Colors of Autumn

…Darn, I’m caught! So I decided to put off some projects for a beautiful (cold) day in the Sierra Mountains. With a mug of hot coffee in hand and extra warm socks on my feet Mr. SK and I hit the road.

The Sierra Mountains this time of year are gorgeous, with the trees turning red, orange and gold...the pictures below don’t even need an explanation.


Bridal Veil. A small waterfall off highway 50 near Fresh PondBridal Veil Falls



Bridal Veil Falls Close Up


Next stop, Echo Lake! A 30 minute drive took 1 hour thanks to a tree laying across the highway.


Echo Lake Boat Dock
EchoLakeDock


It was freezing cold (34°) and extremely windy. I wasn’t expecting it to be this chilly; luckily I had Mr. Survivor Man by my side to provide me with some much-needed layers.


We filled out our day use permit and hit the trails.
Permit2



Once we were moving on the trail we started to warm up…sort of!
EchoLakeTrail


We tried to keep our mind off the cold by looking at our amazing view. And some pinecone collecting helped too!


ViewfromTrail


Ultimately we wanted to hike all the way to Upper Echo Lake. My family used to own a cabin at Echo Lake when I was a little girl. I remember hiking with my dad to find that perfect fishing spot during the summer. For some reason today Upper Echo Lake seemed farther than I remembered. Maybe because it wasn’t a hot summer day or because my hands were full of sappy pinecones.

More than half way there we decided to turn back. The thought of a warm car sounded quite nice.

After a warm lunch by the fireplace at Tahoe Brewery in South Lake Tahoe we hit the road once again. Fallen Leaf Lake was next on our list of to do’s. The lake is a few minuets outside of the city, and it's surrounded by cabins and even a rustic mountain chapel.


FallenLeafLake2


This time we stayed in the car and took pictures by rolling down the window. It was getting very cold and cloudy outside so we decided to head back to our fur babies at home.

But not before driving down Angora Ridge Road. The golden birch trees lining the road caught my eye!


AngoraRidgeRd



We kept driving and found this untouched meadow.
AngoraMeadow



FallTrees2


10 minutes up the road and we reached to top of Angora Ridge. We found a lookout with some pretty spectacular views.


AngoraLookout



The lake below is Fallen Leaf.
TopViewFLL



Fallen Leaf is the first lake, the furthest is Lake Tahoe
FallenLeafLakeTahoe



The Sierra MountainsSierraMountainsFLL


Before we finally left, I spotted some snow flurries. The low temperature tonight is supposed to be 15°…I’m glad we’re back in our warm, cozy home! I hope you enjoyed!

PS: Those pinecones I found…I’ll be sure to add them to my growing project list.

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