Monday, October 12, 2015

Water - Colors


The drive south on Hwy 395 from Carson Valley takes us across more pastureland; past huge, old growth cottonwood trees; through pine forests; and alongside the West Fork of the Walker River. Fall color shows up here as rivulets of yellow and orange high on the mountainside, and walls of chartreuse along the river.

As we enter Bridgeport Valley it is easy to see why it has also been known as Big Meadows. Flat miles of gold spread out from the majestic Sierras on the west, and rolling, dark hills on the east side. A patch of green and yellow trees marks the small town of Bridgeport.

Our destination is the Bridgeport Reservoir just north of town, but even as we turn on Hwy 182 there is no sign of water. By now we aren't surprised.

About the time our GPS gives us the "in a half mile" heads-up we see a bit of blue. While the Paradise Shores RV Park has water to look at, the "shores" are now 400 yards away. Still, the views from our site are incredible, and I'm glad we have a week here.

Tucked in for a week
with nice views
in all directions
at all times of the day
Less glad that the dining room slide won't open (catches on the right side, but doesn't jam so we can close it tight). Fortunately it's the one that doesn't block anything while it's in, so we'll test my theory that a smaller rig would be just fine  :-) Our appointment at Camping World is in a couple weeks so we can live with it if necessary.

Saturday we avoid the more popular spots nearby, and head 13 miles up the road to Twin Lakes. Along the way we enjoy the rugged peaks of the Sierras with small amounts of snow clinging in the shadows, and the drizzle of fall color captured in the ravines of the foothills.


Rugged beauty
Colors!
We round a corner and find - a nearly full lake! The two lakes are only separated by a small piece of land, and the road runs tight to the water until it ends at a small resort on the southwest side. 




Water!

Several folks are fishing from the road side, but the wind is blowing hard and the water has white caps, so we don't bother taking out the poles.

Instead we drive back through Bridgeport, pass by our campground, and see what we can see on the other side of the reservoir. 

We can hear the East Fork of the Walker River as we pass the small dam and follow a dirt road into the deep brush. After pushing through on foot, Bill finds access to the water while Tessa and I turn back to the Jeep. It's less than ideal so we continue up the road.

Not only do we find a few spots to return for fishing during the week (earlier in the day), but we also find another beautiful valley. We watch a pair of hawks riding the winds around a large cottonwood, their calls the only sound in this peaceful place.




A few more miles and we come across several pockets of intense colors.







It is so quiet here, there are views in every direction, there's water in the small lakes, the stars are brilliant at night, the fall colors are starting to pop - I love this area!


In every direction

14 comments:

  1. While you are in that area, take the time to drive out to Bodie. A lot to see in the old ghost town!

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    1. Went there today :-))))) Had a ball, took way too many pics!

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  2. Looks just lovely! I've only walked the town of Bridgeport, never stayed overnight. It is such a pretty area and to find a full lake is amazing!

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    1. It was such a treat to find that blue!! I've only driven through in the past as well, I'm really glad we found this little park to hang out in.

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  3. How wonderful, a full lake. Looks like a lovely spot to kick back and relax. So sorry to hear about your slide problem. Hope the camping world you'll be going to will do as good a job as the one where Tessa was a star.

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    1. Fortunately it's the same CW - we're heading back to Valencia for November :-)

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  4. It seems we know lots of folks who've had slide problems recently. Hopefully you'll be able to get yours fixed without any other problems. we love it when we pull into a park and it's more than we expected. Too often it's the other way around. Enjoy the week.

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    1. As wonderful as the slides are for added space, they seem to be an awful lot of trouble! I always have my fingers and toes crossed as we get close to a new park :-)

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  5. Sure looks like a great spot to spend the week with gorgeous views around:) Sorry to read about your slide though. Hope it comes out.

    We found that some lakes were very low and others were full. Must be the lakes that are being fed by the melting snow are getting water. Very strange!!

    Enjoy your time in the Bridgeport area:)

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    1. We're just happy it didn't stick while it was "out" :-)

      The difference between Grant and Silver lakes on your post was really dramatic - snow would make sense I think. Have fun in Bishop!

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  6. Such a spectacular looking place to be and enjoy the fall colors.

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  7. We stayed at Paradise Shores RV park about ten years ago and really liked it. How lovely and peaceful to spend a week there! Looks like the fall colors are really happening. We're at Lake Washoe tonight and heading to June Lake for a few days tomorrow. I hope it's cooler there -- it was 90 degrees today in Reno when we stopped at Whole Foods! Too hot! Hope your slide problem is an easy fix.

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    1. Definitely cooler on this side of Devil's Gate - we were in Gardnerville yesterday and it was 87 - ten degrees cooler over here! We head to Crowley Lake tomorrow with a day trip planned to June Lake while we're there - maybe our paths will cross :-) Safe travels, enjoy this amazing area!

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