Northern California Fall Drive

 Before the end of October this year, 2010, we decided to take a drive to the higher sierra here in Northern California to see some fall colors and very hopeful that some of the Aspen trees in higher elevations still have their leaves intact. We took Hwy 50 on our way up towards Lake Tahoe but there was hardly any signs of fall colors most of the way. Even at higher elevation, most of the colors remains green, like most time of year, because cedar trees and pine trees which are abundant in the stretch of Hwy 50 doesnt change color during fall season. Despite the lack of fall colors on the way up, we still had a great time at the road, the day was perfect for driving, the sun was out but it was not humid and uncomfortable.

When we approached South Lake Tahoe, thats when we started to see some occasional Aspen trees from a distance with their bright yellow leaves standing out vibrantly against all the towering green pine trees. 

I remembered that the last time that we drove towards Emerald Bay area few years ago that we came across a ton of Aspen trees in the road, so we decided to take that route again and Im glad that my memory didnt disappoint us because we saw aspen trees along the way. We also passed a creek in the side of the road with a bridge, so we decided to check it out. 

There were literally hundreds and hundreds of salmon fishes in the creek that day, it was amazing to see. The fishes grouped themselves together in the water by the hundreds in such a small area. There were some warning signs posted in the area about wild black bears hanging out in the area and feeding themselves with the fishes. Although, we were cautious, I was not extremely worried that day because during the time there were a lot of people walking back and forth in the bridge, walking along the trail, and checking out the fishes.

Here is a video of all the fishes in Taylor Creek that day in Lake Tahoe:

Best of all, the trees are still in its best fall display yet. The vibrant yellow hues were everywhere. We definitely came up in the higher sierra at the right time because most of the transformed leaves were still in the trees and didnt die down and fall yet.

We decided to take Hwy 88 on our way back home. Driving in Hwy 88 was definitely the way to go inorder for us to see what fall seasons in Northern California truely has to offer. We had to make several stops along the highway just to take pictures because there were plenty of fall colors opportunities worth stopping by and take photographs of. We were definitely not alone in our fall driving adventure, a lot of photographers, probably amateurs, enthusiasts, and professionals, were all flocked in different areas of Hwy 88 road stretch doing the same thing what we were doing, frequent stops to enjoy and take photos of the views.  

The views of the meadows and occasional creeks below the bridges were just as stunning at the Aspen trees. We stopped by near bridges along the way to take some photographs of really stunning sceneries. Unfortunately, the sun was already setting and it was getting dark pretty quick. Regardless the luck of sun light left, I did try to take some more photos of some really beautiful views of colorful meadows, multi-colored wildflowers with stunning mountain view from the distance.

Here is a video of the creek:

We came across a huge mountain from a distance blanketed with several Aspen trees below it, it thought that was really stunning scene. Even if it was far away from the road, the vibrant color of the Aspen trees all group together were easy to spot and definitely hard to miss.

Here is a video of the drive along Hwy 88 and 89:




One of my favorite scene among the bests was this old barn situated in a meadow with a mountain background full of colorful Aspen trees below it. Standing in front of it was like looking directly into a beautiful landscape painting done by a really talented artist, the only difference was that it was the real deal, I can hear the wind and i can see the swinging of the trees as the wind blows gently towards them.

It was a very relaxing and fulfilling day, being out there in the road, seeing all the beauty of nature. Although, each four seasons has something really beautiful to offer, one of my favorite is seeing the dramatic transformation of the trees and sceneries during fall season, thats why its by far one of my favorite time of year. Hope you enjoy the photographs, thank you for stopping by in my blog today, Jazevox.