More Road Trip - Nevada Art Museum, Reno 05-19-18

Here are a few pictures from the museum.

Nevada Art Museum from the parking lot.

And along the side.  See the sculpture to the right?

It is this stone and wire assembly, a little larger than life size, I think. 

Wide corridors open onto the floor to roof atrium on the right.  Classroom on the left. 

This is in the classroom and I think it is a bench, but too low for me to try.  And what if it isn't a bench?  

Hanging in the atrium is this reflecting sphere.  Down below the crew is setting up tables for the special event this evening. 

These two aboriginal paints intrigued me. 

Different values of red are very subtle.  All of the white lines are composed of mostly uniform dots. 

I really like this one, but don't understand why.

Some of the dots are very regular and somewhat evenly spaced. 

And others are downright sloppy,  Intent?  Or did he get tired?

An enormous gallery with this huge pieced of multiple squares.  Not much else in the gallery. 

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Road Trip - Bishop to Reno, NV 05-19-18

I didn't get very far today only a little over 200 miles, but it was a good day   I took a swing through the June Lake Loop just north of Mammoth Lakes because my friend Liz camps there every year.  To find the exact spot I called her on my cell and she talked me through.  It was fun to take this "trip" with her as she pointed out things I might not have noticed.  Then back onto Hwy 395 north, admiring the snow capped mountains and even the non-snow capped ones.   I haven't driven north of Bishop for quite a few years and things have certainly changed.  There is much more civilization along the way with small towns now grown to medium towns and a new perimeter freeway around Carson City and on the east side of Reno.  No longer a need to drive right through the middle of town.  I did drive the business route through Carson City and found it rather sad as many businesses have gone away due to the lack of traffic, I expect.  Gardinerville has grown so much I didn't recognize a thing and the highway becomes a freeway just to the north.  

I was feeling a little at sea and OLD because things are so different and I remembered that Beth told me that the Reno Art Museum was worth a visit.  I enjoyed it very much, but told the desk person when I left that they need to provide more benches for old ladies who can't stand for hours at a time.  Nice gift shop,  They were setting up for a special event tonight so several galleries were closed, but they have some great paintings, sculpture, and photography.  It is a large building with great high ceilings and wide corridors.  By the time I was finished looking it was about 4:30pm and I decided not to drive on, booking a room at Holiday Inn Express in Reno.  It is a much larger facility than a lot of HIEs I have stayed previously.  The check-in was cold and a little snippy and once again I couldn't have a room on the first floor, but it isn't quite in the middle of the second floor - thank heavens.  

I took a rest and watched a BBC rerun of the wedding.  Very elaborate and lots of fanfare, I enjoyed it more than if I had sat through the entire thing.  I wish them well, I think they will have a hard life together.   Waaaay too much spotlight for me.  

Here are pictures from today. 

Motel room - just like a million others!

Leaving Bishop still following along the east slope of the Sierra. 

Mountain tops were covered with clouds, wonder if they had more snow. 

Lots of cloudy skies, but no rain along my route.

This is not an Interstate highway, so there are bikers and guys parked where the fishing is good. 

This mountain stands alone.  Maybe it is Mammoth. 

TREES!  You may have noticed there are many in the previous pictures.  These are mostly Ponderosa pines which appear at certain elevations.  I think it is more than 4000 feet. 

From the Silverlake Campground that Liz loves one can see this waterfall, high on the mountain.  the house is an old one that the owner is renovating in hopes of having a B&B some day. 

This is the Silverlake campground with the mountains towering overhead. 

When I drove on north on the June Lake Loop I realized I should have used the facilities, so I stopped at this campground along the stream.  Notice it is almost unoccupied?  There are no hook ups!  I think the majority of campers enjoy the amenities of their RVs and trailers.

And there is no brilliant waterfall coming down the mountain - this is the sunny side and the snow is long gone. 

Nice clean, flush bathroom.  Ahhhh. 

Where the Tioga Road turns off to Yosemite (the pass is still closed by snow) there is a Mobil station that has a restaurant of some fame.  I don't know if it is the same chef as a decade or so ago, but the food it excellent if pricey.  They don't serve continuously - lunch today didn't open until 11am.  But I'm pretty sure they serve breakfast early in the morning.  Check it out. 

This is the view from the patio out over the Owens Valley.  

Just beyond the turnoff is the tiny village of Lee Vining.  I have stayed there on occasion, it is really just a wide spot in the road with motels and restaurants and fishing supplies and tourist stuff.  

At the end of the town there is a highway advisory sign that usually would give road conditions.  But here they are warning of deer.  I didn't see any, but they are more common in the evening. 

This is looking south at Owens Valley, part of the great basin.  Notice the road on the right. 

Along the north side of Owens Lake the road is treacherous due to rock slides.  Notice the cement barrier which stops most of the rocks. 

But they have added heavy duty cyclone fencing and heavy duty cables.  It is a scary place, some of the rocks on the hillside are as big as cars. 

Just a bit further north there is a vista point on the southbound side of the highway.  If you go up about a mile there is an intersection where you can turn around and go back to take a look.  There are explanatory placards explaining the Great Basin and how it was formed. 

Notice that skinny road again, right in the middle.  

There is the "gold standard" - just to prove I was there. 

Some people think stickers are suitable anywhere.  I think it is a disgrace - ugly.

Quite a view.  And that little road?  It is highway 395 - far, far below. 

The Walker River is roaring and splashing right now from snow melt.  But I could not find a clear spot to photograph it.   Guess I should have pulled over, eh? 

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On the Road Placentia to Bishop, CA 05-18-18

Yes, I finally got off!  Had terrible leg cramps during the night, despite the "leg cramp pills" and didn't sleep at all well.  So I slept in a bit and got out of the house about 11am.  Stopped for gas, Starbuck's, PO drop box, AAA, and on the 91 Fwy about 12noon.  Which I thought was pretty good - considering.  Heavy traffic all the way to the Hwy 395 turnoff at Apple Valley, then the going was smooth and the cars well spaced.  Nobody can go more than about 70mph on this part of the highway, it is too up and down and mostly only one lane in each direction.  Did a pit stop at the Hwy 58 junction and another when I got to the Manzanar National Historic Monument.  And I was just in time because as soon as I got in the bathroom the announcement came that they close at 4:30pm.  Whew!  The visitors center is in the old, original auditorium/gym that was constructed in about 1944, but it is all divided up into exhibit rooms, gift shop (very nice, many books and videos), bathrooms, offices, etc.  It isn't just one giant room anymore.   I've been there twice before, once many years ago when there wasn't a monument, just cement curbs, broken blacktop, and lots of tumbleweeds.  I hope I can see it again when there is time to look at the exhibits. 

Arrived in Bishop about 5:30pm, got gas first thing, not because I needed it but because I am afraid I will forget before starting off in the morning.  I've done that!   Checked into the Holiday Inn Express, usually my favorite place to stay anywhere, but I remember I wasn't happy here the last time and I am not this time.  There were no first floor rooms so I am on the 2nd floor.  It is a long skinny building, corridor with rooms on each side.   But the elevator is at the far end of the building.  So, once you get your luggage out of the elevator I had to walk the corridor almost to the front of the building over the registration desk.  DUMB.  The corridor is not clean and my room has no clock!  The one nice thing is it has a chaise lounge that I can put pillows at the head and sleep in it.  Hurrah.  I brought my "bed bag" with pillow and quilt, so I will be quite comfortable if I ever get to bed.   Gotta have a shower first.  So, here are some pictures of this lonely road and I will try harder tomorrow. 

For a reason I can't figure out these pictures are not in order.  But it is too late for me to rearrange them tonight.  Check back sometime if it matters to you.

I have never understood why someone would move to a desolate place, miles from "civilization" and build their dwelling right on the highway.   Do you love that brown utility pole in the front "yard".

Here is another one, not quite so close to the road, but overlooking the highway.  Why?

Multi purpose gateway?  Sign on a water tank.  And why the water tank here on the edge of the highway?

Flat track north of the junction with Route 58.  Nary a Shadow or a Mountain in sight. 

However if you look carefully you can see a lone Joshua tree on the far right. 

Here is an idea for quilting the sky.  Lots of wires running from solar farms?

An even narrower section of Hwy 395.  But there is a mountain!

Getting into the foothills of the eastern Sierra Nevada. 

There is still lots of snow up on the tops of the mountains.   Mt. Whitney is there behind the clouds somewhere. 

This is further north almost to Bishop.  

Quite a bit of lava rock along the way.   I suppose it is millions of years old. 

Just south of Bishop, perhaps these are the mountains around Bishop Creek.  Don't think I will pay them a visit this trip.  

One plus for Holiday Inn Express - they have these paperboard quilts behind glass in the lobby and breakfast room.  

I tried to take out the reflections from the overhead spotlights. 

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