In reply to lisawatson:
I'm currently staying at The Hostel California in central Bishop. It's well set up for climbers, with bouldering mats and guidebooks freely available. As long as you don't mind sharing your space with climbing or hiking dirtbags it's well worth a look.
It may be quite hot here in October though. It's getting a bit warm already, even at higher local spots like the Druid Stones. If the heat is too much I think there's a lot of stuff at altitude around Mammoth and Lake Tahoe.