This shot is looking west from the White Mountains (the Bristlecone Pine area) towards the Sierras in late April. Much earlier and the road up the White Mountains is still closed from snow most years. Elevation here is over 10,000 feet.
Bristle Cone Pines are some of the oldest living things on the planet. The oldest are thousands of years old. The ones that grow in the more harsh environment live the longest. The harsh environments mean slow growth and that makes them tough. There’s a good life lesson there.
This old tree was at over 7000′ in the White Mountains in Central California. It has started its journey to help the next generation by providing nutrients for the soil … if thoughtless humans don’t burn it for momentary warmth.
Mill Creek trail in Inyo National Forest in Northern California crosses some very fine grassy meadows. It’s a nice enough trail, but it takes a lot of driving on rough roads to get there. On the drive in, we saw a blonde colored black bear running across the road. No chance for a photo, unfortunately.
This was near the summit of Donner Pass in California. It was built by the railroad workers to get gold across the Sierras to the Sacramento area, and then on to the Bay area.