The heat continues on here in Northern Nevada. To add to it, there are multiple fires burning that have made for smoky skies. It was a perfect day to get out of town.We headed up into the mountains for a morning in the Alpine area of Blue Lakes. It was still a bit smoky and hot, but within the tolerable range. The wild flowers were outstanding today. I could've spent a lot more time checking out all the different varieties, but kid sitters are $5/hr...
We passed many a spot that looked good for breeding mosquitoes, but I think the heat may have kept them at bay. I bet they are fierce when the sun goes down! After a meandering forest road, We rejoined the Blue Lakes road which has recently been paved. This made for a nice fast downhill into the Blue Lakes basin. The camp grounds looked pretty full, and there were many anglers out on the lake shore. It was pretty peaceful with the exception of the occasional OHV.
Upper Blue Lake
After peacefully riding the shore of Blue Lakes, we pointed the bikes uphill and began the granny gear grinder to reach the heights above timberline. Near the top, we crossed the no-bikes-allowed Pacific Crest Trail. The road was nasty, but at the slow speeds we were going, keeping the bikes under control was not a problem. We finally finished the climb and took a break at the very scenic Forestdale Divide overlook at around 8,800 feet above sea level. 
The view from Forestdale Divide - still a bit of snow!
We finished the ride with a ride along Forestdale Creek. The somewhat obscure trail appears to be used mostly by horses. It used to be a double track, but has shrunk down to a single track. The trail is barely visible through some of the meadows. A stark contrast to the overused Blue Lakes road!I highly recommend exploring this area during the summer months. It's a bit different than the Lake Tahoe area, and less crowded.
Also, thanks to the Potters for showing us the way!
As usual, more pictures can be found on our Flickr page.
