Tahoe Fall Colors Starting
Posted by latoga | Filed under Musings
This past weekend I spent in the Lake Tahoe area. The downside of the trip was that I was working for most of the weekend helping my wife out with flowers for a Tahoe style wedding (more on this later). The good news is that we were able to get out and go for a hike this afternoon to check in on the status of the fall colors. Fall in the Sierra’s, specifically the Eastern Sierra’s, is filled with spots of beautiful Aspen turning yellow and orange. The tricky part of heading up to the Sierra’s in search of this color is timing (see Resources page). Some years peak color can last only a few days. Some years you don’t get much color due to environmental conditions. I have a gut feeling that this year will be the later.
Today we were able to head up to a high alpine meadow and found some great Aspen groves. Some of them were already turning brilliant Orange. Most were still just starting to turn. I think the Tahoe area will be seeing peak color in about 2 weeks. The downside is I feel that this year might be a short peak. There were small groves of Aspen that I spotted that were well advanced in color. But they seemed to be going from yellow or orange very quickly to brown, I think because of the drought conditions.
I’m hoping to head up to the Sierra’s for one more trip this fall. And what better reason to get yourself out of the house and out in nature than to see it in the splendid color of fall!
Travel Tips: On this trip, we discovered a few new interesting eateries. When traveling to Tahoe from the Bay Area on Highway 80, you will pass through Auburn, CA just as you start your climb up the Sierras. Auburn is at about 2800 feet elevation and about 45 miles west of Truckee, CA. If you’re passing by and need to grab something to eat, here are three recommendations (in no particular order):
- Old Town Pizza, Old Town Auburn (exit Lincoln Way): Amazing pizza; located in the basement of one of the remaining oldtime hotel buildings in Auburn.
- Auburn Alehouse, Old Town Auburn (exit Lincoln Way): Great Pub with variety of beer and food; located in renovated historic building, the interior has rustic charm with a modern feel.
- Ikeda’s Tasty Burgers (exit Bowman Road); “Looks like dive on the outside, gourmet on the inside.” Some of the best burgers you will ever have. They also have fresh pies that are absolutely amazing!
Tags: Aspen, Fall, Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevadas
I Love Fall in the Sierras
Posted by latoga | Filed under Uncategorized
While I do miss the encompassing scenic fall colors of the upper Midwest and East Coast, there is something special about fall in the Sierra Nevada mountains. About this time of year, the easter Sierras are awash with pools of color in the hills as the aspen turn yellow and orange. Every fall, I try to make at least one trip to the Sierras for the fall color. Typically heading to the east side of Yosemite, traveling along Highway 395 that parallels the California and Nevada border. From just north of Bridgeport, south past Mono Lake and June Lake, down toward Bishop.
Carol Leigh maintains a wonderful website to track the Fall Color in California. She posts updates that people email in to her about the status of the fall colors in various parts of the Sierras. If your planning on heading up for the show, make sure to check it out. As usual, the color will peak at different times in different areas. Typically, the first and second weekend of October is the best part of the show.
Another area that I have explored only once was Plumas County, north west of Reno. I did a trip two years ago and traveled through Plumas County for a few days. The county even maintains a leaf peeper report on their website. It is an area that I have been wanting to go back to and do some more in depth exploring…during fall of course. Too bad it looks like the color might be past ideal…Plumas County got Snow yesterday, about a couple of inches!
But alas, I will have to plan it out for next year. This fall has been busy dealing with all those other non-photographic things in life. In the mean time I have been going through some photos from my past few trips and will be posting them over the next few days. The ones included in his post are a sample. Please check my website for additional images from the Eastern Sierras and Yosemite.
Tags: Fall, Sierra Nevadas
