A quick stop at a higher altitude

 I had to run an errand this morning to Old Donner Summit at an altitude twice that of where I live in Quincy.  It was interesting, now that summer heat is intense in Quincy, to be able in an hour to go back to Spring.  Our local species of Sidalcea, called Checker Bloom, reached a peak of blooming several weeks ago.  The above photo is a higher altitude species of Sidalcea called Checker Mallow.  I got this shot at a brief stop a few miles north of Truckee by a creek where the Donner Party supposedly perished many years ago.  I walked just a few yards through a roadside meadow and found a few other interesting species such as the Purple Nightshade (two photos below) which has always been one of my favorites partly because of its relation to many edible plants such as the potato, the tomato, and eggplant.  Perhaps more on the Family Solanaceae later.  For now, it's off to the coast for a couple of days and some photography in a very different environment.  By Monday, I

 plan to post more photos of this morning's trip to Donner, then follow with reportage on our trip to

the coast.  Mostly Mendocino and Sonoma counties.