9-20-20 (TRT)

Joyce & Shiloh, and a large Sierra juniper ( Juniperus grandis or Juniperus occidentalis australis , on the Tahoe Rim trail.

Frank by the base of a very large Sierra juniper ( Juniperus grandis or Juniperus occidentalis australis ) on the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Another big specimen. Juniperus grandis , a,k.a. Juniperus occidentalis australis . On the Tahoe Rim trail above the Thunder Cliffs. Insets with my wife (l) and Frank (r) give scale.

On the Tahoe Rim Trail above California SR 89 looking north. The mountains on the skyline are the Sierra Nevada crest above the Squaw Valley ski resort. We lucked out--altho it was still hazy, the wildfire smoke had thinned out enough to make a hike possible! The Forest Service had also re-opened the forest to day use--it had been completely closed for a couple of weeks due to the high fire danger. The smoke has returned in a big way today (the 21st) because the winds are again from the west and southwest.