Diversion on the way

On one of the trips up to Downieville, we took the scenic route up and did a mountain bike ride near Donner Pass before heading over.   I had found a 15 mile loop sort of across the highway from our normal ski haunt at Sugarbowl, and it was fun to explore terrain we had only previously seen from a distance.

Though the climb wasn't too bad, and the ride across the top was relatively benign, the descent was a rocky, steep, stair-stepped type-2-fun sort of experience.  That just goes with the territory...

Near the end, Chad liked the jaunty orange sno-cat that we saw in front of an isolated cabin.  It implies that in a couple of months, this area probably isn't generally accessible by car!