September 15 - Ups and Downs


Back on the eastern slope of the Carson Range -- filling in the gap between Galena Creek Regional Park and Whites Creek Canyon Trailhead. 


But first we have to get there, of course. 


And that is achieved on the 175th day of summer, high locally 89, composing page 27 of Psalm 102 and At a Medical Deposition,


blasting off for the Sierra Nevada, upslope past Auburn,


Gold Run,


with an initial exploration of Blue Canyon,


a


long-time


weather


station


with


legendary


snowfall. 


From here,


farther


upslope to Emigrant


and


Yuba Gaps,


the latter's Pass,


into 


the


Big


Bend


Area,


checking


out


the


Loch


Loch


Leven


Trailhead


and


the


oft-


advertised-


from-


the-


freeway-


for-


its-


Sunday-


brunch


Rainbow


Lodge,


now


lamentably


closed. 


Still


more


meanderings along the way,


continuing


with


a


detour on old Route 40,


through Summit Valley,


over


Donner


Pass,


and


down


the


circuitous


classic


cliffy


granitic


historic


photogenically-


scenic


slope


to


the


notorious


what's-


for-


supper-during-the-winter


Lake. 


Back


on


80,


down


ever-


spectacular


and


increasingly-


arid


Truckee


River


Canyon,


down


and


down


beyond


Floristan


and


Farad


into


Nevada


near


Verdi,


below


Peavine


Peak,


contouring


around


Reno,


south


on


395,


southwest


via


431


at


last


to


the


Trailhead. 


Now


afoot,


the


way


is made up the grade to the


northeast


section


of


the


Jones /


Whites


Creek


Loop,


an ascent up to the Divide


spectacular views north to Thomas,


east over a prospect of Truckee Meadows and the Virginia Range,


looking downslope towards Galena,



Slide Mountain, and Mt. Rose. 


A call to Harriet while enroute,


learning that Tisha has left early and is now on the road to Seattle. 


While


meditating


on


this



development,

continue


on


a


gentle roller coaster of


pines, chaparral, and sage


to


the


trail junction of last weekend,


for a short


break. 


Reversing


course,


there


are


more


Heraclitian splendors back uphill


and


down


to


Whites


Canyon yet again. 


Rendezvous with the car and


explore the


continued


course of the Creek down Galena Slope. 


Find crossings at Thomas Creek Road


and


Whites Creek


Park,


then


head


for


a


debriefing


at


Murrieta's


Mexican,


followed


by


the






long



shadowy, spangled


drive among houses of ill compute,


alarmingly


arresting


sunset


mountains,


Rose


Ridge


glowering


under


a


moonish


sky


above


the


darkening


Truckee


River


Canyon,


bending


upward


towards


Wilderness,


Donner


Summit,


Castle Ridge,


Boreal,


and ghostly granite.