We spotted this remarkable cloud while camping in the desert near Mammoth Lakes during a Memorial Day ski trip. This portion is the west end of a layered cloud that extended for many miles to the left of what is shown here. This is a “Sierra Wave,” a cloud band that is formed by air rising over the Sierra crest.
The title “Mo’s Cloud” derives from the fact that Maureen (“Mo”), a friend and one of our group members, reported that she had watched this cloud for hour as she drove up the east side of the Sierra from Southern California.
Although the layered cloud moved little if at all, it was very windy where we were and the local clouds were moving quite quickly. Timing was everything in terms of getting an interesting pattern of light and shadow in the foreground.
Photographic note: This photograph comes from very early in my transition from film to digital. At the time I was doing early experiments with a digital camera that was quite limited. Unfortunately, while the image is quite spectacular, it is only suitable for relatively small prints.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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