Line Street. Bishop, CA. BURKE GRIGGS PHOTO.

In a poll of members of the Outdoor Writers Association of California last week, Bishop was named "No. 1 place to live for outdoor recreation" in California. "The variety and quality of nearby hiking, horseback trips, fishing, wildlife watching, backpacking and natural beauty," writes Tom Stienstra of the SF Chronicle, "rivals the best anywhere."

"Mammoth," he explains, "is like gazing off into the solar system; there seems to be no end to the stars."