The Mobius Trip

Lenticular clouds, also known as standing wave clouds, are really common in mountainous terrain. They are typically associated with high upper level winds. There was probably a cold front (southwest wind) approaching that day. The mountains push the air up, also known as orographic lifting. The moisture in the rising and cooling air condenses and that type of cloud forms. If you were to watch it, you would see that it is building on the windward side (west or soutwest) and dissapearing (entraining) on the leeward (east or southeast) side as the air descends and warms. Usually, when lenticulars (upper level winds) are seen, the next day will be very windy with surface winds.

When a winter cold front comes through, it is not at all uncommon for the Sierra Nevada to have gusts over 100 mph on the highest ridges. The associated wind slab snow has been described as "variable" by ski area marketing. How was the next day? I'll have to read on now. Rippin' effort on the ride report, thanks for sharing.

There were hardly any other clouds in the sky, and none like that one anywhere else. I thought for sure the cloud had something to do with the fires & smoke from the controlled burn. It was right above that area. This, however, from the NOAA site confirms your suspicion:

"Lenticular Clouds, technically known as altocumulus standing lenticularus, are a strange looking cloud formation that form as strong winds blow over and around rough terrain. Some people have mistaken them for UFOs due to their smooth saucer like shape."

Wow Killer Beavers and UFOs what a ride report
Looking forward to the next 3 days.

It's his own fault, LDF! He jinxed it when he said a couple pages back (cost estimates) that M-IV would have significantly less maintenance costs involved.

Here, you can get a jump on the research for him >>> http://www.rekluse.com/

Now what am I supposed to do? Work the rest of the afternoon?


Awesome effort, in every way.

It's really helped me get through the week.

The campsite was in the shade well until past 8am. I had woken up at the usual 5:30, rolled over, until LDF started shaking me... "What TIME is it?":eek1



"Don't know, don't care... "

We made coffee, oatmeal, packed leisurely... We were enjoying the arboreal piney forest tremendously. LDF had noticed a sign pointing to a trail to a waterfall.



We decided to go on a little hike before we pulled our riding boots on.

she was still harboring latent suspicions that I was concocting some plot to delay our progress, and then would somehow blame her for our lack of progress. A kind of reverse-psychology motivational-therapy to get her out of bed earlier in the morning.

I just wanted to take an hour or so to go on a hike through the woods, see the waterfall, and smell the woodsy smells after having my head in a helmet 10 hours a day for over a week.





There was even a rainbow:

LDF noticed something new to worry about besides bears, mountain lions, scorpions, rattle snakes, tornadoes, flash floods, forest fires, killer beaver, wolves, and coyotes: "widow makers"

and packed away our camp shoes and fleece. The plan was simple, skip the loop around the Lassen Volcano, and take the lower-elevation route to Susanville, where we'd find a motel.



The low-elevation route turned out to still have plenty of elevation changes and challenges :

and fired them up. Wheels rolling at.... drumroll.... 10:30!!! I smile, then stop. Something's wrong. I get off the bike. Can you see it?



Left, center. :eek1

It used to be that whenever Camelbaks were removed, they had to be leaned against front wheels.



That only works if you're rolling forward. Backing out... this is what happens.

New rule: Whenever removed, the Camelbak waist belt must be clipped onto some part of the bike.

Sorry, Mr. Happy Puppet.

the trees were giving back their carbon atoms to the atmosphere in a controlled and well-behaved manner;



I don't know why, but I find this photo a little sexy...



I think we stopped for her to defleece... maybe it's the mud caked on the visor... or else the fingernail polish?

laid down by boney at GPSXchange.com, and some others by some other FF's and I like to give credit where credit is due, but their names are lost in the sands of time, I'm mortified to report.



I think he had ridden this route in '06,



and while it was mighty tasty riding,



We weren't able to, um, ride the exact route that he did.

(got around that one)...



but was stopped by this:



but the go-arounds were fairly straight forward,



and we carried on, with a little re-routing.



We were just playing... having a ball.

this doesn't look like fun...

by deadfall...



backtrack,





and set me up for...



the best water-crossing photo of me...

caught us a road that looked like it would go through... it had some recent tire tracks, a little wider, etc.



and, in fact, it did.

there was more water,



we were descending into more Great Basin-like elevations and terrain...



No matter... still fun

deteriorated quite a bit...



I hear over the squawk-box, "Who routed this?"



"I did, why?"



"Who the frick do yo think you are??? SAM??"



"Not bad, if I do say so myself"