Day 2: Three states in one day!
Yet another 5:00 am rising put us on the road by 6:10. After gassing up and espresso in Oakridge, we began our 12-hour drive. John took the first shift and took us over Willamette Pass, which had compact snow and ice. My two shifts involved high passes of 7500 feet and more, rock slide areas, pot holes, and windy roads, but man, was it some gorgeous scenery!
It was my first glimpse of the Sierra Nevadas. I couldn't believe how high up we were all day. It was interesting watching the color of the soil change from red to buff. I was quite surprised when early in my first shift, my phone announced we were in California. My first shift and John's second, we were entertained by listening to four podcasts of Radio Lab. It was a great way to pass the time. Before we knew it, we were in Reno, Nevada.
After 11.5 hours of driving, we finally arrived in Mammoth Lakes, where we cross country skied the Shady Rest Trail. It was a beautiful forest with deep shadows in the 5:30 early evening sun. The snow was slick, iced over last night and then softened due to the sunshine today. I had a pretty good successful ski down a hill with two turns. It was scary but I didn't fall. I tried to lean and then had to pick up my ski when it went out a bit.
The last one and a half hours to Lone Pine, CA, seemed the longest hours of the day. We finally arrived after 8:00 and quickly unpacked. I had made a brown rice, broccoli, red grape, red onion, and sunflower seed salad Friday night since I knew we wouldn't have a kitchen here. The salad and a bottle of red wine really hit the spot. I am tired!
Twice today we saw trees full of bald eagles. The first place was along a lake in Oregon, and the second was an hour outside of Lone Pine along the Owen River Valley, There must have been 30-50 in a cluster of trees in the latter location!
I can't wait to see the area tomorrow and make our way into the sunshine and heat.
Ellen
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| A good morning starts with a nice almond milk mocha, extra hot! |
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| I was relieved that Willamette Pass was the only section of treacherous road conditions today. |
It was my first glimpse of the Sierra Nevadas. I couldn't believe how high up we were all day. It was interesting watching the color of the soil change from red to buff. I was quite surprised when early in my first shift, my phone announced we were in California. My first shift and John's second, we were entertained by listening to four podcasts of Radio Lab. It was a great way to pass the time. Before we knew it, we were in Reno, Nevada.
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| The water was muddy brown from the snow melt.This lake was past Susanville, CA. |
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| John took the last shift from Mammoth Lakes to Lone Pine, and I was able to fully take in the scenery of the Sierra Nevadas at the goldem hour. |
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| John heads up the hill on the trail to join the ski trail. |
Twice today we saw trees full of bald eagles. The first place was along a lake in Oregon, and the second was an hour outside of Lone Pine along the Owen River Valley, There must have been 30-50 in a cluster of trees in the latter location!
I can't wait to see the area tomorrow and make our way into the sunshine and heat.
Ellen
We were showered, packed, and out the door by 6:10 this morning. After filling the Prius with gas and us with mochas, we left Oakridge around 6:25 am. The first sign outside of Oakridge demanded that we carry chains or have snow tires. We had neither, just our optimism. I could only go 40 mph to the summit of Willamette Pass due to the icy conditions. The temperature was 21 degrees as we crested the pass and remained low as we continued eastward.
Needless to say we got off to a slow start. The drive was supposed to be 10 hours and more with the normal stops. It seems much of the day was spent at high elevations and surrounded by snow and a beautiful clear sky. We traded off driving with intervals of two to three hours each. Combining the spectacular scenery and listening to podcasts from NPR's Radio Lab, the day wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
We finally arrived at Mammoth Lakes at around 5 pm. Our goal was to cross country ski the magnificent snow at Mammoth. Ellen explored the area as I secured the bikes to the bike rack. We were on the trail by 5:30 and skiing through a gorgeous forest of Ponderosa Pine. I had not eaten much during the day so my hands never warmed up during the ski. They didn't appreciate the fact that I fell twice on the ungroomed trail and that the sun was getting lower. I was glad to get back to the car and warm my hands via the car's heater.
We finally made it to Lone Pine before 8:30 pm and much of my driving interval was done in the twilight and dark. You know the old saying when hiking? "The last mile is always the longest." That is the way the last 10 miles of a 14-hour day was. I kept looking at the GPS scene as I was driving and I must have seen each numerical mile twice. What a long day. Now begins the warmth and short drives to incredible scenery. The wine was good tonight. So was Ellen's dinner.
John
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