Debbie and Duane

Things to do, places to stay…

Well, I guess it’s apparent by our lack of recent postings that we have been busy with jobs, wedding planning, and other life events. As the date gets closer it seems like there is more (too much!) to do!

We have rented a house near the village and hope to have a “gathering” the night before the wedding – kind of a welcome for everyone, and in lieu of a rehearsal dinner. It will be casual, won’t go late (I don’t want to have bags any larger than usual on my wedding day) but will include food and drink of some sort. Please plan to come and visit!

For more on things to do:

I’m posting a lot of stuff here,  any mention you see underlined has a link to the respective website.  I think there is a group planning to go to Bodie on Saturday. I’d like to arrange some sort of trip up the gondola so everyone can see the beautiful views surrounding Mammoth. If we have enough interested in this, we can get a discount on the lift tickets. Normally it’s $25 – I think they said they would do this for $18 if we have 20 or so (maybe it was 25?)   This can be a quick thing to do on Saturday or Sunday before you leave, or we could all do a picnic or a hike down. Funny – it takes us about 3-4 minutes to ski down, but I’m told it takes several hours to walk down, which I’ve never done.

For those planning on arriving Monday or Tuesday, maybe we can do a hike on Wednesday? Rock Creek (meandering, moderate and beautiful with 5 lakes, wildflowers, meadows, and streams), Lundy Canyon (not too strenuous, and depending on how far we go, involves beaver dams, waterfalls and hopefully lots of wildflowers), and Minaret Lake (strenuous ALL DAY hike – 16 miles round trip, 8 straight up) are 3 of our favorites. There are also shorter hikes in the Mammoth Lakes mmediate area and I will bring all of my trail maps and make them available for loan. Bring your camelback, hiking poles and boots!

If you don’t want a hike, Rock Creek and LundyLake still offer a nice place to take a book, a chair and a favorite beverage and just chill out next to the raging streams or a nice lake. McGee Creek is also a good option – we have a great story to tell about this one. Just ask!

The town has one grocery store – Vons – so if you are staying in a condo and prefer to eat in rather than spend on restaurants, Vons is great with everything (including alcohol) you need. All the condos have coffee makers, toasters, and fully stocked (some better than others) kitchens, but not all have hair dryers, so be sure to bring your own! They also supply shampoo and soap – most supply small bottles of lotion as well.

There is a local brewery – Mammoth Brewing Company – across from the village that offers free beer tasting daily. They have at least 12 offerings, and though I’m not beer aficionado, they have some tasty (and some unusual, like the sage flavored IPA 395) offerings.

On restaurants:

Petra’s (see previous posts) is by far our favorite restaurant and is convenient to the Village, but most would find it pricey. The food is excellent and the wine selection is outstanding. Tell Mitch (dark haired manager with glasses) that Debbie and Duane sent you.

The Mogul is great with a huge salad bar and great food, which the waiters and waitresses cook for you. Steak and seafood fare, nice casual atmosphere. There is a Charthouse, too, right across from the Mogul.

The Looney Bean is a great coffee place; better than Starbucks by far, in my humble opinion.

The Stove has the best breakfasts on the planet – get the waffles or the French toast – they are out of this world! The place is PACKED on weekends, so plan to wait on Saturday or Sunday. They also have some killer early bird dinner specials. The owner is a friend of a friend, too.

Perry’s is reasonably priced with great food – more of a family atmosphere – also owned by a friend of a friend. Say hi to Glenn and Susan (the dark haired tiny ball of fire waitress) and tell them Debbie and Duane sent you.

Nevado’s is also owned by a friend of a (different) friend. They have great food and a good wine list. Dinners are in the $18-$29 range per person, atmosphere is nice. We don’t eat there often (we either cook in the condo or go toPetra’s or the Mogul) but we’ve never been disappointed.

Giovanni’s has been in Mammoth FOREVER. That’s the place for pizza – personally I love the baked eggplant. This place is inexpensive and the food is always good.

The Side Door café in the village is a great place for a light (ish) lunch – they serve crepes, Panini, and salads.

Whiskey Creek (right next to the village) has been a long time Mammoth hot spot. They have a great happy hour half price menu that includes a salmon dinner (!!) and some great appetizers – get the calamari, you won’t be disappointed. The food is good (not outstanding, but very good) and the prices are very reasonable. Extensive brew list, drinkable wine (remember, I’m picky) and TV’s all around for the sports fans.

The Yodler is right at the entrance to the Gondola at the Main Lodge, is right by the Mammoth Mountain Inn, and is a Mammoth landmark. It’s been there since the 1954, along with the main lodge. They have a nice outdoor deck to sit in the sunshine and watch people (and drink), have some food (and drink) and enjoy the Mammoth vibe (and did I say drink?).

I almost forgot the Austria Hof – German fare, right by Canyon Lodge. This is also a regular haunt for us. Robert and Sean, bartenders, have become great friends. The Jagerschnitzel is delicious, and they have a great bacon-wrapped shrimp/tomato and goat cheese appetizer that is delicious! If you can find one of the Mammoth coupon books, there is always a coupon for 10% off food here.

If you venture up to Mono Lake or Yosemite, the Whoa Nellie Deli is a MUST. It is in the Mobile gas station (yes, a gas station!) at the 120/395 intersection. 120 is the entrance toYosemiteif you are going from Mammoth. Anyway – they have gourmet food – YES, GOURMET FOOD. I love the grilled salmon salad on baby mixed greens with raspberry vinaigrette, Duane loves the fish tacos, and they have buffalo meatloaf and an assortment of other tasty offerings. They have live music on the weekends, picnic tables outside, and you can get your beer or wine from the takeout convenience store and they will open it for you and provide a glass for you to use. Truly a unique Eastern Sierra experience!

If you choose to do the June Lake Loop drive (or even just drive to June Lake), the Double Eagle is a fantastic restaurant. They have very reasonable prices, excellent food, great service, generous portions, and a great rustic atmosphere. Take a walk around to get an amazing view of horsetail falls and the beautiful scenery that is June Lake. The Double Eagle is a nice spa/lodge, too. For more to do, you can ride the lift up fromJuneLakeLodge and there are some hiking trails, too. Nice views from the top of the lift, too! There are several beautiful lakes there – you can take a picnic and just hang out if that’s what you like to do!

For any reading this who have other suggestions, please post them by leaving a reply comment (at the end of the post…)

We will be there Monday night through Monday afternoon and I encourage those who can to come and enjoy the Eastern Sierra with us for as long as you are able to stay! For any interested in staying the entire week, the following weekend is Bluesapalooza – the annual Blues and Microbrew festival. It’s 3 days of great music and food, and on Saturday over 100 microbreweries are there providing all the beer tasting (included in the price of admission) you can handle. We’ve done this several times and always had a blast. If you plan to do this, get your tickets early because they have sold out the last couple of years. They have headliner acts – not local bands – so it’s a great time under the pines. Bring a blanket or some low beach chairs – it’s festival seating.

Places to stay:

This is a topic I thought would be easier to address. After all, we did arrange for discounts with the Mountain properties. As it turns out, their discounts aren’t all that great. I will ask Duane to post the places and prices that they’ve offered, for your consideration. 

As I said previously, we are renting a house across from the Village. There are several properties in the village – one owned by the mountain that includes our discounted rates. Across from the Village and uphill is the Westin Monache  – I haven’t seen it or any of the other hotel (other than Shilo Inn) properties in Mammoth, but my guess is that this is the high end of the hotel-type properties.

If you are interested in hotel-type properties rather than a condo, my suggestions are limited to a list of what I’ve seen – I have not stayed in any other than the Shiloh Inn – which is clean and simple. The Mammoth Creek Inn has been recommended by Marci, our reception hostess. It has been described as “old school European”, with robes in every room, down comforters and fluffy pillows, a recently redone spa. This is located on Old Mammoth Road, close to Vons, probably about a mile or mile and a half from the Village.

There is a Best Western that seems to be reasonable – Dana and Carl are staying there.

There is a Sierra Nevada Lodge  that includes WiFi and a continental breakfast with your night’s stay.

The Edelweiss is owned by friends of a friend – we’ve had dinner with them and they are fantastic and fun people. Quaint and rustic, built in the 1950’s, located in old Mammoth.

As for condos – when we are not staying at friends’ condos, we stay at Seasons-4.   Teri and Tom are great hosts, and we have stayed there so many times we deserve ‘frequent flyer miles’. Seasons4 has a pool and spa and sauna and is located near Canyon Lodge. They have 1, 2, and 3 bedroom condos – when we include friends we stay in a 1/loft which usually includes a master bedroom with king or queen bed, and a loft with 1-2 queens and or bunks, and a second bathroom. The 1 bedrooms have a bedroom with a sink, a full bathroom, bunks (usually small single, but some have a queen or double on the bottom) and sleeper sofa.

We’ve also stayed at Val d’Isere which is very close to the village and right across from the house we are renting. The unit we stayed in was a 1/loft and was BEAUTIFUL.

Some other complexes that are nice are Snow Creek (love it!) Big Wood, Sierra Megeve, Helios, The Summit (right across from Sierra Star golf course), Meadow Ridge, Aspen Creek (awesome – I want to own a condo here someday…) and Mountainback. There are others that are really nice too – too numerous to mention.  There are a couple reservation services including  101 Great Escapes, Mammoth Reservations, and Mammoth Reservation Bureau are all sources (and there are more) for condo rentals. If you have questions, please call or email us and we can guide you!   Stay away from Sierra Manors – it’s a dump. There are a few others I’d avoid, so if you have questions, as I said, call or email us and we’ll let you know what we think. Also, most of the rental agencies provide ratings –  go for 85 or above.  

Looking forward to seeing you all in Mammoth!