Friday, July 13, 2012

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Michael and I are up here in Alpine County again; this time for participating in The Death Ride which takes place tomorrow-07/14.

We’re going to take a leisurely out and back ride on Blue Lakes Rd to Lower and Upper Blue Lakes. Blue Lakes Rd has a Sno-Park parking area right off the Y intersection with Carson Pass/CA 88. Restrooms are available but no water.

Blue Lakes Rd is beautifully paved for the 13 miles to Upper Blue Lake. The terrain has gradient ranges of 3-5% with pitches of 9-11% here and there. There are sections where the road does level out a bit. Take the time to enjoy all the Alpine views-it’s spectacular!

Gorgeous mountain vistas can be seen at every turn on this road.

This really caught my eye-even a dead tree can looks beautiful; the bark has candy cane like swirls with soft hints of sienna. The other fallen portion of the tree lies perfectly on the slope as if it was a piece of sculpture. Just magnificent!

You can really lose a sense of time riding through here; luckily I’m in no hurry at all! Mother Nature is the world’s greatest artist! All we have to do is admire all the artwork-the cost being that we have to take the time to do it-WOW!

We arrive at Blue Lake Basin and continue on the paved road to Upper Lake. This is a worthy destination-the lake is so blue and the water is so pristine. We spot a Bald Eagle and Osprey flying high above us-the wing span of these raptors are amazing! This is certainly a slice of the beautiful country that we live in.

We take the time to stop and soak in all this natural wonder.

The return on Blue Lakes Rd is a series of downhills and small rollers back to the valley.

This area is a scenic sleeper with its vast open meadows; knock out peaks of the Carson Range, pockets of wildflowers, ponds and lakes. This is a worthy destination!

This is a very pleasing and relaxing ride to acclimate to the higher elevations here in the Sierras.

24 miles with 1723′ of elevation gain

Weather: MARVELOUS! Sunny and warm with temps ranging from the mid 70’s to high 80’s

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Lose yourself in nature and find peace. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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