There were many wonderful and incredible sights to see along the way as my eldest son and I drove from Illinois to California. My mother and I had made the trip many times to visit my elder brother after he moved to Colorado, so driving in the Rockies was not new to me. Actually, it was more riding than driving. Mom drove and I rode. Mom and I never got as far as California, so Tim (my son) and I were in for a wonderful surprise as we crossed the Sierras.
It was very definitely winter on the eastern side of the Sierras - no doubt about it. There were mounds of snow on either side of the highway and we had come through more than one icy patch. My son commented that he never knew I could drive that well in the mountains. I guess I showed him a thing or two! Isn't it nice when you can show your kids you can actually do more than they think you can?!
For as much as the eastern side of the Sierras was winter, the western side was absolutely spring! It was so shockingly obvious. We had driven from winter into spring. Everything was green, flowers were blooming, birds were singing, the sky was the loveliest shade of blue - a deep blue, darker than I had ever seen before. It was a most glorious day, one I will never forget. It felt like a "Welcome Home" from God.
I remember one summer with my family in Europe (I was 12) when we drove over the Alps from France into Italy. It was summer at the bottom, spring halfway up (with beautiful meadows of wildflowers which we picnicked and played and lay in), and winter at the top. The world is amazing.
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