Topaz Lake, California

Traveling from Sonoma County to the Eastern Sierras I will often stay overnight in Topaz Lake to break up the long drive and give myself a little more time to explore along the way. Topaz is an unincorporated community located on highway 395 just south of the Carson Valley. The California-Nevada border goes right through the middle of the lake. It is a quiet, mostly residential area with a couple of motels, a gas station and a casino. Waking up before sunrise is a real treat as the community has not yet begun to stir and it is such a serene scene.

To the south of town there are a number of side roads to explore that run across the valley to the east, along with a road that runs on the east side of the valley, roughly parallel to 395 for a stretch. The picture above is a morning shot from the east side of the valley.

This is an image of the valley south of Topaz, looking north at sunset. At about this time of day the coyotes begin calling to one another. The smell of sage, a cool gentle breeze, coyotes howling and the sun setting. Couldn't ask for more.

The community of Topaz and Topaz Lake are situated right next to highway 395. I wanted to get a shot of the Milky Way over the lake and found a pull off where I could walk down to the shore. I was up very early in the morning and shooting to the southeast. Because my Milky Way shots were 25 seconds long I had to time the shooting carefully as the lights from the passing trucks lit up the trees, ruining the shots. I eventually got some undisturbed frames and came away satisfied.

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