One night camping at Pyramid Lake with friends brought unexpected weather and memories
We arrived at Pyramid Lake with Eric (sorry Eric, I HAD to, heh-heh!) acting as welcoming party on one of his "golf-trikes" with a beaming smile and cocktail in hand. We navigated down the washboard road under a sunny and cloudless sky as our navigator led the way to our weekend home.
Pyramid Lake is located in the northern Nevadan desert about 40 minutes north of Reno. It is a literal oasis of sorts full of cut throat trout and beautiful stark vistas. The lake is fed via the Truckee river which feeds from Lake Tahoe and boasts waters that are almost as clear. If you get the chance and find yourself on a camping, rving, airstreaming trip in this area, this is "must do". The lake and it’s surrounding areas are part of the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation owned by the Northern Paiute.
Upon arriving at camp and setting up we were treated to one of the coolest storms I have experienced rolling in over the Sierras and then directly over the lake. The storm brought with it a full evening of lightning, booming (understatement really) thunder and a truly magnificent sunset that was more spectacular then many I have seen at Lake Tahoe (not a small statement). As the sun set behind the mountains the clouds from the storm morphed into giant red, orange and pink blankets that produced a vertical band of rainbow just above the mountains and lake. (I have provided the best photo we could capture in the above slideshow.) Eric and Tracy rolled out their hibachi grill and fired up the burgers and dogs so we could sit by the campfire and enjoy dinner and the view. Well, the storm proved to be much stronger and fierce then we had planned for and so we found all six of us huddled in their trailer laughing, eating and listening to the wind and thunder roll into camp.
The end of the night found the four of us (Roman, Eric, Tracy and myself) sitting in our Airstream with the lights turned off watching the storm turn and twist it’s way over us. Lightning cracked and thundered over our heads and the dark clouds shifted as talk turned from every direction (even politics!) and set a mood of excitement and contentment. Camping with friends truely brings life all together and it helps us remember to take the time to talk, listen, laugh until your stomach hurts all under the unpredicatabilty of nature’s surprises.
Tags: airstreaming