Galactic50: Day 23-24 Reno Nights!2 min read time

With our day in Napa behind us, we moved on to the Lake Tahoe area. With it being the weekend and Lake Tahoe being a truly remarkable place it was impossible for us to find a campsite nearby, however we did find one at a neighboring lake, Lake Donner in California. Both lakes were the bluest lakes I have ever seen and even though temperatures were triple digits in the valley’s below, it was a cool 86 when we first arrived and would only get better as the night went on.

On night one in the Lake Tahoe area, we stayed close to our campsite and with the moon still commanding the night sky we hoped for some clouds or even some color in the sunset that night, but unfortunately we got nothing and stayed close to one of our first campfires of the trip and relaxed. Even with the clear skies, the moon still ruled and with no chance of shooting the Milky Way, we called it a night.

The next day, since it wasn’t a moving day, we were able to sleep in and get ready for what we were hoping would be a late night. After a quick breakfast, we set out to see some of Lake Tahoe and meet up with a good friend of mine for some night photos. Tonight would be the first night that I would have the chance to shoot the Milky Way in a few weeks, but with a very short window from sunset to moonrise, I was still a little weary of what we would get.

While I may not have the best luck, especially this trip, with the weather it does seem adding another person to the mix, my luck somehow changes. With a window of 2 and 1/2 hours, we needed that luck if we wanted any Milky Way photos.

Thanks to my good friend and amazing photographer, Sharla Taft (http://sgtphotography.com/),  we had a great spot and were blessed with some amazingly clear skies.

Thoughts from the road:

A good home cooked meal for me, is like plugging in my usb and recharging my soul. Thanks Sharlea and John for a great night!

Music from the Road:

Erik Clapton, Weezer, Lincoln Park, Pearl Jam

Photos from the Road:

Sharlea and I taking our Milky Way Selfie! More Milky Way photos from this night to come make sure you are subscribed to my blog to get it delivered in your email!