Up close you could see its wounds. Torn limb from limb and dented and twisted. For some reason there weren’t two of anything.
We snapped photos. How could we not with such a panoramic view looking off in a distance from our gray dirt and blond foliage-lined plateau?
An excerpt from Book Five in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams in the Sierra Mountain resorts.
Part One: Mammoth
Part Two: What Was Mammoth Like Before the Great Recession?
Part Three: Chains that Bind – Bankruptcy, Foreclosures and No Snow
Part Four: Stuck in the Middle with You
On a more level terrain with more room and no hidden rocks, logs or deep trenches, we were able to take about a dozen small, tight back and forth turns to flip around and trace our path back.
To the very same turnouts we had originally declined for lack of snow on the way up.
We parked.
We hiked.
We snapped photos.
How could we not with such a panoramic view looking off in a distance from our gray dirt and blond foliage-lined plateau?
Across the tops of dark green pine trees on our side to the Mammoth mountain range covered in white gleaming snow.
Out in the open with darker whites and light blues reflecting the deep, high altitude blue sky, and black sprinkles in the canyons and shoots cascading from the crest.
Another overlooking the Mammoth power plant.
It looks like a rectangle box with two sets of three or four rows of power generating units bordering the length reflecting sunlight glare so they look round at their tops.
And metal roofed structures with pipes and tubes and other equipment connecting the two sets.
Finally, and the least expected – what’s left of a rusted brown, reddish Ford Model-T?
From a distance it looked like as if the tires and under carriage were buried up to the running board.
Only it sat on dirt, not deep piles of snow.
Up close you could see its wounds.
Torn limb from limb and dented and twisted.
For some reason there weren’t two of anything.
One door, the passenger.
One head lamp.
But, no engine block, hood or any sign of them.
Rusted steel violently fell close by.
How did it get there?
How long has it been there?
Was it pushed off some cliff?
Wait we’re not anywhere near a cliff.
And who shot it full of bullet holes?
Two years later during our next winter reunion a second mystery consumed me.
Part Six: Temple of Folly, Clocks Cleaned and Repaired
Steps:
25) Compare what “life” was like in those communities before the Great Recession, how resilient each was during the economic downturn, and to what degree did each bounce back after with any “economic hangover.”
28) Which lifestyles profiled in the western resort towns during 2008 – 2009 remained five years later in 2013-2014? Which disappeared entirely? Why? Which new lifestyles emerged, grew or moved in to shift the neighborhood mix? Have longtime locals been forced out by escalating property
30) Review headlines and relevant news as far back as you can find online to surface each community’s unique pulse and identify information necessary to make your decision. Is there a “ticking time bomb” issue you may uncover that eliminates the resort from your bucket list? Search on topix.com.