Riding High

Thankfully we were awake by the time the bikers took off from our Best Western this morning. We left a little while later, heading for Lassen Peak.

What a beautiful day! We saw more lava, of course, gorgeous vistas, and finally snow-capped Lassen in the distance. We stopped at an RV camp for lunch and resisted the cherry pie. Figured we had done enough damage.

We wanted to see as much as we could, so we picked the scenic route to our days-end destination - Reno. Our road took us through time warp towns, around many a hairpin curve, and finally up into the snow we had seen from a distance. All the smart people had come prepared with sleds, skis, and snowshoes to enjoy the spotty but deep snow that probably won't melt completely before they have more snow. I saw some drifts that were more than eight feet. I really couldn't tell how deep some of it might be. What a strange sensation to stand in the snow with the temperature at about seventy.

Of course our road didn't take us all the way to the peak, but we were way up there! About half way down from the highest point of our drive, a sign said we were at 4,000 feet.

I was still hoping for a magpie, and we sighted one in flight. I loved the beautiful tall pines, and when we stopped for photos or rest stops, the pine fragrance was powerful, nostalgic.

By about 4:00 this afternoon, we left our wonderful mountain drive and began our last stretch of the day by driving through a vast valley, leading to Nevada.

Now with a tummy full of Indian fare, Papa is snoozing in Reno. Tomorrow we head south and back into California along the eastern side of the Sierras. Tomorrow's destination is Bishop, CA.