Summer Solstice

I know it's a little late, but I wanted to share a couple of pictures. Mel and I went up to Pyramid Lake for the Summer Solstice last week. It was her first visit to the gigantic desert lake where the Truckee River ends, and despite the haze in the air from a far-away wildfire, we couldn't have picked a more perfect evening.

Trapped in the long shadow of Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake is virtually unknown outside of Northern Nevada. Perhaps this is fortunate, since the crowds that swamp Tahoe in the summertime are practically non-existent at Pyramid, and as this massive lake (approximately the same size as Tahoe) is entirely surrounded by Paiute Indian Land, it has also escaped the development that has in some ways become the scourge of Tahoe. This despite the fact that it's water is noticeably warmer and much better for swimming.

Pyramid has become something of a local favorite among Northern Nevadans over the years. Many even consider it something of a quiet refuge from the noise of the gaming industry and the tourist trade. It is so huge, and seems so bizarrely out of place in the deep desert of the Great Basin, exploding into view below you as you round a bend on the highway like the absolute biggest mirage you could ever imagine. No wonder we have such affection for it.

Someone who is a much better photographer than I am took the picture at the right. It's a shot of the massive tufa rock formation on the eastern shore. It was for this formation that the explorer John C. Fremont gave the lake it's name in 1844 when he became the first known person of European decent to come across. Still to this day the lake is so quiet and serene, I couldn't imagine a better place to watch the light of sunset paint the mountains in magical colors.

Melissa and I ate dinner, walked down to the shore, listened for coyotes and watched flocks of white pelicans skim the water in their silently dignified manner. All in all, it was a fantastic way to enjoy (and, in my quiet way, pay homage to) the longest day of the year.