Over Sierras to Nevada and Back To Bay Area in Two Days

[ksandvik]

From Tonopath south on Hwy 95 you have views like these, rolling dry low mountain ranges and not much else. I actually saw a sheriff picking up people driving fast 8am on a Sunday morning so you better be careful in Nevada. Suspect some of those sleepy towns depends on tickets for their budgets.

Another thing is that the trucks drive fast on this road, the winds are pushing left and right, lots of turbulence, so it's a challenge to drive past such trucks.

[ksandvik]

You also see signs like these and in Nevada you learn to read between the lines -- and if not check it out on Wikipedia.

[ksandvik]

I was debating the night before if I would take Hwy 266/166 back to California as the road looked tiny and isolated on the map. So I did some iPhone internet searching and found out it was quite OK to take this road. Actually I met quite a lot of cars going in both directions on a Sunday morning so if something would have happened I would have been fine. Helps to bring a couple of bottles of water for just in case situations, too.

[ksandvik]

You could see here and there in Nevada starting points of possible towns based on tent towns and mines that fizzled, here's one along Hwy 266. I never understood how someone would like to live in the middle of nowhere but maybe the lure of riches from silver and so on would change anyone's mind.

[ksandvik]

When entering the 166 highway into California, in the middle of nowhere, about 27 miles from the closest settlement, Big Pine, you find the most isolated accredited college in USA - Deep Springs College. You could read more about this on the net, they have alumni such as the Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacsson. Basically if you are selected you work on the ranch and get a 2-year diploma. Male only liberal arts college.

[ksandvik]

Hwy 166 is a funky road to drive, but you need to be careful as it has sudden dips and twists. Actually someone on the bike died on this road two weeks' ago, offroad and hit a tree.

Hwy 166 is otherwise an interesting road as the plan was to connect Tonopah, Bishop and Fresno. That's why you have a small part going into Sierras from Bishop and another small section from Fresno going towards this other part. However in the early 20:th century the road work over Sierras was too tough and now it's impossible to finish this project due to two national state parks along the originally planned route.

No wonder Bishop is so isolated.

[ksandvik]

OK, finally close to Hwy 395 again at Big Pine. You could see the Sierras in the background. Hwy 395 me thinks is one of the most fun roads to drive as you drive between two mountain ranges and the scenery changes from minute to minute. Just hard to get there from the Bay area.

[ksandvik]

OK, back on Hwy 395 and Mono Lake from another angle. I've seen Mono Lake before but it was a cloudy day and I must say, Mono Lake is at its best when the sun is out.

[ksandvik]

OK, from Hwy 395 to Hwy 89 on the way back over the Sierras. Anyone taking this route will experience surprises. Good and bad. Bicyclists being one of the bad ones, you could encounter them in sudden places, sometimes driving in parallel, especially on Sundays so better be careful.

[ksandvik]

One of the best roads in the Sierras, if not in California. Hwy 89 going towards Sierras. Deep drops, views all the time, this it the view towards Nevada.