Route 108

Yet another drive on a scenic highway... this time Route 108.  We drove over the Sonora Pass at a bit over 9000 feet.  

 

The views were more spectacular than Route 4, but so much drier.  

 

Overall much of California is bone dry.  The lakes in the area are so far down that you can now see much of the debris sticking up from the middle of the lake bed.  

 

The reservoir New Melones Lake was down over 200 feet.  Stunning to see how little water is left in these huge lakes.

 

New Melones Lake

 

Wonder what they will do when they actually run out of water.

 

Route 108 views from Sonora Pass

As we drove over the western slope of the Sierra Nevada we hit the lowest elevation of 700 feet with the temperatures rising to 104 degrees... compare that to our camp temperature of 70 degree at 6:00 PM at an elevation of 8300 feet.  

Cooper watches sunset