Route 395: the Beauty of California and Nevada

California is an open and diverse land, with attractions of different kinds to cater to different people. California has the west coast beaches, like Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and much more. California has different sports to watch, different places to eat, and many different parks to explore. Whether it’s an amusement park like Disneyland, or a State Park like Yosemite. California has many tourist attractions, which presents pleasant things to the eye, the stomach, and even the body. But every normal attraction in California is on the west side of California. There is so much more to California than just the west.

In the Summer of 2019, I embarked on one of the most beautiful journeys I have ever been on so far. It’s California’s Route 395, and it is California’s Insane Beauty. Each bit of this scenic route was very much enjoyed, each turn had a different scene than the last. This route starts in Hesperia and Runs all the way up to Laurier, Washington. But this story is about the California and Nevada Portion of route 395.

The first portion of CA-395 is mainly high-desert. The first city you enter is Adelanto, a small and quiet city, still in San Bernardino county. From here all the way to Bishop is a mixture of Desert and high mountains. Every dip down into the desert I took, the mountains seemed to rise higher, hiding

more of their glory within. But as the sun went down, the sun’s rays stretched out over the mountains, making them seem even more glorious. For a while, it seemed like there was only Mountains and desert on this route. We found an Arrowhead Water source, a few satellite dishes here, and a small lake there. But once we arrived in Bishop, the scenery changed.

It was getting close to dark outside once we arrived in Bishop. From here, the Desert road of this route began to fade away. More rocks, and even more mountain tops were on this road. It was surprising, because it snowed in June as we passed by Bishop. As we passed Bishop, the road was closer to the mountains, and you could see rocks, dark under the snow. The snow looked soft, and was untouched. To the l

eft, there were the mountains, but moving past Bishop, Lake Crowley was to the right, reflecting the pink sky as we drove next to it.

Down the road was the Inyo National Forest, and Mammoth Lakes. Clouds covered the sky, with just enough light to show all the trees and ice surrounding the road. Mammoth had an airport for travelers who came to ski or sled in the mountains. (Along the 395, there were more airports in the mountains). The first part of the forest was uphill and windy, with creek waters below the steep cliff on which we drove.

Above the creek were high, green mountains. Once past this area of Mammoth, we found that there was some civilization in these areas; a few towns, meant just for sightseeing. One had a high school, another had an airport. We figured on this road, many people like to go skiing in the winter, so living close to these beautiful mountains was not a bad idea. Throughout the rest of the forest, the beauty and glory continued. Around Topaz Lake, it was completely dark, and just then, we entered Nevada. It wasn’t long after that when we entered Carson city, our next destination.

Carson City is the Capital of Nevada. I had only just learned this months after I had taken this trip on the 395. Our sights were not set on Carson City alone, but Lake Tahoe. Although not directly on Route 395, Lake Tahoe is a very great place to visit. To go to Lake Tahoe from Carson City, you must take Route 50, and choose whether to go to North Lake Tahoe, or South Lake Tahoe. South Lake Tahoe was considered California, and It’s the only spot my family has been to before, so we headed for South Lake Tahoe. This city had its own unique feeling to it. It was like a beach, yet it also felt like a city in the mountains. There were trees and different green flora everywhere in the city. South Lake Tahoe had a Farmers Market, and several stores that were the type you’d find in a less populated area. But there were boardwalks too, and small shops you might find in a place like San Diego.

Out on the shore, you could observe people with their boats on the water, relaxing in the sun, as snow-covered mountains surrounded the waters. A peculiar and wonderful place, to say the least; I’m glad we stopped there.

We then took Interstate 580 to get to Reno, which will be revisited in another article. From Reno, it was back to Route 395. It was daytime when we left on the 395. Sad to say, from here to Susanville, it was the end of our time on Route 395. All that was left to see on this route was bushes and trees, with the mountains off in the distance; this was still a beautiful sight, more beautiful than any country road. However, our journey did not end there. We took highway 139 all the way up to Bend, Oregon. That is also a beautiful road, with tons and tons of forest to see. Many different types of trees can be viewed on this road, and this road goes over a mountain. From there, you can see every valley and lake below.

California/Nevada Route 395 is a route to remember. No sight of the mountains, nor the lakes, nor the trees ever got old. It was all so beautiful, and awesome to take in. I wish I stayed on Route 395 the whole way; all the way up to Washington. If you ever want to go to Oregon, or Washington, or even just Nevada, take Route 395. You will not regret it.