Sonora Pass~Scenic Sunday~062611

This was our first time traveling over the Sonora Pass. Normally, we would have driven up and over the Tioga Pass, but it was still closed when were were there June 11-18. I believe it opened up on the 18th, but we were down in Bishop by then. So, up we went. We took Highway 49, which is very twisty and turny, but did provide us with an expansive view of the road below and a reservoir, which is the one the Merced River flows into (neither hubby nor I can remember its name...) There was another car in front of us, but their back seat passenger got sick and they had to stop several times! This is not a road for people riding in the back seat of any car! Our daughter wouldn't have done well on it either! Then, we went through some small California gold mining towns like Jamestown. If you are ever in Jamestown, stop and see their railroad museum. It is wonderful! I love these little old California towns (I like small towns in general!). We stopped in Jamestown for breakfast, but had the WORST coffee I've ever had in my life! Gag, gag! It was like water...anyway, we headed back on the road over to the Sonora Pass. I'm glad we took that road because there were as many waterfalls along that road as Yosemite and it was very beautiful. It comes down on the eastern side near Bridgeport, CA. So, here are some pics of the Sonora Pass. The Stanislaus River wanders through the pass and at one point, we stopped to take some photos. There was a huge tree trunk bobbing up and down in the river, depending on the current. I was pretty sure it would dislodge at any time, so I stopped to take a few photos of it. I had caught something moving out of the corner of my eye and was amazed to see it there! Up and down, up and down it went, over and over! The water was really rushing through that area of boulders and there was an old bridge nearby which hubby walked over to take photos from. The Sonora Pass is about 9200 feet, so there was quite a bit of snow still left there (see photo of the national forest sign). I'm glad we were able to see all the beauty from the pass. Those massive cliffs are called the Dardanells and several people stopped to take photos of them during their trip. Scenic Sunday for June 26, 2011 To see other scenic entries, please go to: http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/