We drove down the mountain today only do drive back up it on country roads. It was our weekend retreat. Yesterday we were supposed to do it but instead picked up plates down in the valley, had lunch and Jim was tired so I drove him back home. He was a good sport. When we got home and I opened three bags of plates from different stores, one was broken. Our local store will replace it.
Crazy Dishes
Today I didn’t take any photos but I was driving because I can’t take these curves and stop and shoot or be a passenger. It was a bit knuckle-biting when there were no guardrails and it was at least 1,000 feet below about three feet from the paved road. That definitely let me know we’re in the west where people are supposed to take care of themselves.
There’s a problem with that in that from certain states Texas and westward there’s a paternal instinct towards people, including driving. There are no guardrails but inane signs along the road stating rules and penalties as you travel. But as they don’t take care of you on the roads, they expect you to live by their rules when it comes to personal/social issues.
Today we had a great drive and ended up in a town that started to make a comeback but was hit by the economic downturn. The only restaurant there was Deb’s and we had a good pizza there and will steer travelers that way.
We’re home safe, saw fireworks two nights in a row, from home. Entertained guests and kept the little kids down the street happy by having our dog Zoe perform tricks for treats. It was good to have my love home for an extra day, for a change. Cheers, Dee
Cooking with Dee 
This was the same pass the ill-fated Donner party took through the Wasatch mountains. Luckily they survived it and made it to CA, Truckee to be exact.