Because we had never driven California's east side of the Sierras, we decided we would drive up Route 395 from east of Barstow until we cut over with Route 89 on the west side of Tahoe. With the passes still closed by snow, this choice meant not going to Yosemite National Park. I hope we do that though sometime in the not so distant future.
As we drove north, I was delighted by the treasures, the beauty, the history, the surprises, and definitely want to go back. This is a little populated part of California (except I would guess during the summer). You better like winter if you want to live here. We were lucky we drove up when we did as two days later there was a snowfall that would have forced us to choose a different route north.
No captions for the following pictures. If you want to know where they are, you have to earn that-- and if you do it by going there yourself, it will be hard-earned as it's a lot of miles and some of it very curvy with more of those 10 mph curves except this time with pavement.
The photos are in sequence of how they were taken through what I consider some of California's prettiest country. And that takes some doing if you have seen California's gorgeous coastline or their wine country.
One thought kept coming to me as we'd come up over a rise and see something else that was beautiful-- our earth is unbelievably gorgeous, in so many places, and how lucky we are to live on it.
There is one more blog coming from this drive north. It deserves its own blog and actually even two...
I recognize Emerald Bay. Dorothy and I spent our 25th anniversary at Lake Tahoe and took a boat cruise that included the bay in its tour.
ReplyDeleteI've driven some of Highway 395, but it's been many years. It is definitely some of the most beautiful parts of California. The rise of the Sierra on the western slope is much more gradual, so not as stunningly dramatic as the rise on the eastern slope. Thank you for reminding me to take that ride again!
ReplyDeletethis drive/this part of the state is high on my 'to do' list, so thanks for the great photos. I wont go in the summer, of course, but maybe early fall. It looks just gorgeous...I can imagine standing out in the wide-open spaces looking up at those monstrously big peaks. Yowie!
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine the thoughts of the early pioneers coming west across the great desert when they saw those mountains in front of them? The east side of the Sierra is very steep compared to the west side.
ReplyDeleteI have been skiing at Heavenly in late winter and it seems so odd that you are surrounded by several feet of snow, but can look down and see the brown valley just below.
Beautiful photos! I do regret that I've never traveled much of 395.
ReplyDeleteExcept for Southern California, my favorite part of the state are the Eastern Sierras--and even including Death Valley. I love Lone Pine, Big Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, Bodie, Lee Vining, Mono Lake, the Owens Valley (whose water we steal for So Cal.).
ReplyDeleteThanks for these lovely photos. You do something I like to do when I have time in my travels--and this is visiting and photographing in cemeteries. One time I was noticing a grave marker in Lee Vining titled "The Man From Mono," and when I visited the Save Mono Lake offices, I bought a book with that title. It was amazing.
Your Pacific Northwest is also very, very beautiful and your photos from there and from AZ are much appreciated.