Snowday

***I started on this post, and got it 1/2 way done, and had to leave it, so here it is, with just a few more pictures added today, Jan 11.***

My daughter Emily called my Sunday, wondering if I'd like to go with her to the snow on Monday. Are you kidding? Of course I would!

We drove up I-80 toward Truckee. It was a lovely day, and we started seeing snow around the 5000-foot level. We kept driving, with the snow getting deeper and deeper, and finally stopped at the Truckee-Donner rest stop on I-80.

That's right, the summit is 7,239 feet above sea-level, where the air is a tad thin for hiking, but we managed.




As you can see, the snow being plowed back from the parking lot at the rest stop is quite deep. The actual base, back away from the road, was probably 3-4 feet, but it got a lot deeper as we hiked back from the rest stop, into the woods.










Emily bought her dog a nice pair of "muk-luks" for her feet. We thought the snow would be kinda hard on her paws. She didn't like the muk-luks that well, and they kept coming off. Finally, Emily just took them off.










Tana didn't seem to be fazed by the cold snow a bit! She ran around in the snow for at least an hour-and-a-half without the least problem or complaint.













I'm not all that big a fan of snow, but I have to admit, it was fun bringing the dog and watching her run around. If you ever get a chance to come to California, don't forget that we have mountains (obviously) as well as ocean-front beaches.














I just wanted to throw this in because I think it's such a good picture of Emily. ;-)












And, of course, every trip to the mountains ends with the drive back home. This is westbound I-80 about 30 miles east of Sacramento, just east of Rocklin. After leaving the pristine, crystal clear, snow capped mountains, I must say, returning to the central valley is somewhat depressing.

Which just makes the next trip something more to look forward to.