Hope Valley (Part 3) - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

On the 17 October 2025, my parents and I took a trip Eldorado National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. We drove on State Route 88, State Route 89, and then to Lake Tahoe before circling back to the SF Bay via State Route 80. I went there to see aspen autumn foliage and the small amount of snow in the mountains. It was beautiful. I took photos with my phones, and the photos are split into 4 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: This is the first Sierra Nevada trip since I caught COVID. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever. I have been wanting to go for 2 years now, but did not dare due to the amount of respiratory issues I've had with Long COVID. I decided to take a risk this time and paid for it hard. Unfortunately my health is nowhere near where it was before the COVID infection, and there is no end in sight for Long COVID. (More information at the end of the blog post.)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Coming Soon)

This blog post are photos from State Route 88 and State Route 89 in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Photos are from Hope Valley and most of them are of aspen autumn foliage. I dropped by Picketts Junction and Desolation Hotel Hope Valley.

 A scenery photo of Hope Valley, Pickett Peak, Hawkins Peak, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak (right), aspen trees, pine trees, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak (right), aspen trees, pine trees, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak, aspen trees, pine trees, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, Waterhouse Peak (right), aspen trees, pine trees, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, Jobs Peak, State Route 88, snow, and forest.

A photo of Hope Valley, snowy mountain, aspen autumn foliage (right), and State Route 88.

Next up is Desolation Hotel Hope Valley (14255 CA-88, Hope Valley, CA 96120), which used to be called Sorensen's Resort. I've heard a lot about this hotel and it's pretty aspen trees during autumn, and on this trip, I finally got to see it. It is a beautiful hotel.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, car park, cars, cabins, aspen trees, and pine trees.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, snow, aspen trees, and cabins.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, snow, aspen trees, pond, cabin, mountains, and pine trees.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, snow, aspen trees, cabins, and pine trees.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, aspen trees, and cabins.

A photo of bear art at Desolation Hotel Hope Valley. Also in the photo are aspen autumn foliage, aspen trees, pine trees, and cabins.

A photo of bear art at Desolation Hotel Hope Valley. Also in the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and cabins.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, aspen trees, pine trees, and mountains. The photo was taken on the side of State Route 88 near Desolation Hotel Hope Valley.

A scenery photo of Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, State Route 88, aspen trees, pine trees, car park, cars, and cabins.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, aspen autumn foliage, aspen trees, pine trees, and mountains. The photo was taken on the side of State Route 88 near Desolation Hotel Hope Valley.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage, Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, State Route 88, aspen trees, pine trees, and cabins.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, mountains, forest, power lines, and snow. The photo was shot at the intersection of Carson River Road and State Route 88 in Alpine Village, CA.

A scenery photo of Hope Valley, State Route 88, mountains, forest, power lines, and snow. The photo was shot near the intersection of Carson River Road and State Route 88 in Alpine Village, CA.

We turned around at Carson River Road, and headed towards Lake Tahoe. We stopped by Picketts Junction for photos.

A scenery photo of Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, Jobs Peak, aspen autumn foliage (left), State Route 88 (left), forest, and snow. The photo was shot near Picketts Junction at the intersection of State Route 88 and State Route 89.

A scenery photo of Picketts Peak (center), West Fork Carson River, State Route 88 (in the distance), State Route 89 (right), Picketts Junction (right), snow, and forest. The photo was shot near Picketts Junction at the intersection of State Route 88 and State Route 89.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have sunset photos from Eagle Rock at Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in California. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Full Altitude Sickness Story: This was my first trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since COVID-19 infection in November 2023. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever, and it went beyond anything I had expected or experienced before. At 6000ft (1800m), I start feeling affects of altitude what I used to get at 8500ft (2600m). By the time we got up to 8000ft (2400m), I was dealing with air hunger, a bad throbbing headache, nearly lost my lunch (swallowed it back a few times), a really wet cough, and severe dizziness that didn't go away even sitting down. Blood O2 was a persistent 85%-90%. 7000ft (2130m) wasn't much better, but blood O2 was around 87%-93%. Around 6300ft (1900m), I was able to maintain a persistent 95% O2, but my heart rate was very fast, and the air hunger was pretty bad. My body was resisting me very badly up there, however I was pretty happy getting to see snow and autumn foliage again. I most likely won't be doing another trip into the Sierras unless I can get oxygen.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Coming Soon)

Carson Pass & Red Lake (Part 2) - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

On the 17 October 2025, my parents and I took a trip Eldorado National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. We drove on State Route 88, State Route 89, and then to Lake Tahoe before circling back to the SF Bay via State Route 80. I went there to see aspen autumn foliage and the small amount of snow in the mountains. It was beautiful. I took photos with my phones, and the photos are split into 4 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: This is the first Sierra Nevada trip since I caught COVID. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever. I have been wanting to go for 2 years now, but did not dare due to the amount of respiratory issues I've had with Long COVID. I decided to take a risk this time and paid for it hard. Unfortunately my health is nowhere near where it was before the COVID infection, and there is no end in sight for Long COVID. (More information at the end of the blog post.)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Coming Soon)

This blog post are photos from State Route 88 in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Photos are from Carson Pass and Red Lake. Don't let the smile in the photos of me fool you, I was feeling very sick, but tried my best to smile for the few photos my mom took of me.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A photo of me next to the "Carson Pass Elevation 8574 ft" sign. Also in the photo are State Route 88 (left), snow, snowy mountains, and forest. My mom helped me take this photo at Carson Pass.

A scenery photo of the car park at Carson Pass, State Route 88 (right), snow, snowy mountains, cars, and forest.

Next we begin our descent into Hope Valley, stopping at Red Lake on the way.

A scenery photo of Red Lake, Red Lake Peak, aspen autumn foliage, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

A scenery photo of Red Lake, Red Lake Peak, aspen autumn foliage, forest, and snow. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

A scenery photo of Red Lake, aspen autumn foliage, snowy mountains, and forest. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot on Red Vista Road.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have photos from Hope Valley in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Full Altitude Sickness Story: This was my first trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since COVID-19 infection in November 2023. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever, and it went beyond anything I had expected or experienced before. At 6000ft (1800m), I start feeling affects of altitude what I used to get at 8500ft (2600m). By the time we got up to 8000ft (2400m), I was dealing with air hunger, a bad throbbing headache, nearly lost my lunch (swallowed it back a few times), a really wet cough, and severe dizziness that didn't go away even sitting down. Blood O2 was a persistent 85%-90%. 7000ft (2130m) wasn't much better, but blood O2 was around 87%-93%. Around 6300ft (1900m), I was able to maintain a persistent 95% O2, but my heart rate was very fast, and the air hunger was pretty bad. My body was resisting me very badly up there, however I was pretty happy getting to see snow and autumn foliage again. I most likely won't be doing another trip into the Sierras unless I can get oxygen.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Coming Soon)

State Route 88 (Part 1) - Eldorado National Forest

On the 17 October 2025, my parents and I took a trip Eldorado National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. We drove on State Route 88, State Route 89, and then to Lake Tahoe before circling back to the SF Bay via State Route 80. I went there to see aspen autumn foliage and the small amount of snow in the mountains. It was beautiful. I took photos with my phones, and the photos are split into 4 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: This is the first Sierra Nevada trip since I caught COVID. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever. I have been wanting to go for 2 years now, but did not dare due to the amount of respiratory issues I've had with Long COVID. I decided to take a risk this time and paid for it hard. Unfortunately my health is nowhere near where it was before the COVID infection, and there is no end in sight for Long COVID. (More information at the end of the blog post.)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Coming Soon)

This blog post are photos from State Route 88 in Eldorado National Forest in California on our drive up to Carson Pass. Photos are from Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint, Silver Lake, and Caples Lake.

A scenery photo of snowy mountains, forest and clouds. The photo was shot at Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of rocks, trees, snow, clouds, and State Route 88. The photo was shot at Peddler Hill Scenic Viewpoint.

A scenery photo of Thunder Mountain, Silver Lake, Treasure Island, and forest. The photo was shot at the intersection of Plasse Road and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photos are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photos are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A close up photo of aspen autumn foliage. In the photos are snow, aspen trees, and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photos are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at the intersection of Forest Route 10N15 and State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Caples Lake, snowy mountains, rocks, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Caples Lake, snowy mountains, rocks, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of Caples Lake, Caples Lake Dam, State Route 88 (right), snowy mountain (left), and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of State Route 88 (left), Caples Lake (right), snowy mountains, rocks, and forest. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 88.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. Also in the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, sign (left), snowy mountain (left), and State Route 88 (left). The photo was shot near Caples Lake.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and snowy mountain (right). The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and rocks. The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees and pine trees. The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

A scenery photo of aspen autumn foliage and snow. In the photo are aspen trees, pine trees, and rocks. The photo was shot at Caples Lake Public Boat Launch.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have photos from Carson Pass and Red Lake in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Full Altitude Sickness Story: This was my first trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since COVID-19 infection in November 2023. I got hit with the worst altitude sickness ever, and it went beyond anything I had expected or experienced before. At 6000ft (1800m), I start feeling affects of altitude what I used to get at 8500ft (2600m). By the time we got up to 8000ft (2400m), I was dealing with air hunger, a bad throbbing headache, nearly lost my lunch (swallowed it back a few times), a really wet cough, and severe dizziness that didn't go away even sitting down. Blood O2 was a persistent 85%-90%. 7000ft (2130m) wasn't much better, but blood O2 was around 87%-93%. Around 6300ft (1900m), I was able to maintain a persistent 95% O2, but my heart rate was very fast, and the air hunger was pretty bad. My body was resisting me very badly up there, however I was pretty happy getting to see snow and autumn foliage again. I most likely won't be doing another trip into the Sierras unless I can get oxygen.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Coming Soon)

Monterey, CA Sea Lions & Scenery

On the 17th May 2025, my parents and I took a trip to Monterey, CA and Pacific Grove, CA. We visited Coast Guard Pier, Monterey State Historic Park, Presidio of Monterey, Lovers Point Park, and more. I took photos on my phone and on my Olympus mirrorless camera, and the photos are split into 2 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

High Resolution Photos: If you want to see high resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To view my best Monterey, CA photos, use this link. To view my best sea lion photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts: Cellphone Photos | Olympus Photos

This blog post has the Olympus photos I took. The photos are from several locations in Monterey, CA. Photos are from San Carlos Beach, Coast Guard Pier, and Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.

Message from the Photographer: I know these photos are posted incredibly late, unfortunately Long COVID is now destabilizing my condition quite rapidly. I have not been feeling very good for the past month.

We parked at Presidio of Monterey and walked a loop around the coastal wharf areas. I first checked out the museum at the presidio, and also the Sloat Monument (no photos). After that we walked over to San Carlos Beach and Coast Guard Pier.

A scenery photo of San Carlos Beach, Monterey Bay (right), scuba divers, people, clouds, and buildings.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 36° 36' 34" N 121° 53' 42" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a sea lion, rocks, and Monterey Bay shot at Coast Guard Pier at Monterey Marina.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a sea lion, rocks, and Monterey Bay shot at Coast Guard Pier at Monterey Marina.

A photo of sleeping sea lions, rocks, and Monterey Bay shot at Coast Guard Pier at Monterey Marina.

A photo of sea lions, rocks, and Monterey Bay shot at Coast Guard Pier at Monterey Marina.

A photo of sea lions, rocks, and Monterey Bay shot at Coast Guard Pier at Monterey Marina.

A photo of a sleeping sea lion and Monterey Bay shot at Boat Launch Ramp at Monterey Marina.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a sleeping sea lion and rocks shot at Boat Launch Ramp at Monterey Marina.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a sea lion and rocks shot at Boat Launch Ramp at Monterey Marina.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a sea lion, rocks, and Monterey Bay (top left) shot at Boat Launch Ramp at Monterey Marina.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of boats, yachts, clouds, Monterey Bay, and mountains. The photo was shot at Boat Launch Ramp at Monterey Marina.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 36° 36' 33" N 121° 53' 36" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of Coast Guard Pier, yachts, boats, clouds, Monterey Bay, and mountains. The photo was shot at Boat Launch Ramp at Monterey Marina.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 36° 36' 32" N 121° 53' 36" W

Afterwards, we went for a walk along Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.

A scenery photo of Monterey Marina, yachts, boats, Coast Guard Pier, Monterey Bay, clouds, and rocks (bottom left). The photo was shot at Sister City Park.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 36° 36' 28" N 121° 53' 39" W

A scenery photo of boats, yachts, Old Fisherman's Wharf (right), Municipal Wharf II (center), Monterey Bay, clouds, mountains, and rocks (bottom). The photo was shot on Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 36° 36' 23" N 121° 53' 40" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

Unfortunately soon after this, the kit lens broke on my Olympus mirrorless camera, so the rest of the photos from this trip were shot on my cellphone. You can view the cellphone photos in my other blog post.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Parts: Cellphone Photos | Olympus Photos

Copyright Warning: These photos are some of my best and most popular works of art. Unauthorized usage and reproductions are strictly prohibited. Please contact me here to purchase prints and negotiate photo licenses.