On Tuesday my son and I spent the day in the San Gabriel Mountains with perfect early Fall weather,  cloudless skies with a warm sun and brisk air in the shade.
We enjoyed our picnic lunch atop Table Mountain with views of the Antelope Valley spread before us in one direction and Mount Baden Powell and the Mountain High ski area to another.  Looking at those ski runs brought back many memories to when it was called Blue Ridge and where my wife, Mary, gave our sons their first ski lessons.
Because of the government shutdown we had the mountains to ourselves. After lunch, taking photos and such we took Highway 2 across the mountains, stopping here and there to study old trails and long ago adventures.  We went many miles on this highway without meeting even one car.
Today, Wednesday as this is written, it is snowing on Table Mountain.