Monday, May 30, 2016

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Over Tioga Pass Again Scotts Valley, CA, Library

    While I had driven through Ely, NV, twice previously, I missed Great Basin National Park -- once because it was too cold.
    However, these photos were taken on 2 September 2016, when temperatures were more hospitable.

 


    One of the biggest Class A RVs I've ever seen. It was on a trailer pulled by a diesel bigger than most commercial diesel trucks. And it was parked across US6 from a BLM campground at Sacramento Pass.

 

 

 

 

    While some people think of Nevada as a flat desert, the sign on the park-side of Sacramento Pass indicates a 6% grade.

 

 

    John C. Fremont discovered and named Great Basin, indicating that whichever way he measured it produced the same diameter: 50 miles. It's essentially a conglomeration of several smaller basins or drainages within the 50-mile diameter.

 

 

 

    Wheeler Peak, at 13,064 ft is only 63 ft shorter than Boundary Peak in the White Mountains along the Nevada's western border with California.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Zooming in here's a closer look at Wheeler Peak with a cloud as a hat that's slightly off-center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


    Zooming in yet again puts "the hat" atop Wheeler Peak.

 

 

 

 

 

Links:
Routes:
  • Th 13 Oct Actual Route: K&Js - Hayfork - Weaverville - Redding - Anderson - Dunnigan I-5 Rest Area
  • F 14 Oct Actual Route: Dunnigan I-5 Rest Area - Vacaville - San Jose - SV Lib - DWLs
  • Sa 15 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - SV Lib - SV P.O. - DWLs
  • Su 16 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - SV Lib - SV $ Tree - S/W - DWLs
  • M 17 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - SV Lib - SV $ Tree - DWLs
  • T 18 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - Aptos Lib - DWLs
  • W 19 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - SV Lib - $ Tree - DWLs
  • Th 20 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - Aptos Lib - Salinas W/M - Marina W/M - DWLs
  • F 21 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - SV Lib - $ Tree - DWLs
  • Sa 22 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - SV Lib - WHLs - DWLs
  • Su 23 Oct Actual Route: DWLs
  • M 24 Oct Route: DWLs - E.Cliff $ Tree - Aptos Lib - DWLs

Finding Campgrounds:

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.
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Friday, May 20, 2016

Over Tioga Pass Again

Over Tioga Pass Again Grand Jcn, CO, Lowe's

    Most of my trips over Tioga Pass have been from east to west; hwr, the trip on 31 Aug 2016 was from west to east.
    And the first scenic stop was at Olmsted Point, which has a large parking lot. The dome visible between two pines is not Half Dome. [See links below.]

 

 

 


    At the east end of the Olmsted Pt Parking Lot there's a good view of Tenaya Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Zooming in gives one a slightly better view of this roadside lake -- where there is often insufficient parking for those who wish to take photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The western edge of Tuolumne Mdws -- where the vehicles seem at times to outnumber the flies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Look north while ignoring the glare from the silver SUV on the other side of CA120.

 

 

 

 

 

 


    I suspect only a few of these vehicles belong to hikers or backpackers headed to or at Cathedral Lakes.

 

 

 

 

 


    Finally, here's a zoom north tween the "silver mirror" and another vehicle.

 

 

 

 

 

 


    Finally at the front of the line I scrambled to take this photo of the Tioga Pass kiosk.

 

 

 

 

 


    Here's a closeup with the elevation of 9945 feet clearly noted -- the highest of the passes over the Sierra Nevada.

 

 

 

 


    There was a strong SW wind blowing, but the waves caused by it are not visible from here.

 

 

 

 

 


    The waves are clearly visible through my right window despite the reflection of the sun from my ice chest.

 

 

 

 

Links:
Routes:
  • W 5 Oct Actual Route: Bishop City Pk - Irwin Spector - Lone Pine - Olancha - CA90 bd
  • Th 6 Oct Actual Route: CA 90bd - Inyokern - Kennedy Mdws - Sherman Pass - Kernville - Bakersfield - Wasco W/M
  • F 7 Oct Actual Route: Wasco W/M - Paso Robles - San Miguel - Salinas - Marina W/M - SC - DWLs
  • Sa 8 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - Aptos Br Lib - DWLs
  • Su 9 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - Scotts Valley Br Lib - Dollar Tree - DWLs
  • M 10 Oct Actual Route: DWLs - San Jose - SF - Bodega Bay - Ft Bragg - McDs - S&As
  • T 11 Oct Actual Route: Ft Bragg(S&As) - Eureka - Forest Glen - Hyampom
  • W 12 Oct Actual Route: Hyampom - Hayfork - Weaverville - Hayfork - K&Js
  • Th 13 Oct Actual Route: K&Js - Hayfork - Weaverville - Redding - Anderson - Dunnigan I-5 Rest Area
  • F 14 Oct Route: Dinnigan I-5 Rest Area - Vacaville - San Jose - SV Lib -DWLs

Finding Campgrounds:

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.
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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Trans-Sierra Passes

Trans-Sierra Passes Scotts Valley, CA, Library
    A look at the eastern approach on CA120 to Tioga Pass (9945'), highest of the passes crossing the Sierra Nevada in Californa.
    Most of the routes crossing the Sierra Nevada continue east to at least US395, if not farther. Luther, Walker, & Yuba Passes are omitted since they are shortcuts to other more heavily-traveled east-west passes.

 

 


    Sonora Pass (9624') on CA108 is the pass I've used to cross the Sierra Nevada the most often. It's the second-highest trans-Sierra pass.

 

    My favorite pass is not on a California State Route but is on US Forest Service Road #22S05 near the southern end of the Sierra Nevada. On a clear day one can see Mt Whitney to the NNE from the Vista Area atop Sherman Pass (9200'). Hwr, while paved, the road is not accessible by vehicles towing moderate to large trailers such as 5th-Wheelers. And most Class A RVs will be unable to navigate the hairpin turns from Kernville to Sherman Pass. [SeeTRGLinks below.]

 

 

    Ebbetts Pass (8736')is not for the faint-of-heart since it has improved only slightly from when it was a trail for the Miwok and Washoe Indians. Oh, this 4th-highest (by my rankings) pass on CA4 is passable, but avoid it unless you are an experienced driver of mountain roads.

 

 

 

 

    Red Lake near Carson Pass (8574') is not too far from Lake Tahoe on CA88.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A California State Historical Landmark on US50 for Echo Summit, near where the U.S. Track Team trained for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

 

 

 

 

 


    Donner Pass, named after the ill-fated Donner Party of 1846-7, has a couple of different heights depending on which road you use, 7056' or 7240' (Euer Saddle). [See the link below to Wikipedia's list of California's Mountain Passes.]

 

 

 

 

 

 


    The lowest of the trans-Sierra passes: Beckwourth Pass (5221').

 

 

Links:
TRG Links:
Routes:
  • F 26 Aug Actual Route: DWL's - Aptos Lib - Marina W/M - Castroville - DWL's
  • Sa 27 Aug Actual Route: DWL's - Salvation Army - Goodwill - DWL's
    • ...
  • T 30 Aug Actual Route: DWL's - Aptos Lib - Los Banos - Watorford - Groveland R/S
  • W 31 Aug Actual Route: The Pines USFS CG - Crane Flat - Tioga Pass - Benton - Montgomery Ps - US95 R/A
  • Th 1 Sep Actual Route: US95 R/A - Tonapah,NV - RR Vy - Ely - Prospector Casino RV Pk
  • F 2 Sep Actual Route: Prospector RV Pk - Baker - Gt Basin NP - Delta,UT - Salina (Hollys Pantry)
  • Sa 3 Sep Actual Route: Hollys Pantry - Green River - Grand Jcn,CO, Lowe's - Rimrock Rd W/M
  • Su 4 Sep Actual Route: Rimrock Rd W/M - $ Tree - Lowe's - Rimrock Rd W/M
  • M 5 Sep Route: Rimrock Rd W/M - Lowe's - Rimrock Rd W/M
  • T 6 Sep Route: Rimrock Rd W/M - Sears - Rifle

Finding Campgrounds:

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.
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