|
After breakfast, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up sandwiches for lunch
and headed over to Fallen Leaf Lake. We wanted to just relax today, so I figured
we could see a few aspens and relax by the lake for a while.
Eastern shore of Fallen Leaf Lake
Most of the area was past peak was far as fall colors go. Still, there were a few
patches of yellow aspens near the lake. It was a beautiful day for relaxing by
the lake, as the temperature was probably around 70 degrees, clear skies, and no
wind. The lake was beautiful, and several people took advantage of the weather
by bringing their dogs to play. We saw at least a half dozen different dogs,
many of them swimming far into the lake.
A hint of fall colors at Fallen Leaf Lake
Fall colors on the far side of Fallen Leaf Lake
After our picnic at the lake, we took a long scenic drive in search of fall colors.
From the lake, we headed south along Highway 89. Close to the intersection with
Highway 88, we passed a large section with muted yellows, oranges, and reds. I'd
stopped here at least twice before in seasons past, but this time it was past peak
so we kept going.
We turned left onto Highway 88. The area at Crystal Springs Road looked nice,
with a few photographers in the area, but we kept going, then turned right
onto 89 south. We saw pockets of nice color here and there (mostly yellow
aspens), but nothing really worth stopping for.
At the intersection with Highway 4, we turned left again to head up over Monitor
Pass. I'd never driven this way before, so I was pleasantly surprised by the
outstanding views heading down from the pass. This was definitely worth a stop,
and I took a few pictures.
View from near Monitor Pass
View from near Monitor Pass
Then it was right onto Highway 395, and straight on to Bridgeport. I never did
reach Conway Summit, which is supposed to have great colors. It's between Bridgeport
and Mono Lake, but I read that it was past peak anyway by this time. So maybe
next year. We turned around because it was getting late and we had a long drive back.
We took 395 back the way we came, all the way up to Gardnerville and then over Kingsbury
Grade. We saw huge mansions on the Nevada side just as we began the climb.
So, I don't have any great fall color photos to show you (basically, arrived too late).
But I highly recommend at least parts of the drive we did. We did the whole drive
(starting from Fallen Leaf Lake and ending in South Lake Tahoe) in a little under 4 hours,
including a stop for gas and some pictures. So you can probably do it in 3 1/2 without
stopping. But I'm sure you'll want to stop.
| 
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
RSS Feed
