My son and I decided to take a four day journey from his work near San Jose across to Bryce and Escalante. The first stop however was Lee Vining, one of my all time favorite small airports.
Really, our only goal that first night was to get away from the bay area, enjoy a quiet evening overlooking Mono Lake and then ride our bikes into town in the morning for a classic diner-breakfast at the ageless Nicelys Restaurant.
I kinda blew our schedule by leaving my computer at the Reid Hillview airport in San Jose. I flew back first thing in the morning but had to wait for them to open at 8:00 am to get my computer. Ug. At least no one took it. But we did have that Nicely’s breakfast, just a little later than planned.
Unfortunately that set us up for a late departure for Bryce Canyon and flying in the afternoon in the desert southwest is really not a great thing to do. We got rocked pretty good with turbulence and the wind was howling at Bryce Canyon which led to an anxious hour or so when I knew a stiff crosswind landing was coming up.
West Coast Flying Adventures 
looks nice – hopefully you didn’t get rocked too hard at Bryce. Do you camp under the wing at Lee Vining? to they have any showers or restrooms available at night? Thanks for sharing, Brian.
Hi Brian, No, no services at all there except it does sport an outhouse. Just camp under the wing. But the famous Whoa Nellie Deli is within a long walk (about a mile) as is town. Best with a bike though. You can also walk down to the lake and visit tufa formations.