5K and Loch Leven Lakes

On Thanksgiving I did the Run to Feed the Hungry with Donna, Teana, her roommate, and Kayla. We had fun although I put a big blister on my heel. I decided to wear a different shoe insert and it wasn't very good. I took it out at the first mile, but apparently the damage was already done.

On Friday, Andy and I drove up the the Yuba Gap exit off 80 and hiked the Salmon Lakes trail to the Loch Leven lakes. I was still pretty sore from yesterday. We made it easily to Middle LLL and were planning to have lunch. Oops, we left the sandwiches in the car.

It was a lovely sunny day with good views all around. There was a stiff, cold wind that blew steadily all day so I was glad to have my coat and hat.

As usual, Commando had a great time and is snoozing now on the rug.

Martis and Andresite Peak

To celebrate the extra hour woke up early and drove to the new Martis Valley area off 267. A nature group just purchased some property (Waddle Ranch) and it's now public land and safe from development. This looks like a great place to snow shoe (once it snows) but a little boring for hiking.

Drove a bit up 267 and took an unnamed road that turned out to be the Martis Peak road. At a gate, maybe a half mile from the summit, I donned boots and Commando and I headed up. The road is paved and there was only one noisy dirt bike. Several mountain bikers passed. There is a fire lookout and the view is spectacular!

You can see all of the Lake Tahoe basin and all of the Truckee basin surrounded by all of the big peaks. Someone has carved a map of the peaks above the windows and on a clear day you can see Mt. Lassen. Beautiful.

We took a short jaunt (100 feet?) up to the actual summit where the fire lookout used to be. Other than congratulating ourselves for summiting, the view was just not as good.

This hadn't been much of a hike so we drove back to 80 and then took the Castle Peak exit (Boreal Ski area is also here). We drove up a very, very bad road and didn't quite make it to the top. Commando and I once again set forth and hiked up to the saddle, then took the Hole-In-The-Wall trail back down past Andresite Peak. I was certainly tired and didn't try for the scramble to the top but enjoyed the view of Castle Peak.

This is really a mountain bike trail (although all are welcome to use it) and it had short cement sections to protect the terrain. I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's nice to protect the terrain. On the other hand, the short cement sections seem to take some of the wildness out of the experience.

Or maybe I was just jealous. As I was coming down from the top, 2 mountain bikers came up the trail. They were moving relatively fast and one guy was telling a boring story about an eye exam as they pedaled past. So, legs of steel and lungs of steel.

Great, great day. Commando met many dogs and sniffed them all. He played chase with only two dogs.

Loch Leven Lakes

We drove up 80 and exited at Yuba Pass. We took a right and then a left along Lake Valley Reservoir. The road isn't paved but it's not a bad road. Continue up and then there's a left to take at a sign to Huysink Lake. Just past the tiny lake is the marked trailhead to Salmon Lake.

I really don't know why this isn't the popular trail to the Loch Leven lakes. The road is relatively easy to drive...I took my Jetta up here on an earlier trip. The trail is only 2 miles to Lower LL, and, it's relatively level with just some mild, short ups and downs.

We made short work of this section of trail and stopped on some rocks at Lower LL for a snack. I was tempted to visit the other lakes, but I'd made such a late start that I didn't want to risk it. Although the remaining 3 miles was downhill, I hadn't gone that way before and if I missed the trail I might end of spending time getting back on it.

The main trail, the popular, heavily used trail was not very nice. It's well marked until the train tracks, but it's very rocky so you have to watch your step. After the train tracks the trail isn't particularly well marked. Also, I personally would have followed the creek down to the road. There are certainly many granite slabs to scramble over, but not many spectacular views because of the trees. The Salmon Lakes section has a lot of great views.

I don't mean to say this is a bad hike...I would just recommend coming in from the other direction!

SPCA-Bad Day-Good Day

SPCA Saturday took Ruby, a brindle pit mix to a Lutheran church fair. She is a lovely dog and really enjoyed the day. She accepted belly rubs and sniffed everything and enjoyed treats from the kids. If she hasn't been adopted by the weekend I think I'll showcase her for an hour or two at the shelter on Saturday.

Bad Day I was in a bad mood of Sunday and couldn't really get around to anything. I forced myself to head for the mountains with the hound. I was bored with highway 80 and 50 so I decided to see if I could make it to 4. I ended up driving around somewhat aimlessly, taking first one road and then another. I ended up on 88 (also bored) and took a turn to Salt Springs reservoir. It's 12 miles from 88 along a good dirt road. It finally ends up along the Mokelumne River. The reservoir itself isn't much to see although it looked like the trail along the northern edge (Blue Hole) might be fun on another day when I have time to do 8 miles. Commando did some rodent chasing but didn't get too much exercise. We also stopped along the river and he did a little more chasing and sniffing there.

Good Day On Sunday I was feeling a little more cheerful so we drove up 88 to see if the aspens in Hope Valley were in full fall color. They were nice, but not quite ready for prime time yet.

At the intersection with 89 we drove up Burnside Lake road to...wait for it...Burnside Lake. This is a beautiful, beautiful lake at about 8100 feet elevation. Commando and I hiked around a beautiful meadow at the upper end of the lake and then hiked around the lake. It was a pleasure to stroll along without having to climb or drop.

We had passed some people on horseback on the way up and I spied them across the lake on my way around. One of the horses decided to kick up a little and there was a bit of a rodeo catching it and getting back on and headed out. They were long gone by the time I got back to the dirt road, but I could see the extra scuffed up marks as the pinto was apparently still kicking and prancing.

I took off my boots and waded into the water while Commando played in the water and thought about chasing some mergansers. There was a chewed up old tennis ball in the water and I tossed that for him as well. The view was beautiful, sunny, cool breeze but hot in the sun (but not too hot). I could have stayed longer.

On way back headed over Luther Pass to South Lake Tahoe and drove through the Angora fire damaged area. It wasn't as bad a fire as it seemed, the earth wasn't particularly scorched and I figure if there are still pine needles, it wasn't that hot. Quite a few homes were destroyed though and there was a lot of construction. I might feel badly if my home didn't burn because everyone else will have a beautiful new home and mine will still be that tiny little 2/1 cabin built in the 40's.

Drove up the Angora Lakes road...wow. It passes along a NARROW ridge overlooking Fallen Leaf lake and the Angora fire area. It was a narrow ledge for hiking let along driving along it with oncoming traffic.

It's about a 1/2 mile to Lower Angora and that's as far as I went. I will have to go back and try for Upper Angora (about another 1/2 mile) but as soon as the snow gets too deep, no more hiking here.

Lake Margaret Success

On Saturday the hound and I drove up through Placerville. There was a big traffic jam getting through the lights and I snapped a pic of a No Pedestrians sign. Obviously it's dangerous!

We turned onto the Mormon Emigrant Trail to Highway 88 and pulled off just past Kirkwood at the Lake Margaret trail head parking lot.

The parking lot was full although some people were sitting on some rocks eating lunch. My recommendation, move to another location if you're not going to be staying for a long time. I was resigned to parking along 88 when I noticed some people getting into a Jeep. I drove back up. They appeared to be futzing around so I went up and politely asked if they were leaving. They seemed to be eating lunch and decided to drive off leaving the parking space open. I felt a little guilty as I kind of forced them to leave, but there are prettier spaces overlooking Caples Lake just a bit ahead.

Commando and I hit the trail around 1 pm, a little later than I'd planned, but still earlier than last weekend. I was worried that with the parking lot being full the trail would be busy. Not to worry, I encountered almost no one. There was one big, big group at the mini-summit after the log over Caples Creek and then only 4 people at the lake. If we'd gotten an earlier start, we would have seen many more people.

The trail is pretty easy and there are a few pine forest duff level spots as well as some soft meadow spots as well. The craggy granite bits are not too difficult, although they are more challenging than on some hikes.

Toward the end, I was wondering why the trail didn't just go along the bottom of a dry creek when suddenly the trail cut across the creek and headed toward a forbidding cliff. I assumed the trail would cut along the base of the cliff but I was wrong. Instead, the trail headed right to the cliff and then, quelle horror, headed right up a relatively steep granite slab. This is looking up at the climb. There is a round boulder almost in the top center just at what looks like the base of the pine tree. After scaling this steep section, I would have to scramble over this really, really big and fat Mastiff sized rock wedged in between two granite thighs.

I made it up and over the boulder just fine. This is the view looking down. It's a little scarier in this direction isn't it? Commando of course scampered up and down repeatedly and even poised at an even higher granite rock to stare down at me and wonder what was taking me so long. I was apprehensive after this climb, and looking at the surrounding cliffs because I really didn't want to add a hard climb to the end of the hike. It was getting somewhat late and I'm not the fastest hiker in the world. I certainly didn't want to get here and then decide I couldn't make it the rest of the way.

Not to worry, just over Mastiff rock and about 50 level steps is a cut in the cliff and through the cut is the lake. I strolled along and thought I might have the lake to myself when I noticed some people fishing. I sat and ate the remainder of my snack and drank some Vitamin water and then headed back.

The hike back was not quite as fun. The Advil was beginning to wear off and my foot started bothering me. I just took it slow and stopped to rest and made it fine back to the car.

Maybe next weekend if the weather holds I'll try for Lake Aloha again near Echo Summit.

Bad Haiku

Commando the dog

Snoring in his soft basket

Dreams not of his name.

Summer trees leaves rustle

Squirrel stops to flick his tail

Go away! My nuts!

Gaudy pink and flame

Flares the tired sun out west

More west sun awakes.

Granite beats the feet

Climbing beats lungs with no air

Why is hiking fun?

Random walks at Carson Pass

Saturday I cleaned a bit and rearranged the living room. It rained part of the day here and was raining in the mountains.

Sunday was supposed to be overcast but dry, and was supposed to get drier as the day progressed.

I ignored the solidly gray, rainy-looking, ominous, dark, sky and decided to go hiking anyway. I meant to include my warm coat, but forgot it. The drive up 50 and over the Mormon Emigrant Trail to 88 was very nice, if you like rain and fog. On 88 at Silver Lake the sky began to clear, although it was still easily 80 per cent cloudy. I was determined to make it to Hope Valley to see if the aspens were golden yet.

Made it to Hope Valley and the aspens were still green, although, perhaps they are thinking about turning golden any minute now. There was fresh snow on the highest peaks, at least what I could see of the peaks with their rain cloud hats.

Drove off a forest service road in Hope Valley and poked along a stream for about 1/2 an hour. Commando didn't really consider this a great hike, but he did hop back into the car.

Just over Carson Pass I decided to take the service road to Schneider Camp. It soon turned into dirt and with about a mile to the camp I decided to finish by walking. Commando and I got out and were about 10 yards from the car when some guys on ATVs came down. I noticed that one had a rifle holder stowed away (and a hunting dog). I stopped him and asked if it was hunting season. He said yes. I said I'd better go back because I didn't have any orange on and neither did Commando. He said I'd be okay if I stayed on the road and if Commando was a "good dog" and didn't go in the woods. Well, Commando is a good dog, but he's going to go into the woods, plus, I'm not so sanguine about the safety of the road so we headed back to the car.

Near Caples Lake there is a turnoff for the Margaret Lake trailhead. I took that and Commando and I headed off for our third excursion. This is really a pleasant trail and I'll have to take it when it's earlier in the day and I'm properly outfitted. It heads down, then is flat across a very nice meadow with a stream (almost a river) and then heads down again. I stopped at the second down place because it was getting late. The sun started to come out on the hike and was out for most of the hike back. Great!

There is a log crossing of the stream which is a little scary, but I made it.

New walk

Left work early to take care of some business. Picked up Commando and drove up 5 to 99 and exited at Howsley road. If you turn to the left it dead ends and you can walk along a canal levee. It was a good spot...very deserted but scenic at the same time. Commando tried to give some jackrabbits some exercise, however, he's fast for a dog but slow for a jackrabbit.

I'll definitely be back for this walk.

Pilling the Dog

Commando had an ugly bout of diarrhea Friday night so we went to the vet on Saturday. I feel sorry for the techs who had to get a fecal sample from the paper towels, regular dish towel and washcloth in the double bag.

I'm going to bet a parasite, but we'll find out for sure on Tuesday.

In the meantime, I have to dose him with Flagyl twice a day. The vet tech recommended opening his mouth and shoving the pill deep in his throat and then holding his muzzle closed and pointed up and stroking his throat until he swallows. She says the pill is very bad tasting and the dog won't eat it again if he tastes it.

Last night was a bit of a circus and he spit the pill out once. Some slobber was also spread around liberally but I think the pill got downed. This morning was easier although I'm guessing as the days progress it will be harder to trick him into coming over for some affectionate petting.

Twin Lakes Twin Lakes

Finally made it all the way to Twin Lakes! It's a grueling climb and there are difficult rocky spots (especially when one is clumsy) but the lake is worth it.

Commando and I hung out and I basked my feet in the cold water. I tried a few off trail routes across the granite and may have saved a few inches of effort.

Bassi Creek Again

Drove up on Sunday to the Ice House area of El Dorado National Forest. We took the trail to Red Top and then turned off on the Bassi Loop. It's not a bad trail, although it will be impassible until the snow has completely melted as most of the trail seems to be a seasonal stream. We lounged around at the river and I even took a brief nap.

Commando disgraced himself by chasing a deer. It came so close to me I thought it was going to run right over me. I really need to get him under better control.

Next time I'll go farther up the Red Top trail to where the creek allegedly crosses the trail. The area has some great views of the Crystal Range and I'd like to spend some time memorizing the peaks.

Loon Lake Camping and Hiking

Decided to not be lazy on Saturday so we drove up to the Ice House area of the Eldorado National Forest. I had thought we might camp at the Tells Creek equestrian camp, but it was full. We continued on and checked out Gerle's reservoir and Airport Flat. Gerle's was full. Airport Flat was dusty and had a lot of OHV folks (meaning noise and more dust). We thought that Loon Lake would be full but we managed to get an $8 site overlooking the lake. Nice.

Commando and I did two short hikes. We drove up to the locked gate at Robb's Hut and walked the rest of the way. In camp, we scrambled up a hill overlooking the Valley beginning of the Rubicon jeep trail.

Camp wasn't altogether perfect. There were OHV people here too and they spent a lot of time riding or driving their noisy vehicles up and down the camp road. One guy had his son riding around and around and around on a little mini-bike. The kid could ride, but there's no way I would have let a 5 year old ride unsupervised.

The next day we got up bright and early and by 830 I was on the Loon Lake trail to the Van Vleck trailhead. It's a relatively easy trail although the first 2 miles are a bit of a steep climb. After the big climb there was a small drop then a gradual slope down to the end. I actually got a little lost and took a casual use/old, old logging road back to the trailhead. There was a trail intersection not on the map and no signs at the intersection. I assumed I was farther along than I was and took the left fork. No harm no foul.

When Bees Attack

I was talking to Petra on the phone and just ending the walk with Commando. As I passed through the posts that separate the grass from the asphalt I saw a hole with bees. I didn't think much about it (other than, oh neat, bees) when suddenly I felt the painful stinging on my back. I had a vision of being attacked by billions of bees and became quite alarmed!

I yelled to Petra, "Aaargh, aargh, I have to hang up." Then I hung up and put the phone on the nearby bench and ran a few steps swinging my arms and sort of screaming a little. It really hurt a lot and I still had this mental image of really being viciously savaged by the whole hive.

I heard buzzing and picked a bee off the back of my shirt. Finally it was over. I collected my phone and called Petra back but I just wasn't in the mood to talk.

My back, near the left shoulder was burning and stinging...it was quite painful...much more painful than I remembered from stings as a child.

Guess how many bee stings?

One. One measly little sting. Humph. It's barely a story.

P.S. Commando didn't react act all, other than to follow along with me because he was leashed.

Upper Bassi

I really wasn't in the mood for a hike so decided to go to Bassi Falls. Got a late start and stopped for a map at the Forest Service location near Mills Run.
On the road to the falls, I saw 4 huge vehicles in a row heading up...so much for the peaceful and bucolic reading session I had planned at the falls. I decided to drive up the road further.

The Cheese Camp road was unbarred for the first time ever (for me). This is the road to the Van Vleck cabin and I had snowshoed here with the hound last winter.

It's a narrow paved road. We stopped at the locked gate and moseyed around a little but there wasn't a view and no water. There was a 1 mile trail to Upper Bassi. Drove about 1/4 mile to it. There is a horse campground and it's the Tells Creek trailhead.

The trail is very good. It heads south and very gradually drops (almost level), then takes a somewhat steep plunge, then heads easterly through a marshy area (pretty dry now) and finally starts crossing granite mixed with meadow mixed with more granite.

The creek was barely moving but it had cut quite a channel through the granite. A group of people had already established their turf just downstream so I headed a bit up. I soon found a likely looking pool, took my boots and socks off and waded into it. I had to move slowly because the footing was slimy with moss.

As it turned out, that was a good thing. The pool wasn't big, maybe double king size bed size and wasn't very deep. I was just looking at a likely spot to lean back against the rock when I noticed a very frightened snake poking his head up and desperately hoping none of the interlopers to his home (the human and the pooch) would kill and eat him.

I'm not snake phobic at all but I'm sure I would have jumped and screamed if he slithered across me to escape! I left him to his pool and sat on another rock and finished my water and snack. I noticed it was getting late and got the boots back on to head back.

I did explore briefly up stream and saw that I had missed some really large shady pools! Next time.

Critter sightings

Saw a coyote at the ravine...he (or she) was actually at the paved part up by a rodent colony under some trees. Commando gave chase but gave up quickly.

Saw pelicans at the American River. We were walking along on the lower levee and I saw big birds and said, "Wow, those sure look like pelicans." They were just a little too far away. A few minutes later the were flying directly overhead...big white pelicans with the trailing edge of the wing black (or maybe it was the leading edge).

Evening in the Ravine

Took Commando to the ravine for a long walk. Yesterday I was a bad dog owner and didn't take him for a walk because I wanted to finish Deathly Hallows (great end to the series!). So I knew he needed an excellent walk to make up for it.

I took my push scooter with me because I thought that if would be less painful on my foot, plus, I'd get some practice without traffic.

It was a beautiful night and the scooter did its job of protecting my foot. Commando was ecstatic and sniffed everything and then peed on it to make sure.

The little cotton tail bunnies were out, making dusty marks in the trail. Are they rolling in the dust? Scratching and marking the dust to mark territory? Not sure, it's just that about every 10 feet there was a little patch of disturbed dust in the hard, hard clay-like surface of the trail. Commando loved chasing the bunnies and they gave him a demonstration of what "fast" is.

A large bullfrog leapt into the pond when Commando waded in for a cooling drink.

There were at least 3 raptors flying along...a falcon, a grayish looking bird, and a red tail hawk. I also saw a flock of turkeys who were not amused by the interruption to their evening stroll. Commando missed them which was good, but I would have enjoyed watching it. Would he chase them as prey and would they flee as prey? Would they be just a little too big and would he approach with caution? Would he discover that sometimes prey turns around and beats the "predator" to a pulp? Maybe we'll encounter them next time.

Just as I was climbing out of the quarry, I looked to the side and an owl was floating by on its way to the rodent hunt.

Beautiful, beautiful walk!

Rockbound Trail

Went up late Sunday to try the Twin Lakes trail again. On the road, decided to try a different trail, so took the Rockbound Trail for about 1.5 miles. It was hot and I was feeling the altitude so it wasn't the best time. On the other hand, I always feel very good...nice and relaxed afterwards. Took my boots off and dipped my feet in Beauty Lake (1/2 mile from the trailhead) on the way back. Commando ran in the water and I reminded him how fun I was by flicking water in the air with my hat. He loved it and kept leaping up to chase the water drops. What a goof!

Black Rock Desert

This is not really recommended for just a two day trip from the Central Valley. Most of the day is spent driving, and that doesn't leave much time for hiking and relaxing.

We drove up 395 and tried to cross over to Nevada near Herlong based on a possibly wrong interpretation of a map. It looked like a road led into Gerlach. If there is such a road, we couldn't find it.

We ended up driving to Alturas, then Cedarville. We stopped for a few hours on 8A overlooking Nevada and ate sandwiches and tried to decide if we should camp here or not. Commando and I took a little stroll.

We decided not to camp so headed into the Black Rock Desert, High Rock Canyon, Emigrant Trails area. We camped at Steven's Camp. There's a spring, a cabin, a pit toilet and a trail through a canyon on the Applegate-Lassen cutoff national historic trail. This was one of the gold miner, covered wagon trails out west.

We had a nice camp down near the stream as the cabin was occupied. Commando caught some sleep, but spent a lot of time patrolling the campsite and protecting us from whatever. Strangely, he didn't respond when something in the bushes killed a rabbit (the guess based on the rustling and screaming).

We broke camp very early and headed east on the main "road." We were trying to reach High Rock canyon, but didn't have a very good map and missed it. We spent most of the time on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge trying to get to Summit Lake. We were stopped at the Summit Lake Indian Reservation...which is perhaps fortunate.

Commando and I did a little hike through a canyon following mustang tracks.

We saw a few pronghorn and several bands of mustangs. We also saw a few coyotes. The most interesting find was a flock of big game birds...grouse?

We drove back to Gerlach and were a little worried about gas. Fortunately, Gerlach was only about 70 miles from us and not the 90 claimed on the sign. We probably had enough gas to go the whole 90, but why risk it. We reached pavement about 20 miles outside of Gerlach and blew out a rear tire going over a cattle guard. Oops.

I was starting to put the spare on when a kind couple stopped...well, the guy did a U-turn to help us...and helped. May they and their descendants people the earth. They had been visiting some friends on one of the ranches.

We'll have to go in the late fall for more than a few days. It's fascinating country and well worth spending time there.

Shealor Lake

Today was Mom's birthday so to celebrate we drove up the Mormon Emigrant Trail to 88 and then to the SL trailhead. Well, actually, I just wanted to hike. Mom says I'm out of the will because the parking area (she doesn't hike but likes to go on drives) had no bathroom and it was noisy.

This is a great hike around 7500 feet and climbs up over a granite saddle with spectacular views before descending steeply to the lake. Shealor is small and intimate without being claustrophobic. There are plenty of places to swim and the water was warm. It's only a mile and 1/2 so the distance is good although the trail is steep!

I took the trip back slowly and stayed on the trail. On the way down I had taken a few shortcuts that didn't turn out to be as easy as they had looked. On the way up I had much less energy and really couldn't afford to take chances.

The trail was relatively easy with steep rocky spots mixed with level or slight upgrades for rest. I still managed to trip and fall but only skinned my knee and bruised my hand.

Rock cairns marked most of the path because granite just doesn't lend itself to mere bootprints. The different kinds of rock were interesting too -- granite, huge chunks of raw volcanic rock, pink rock, quartz-y looking rock and red rocks. I'm not sure what type of formation this rock is, perhaps some sort of special volcanic action. (Joke)

LOL Dog

Wright's Lake to Twin Lakes

Took Commando the Wonder Dog up 50 to the Wright's Lake exit east of Pollock Pines. This is a beautiful area with summer cabins and camping, but it certainly isn't that crowded, although, it's more crowded than some other areas.

The trail goes up pretty steadily and soon gets into beautiful granite mixed with pine forest. I made it up to a beautiful waterfall and rested and then turned back.

On the way back noticed a tiny tree seedling, about the size of my thumb growing in a large granite erratic (Hummer sized at least). Although I can't hold out much hope for this seedlings long term survival, I have to give it props for overcoming the odds of sprouting and finding a place without much competition.

This will be a great place to camp.

Plummer Ridge

Drove around off of the Mormon Emigrant road and discovered this little area to hike. It's a long flat ridge that goes on and on and on. There are some good views of the Valley and lots of pine and low growing shrubs. There's a Forest Service cabin that provided some interest. It's too bad they don't plow the roads in the winter because this would be a nice place to snowshoe.

Loch Leven Lakes via Salmon Lake

Commando and I hit the trail around noon. I didn't do a very good job of packing up because what I thought was full big bottle of water turned out to be only about a quarter full. I had a vitamin water, but could really have used more water. I also left the snacks in the car.

The trail immediately enters the end of a pretty marshy meadow with red wing blackbirds. Then it climbs for about 1/2 mile through forest. There were a lot of trees down over the trail and no one had tidied them off of the trail. The trail levels off through a more open forest and Commando was quite sure he was going to finally catch that rodent in this terrain.

Next, there's a still lake, perhaps 20 years from becoming a marsh or even a meadow. I crossed the inlet on a downed log that made a perfect bridge. Then the trail climbs up a steep and rocky section, another flattish ridge and then down a steep and rocky section.

Halfway down, you can see the first destination (1 and 1/4 miles) Salmon Lake. Personally, I would have made the trail straight down the granite to the lake instead of veering off then circling back to the lake...but what do I know? I sat on a very comfortable and convenient granite boulder and soaked my feet in the lake. I was hoping it would be icy, but it was quite warm. There was quite a school (or swarm) of fish (catfish??) with long "whiskers." They were curious about my feet and kept making little lunges at my toes. Finally one was bold and actually "bit" my toe. Even though I'd been enjoying them and knew it was coming I still yelped and pulled my feet out. There's just something primitive about it.

Back on the trail I had to decide if I'd had enough, or could I press on the other mile for Loch Leven. I decided to press on.

This seemed a much shorter mile than the last one, and I'll have to check the map again to see if they count the trail to Upper Lake Leven or not. We finally make it to the lake and saw several groups of people who had come up by the main trail. I briefly considered going another quarter mile to Middle LL but realized I was a bit tired and maybe I should head back.

The trail back was a challenge but we made it. This is a nice trail, but the Grouse Ridge area is more scenic if you ask me.

I'll post the pictures I took later.

Grouse Ridge Again

This area of the Tahoe National Forest (off of 80 and 20, up Bowman Lake Road) provides quick access to the high, granite country. The Grouse Lakes region is as stuffed with lakes as Minnesota.

The beginning is at just below the Grouse Ridge Lookout, and the trail descends over granite. I can't believe mountain bikers take this trail...one was cycling up the hill as I went down. It's rocky and steep! There were plenty of wildflowers soaking up the good sun, including this Spreading Phlox.




I'm still hiking pretty slowly, only about 1 mile per hour. This trail is about 2.5 miles, so with stops (including a fabulous view of Island Lake) it took 3 hours. The main stop was on a red hill with some gray granite rocks. I sat on this one.

Leek Springs Lookout

Drove up with the faithful hound Commando for a hike/bike ride. Weather was perfect, sunny, hot (but not too hot) with a few puffy clouds for interest.

My original plan was to take some roads around a meadow (Leek Springs Meadow?) based on the view from Google Maps. I thought I'd bike and give my Achilles tendon another weekend of rest. On the way down, a ranger passed and suggested that I head to Leek Springs Lookout instead. I should have listened. She didn't sound too sanguine about a meadow loop.

We continued on and got to the junction of forest road 9N15 and the way to LSL. 9N15 was (according to Google) the right road to go along the meadow. I took that one, the less travelled one.

Shortly after, there was a private road leading off across the meadow (barely glimpsed through the pines). We forged ahead on the rocky road with two snow berms and two downed trees to struggle through and over. The road traversed a hill and seemed to NOT be going to cross the meadow anytime soon.

Have I mentioned that I can be stubborn? We continued on and just as it looked like the road was going to turn and cross...it ended. True, it ended at a nice overlook towards the Valley with some granite hills nearby filling in the scenery nicely, but, no meadow crossing.

We strolled around a little and I briefly considered striking out overland to get to the road I "knew" was just on the other side of the ravine at the apparent west end of the meadow. If I'd had hiking boots and no bike I might have tried it. Fortunately, I had my sandals and bike and didn't feel like trying to schlep through the forest with those impediments.

We drank some more water and headed back. It was beautiful both ways with many, many blue flowers of many kinds. There were also several seasonal creeks from the snow melt and Commando cooled his paws in most of them.

Back at the car, I loaded up and we drove to LSL. Wow. Beautiful. Stunning 360 degree views of the Sierras. I could see where we had been earlier down below. The woman at the lookout was chatty but entertaining. There is quite a complex there with a helicopter pad, many satellite dishes and various scientific looking devices. I would have asked more questions, but she couldn't let me up in the tower and she couldn't come down.

After leaving LSL we drove along Foster Meadow Road which took us back to 88, the to the Mormon Emigrant Trail. We briefly explored the road on the other side of Leek Spring Meadow that I'd been trying unsucessfully to walk. I was a short road and ended at the meadow with a locked gate. It said this was a sensitive ecological area (true) and no one could pass without the express written consent of Fish and Game. Hmpph.

Good day though, I will definitely be visiting this area more often.

Sierra National Forest Scenic Byway 2

Commando and I setting off on the Chiquito Lake Pass trail. Unfortunately, I did not make it even to the lake. Still, it's a good trail and I'd like to do it again with some more time.

Exploring Sierra National Forest Scenic Byway

Over Memorial Day visited the family in Fresno. On Saturday and Sunday drove the Scenic Byway (what a great idea!) and did some hiking and biking.

Great views and no crowds! Here are some highlights:

The Ross Cabin has been moved from its original settler location. Commando caught a lizard and I saw firsthand how great the "lose the tail" defense is. I could see the lizardless tail twitching, but missed the lizard.












Arch Rock is fun, but no need to make a special trip for it.

Grouse Ridge Lookout Hike

Drove up 80 to 20, then took the Bowman Lake road and took a right on the Grouse Ridge road. It was badly rutted. We drove about 6 miles and were finally stopped by some deep snow patches with about 2 miles left to go. Commando and I put on our hiking boots and headed off. The trail (road) goes up, but not too steeply. There were a few snow drifts to cross lower down, then, almost nothing but snow higher up.

We finally reached the saddle summit (but not the lookout, another mile ahead) and ate our snack on a nearby summit, only about 100 feet lower than the lookout.

Spectacular views of the Grouse Lakes and assorted seasonal waterfalls. It was well worth all of the effort!

Cutest Dog Ever!

Cutest Dog Ever!

Jodi's Cabin

The cabin is between renters for the weekend so we drove up Friday and left Sunday. Friday did a little stroll along a road that crosses a valley near Royal Gorge. Saturday helped Jodi a little with cabin cleanup and strolled a bit off of Donner Pass Road. It looked like there was a trail from the summit down to Donner Lake, but we weren't able to find the bottom end so just hiked a short bit.

On Sunday we drove along Highway 89 to Henness Pass road and nearby. Hiked up Rice Canyon road and a bit on FS road 41 off of Jackson Meadows reservoir.

On the drive home we took dirt roads around Perrazo Meadow. Commando had a great time running around and chasing varmints. He actually leapt out of the car window to try to catch a lunch chipmunk. Once it had safely gotten into a tree, it mocked him.

Big Trees Trail off Mosquito Road

Commando and I drove onto the Mosquito Road to hike on the Big Trees trail in the El Dorado National Forest. It's a pleasant trail with some very large sugar pines and a few redwoods. I'm a redwood fan, but most of the trees are relatively young and small. It's probably not worth a special trip, but if you're up here, it's a pleasant stroll.

Dog Town Creek Falls

I've made several attempts to get to these falls and finally made it. The Grizzly Flats area of the El Dorado National Forest is a great place, but the roads can often be unpassable, especially in winter and in my ordinary car. The Caldor road was good this time, although a regular passenger car might have difficulty with some of the last bit. There is a great view of the falls from the road, even better than when actually at the falls.

Because I'm so lazy on the weekends, we didn't get there until late. The hike didn't start until 3 pm. The foot trail is well marked and leads down a volcanic ridge. It's steep and rocky. The trail takes a turn and flattens and then there's an unmarked fork. I chose the level fork (left) thinking it was a switchback and the steep downhill fork (right) was an illegal cut. Oops. The level fork continues level for about a 1/2 mile or so and then joins up with some OHV trails.

I could see the creek below, but the sound of the falls was fainter. I also thought I could see a road next to the creek. We left the trail and cut down the steep hill. It was a scramble through brush and around a variety of downed branches and pines. There was no road next to the creek, just a steep, mildly treacherous hill.

We traversed downstream along the slope along a deer trail and crossed a mossy and grassy wet slope over a granite slab. There were some beautiful white flowers with purple tips scattered on the bright green meadow. Under the overcast and cloudy sky they were pretty. If it had been sunny, they would have been breathtaking.

We finally made it over the meadow and then saw the falls about 40' below. Just as I reached to top of the falls, I saw the trail again. Commando and I spent some time at the top of the falls just roaming over the smooth eroded granite near the water, and the rough uneroded granite above the high water marks.

We headed back up the extremely steep trail. In the dry summer, this will be dusty and slippery...especially once many boots tamp the dirt down. We made it us and this trail turned out to be the "illegal" short cut.

Commando Wins Most Improved!

Last night we finished the basic dog obedience class at the SPCA. It was a good time and Commando enjoyed it. He learned sit, down, touch, watch (sort of), shake, other paw, sit stay, down stay, come, and to walk nicely on the leash (sort of). On the last day he was able to relax calmly in the class and lie on the floor instead of trying to play with the other dogs.

He didn't win the sit-down-touch competition, although that could have been my fault. He also didn't win the fastest tail wagger, because he's got such a stubby tail.

He did win the Most Improved dog in the class and got a big bag of dried chicken breasts from Trader Joe's. This is one of his favorites!

City Bikes is Great!

From an email I sent to them:

I'd like to thank your service department for their always extremely helpful and courteous help. Today I came in pretty grumpy with a trivial flat tire. It wasn't anything wrong with the bike, I just didn't know about the special air "thingie." I had been riding to work last week, decided to stop at the gas station to fill my tires, and let all of the air out. So, I just get grumpy when things don't work out. It's raining, I've had a hard week at work, and I bring my bike in. Now any other place could give me attitude, or ignore me completely, but the service guy was very helpful, explained about the air "thingie" (without acting snippy about my stupid questions) and helped me get an adapter so I could fill up my tire at any gas station. Oh, he also filled my tires.

Later that same day, I'm biking slowly along a gravel levee top watching my dog romp around near the river. Could like be any better? So, instead of contributing to grumpiness, your excellent service department made one person's life much, much brighter! Hey, it's not world peace or an end to poverty and hunger, but it sure made a difference to me!

Bassi Falls 2

Drove up again to tackle the falls. Last time, there was about 2 feet of very slushly snow. This time, all the snow is gone and most of the ground is dry. We drove all the way to the parking area, even over an ugly very rutted patch. The walk to the falls is short...about a half mile. There's a short uphill, then a level spot, then a gradual downhill to the base of the falls. It's mainly granite so the trail is indistinct, but you can't miss the falls themselves. They were magnificent! Even this early in the season there was a steady stream of visitors. I would imagine that once summer arrives the trail will be packed.

We scrambled up to the top of the falls (more granite) on a possible trail, a possible deer trail, some possible ledges, and then any sort of gap in the manzanita. It's not difficult, but you need good footing. There was a better sort of possible trail down that starts higher up and we took that down.

I was going to head back to the car, then remembered that I left a bag of Commando's poop to pick up later. Drat. On my way to pick it up, I slipped and fell, bashing my right knee on the granite. Ow. After a few tentative and cowardly steps in the direction of the car, I decided I was okay and went down to pick up the bag.

Great area for a hike!

Mormon Emigrant Trail

Commando and I drove up the Mormon Emigrant Trail. My intent was to find the North-South road and trace it back. We hiked for about an hour off of the road through a pine forest. I was stopped by snow and couldn't continue.

I wanted to check out the Light Canyon road so drove there too. It was snowed in so we came back to Houck road and hiked up to an overlook with some weather monitoring equipment at the top. Great views!

Google Earth

Interesting that Google has loaded pre-Katrina pictures for New Orleans. It's funny to see the Katrina images marked (rescue helicopter) and the image is no longer there. Still, I wonder why they did it?

Grizzly Flats Again

I couldn't quite get motivated to leave as early as I'd planned but we finally did hit the road. I was NOT happy to discover that REI has stopped selling the printable maps from the kiosk and printer thingie. Dur. The first clerk I asked was blase, but when a second one asked if I'd found everything okay he was livid when I mentioned it. He said, "That's like KFC not selling chicken! Don't get me started."

We hiked off of Caldor road and also somewhere near Leoni Meadows. A guy stopped my in downtown Grizzly Flats to ask how to get to the freeway. He'd tried to drive up Capps Crossing based on his GPS directions but the road is blocked with snow. I told him he was miles and miles from the freeway and that he'd need to head to Placerville. Good luck to him.

Oh, I hiked instead of snowshoed because I forgot my damn boots at home. Dammit.

Rhodesian ridgeback mix

Commando was called an australian shepherd mix at the shelter. I just found that impossible to believe because his coat is short and he just looks nothing like a shepherd. I've been searching pictures of dog breeds and I think he looks the most like this dog, a Rhodesian ridgeback mix named Gracie. I'm not sure why I bothered with this search, but it's just interesting I guess. Except for the color, these two dogs could be twins.

Dog Mobile and SNOW (finally!)

On Saturday went to a Dog Mobile at the Home Show at Cal Expo. The lead was sick, my back hurt, and the other dog handler has a chronic bad back so we were hurting. We took Alex and Meredith. They had a good time and were noticed by a lot of people. A family seemed quite taken with Meredith, but I'm not sure it would be a good fit. She's older, and has early arthritis and they're a young family. She may not like kids playing roughly. We'll see if she gets adopted.

On Sunday Commando and I drove up to Grizzly Flat and snowshoed for about 2 hours. We went down Big Canyon Loop Road whatever that was. On our way in a snowshoer flagged us down and asked for directions. I hope he makes it out alright because he headed back into the woods where he had been disoriented before.

The snow was perfect! It was about 2 feet deep and nice and wet so flotation wasn't a problem. Commando had fun leaping in and out of the snow and trying to make headway in the (for him) chest deep stuff. I stopped every once in a while to see if he was okay, but he kept wanting to push on. He made many forays into the pines to sniff out birds or whatever else he feels compelled to sniff. It was warm and sunny and I only wish I could live up there and snowshoe everyday.

Foresthill Again

Suddenly winter decided to arrive and there is finally snow! It's down as low as 3000 feet. It's still snowing and many of the highways have chain controls and I wanted to avoid all of that. I drove up to Foresthill as the Divide road is relatively flat with few turns. The sky was overcast at Auburn and it was raining. It was overcast in Foresthill and there was snow on the ground. The road was barely cleared and I drove around a little trying to find a place to park.

I pulled off at Sequoia road and then snow shoed parallel to the road to Georgia road. I went down Georgia road for a bit and then headed back. It was snowing most of the time with some light hail. The snow was nice and dense and very wet. Perfect for the purpose. Some other people had done the same trip and it was nice to walk on their trail.

More Exploring Grizzly Flat

Drove to Grizzly Flat and Caldor Road and hiked in fresh snow up a forest service road. Lovely! Drove around a little and may hike again on a forest service road off of Capp's Crossing.

On the way home stopped and strolled along the shore of Lake Natoma at Nimbus Flats. I let Commando off leash for a little as there was no one there. Then, I stopped by Phoenix Park off of Hazel to check out the dog park. I had to ask a guy for directions to find it. It's not bad. Commando had a good time running around until he crashed head on into a bigger chocolate lab. He yelped and cried, then looked maybe like he was limping. I took him to the gate area and he seemed okay. We went back in and he just wasn't into running around so we went home. There was a good dog there that he liked. They did the running side by side thing that Commando seems to enjoy the most.

Yolo Basin Walk

Commando and I drove to the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife area and took a walk in the area open to dogs and bikes. It was windy and sunny. Commando flushed a pheasant and tried to chase pigeons, swallows, and meadowlarks. Needless to say he was not successful. I pointed out a fleeing jackrabbit but he failed to look where I was pointing and missed it. He also terrified several small rodents and perhaps ruined the foyer of the bolt hole. There was a dead juvenile hawk and he sniffed it with interest and I did not let him eat any of it or roll on the carcass. This is a great trip and I'll be back. I can see where there's a good place to kayak when it's flooded and there's no current and it's sunny and not windy.

Rock City at Mt. Diablo State Park

Donna, Kayla, Mata, Ea, and I met up at Mt. Diablo for a hike. Donna and the kids got there very early and drove into the park and stopped to wait for me at Rock City. This is a perfect place for the kids. They love climbing the sandstone formations and scrambling up into the little caves. The loop hike around Rock City is very doable and the CCC trail to Sentinel Rock is quite exciting. I paid extra for the trail map and it was well worth it.

This kids really enjoyed climbing all of the rocks, although Ea was the only one brave enough to climb all the way to the tip top of Sentinel Rock. Next time, we'll need to take some geologic information to bore the kids silly.

Here's a phone pic of the kids in one of the little caves. You can see how appealing this is! Fortunately, there were no broken bones or other mishaps to mar the day. In fact, no one even tripped, slipped, or so much at skinned a knee!

Light Canyon Road

Drove up the Mormon Emigrant road and stopped when there was a little too much snow on the road. Commando and I hiked on the Light Canyon road. We stopped at the Pilliken fire monument from 1973. It was a nice stroll with light snow on the road and great views of the surrounding mountains.

Although the road is paved, there seems to be no mention of it on Google maps, or on the El Dorado National Forest site. I will visit this area again.

Antibiotics

In just two days I got red eyes, red ear, and pus in my throat. Yum. I'm taking pills and squirting some stuff in my eye too. TMI?

Damn Cold -- Grrr

Got sick Saturday evening on the way back from my fabulous hike. Had a huge fever all day Sunday and started with ibuprofen then. Bad sore throat and stuffy ears and achey left ear. Saw the doctor on Wednesday. He says it's just a virus take Advil cold and sinus.

Went through the anti-meth rigamarole and left with, as it turned out, not enough Advil cold and sinus.

It's now Friday morning and I'm feeling worse, not better. This can't be. My right ear is now stuffy and so achey that I had to take 800 milligrams of ibuprofen to sleep. My eyes are gummy and bright pink.

It still may be a virus, but I'll be reporting these new symptoms to the doctor anyway.

It's time to be better now. Life is too short to spend it sick!

Beale Falls Hike and Cold

On Saturday got up relatively early and went to the Spenceville Wildlife Area to hike to Beale Falls. The trail maps are pretty bad, but I managed to make it to the falls. I started off on the Spenceville road (so far on the map) and soon went off to the right on a foot path that went along Dry Creek. This path will be very, very bad (and perhaps impassable) after rain and if the creek rises. When dry, it cuts off about a mile of distance. The creek is scenic and there are plenty of deep pools and sandy beaches to lounge and take in some water. I suppose this would be a fish hangout too. The picture in this paragraph shows the middle section of the falls. You have to scramble down a steep hill on onto a lava upthrust to get the shot.

Commando enjoyed himself running around like a loon and trying to catch squirrels and birds. Hey, bud, it ain't gonna happen!

This picture shows the deep pool at the bottom of the upper falls. I managed to capture a fence post in my shot of the upper falls.

We met only a few hikers and they were forgiving of Commando being off leash. I stopped him from heading to a family (which I couldn't see) by saying NO in my sternest voice. They were all stopped, no doubt thinking that I was being stern because he was dangerous. I apologized, and we chatted about the trail while the kids gathered around petting Commando on whatever bits they could reach.

In the spring it will be a more splendid hike, assuming it rains enough to prompt the wild flowers to bloom. Although, there may be more people. I'll definitely have to come back with Donna, Brianna, and Kayla for a bike ride. It's a little short for us at only 5 miles, but perfect for the kids.

On the drive back I started feeling sick and by the time I got home I had a nasty cold. Bummer for Sunday.

Trip to Snow and Hunting Area

On Saturday Donna came up with Brianna and Kayla. We went with her family and the dog to the Lake Valley Reservoir. There was less snow than when I was up last weekend but the roads were even icier! We sledded around and then hiked to the lake shore. It was beautiful, partly iced over, with the moutains rising above it. There was sun and we enjoyed a nice picnic. The bathroom even had some toilet paper left from the fall!

On Sunday Commando and I drove up to Farwest Camp reservoir and then on to the Spenceville Wildlife Area. Commando and I explored a field that had harbored cows. There were some hut like structures with an old engine block and perhaps a rusted washing machine. There was also a rusting, probably no longer running backhoe. Someone had dug a big hole into the rock (at least a story deep and then put up a barbed wire fence). Interesting.

Hunting was still going on and I could hear shots off in the distance. I was wearing red but I forgot Commando's yellow vest. Fine!

Yuba Gap Walk

I had tried to hike near the Emigrant Gap exit off 80 but my car was just not up to the moderate amount of snow on the road. I drove to the Yuba Gap exit and went to the forest service road that follows one side of the Lake Valley reservoir. Commando and I hiked along enjoying the winter weather and the views of the partly iced over lake.

Van Vleck Snowshoe

Drove up the Icehouse road and snowshoed a little way down to the Van Vleck bunkhouse. It was about 25 degrees F which is cold for sunny CA. I could have used my ear muffs, but they are hidden somewhere.

I made Commando wear his yellow slicker and I put a lap blanket under it. The blanket didn't last long, but he wore the slicker the whole way. I also made him wear some dog boots to protect his feet from the snow. He didn't like those either. He did the silly "high walking" step and then settled down with them. They were slippery and didn't give him a good grip.

The two on the right side kept coming off, so eventually I left them off. Then, I noticed a little blood in his paw print and put them back on. We'd been out for about an hour or so, so headed back. About halfway back, Commando kept lying down waiting for me. Hmm, unusual. I checked the boots and they looked okay. Finally I took all of them off again and he galloped around like the pup he is all the way back to the car. I'm not quite ready to give up on them so Commando is going to be forced to wear them at least once more.

It's a great hike. It slopes down relatively gradually (which means it's not a hard slog back up). The snow was hard and crisp. Even going off the road onto a meadow was good. There are great views of the Crystal Range too.

I'm going to have to think more about cross country skis. It would be nice to slide downhill instead of plod along. It's nice to not break bones too, so maybe I should keep plodding!

The Ravine

A guy with a golden lab suggested that we try the ravine, an abandoned quarry near the Granite Regional Park. Finally made it early enough to explore in the daylight. It's a great for dog walking. It's in a pit, so the dogs are naturally constrained, although they can run up the sides. It's got lots of willow type trees and plenty of trails. There's a big pond with water birds. The round trip on the most obvious trail is about 2.6 miles, so it's a good walk. There haven't been too many dogs there, although I've encountered them.

The picture is from the first trip, after the sun had set and looking over the pond. The colors are from Gimp.

Full Moon Dog Walk

Walked along the river last night with the full moon. The sky was mostly cloudy with some stars showing through. It was bright from the moon, and the lights of Sacramento shining onto the clouds. The temperature was perfect. Peaceful and quiet.

New Year's Day

Went out to the Rancho Seco county park and it was sort of a bummer from a dog walking standpoint. There's a small lake if you like to fish. There's some "exotic" animals (deer, emus, etc) but you can't hike down to them. There's no trail around the lake. There is a long trail that will be interesting in the spring, but no dogs are allowed on it. Looks like it crosses some private rangeland and they must not want to bother the cows.

Then drove up to the Fleming Meadow trailhead and poked around in the remaining hour of daylight. Got lots of good pine smell and it might be a fun trail with the bike as it's not too difficult.

Commando seemed to enjoy the driving around searching for Rancho Seco and smelling the air through the open sun roof.