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.
