My Miyagi day
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 12:56 pm
Here are a few pictures from my ride on Miyagi weekend. I chose to park at Henness Pass Rd and Meadow Lake Rd and ride in. I rarely get up early enough to see the morning light out in that area - very nice! (and cool - 48 in Truckee when I went through)
Here's Meadow Lake in the morning.
Here is one of the many seasonal ponds, with no outlet, that is no doubt here because of the mild summer. This was a short stub off of the road, just a mile or so from Meadow Lake
From this rock promontory, you can see the backside of the Black Buttes and Sand Ridge as well as French Lake.
Turning a bit west, English Mountain dominates things with Bowman Mountain and Red Hill in the distance. The wind during the winter storms must be unimaginable here - everything is either blasted or stunted low to the ground, like the tree in the foreground. This area sits above the rock slope from French Lake.
Another look at English Mountain.
Can't take a trip without some photo studies. This is the weathered trunk of a tree that is now close to the ground after the upper part snapped off. BTW - it's not black and white! It's weathered heartwood.
Typical - upper trunk snapped off a long time ago, yet the branches look old too and it's still going.
The Old Man of the Forest apparently lives here. He moves really slow.
Met up with the group at a stop and continued along Bowman Lake Road down to Graniteville Road, then to Gaston Grade Road. It descends through mixed forest and mining area, and there are some great open views to the Yuba River canyon. Typically the road looks like this.
The view from the corner. Note the smoke on the horizon - it's a fire on the Eldorado National Forest, near Ralston Ridge from what I hear.
Destination - Washington and the hotel. It was a busy Saturday in town.
Heading back, I avoided the dust by leaving early and toodled my way up Gaston Grade (did only about 20 MPH), checking some side roads. Time and gas made me choose that nasty road alongside Bowman Lake again, though the view are rewarding. Red Hill dominates this view.
And looking back along the lake, the lighting was cool.
Along the way I poked into a road that promised to go down to East Fork Creek on the upper part. Unfortunately, it was blocked by a downed tree, but not before coming to this big lily pond.
From there, back to Meadow Lake (running out of gas on one of the steep uphills when I should have been able to get back without adding any!) and the newly graded road from the White Rock Lake intersection down to Heness Pass Road and the truck.
Sorry I didn't socialize much with the rest of you on the ride, I was feeling under the weather and just couldn't handle much dust . Still, it was an enjoyable 90 miles! I'm definitely going to do my best to be prepared next year to truck-camp - wish I was riding today!
Here's Meadow Lake in the morning.
Here is one of the many seasonal ponds, with no outlet, that is no doubt here because of the mild summer. This was a short stub off of the road, just a mile or so from Meadow Lake
From this rock promontory, you can see the backside of the Black Buttes and Sand Ridge as well as French Lake.
Turning a bit west, English Mountain dominates things with Bowman Mountain and Red Hill in the distance. The wind during the winter storms must be unimaginable here - everything is either blasted or stunted low to the ground, like the tree in the foreground. This area sits above the rock slope from French Lake.
Another look at English Mountain.
Can't take a trip without some photo studies. This is the weathered trunk of a tree that is now close to the ground after the upper part snapped off. BTW - it's not black and white! It's weathered heartwood.
Typical - upper trunk snapped off a long time ago, yet the branches look old too and it's still going.
The Old Man of the Forest apparently lives here. He moves really slow.
Met up with the group at a stop and continued along Bowman Lake Road down to Graniteville Road, then to Gaston Grade Road. It descends through mixed forest and mining area, and there are some great open views to the Yuba River canyon. Typically the road looks like this.
The view from the corner. Note the smoke on the horizon - it's a fire on the Eldorado National Forest, near Ralston Ridge from what I hear.
Destination - Washington and the hotel. It was a busy Saturday in town.
Heading back, I avoided the dust by leaving early and toodled my way up Gaston Grade (did only about 20 MPH), checking some side roads. Time and gas made me choose that nasty road alongside Bowman Lake again, though the view are rewarding. Red Hill dominates this view.
And looking back along the lake, the lighting was cool.
Along the way I poked into a road that promised to go down to East Fork Creek on the upper part. Unfortunately, it was blocked by a downed tree, but not before coming to this big lily pond.
From there, back to Meadow Lake (running out of gas on one of the steep uphills when I should have been able to get back without adding any!) and the newly graded road from the White Rock Lake intersection down to Heness Pass Road and the truck.
Sorry I didn't socialize much with the rest of you on the ride, I was feeling under the weather and just couldn't handle much dust . Still, it was an enjoyable 90 miles! I'm definitely going to do my best to be prepared next year to truck-camp - wish I was riding today!
