Highlights of Autumn Tour in Northern California (3): Snow Mountain

Sierra Nevada is the main mountain range in western North America, stretching for 600 kilometers from north to south and extending to eastern California. There are many peaks with perennial snow above 3000m above sea level, including Mount Whitney (elevation 4418m), the highest peak in the United States.

There are four expressways across the Sierra Nevada in Northern California: No.80, No.50, 108 and 120. ..

The mountain roads that cross this highway are all about 2000 meters above sea level. Every year after 5438+ 10 in mid-June, it is often blocked by snowfall. In particular, some sections of 108 and 120 expressways are directly marked as "closed winter" on Google Maps. One week before our trip, these two roads were closed because of snowfall, so we had to postpone our trip.

/kloc-it takes courage and luck to cross the Sierra Nevada in the season after 0/0! Snow mountains and snow scenes always surprise and excite us!

Perhaps, for friends in the north, seeing these snow scenes will not be anything new. For those of us who live in the south, we are very excited when the car enters the Sierra Nevada and sees the snow-capped mountains and snow scenes!

I had the opportunity to experience four highways across the Sierra Nevada. Nowadays, it is not particularly difficult to drive over mountains and mountains. However, in the history of American19th century, it was a difficult and frightening road.

Lake Donna, about 20 kilometers northwest of Lake Tahoe, was once considered as the worst tragedy in the history of immigration-the "Donner Team" cannibalism.

Donner-Reed Party refers to a group of immigrants who set out from the eastern United States in the spring of 1846 and are expected to go to California. They are a caravan composed of several families. Due to the wrong information, their journey was delayed, which led them to spend the winter in the Sierra Nevada between the end of 1846 and the beginning of 1847. In the harsh environment, nearly half of the members were frozen to death or starved to death, and some survivors lived by cannibalism. The team of 89 people finally survived by eating each other, leaving only 45 people.

The history of the Sierra Nevada is also related to us in China:

On May 1869, 10, the first epoch-making trans-North America Central Pacific Railway and Union Pacific Railway were completed and opened to traffic, and many Chinese workers participated in the railway construction. 1868, the project extended to the Sierra Nevada-Americans today call this railway "the Great Wall of China in the Sierra Nevada", and about 1000 China workers died here. 1970, people dug up 2000 pounds (about 907.2 kilograms) of China workers' bones from the local desert. It is no exaggeration to say that there is a China worker's bone under each sleeper. In recent years, some scholars have studied that at least 12000 Chinese workers died for the railway. )。

/kloc-in the 9th century, the immigrants from the western United States and the opening of the Pacific Railway played an important role in the social and economic development and strength of the whole United States. Sadly, it took nearly 150 years for the contribution of South China University of Technology to repair the railway to be officially recognized by the US government.

Last month, we went to Salt Lake City by bus along Highway 800. On the way across the Sierra Nevada and Lake Donna, the guide on the bus spent more than an hour telling us this history in detail.

This is a ski resort near Lake Tahoe. Due to the unique geographical environment and climatic conditions, the snow season is long (usually more than five months), and there are many ski resorts in Lake Tahoe and Lake Ma Meng in the Sierra Nevada. Lake Tahoe once hosted the Winter Olympics.

Use graphic signs of different colors to represent snow trails with different difficulties. The green circle is the most elementary, and the double black prism is the most difficult.

However, skiing is a high-profile sport. Only the consumption of ski resorts will cost 100 USD-150 USD every day (excluding equipment, transportation, accommodation, etc. ) is also an outdoor activity that the IT elites in Silicon Valley like.

Snow-capped mountains at the western foot of the Sierra Nevada.

Hope Valley, a nice place name-Hope Valley.

Go east on Highway 50, cross the mountain range, go south along Highway 395, and you will see the Snow Mountain.

This is also the territory of Nevada. Nevada is the legal state of Casinas in the United States (Las Vegas, the largest casino in the world, is located in Nevada), and many advertisements of casinos can be seen on the roadside. Next to the gas station in the rest area of Highway 395, a billboard of cassina was erected impressively.

Nevada is actually a desert-dominated state. That year, the nuclear test was conducted in Nevada, with a population of just over 2.7 million. It is said that because of the lack of resources, opening the gambling industry has brought prosperity.

There are patterns of snow-capped mountains on it!

Driving south along Highway 395 in the eastern foothills of Nevada, there are all kinds of snow-capped mountains.

There is a place where you can stop and see the scenery. Many highways in the United States will build scenic spots on the roadside of scenic spots, which is convenient for getting off and watching.

Blue sky and white clouds, snowy mountains and pastures, cattle and sheep everywhere-pastoral picture scroll

Snow-capped mountains set off yellow leaves.

The hotel where I stayed at night was at the foot of the snowy mountain.

The snow-capped mountains I saw in the morning.

Quiet snow-capped mountains and lakes.

The trip of this autumn tour is mainly going south along Highway 395 at the eastern foot of the mountain range, which is the last scenic spot we arrived at, and then turning back.

On the way back, I saw the snow-capped mountains from another direction.

The dynamic information boards on the roads along the way show that we are lucky today, and all the roads over the mountains are smooth. 120 is through Yosemite national park, which we passed last summer. This time, we chose to go west from 108, cross the Sierra Nevada through Sonora Pass and return to the Bay Area.

It snows heavily in winter, and the thickness of snow may reach the red top of the road signs on both sides.

The farther you go to the top of the mountain, the closer you get to the snow-capped mountains.

After repeated surprises and excitement, I still want to stop and see the beautiful and close-by snow scene in Jingshan!

Take a rest after going down the mountain and leaving the snow line.

Compared with my 82MM diameter lens cover, you will know that there are as many pinecones. I suddenly understand why Americans call pineapples "pineapples", probably because they think pineapples are similar in shape and size to pinecones!

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