial by taking walks at altitude.  I still felt winded on the first day of the trial, but not as much as we would have been if we hadn't come early.

On our first walk around the lake, I took lots of pictures of the dogs.  Here are some silly NOSE shots :-)

                                       
                  Alva                                        Hutch                                                      Tesla


And a family shot:

Believe me, getting three silly dogs to A) sit still, B) look at me, and C) do A and B AT THE SAME TIME is a time-consuming and frustrating activity!  After MANY outtakes, the above photo was the best we could manage.  It probably will end up being our Xmas photo because I don't want to go through THAT again!

At the edge of the lake, I took some close ups of the kids.  Here are the best ones:

We stayed in one of the smaller cabins at the resort (Shasta).  It was comfortable for a 1930s cabin, upgraded with a bathroom and kitchenette.  

       

We were visited by the local wildlife, including many birds, deer, and ground squirrels.  No bears on this trip (thank goodness!).   Here is one of the local deer that has become quite a beggar in the resort:

We also saw many fish in the crystal clear lake.  Convict Lake is a popular hotspot for fishermen, so much so that it is restocked weekly by local hatcheries during fishing season.  I was afraid of the dogs disturbing the fishermen, but they seemed used to crazy animals traipsing the trails :-D

We all had such a wonderful, relaxing time at Convict Lake.  We'd go back in a heartbeat.  Here's a photo from the outside of our cabin at sunset, with the rising moon:

In part two, I'll discuss how Hutch and Alva did at the trial.  Not as many photos, but there will be a few :-)
-dayle