August 19: Color and Beauty in the Desert

Before I became a biker I thought of desserts as barren lands devoid of color or variety. However, I have since learned that the stark landscape is full of hidden layers of color and provides the perfect backdrop for stunning displays of beauty. Today’s ride of over 500 miles along the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the high desert of Nevada was full of color and texture.

Leaving Susanville this morning I headed south on highway 395 towards Reno, following the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. To my right I could see the gray granite peaks of the mountains, the green forests of trees in the foothills, and the honey-colored meadows in the foreground. The air was fresh and clean, and the temperatures were mild, making for a very pleasant ride.

From Reno, I headed east on interstate 80, passing some large sparkling-white salt flats with pops of green sagebrush. In the horizon, the hills became flatter but still beautiful in their own right, with darker and lighter shades of brown and grey. Although it was hotter, the temperatures stayed in the mid-90’s, much lower than the 100 plus degree heat I had experienced in this area before.

As I continued north along highway 95, the hills began to roll and ripple, and turned lighter shades of brown. Eventually, the landscape was almost all honey-colored rolling hills punctuated by bright stripes of green brush on both sides of the road. The sky above was bright blue with luminous white clouds scattered about. The picture I took of this blue, green, yellow, and white panorama seems edited for color but is not.

Although there was a fair amount of traffic throughout the day, the posted speed was 80 miles an hour in many places and traffic was flowing at a much higher speed than that. It was exhilarating to really pull on the throttle and enjoy the higher speeds while admiring the beauty around me.