Patterson, CA -to- Las Vegas, NV -to- Salt Lake City, UT

The plan was to go from Patterson, CA to see the Grant Giant Sequoia tree, and then to Las Vegas, NV, and then to Salt Lake City, UT (about 1,100 miles).  About 3,500 feet up to the Giant Sequoia Groves it started snowing.  Two miles later at 4,000 feet we decided to turn around, as the forecast that did not call for snow changed to 2 - 6" of snow.  Turning around a 35' RV towing a Jeep is difficult on the side of a mountain.  Adding to the difficulty, since the Jeep is towed on all four wheels one cannot go in reverse when towing.  We had to find a place to unhook the Jeep and do an Austin Powers 25 point turn in the RV and then hook the Jeep back up.  That maneuver took about 10 minutes and in that time more than two inches of snow fell.  If we had not visited Donner Pass early we may have kept going.

Patterson, CA

So, we skipped the trees and will see them another time.  We added Hover Dam to the trip instead.  On the way from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City the winter storm Brutus had not cleared so we stopped in Cedar City, UT for the night and reached Salt Lake City around 3:00 PM the next day.  We thought Denver would be high in altitude (5,280') but we crossed mountains almost that tall from CA to Las Vegas, and from Las Vegas to Salt Lake we crossed mountains well over 6,500'.  So, Denver should not be a problem.

The Boys in the bottom bunk, surveying the passers by

Las Palms Ave, in Patterson

On the way up to the Sequoia Groves (snow clouds in the background)

First Rain

Then Snow

Then Cows

Turning Around

Driving back down

Cows again (same ones)

Then a different way around the mountain

Orange Groves

Over a mountain on the way to Las Vegas (still in CA)

More storm clouds, almost in NV

The Mojave Desert

Las Vegas

The Bellagio

The water show in front of the Bellagio (it was worth seeing).

Watch out for Rams

The Nevada Side

The Arizona Side

The storm before Cedar City, UT

After the night in Cedar City, on to Salt Lake

Snow shower ahead

Gas stop about 80 miles from Salt Lake

An old smoke stack for Dad

At Salt Lake City (the city is to the right in the background)