#markleeville

1980

We took our yearly trip up to Apline County last week. It is always a place I look forward to visiting since it is truly one of the most beautiful places in California. While many of the leaves had fallen off the aspens due to that weeks heavy rain, there were still spots of yellow everywhere. My favorite part is walking down back roads. It’s quieter and just as beautiful as the main roads. After a few years of visiting, I am finally starting to really know the landscape. Some back roads are better than others and some are really hard to find. But when you do find it, something magical happens. I spent more time just enjoying the landscape this year and less time taking photos, but I still have lots to share over the next few months.

I’ve been waiting for almost an entire year, about 350 days to be exact to post these photos. And now since it is truly autumn, I am able to post my best autumn 2016 photos. Hope Valley was a place that I had heard of while doing my research for last year’s Eastern Sierra’s autumn trip but did not think I would be lucky enough to visit - let’s thank a small snow storm for closing the pass. A light rain made the moments in Hope Valley even better. Visiting at peak season made me so grateful for the beauty I was able to see.  Every season in this area of California and the Sierra Nevada’s is beautiful, but there is something so special about autumn. Hearing the wind through the aspen trees with a cool chill against your cheeks and rain falling - that’s autumn. Now only 15 days until I can again hike underneath the aspen trees. 

The Carson River flows all over Alpine County. And the aspen trees grow right along the river. This combination results in the above - pure beauty. It's fascinating to stand next to this river, yellow leaves falling around me. Chilly temperatures all around. Water rushing over boulders. The difference between seeing the Carson River from Highway 89 and standing right next to it is massive. After so may photo adventures throughout this state, this one experience may be the best one. Unlike lots of other places in Alpine County in October, certain spots along the Carson River are only accessed on minimally marked U.S. Forest Service roads. These are the experiences that I will cherish forever. Cherish the scents, the sounds, the joy that I found here. 

Every time someone asks me if I like living in California, every adventure memory goes rushing through my head as I think of the thousands of photos I have taken while exploring. I really don’t know if there is a place where so much diversity in nature can be found just a few hours apart. After my autumn adventure to the Eastern Sierra’s I decided to travel back on part of that journey along Highway 89 to Markleeville. It’s a small town. But truly is beautiful. In the autumn the roads are lined with vibrant colours on aspen trees and in the winter the snow glistens on pine trees. What a beautiful place that is just two hours from Sacramento. In late January, this part of the Sierra’s was astonishingly beautiful. There are hardly any cars on the back roads and almost all the cabins are empty. There is such a stillness in the forest that the energy of the sun fills any emptiness. Places like these are why I love California because every time you visit something new brings beauty to the adventure. 

"I've Been Everywhere" Johnny Cash / royricephotography.com / Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 24-105mm L #travelphotography #california #peacefulpines #CA89 #markleeville #wanderlust #californiadreaming #aintlifegrand #Canon5DMarkII #24105mm #royricephotography (at Peaceful Pines, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvieUrrBo75/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12uau9x0ua9qk