Death Valley: Day 1

This is what Salem looks like in the spring

So for Spring Break, I needed to go somewhere warm and relaxing and inexpensive, yet still fun and new and adventurous.  And that's how I settled on Death Valley!  I had never been before and the more I researched it, the neater it all sounded.

Diamond Peak (above) from Willamette Pass (below)

Klamath Lake from Hwy 97 (above)

Eagle Lake in northern California (above and below)

I packed up the car and tossed the kids in too.  Day 1 was Salem, OR to Reno, NV by way of Willamette Pass where we got a few fresh flakes of falling snow which was nice to see.  Highway 97 south into California was uneventful.  Susanville was cold and windy, but clear and beautiful.

Stopped for a potty break in the Modoc National Forest (above)

Mountains south of Susanville, CA (above and below)

All day long we'd been seeing small storm cells, but hadn't driven through any.  We did drive through an area that had obviously been hit recently because although it was sunny, the road was wet and covered with hail.  Anyway, right near the CA-NV border, we saw a huge storm cell in front of us and sure enough, we drove right into it.  It was amazing because the temperature plunged almost 20 degrees and it started snowing and sticking to the highway.  After a few minutes we popped out the other side and everything was as it was before.

Storm cell off Hwy 395 near the CA-NV border (above and below)

We got to Reno at the Atlantis Casino, feasted on the buffet, and then I took the kids swimming before bed.