WOKE UP CHEWING !! NOW THAT NEEDS SOME EXPLANATION!! THE PREVIOUS NIGHT IN JAKE'S SALOON ,INCLUDED,ALONG WTH THE USUAL INTAKE OF BEER ,A TASTING SESSION OF SOME HOME MADE JERKY,A LOCAL GUY WAS GOING ON ABOUT HOW HE'D GOT THE 'REAL STUFF' AT HOME AND CONSEQUENTLY FETCHED SOME FOR US TO TRY-BIT LIKE THE CHEESE CLUB SAMPLES AT THE 'BULL'-WELL,NO,NOT REALLY.FIRST UP WAS SOME ELK JERKY WHICH WASN'T TOO BAD,BUT THEN CAME THE GUY'S HOME MADE BEEF JERKY,IT GAVE A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO CHEWING THE CARPET,CAN STILL TASTE IT NOW....!!! WELL THE IRISH GUY IN SANTA MONICA WHO HAD SUGGESTED WE TAKE THIS EASTERN SIERRA ROUTE NORTH,HAD PROMISED WE WOULD SEE SOME BREATH-TAKING SCENERY-HE WASN'T WRONG,AFTER I'D CLEANED MY TEETH FIVE TIMES ,WE SET OFF ON THE MOUNT WHITNEY PORTAL ROAD -WEST OUT OF LONE PINE-IT WAS GOING TO BE A TWELVE MILE UPHILL CLIMB ON A DEAD END ROAD TO THE BASE OF THE MONTAIN(THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE U.S)-TO WHERE THE CAR HAS TO STOP AND THE HIKING TAKES OVER,IT GOT COLDER AND BECAME HARDER TO BREATHE WHEN WE GOT THERE..THERE WAS A WATER FALL(262)(263)AND A MOUNTAIN CAFE WHICH SERVED UP A FANTASTIC BREAKFAST-THE OWNER LOOKED A BIT LIKE BRUCE FORSYTH(HAD BRUCE CHOSEN TO BE A HIPPY)THEN WE HEADED BACK DOWN AND THERE IT WAS IN FRONT OF US- A HUGE VISTA SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINS,THE SIERRAS ON ONE SIDE AND DEATH VALLEY ON THE OTHER,STUNNING VIEWS(264)-(271)..'THE GREAT WIDE WEST'..'THE BIG COUNTRY'..WORDS CAN JUST NOT DESCRIBE IT AND THE PHOTOS DON'T REALLY DO IT JUSTICE EITHER .WE LEFT LONE PINE AFTER WE GOT BACK INTO TOWN AND HEADED FURTHER UP THE VALLEY TO A PLACE CALLED BISHOP-POPULATION OF 3,500 -WHICH HAS ALL THE RIGHT THINGS IN TOWN-CHOICE OF RESTAURANTS,BARS AND MOTELS,FOUND A MEXICAN PLACE WHERE WE TRIED ON THE HAT ETC.(272)(273)(274) AND FOUND OUT ABOUT ANOTHER NEARBY ROUTE INTO THE MOUNTAINS, WHICH WE WERE AGAIN ADVISED WE HAD TO SEE....THAT'S TOMORROW.