kevin_standlee | Short Cuts Make Long Delays

For reasons related to some property management, I need to so see my mother twice a year, in January and July. It has to be done in person. Today was my day for getting it done. Lisa didn't have to come along and elected to get extra sleep. I got started later than I would have liked, having told Mom I would be there at Noon. Instead, it was well past 1:30. She'd left me voicemail, but I didn't hear the call come in and didn't notice the message until I was already at her place and had to wait for about an hour for her to come back from the farmer's market, where she can gone, having given up on me.

One reason for the delay is that I'd turned right at Nevada City and come up CA-49, turning at Marysville Road and crossing New Bullard's Bar Dam, the fifth-tallest dam in the USA. This dam is really not that far from my home town of Challenge. My grandfather, Keith Reynolds, a highly skilled bulldozer operator, was one of the army of construction workers who built this dam in the 1960s.

Here's the view from the vista point overlooking the reservoir. It's sure nice to see it full of water after it having been dangerously low after those years of drought.

After Mom got back from the farmers' market, we dealt with business, I gave her a list of all of the places I would be (and how to contact me) during the Europe trip, and we talked for a while. It was about 3:30 when I finally left. The idea that I could be home in time for a 6 PM San Jose Worldcon committee meeting call was fading fast.

Just as I turned out of Mom's driveway, I saw this young deer on the other side of the road. I was just able to get a picture of the little fellow, as my minivan apparently didn't scare him away. Hours later, north of Loyalton, I saw a mature deer with a magnificent rack of horns, but he sauntered off before I could get close enough to get a camera shot of him.

I compounded my lateness by going north on CA-49, which is an amazing scenic highway (not to be driven at night if you value your nerves, though), and runs through the lovely town of Downieville county seat of Sierra County, California, where I stopped and took this photo. However, it is not a road that can be taken at speed, and it took a long, long time to finally work my way north around to CA-70 and on to US-395 and thus back to Reno and on to home. I had long sense given up being able to make the meeting and just enjoyed the drive over roads I'd either never driven or at least not seen in decades.

I did get a picture for

travelswithkuma and shared it with him so he gets a new user icon.

My mother's house is less than 120 miles from my home. I left at about 3:30 and it took me more than five hours before I got home, albeit that I did stop several times, including long enough to buy some groceries in Reno that I figured Lisa would want.

I made a separate mistake of not putting on any sunscreen. My face is redder than usual tonight. I'll put ointment on it before I go to bed and hope I don't peel too badly.