After we left the interstate, we had a bit of a desert drive before we got into the foothills. It really had that that western movie aura. We passed through a few old towns in the basin. (click on any picture to enlarge).
Yes, you can get a cold beer in Cleator but we were just passing through.
Climbing into the foothills, the scenery had some interesting changes. The boulders on this mountain were huge.
You can see the switchbacks going up the mountain. It was 24 mile from the freeway and the last 18 were all climbing.
This is one of the few places that had a guardrail. I was impressed.
A lot of places were one lane, including the icy bridges.
The dually would fit through here but there was no room for any oncoming traffic.
As you got higher up, a panorama opened up behind you.
Eventually, we had to put some jackets on over our bathing suits!
Place had a great burger. This old saloon/bordello in the town of Crown King was once located in another town higher up in the mountains. It was dismantled and moved by burro and reassembled here. They had a couple of wood burning fireplaces going. They told me I could bring Kobe in, he was welcome and a few other dogs were lounging around inside but Kobe's job is to stay in the back of the truck and growl at anyone who gets too close. Crown King had no paved streets so this time of year, its all mud.
Kobe at work.
Senator Highway (no, I'm not making this up) in Crown King.
I put together this panorama of the mountains and desert below.