JourneysPhotograph

A Few Bluebird Days in Late February

·Placer County, California·#winter#california#tahoe#skiing#snow#truckee
A wide landscape view of a vast blue lake, surrounded by snow-dusted pine forests and distant snow-capped mountains under a clear blue sky.

The last weekend of February brought a string of classic bluebird days here in Tahoe. The sun was out, the sky was a deep, uninterrupted blue, and there was still plenty of snow on the ground. It was perfect weather for getting out on the mountain.

From the top of the runs, the views of the lake were completely clear. You could see all the way across to the other side, with the snow-capped peaks framing the water. The air was crisp and the light was bright, casting sharp shadows through the pine trees that line the slopes.

Down off the mountain, it was just as quiet. Back in the neighborhood in Truckee, I noticed someone had done donuts in a snowy field, leaving a perfect circular pattern around a small, lone tree. Just a simple, temporary mark on the landscape. It was a normal winter weekend at home.

A wide landscape view of a blue lake, snow-capped mountains, and a valley filled with evergreen trees.A snowy mountain range covered in evergreen trees under a blue sky with clouds, seen from a ski slope.Snowy mountains covered in dark evergreen forests under a bright blue sky with white clouds and a contrail.Snowy ski slope with pine trees overlooks a large blue lake and distant snow-capped mountains under a bright blue sky.Snow-covered mountain slope with many evergreen trees under a blue sky with light clouds.A snow-covered field with tire tracks forming circles around a small tree, surrounded by tall pine trees under a clear blue sky.