There is a special detour we often use when we are heading to Nevada or Arizona. It skips Highway 395 and Reno, which is a big plus, but it also goes by Pyramid Lake, which has a stark beauty all its own. No matter how many times I’ve taken pictures, I always find myself reaching for my camera when we pass the lake. The color of the lake changes with time of day and how blue the sky is.
We call the Pyramid Lake detour the “Pyramid Lake Ops,” based on a trip that was almost an “oops.” It was winter, almost dark, and there had been a lot of snow in the Sierras. We weren’t thinking about that enough when we decided to take our usual detour. Pyramid Lake is on the east side of some low mountains, which serve as a moisture barrier. There was only light snow around the lake, but when we turned away from the lake and headed west, we found ourselves in deep snow with no way to turn around or stop. It was a wild ride through the snow on dirt road, for two and a half long, scary hours. Steve drove magnificently, so we did not have to spend that cold night in a snowdrift. When we got to Susanville, we checked into a nice motel and celebrated our near miss. Now any trip past the lake is dubbed an “ops” with the caveat that it could become an “oops.”
That lake is absolutely fascinating. You have some very grand shots of the clouds and lake!
holy moley! The cloud/sun/mts/lake pics are stunning!
What’s that white line on the rocks sticking out of the lake?
What feeds the lake?
I think the white line is previous high water marks. The lake is the terminus of the Truckee River.
Wow! Spectacular photos. Other worldly
I like taking pictures there in the winter when there aren’t any boats on the water.