The first major snow storm of the season hit the High Sierra and Northern Nevada late last week. And I was out of town!  After complaining for weeks that I was ready to see the first real snow of the season... I unknowingly planned a trip to San Francisco with Meliss.  It was our Thanksgiving holiday... a few weeks late. 

Thursday morning as we made our way up and over Donner Summit it began snowing heavily.  Meliss who loves to ski as much as I do, complained our timing was rotten.  Had we not had reservations that couldn't be cancelled... we might have detoured to the South shore of Lake Tahoe.  But alas... we continued our trek to the Bay Area in a consistant drizzle.

After arriving safely in the city... we strolled Union Square in a rain that was getting heavier by the hour.  Rain in the Bay... Snow in the mountains.  Back to the room to change for dinner... and a quick check of the weather channel proved indeed it was snowing in the high Sierra.  We chose to walk in the rain, enroute to dinner with friends.  Friends who are also avid skiers.  The four of us salivating at the thought of heavy snow in Tahoe.

By Friday morning, San Francisco was clear blue and cold.  And from what I'm told the Truckee Meadows was in the throws of a snowy and nightmarish morning commute.  The higher elevations of the Sierra had alreay racked up more than a foot of fresh snow.

Fast forward to Sunday evening as we climbed east to the Sierra Crest.  Fridays snow was apparent, and apparently abundant.  Darkness had already decended on Reno when we arrived home Sunday night... hiding the snow capped tops of the foothills.

Monday morning I awoke to bright blue skies and a beautiful site. The Truckee Meadows and surrounding hills and mountains still dusted with snow.  To me... there are very few sights as glorious Nevada's basin and range covered in snow.  And with overnight lows in the teens... and afternoon highs struggling to make into the upper 30's the snow will stick around for several more days.  Maybe long enough to carry us through to our next snowy system. 

And count on this.  Next time it snows... I'm heading for the hills!