One of the most amazing things I found when I was in the USA were the mountains. I have never really seen ones like it before. They were so amazing. I was in awe.
Did you know that if you go up to 7000 feet the oxygen is thinner and it is harder to breathe. You also need to keep hydrated, or things start feeling wrong. We arrived up at Lake Tahoe late on Saturday night and then yesterday I started noticing how hard it was to breathe, then I got a headache. I didn’t want to believe it was altitude sickness, which I hadn’t heard about before until Anne was telling us how she had it once. In the end I realized I was dehydrated so once I started drinking more water, a lot more water, then I felt a lot better.
I really didn’t want to miss some gorgeous scenery by being sick.
We went to Squaw Valley to see some big mountains. They were very big and nothing like I had seen before. We took the tram up to the top to look around.
This was taken in the tram as it was taking off up the mountain. You can see where we were headed.
This is what we travelled in. They are small and there was a lot of people in it. It was hard to take photos with the glass and reflections.
There are chairlifts everywhere for the snow season. I can understand why they are there, but it was hard getting photos without them in it.
Here is the view from the top. Look at those mountains. It was breathtaking, literally breathtaking. It was so incredible to see all of these.
Of course we had to take some photos of the small wildlife going about their business on the flowers. We don’t get bees like this in Australia, so I couldn’t help chasing them. A lot of fun.
I am acclimatizing to the area, and looking forward to exploring more as we travel. I’m really looking forward to today, but tomorrow is going to be amazing.
Here are the above photos and more of the mountains. Don’t forget you can click on an image to see a bigger version of it.
The blue in that lake is incredible. Even better than the blue sky.
I suppose you could erase the chairlift in editing if you really didn’t want it in the landscape
I liked the chairlift Vicki, I really wanted to capture them. Thank you.
Lovely pictures 😍
Thank you.
I love mountains too and always enjoy a cable car or chairlift ride, but we didn’t do this one on our recent visit to Lake Tahoe as it seemed very expensive. So I’m glad to have a virtual visit through your photos!
I don’t remember how much it was, it was fun to do though. I’m glad I could do that for you Sarah, thank you.
Great article and photos Leanne. Another place for my bucket list 🙂
Thank you Steve, yes definitely.
The best (and possibly only good part) of the US for me was the National Parks.
I heard someone else saying something similar today. I don’t know, I don’t live there, kind of glad I don’t, have to be honest. Thank you.
Thank god I don’t live there either. My now ex husband was from the US and I traveled there quite often. So glad I don’t have to do that anymore.
YOu were lucky there. My husbands brother in law lives there and he wants Dave to visit, but no way right now. That country is too unstable.
A close friend of mine’s son and his husband currently still live there. Right after the last election and everything that comes with that, they have decided to sell up and move to Australia. Great decision!!
I don’t blame them for wanting to move to Australia, I fear what is going to happen there.
Interesting that you mention mountain sickness (soroche). The mountain pass going from Lima to the jungle is at 16,000 ft. When driving “over the top” with the kids we used to take a bottle of oxygen as a precaution. On the way, we always stop and take some coca tea, that also helps. The chemists also sell anti soroche pills! But as you say…… so worth it!
Wow that is high, not sure how I would go with that elevation. I spend most of my life only a couple of hundred metres above sea level. Thankfully that is the only time I have any problems. Thank you Geoff.
It is amazing how easily it is to take things for granted. Every time I hear you talking about mountains, I am surprised at how you feel. Great post!
I agree, I think I am like that a lot with the coast here, it is there and it is great, but I always find it amazing how many people get emotional when they see some things. Mountains are so amazing, so big, and well we don’t really have any here, not liek the ones you have. I’m a little jealous. Thank you Egidio.
Now you couldn’t get these shots, well some of them; it’s not called Squaw Valley anymore! I live this post.
Why couldn’t you get some of them Nicci? I had heard it wasn’t called that anymore, not a bad thing really. Thank you, I had a great time there, was with great people.
Very beautiful photos, Leanne! I’ve been on one tram in California years ago, they are so fun!
I thought the name was funny, trams are the things like mini trains here, lol. I think we would call something like a trolley or some sort of chair lift. Weird. Thank you John.
Yes, it could easily called a Trolley. There are so many stupid blunders with American English, Leanne.
I don’t know that you are alone with that. We all call things different things.
I published your Blogger Highlight this morning.
Oh I will have to go and take a look, thank you Melinda.
Wow! Stunning 😍
Thank you Sara.
It’s my pleasure, Leanne!
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Beautiful images Leanne. I can understand your awe at our mountains because middle America is flat. When we drove across country, I couldn’t believe there was not a mountain in sight. The Sierra Mountain range is high, but the Rockies are even higher. In Rocky Mountain National Park, the elevation rose to 12,000 feet. I’m wondering if you had a chance to go there. I love our mountains. They are symbols of strength.
That is pretty much the whole of Australia, flat, lol. We have some mountains, but nothing like the ones in the US. I think the volcanoes here stopped erupting way before other countries, I don’t really know, but ours are not the same. No I didn’t get there, Yosemite was really the only park I was able to visit and around Lake Tahoe. I completely understand why you love them Anne, I did too. Thank you.
It’s been years since I visited there, but it is quite striking. I enjoyed hiking into the “hills” and seemed there were photo opps in every direction.
I have to agree Jerry, photos ops everywhere, lucky you that you got to explore it a lot more. Thank you.
We shot around Arizona years back, at 8,000 feet. 😳😳. Great photographs, but hard work for sure.
Yeah, who knew that it would be harder to breath, it really surprised me. Thank you Ted. 😀
great shots!,and glad you got over the altitude sickness, I t’s really a challenge –
Thank you Beth, yeah I was glad too, I heard some terrible stories.