After breakfast I started driving east along 50 toward the 50/89
"Y" intersection. The first thing that caught my eye was the sight
of Mt. Tallac glistening in the late autumn morning sun. It was
positively beckoning me, screaming to me to go get a better look.
Mount Tallac towers rises over Fallen Leaf Lake
So after stopping at the South Lake Tahoe recreation area and
finding not much of interest, I returned to the Fallen Leaf Lake
trail (even though it wasn't on my list for the day). I wasn't
sorry. The green slopes of the mountain stood out against the
bright snow. And while the angle of the sun ruled out a reflection
of the mountain in the lake, the bright colors made up for it.
A beautiful sight.
A closer look at Mount Tallac
Next up was a stop at the same vista point parking lot as the
previous day. But this time I walked across the street and hiked
to Cascade Falls.
After the hike I stopped at the Eagle Lake parking lot and walked
across the bridge to get a glimpse of Eagle Falls (not to be confused
with the falls on the way to the lake). I only got to the top
of the falls and couldn't get a view of what might have been an
impressive sight. While I was there, a man walked to the other
side and perched himself on a ledge, cigarette in hand, with a
nice view of the falls. I thought about it, but decided I didn't
want to risk falling into the water -- considering how icy the
surrounding rocks were, how cold the water was, and how expensive
my camera was.
So I turned around and headed to McDonald's for lunch, instead.
Well, actually, I first drove toward Meeks Bay. Finding nothing,
I continued on to Sugar Pine Point State Park. Unfortunately the
road looked like it wasn't plowed (i.e., it had snow and probably
ice on it). I didn't want to risk it. I had originally intended
to go here, and then all the way up to Donner Memorial State Park
near I-80. But I changed my mind and decided I'd return via Highway
88 instead.
Highway 89
Creek in the Hope Valley
Hope Valley
After lunch I drove south on 89 and stopped just before the intersection
with Highway 88 to take some pictures of the beautiful Hope Valley.
I stopped again just down the road, then stopped at the Kit Carson
Pass pullout. Deep snow covers much of the pullout, but I managed
to squeeze my car in on the side of the road.
Red Lake Peak, north of the Kit Carson Pass pullout
Red Lake from the Kit Carson Pass pullout
Here was the one place I wish I'd brought my snowshoes. My legs
sank as much as a foot, but I managed to walk over to a ledge
and take some pictures of the beautiful lake and mountains in
the area. And then I finally started back home.
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