Robert, the Mono Lake area has always been on my bucket list of places to explore. It seems to be a unique area and I've heard that the Fabaceae is well represented there. Have you been there? And photographed?
Astragalus,
Yes, I have been to the Mono Lake area many, many times, mostly when I was a bit younger. I have only been there once in the last 10 years and I did not bring my camera at that time.
The good news is Mono Lake is only a 3 hour drive from the farm. I definitely have ideas to visit this area. Also, I am familiar enough with the area to know where to go to avoid the popular locations. When visiting the popular locations one sees the same stuff. If one wants to see new and exciting species it is necessary to travel on the obscure dirt roads and hike in roughed terrain where there are no trails. Trusting ones instincts is important too. Now, I always trust my intuition when doing horticultural-botany and it always pays off.
Good luck on your visit to the area whenever that may be. There is so much to see, I am sure you will not regret your visit.