Convict Lake Trail and the Restaurant at Convict Lake - Mammoth Lakes, CA

The Convict Lake Trail is just down the road from Mammoth Lakes, and it offers the reward of a restaurant at the end of the trail!

The parking area sneaks up on you as you drive up Convict Lake Road.  There was plentiful parking at the trail head, and no sign of the restaurant or lake.  However, we did spot a family of deer - a buck, a doe, and two fawns - nibbling the grass near to the parking lot!  My wife managed to get the buck and two fawns in this picture after wrestling the camera away from our son, who was busy taking pictures of his shoes when the doe popped up out of the brush about eight feet away and proceeded to hop up the hill and out of sight.

The trail is narrow but easy with only about 250 feet in elevation gain/loss over 3 miles.

After a short walk up the hill, it quickly descends to the lakeside and circles the lake with almost no elevation change.

These pictures really don't even come close to reflecting the color of the water.  It is crystal clear and a bright blue-green in the shallows, and a sapphire blue where it gets deep.  I failed to bring the "good camera" on this walk, so we ended up using an old Canon PowerShot 870 (which still takes much better pictures than our newer Canon or either the iPhone or Droid), but it is no match for the Olympus E-300 that I received as a going-away present just prior to this trip.

There are a ton of activities to be had in this beautiful bowl surrounding one of the deepest lakes in the High Sierra.  You can fish from the banks or from rented canoes, kayaks, or motor boats.  You can hike or jog on the trails.  There are cabins, a general store, and a campground, and horses available for hire.  It would be easy to spend an entire vacation here with Mammoth Lakes and all the Eastern Sierra has to offer just up the road.  There is even a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier!

 

 After the three-mile walk around the lake, you can reward yourself with a meal or a cocktail from the Restaurant at Convict Lake.  The setting is beautiful for outside seating, and the decor inside is also fantastic while in keeping with the resort.

The service was friendly, fast, and fantastic.  The food quality ranged from good to a bit over-cooked, but we wouldn't hesitate to come back again.  We started with the curried carrot soup, which was delicious...as usual, it was so good that I couldn't keep the natives out of it before taking the picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fish tacos, which were good (but, alas, Roberto's in Mammoth still retains the crown for having a taco that has more fresh vegetables inside than creamy sauce, and at a crazy bargain price at happy hour).

My wife went with the special, a chicken sandwich topped with cheddar, avocado, and bacon.  It was tasty, but slightly charred.  Yes, there is some bacon missing, as our son grabbed a slice like a starving Rottweiler before I could take the picture.

Our son, as usual, went for the cheeseburger.  Again, not bad, but also a bit on the over-cooked side.  We've got to get him back on a healthy diet!

Finally, we indulged in the grasshopper pie for dessert, and it was fantastic!

Happy Hour at Slocum's, Mammoth Lakes, CA

Slocum's happy hour offers a 1/4 lb cheeseburger for only $4, along with a modest selection of beer and ale on tap as well as decent wines by the glass.  The service is good, and the atmosphere exactly what you'd expect from a local pub.  All in all, when compared to the Burgers burger and fries, it comes in a distant second, but at less than 1/2 the price at happy hour, it makes it worth the stop if you're looking for that bar atmosphere or a sporting event on TV, and a little less crowd than is found in Burgers at all hours of the day.

We also snagged a fish taco, and it again was OK but not nearly as nice as the fish taco available for happy hour upstairs at Roberto's - even though be aware that happy hour is only available upstairs at Roberto's.

http://www.slocums.com/

http://www.robertoscafe.com/

Mahogany Smoked Meats - Meat-Lovers Paradise in Bishop, CA

Comparing jerky from Mahogany Smoked Meats to your typical mass-produced jerky is like comparing fresh wild salmon to fish sticks!  It is quite simply the best jerky you'll ever eat!  Check out http://www.smokedmeats.com/, or even better, stop in for a visit, stock your backpack for your next hike, and sit down to have a sandwich.

The jerkys range from traditional offerings, like Western Beef with it's delicious teriyaki flavor and Cowboy Style Dried Beef which is a thick-cut slab that requires a sharp knife to enjoy and share, to original creations with some real punch, like the Habanero Beef Jerky and the Sweet and Spicy Turkey Jerky.  I just like saying "Turkey Jerky", so I ended up ordering the most of this flavor, and as luck would have it, it turned out to be my favorite.

Before you blow all your money on the jerky, be sure and stop by the cold meats counter, because the smoked Canadian bacon is the yardstick by which other bacon should be measured.  The smoked turkey is also fantastic, and comparable to what I could produce on my decades-old Weber grill at home (which is a high compliment, in my opinion).  We also picked up some of the smoked cheese, as compared to other cheeses available locally, the price was right.  Alas, we have not opened it yet, so I can't comment on the flavor.  I've also been frustrated knowing that some of the best cheese I've ever had is produced just a few hundred miles away on the Marin-Sonoma Cheese Trail (http://www.marineconomicforum.org/images/Map_for_web_crx.pdf), so I was hoping this would be locally-produced.  Unfortunately, the counter help at Mahogany Smoked Meats had no idea where the cheese came from, but I bought it anyways.  Stay tuned for our trip reports from the Cheese Trail, as this is going to be one of the high points of our journey!

Finally, after sampling and loading up on jerky and smoked meats, you will be starving for more, so stop by the sandwich counter and have lunch!

I was lucky to get that picture, as once again a fight erupted over the meal the instant I set it down on the table.

In case you are wondering what a mountain mahogany tree looks like, here is one loaded with fuzzy seeds that we walked past the next day.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, then lean in really close, you can smell my backpack full of jerky!

Of course, Mahogany Smoked Jerky is likely to be my downfall.  As I will greedily insist on carrying it on every hike, my wife has assured me that the bear will smell the jerky and go after me instead of her.

Good Life Cafe - Healthy Dining in Mammoth Lakes

One of the devious methods we use to motivate our son is the chance to eat a delicious but not so healthy cheeseburger from the world's best hamburger joint, Burgers.  Then, after the hike is done, we snatch this hope away and substitute a hopefully healthier option.  Tonight, we substituted Good Life Cafe (http://www.mammothgoodlifecafe.com/) at the last minute.

Good Life Cafe had come recommended to us by several people locally, and the menu does seem to have a number of healthy options - whole wheat tortillas on the burritos, wraps and salads with better ingredients, and good selection of vegetarian options - while still making it possible to enjoy a good Tex-Mex meal if you want, no, need it after a full day outdoors.

I picked the chili verde enchiladas, and they were fantastic and my favorite of the night.  Our son, who is on a health kick, went for the diminutive veggie burrito.

At the size of a small football, it was good but a bit bloated.  It was also a bit mild for my tastes (even the enchiladas above benefited from a liberal helping of picante sauce), but for a vegetarian meal it was sure to leave you satisfied.  My wife, who obviously didn't walk as far as either of us, opted for the soup, quiche, and salad (sorry, the soup didn't survive long enough to have its picture taken).

Of course, since we were read the healthier items on the menu before ordering the burrito and enchilada, we obviously deserved not one dessert but two - apple pie and the mudd pie.  I was able to halt the carnage in time to get these shots, but be aware that both desserts have been slightly mauled.

All in all, it was a good meal and a refreshing change.  We'll certainly be back to try more of the menu, and Good Life Cafe will certainly be a go-to place when I'm too lazy to cook and we want a healthy meal.