Today's Excursion to Balsam Meadow

 Today we took a short ride to our nearby forest - about 20 minutes away.  It was initially quite disturbing to see all the dead trees.  I have never seen so many.  Our drought has caused the trees to be so dry that the bark beetle has taken over and killed many of our pine trees. These are not pictures of fall colored trees, these are dead trees.

 However, we made it to our destination and a winter wonderland opened up to us.  In our tennis shoes, we hiked the 2 1/2 mi. through the snow to a small lake created by a hydro utility company, sending electricity down to Southern California.  We were rewarded with beautiful vistas as the sun was setting and sparkled on the lake and snow.

Some of the pictures I got on my camera phone.  I had fun enjoying the light and dark that was playing out with the sun setting.

We stopped for dinner at a bar and grill near the lake

The place is actually a snow park but there wasn't a lot of snow as it has warmed up the past few days.  But it was enough to keep us cool and add to the beauty.

On our way home we stopped in a local pub to have dinner so we wouldn't need to worry about it later.  I loved the way they decorated and as an avid photographer, I also enjoyed their displayed photographs (which they sold, naturally) of the scenery in the area.


I'm still recovering from my surgery, but it was good to get out and hike again.  Can't wait for my hair to finish growing out.