Update for the Lonliest Road

US 50 roughly follows the path of the Pony Express riders. This famed mail route included places such as Baker, Ely, Eureka, Austin, Fallon, Silver Springs and on to Sacramento. Brave young men carried mail between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California.

To become a rider, the requirement was for "young, skinny, wiry fellow not over eighteen. Must be expert rider willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." It took 10 days for a letter to travel the entire 1,800 miles of the Pony Express route.

Oh dear ...

In Mammoth Lakes - planning to go around the lakes...BUT...

Driving on our way and weird noises from Bonnie....

Took her to 'shop' ie garage - and brakes shot....

Should have picked her up at 3.30 today but wrong parts sent - John where are you!!!!

Hopefully right parts arriving tomorrow..

Watch this space....

From Tahoe to Mammoth Lakes.

We are still in California, Lake Tahoe is around 6200 feet above sea level (asl). We spent today driving through the High Sierra's. These are the valleys which are 6500 to 8500 feet asl. It seems strange to climb up mountains and then come to a plain. Where in the U.K. would you go down hill for 25 miles.

This time we took notice of Billy Connolly, although he has tried to take us across dirt roads in the desert before.

Heading South slowly, sort of!!!!!!!

This is about 20% of Lake Tahoe

Last day in Tahoe :(

Nice break - we have been sleeping 9 or 10 hours a night zzz

Went for walk on Nevada Beach, looks lovely but was veeeerrry cold...

Onwards to Mammoth Lakes in the morning... Heading toward Death Valley and Vegas..

Kokanee Salmon Spawning in Taylor Creek

The Salmon swim here from Lake Tahoe to spawn.

The female makes a nest in pebbles and lays her eggs.

The male then fertilises the eggs and both parents die.

The male is larger and develops a hook jaw

as well as red colouring.

The female is smaller, this shows the two waiting

to spawn.

The Ducks swim around trying to find the nests and

eat the eggs, around 1% of the eggs actually survive.

Austin To Tahoe

Here we are again, this dirt road is on the

out skirts of Austin. Just thought we would

find another route???????

Lake Tahoe - day 2

The day we Arrived in Tahoe the weather was glorious, people were swimming in the lake - temperature high 70's ....

Day 2 (yesterday) was much cooler and windy but still a beautiful day....

Went to Taylor Creek and saw where the salmon spawn - really lucky as it was the last week of 'spawning'.

Sad that they ALL die....

"The Kokanee, landlocked cousins of the sea-going Sockeye Salmon, were introduced to Lake Tahoe in 1944 by biologists working on the lake's north shore. These predecessors of today's inhabitants quickly adapted to the alpine environment, joining brown trout, rainbow trout and Mackinaw among the most prominent game fish in Lake Tahoe. However, no other species in Lake Tahoe offers such a spectacular show during their mating season.
Each autumn, nature calls mature Kokanee to return to the streams from which they were hatched, select a mate, spawn and die. As that time approaches, adult males develop a humped back and a heavy, hooked jaw, equipping them for the inevitable battles over both mates and territory, and both sexes turn from their usual silver/blue color to a brilliant red. Then, en masse, the fish make one mad dash to their mating grounds, fighting their way up the shallow stream, displaying their colors to attract a mate, then battling to protect the small patch of gravel streambed where they make their "redds" or nests.
Along the stream banks, the autumn aspens, willows and grasses will be as brilliant as the display in the creek below. Almost as dramatic as the story of life and death being played out in the water are the colorful combinations of orange, gold and red as the vegetation prepares to shed their foliage in anticipation of winter".

(pictures on this blog from yesterday)

Today was FREEZING - a cooking day and catch up on blogs ....