Bassi Creek Loop

It's hot again! I decided to ignore the heat though and hike the whole Bassi Creek Loop trail. I'm not sure if I've done the whole loop before. I've hiked the whole thing in both directions but at different times.

My one concession to the heat was to carry a lot of water and Revive Vitamin Water (don't care if it's bad, it keeps me well when hiking in the heat) and stop at Bassi Creek and rest in the cool water for a long time. I even brought a book.

Commando doesn't like the heat either and he actually deigned to drink some of the water I carried when we stopped at about the half way mark to the creek.

The creek was higher than the last time but not so high that it was dangerous. The water poured over the granite in sheets and pooled up deeply in spots. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of shade. I got soaked nicely and had a good rest.

We meandered to a few places with shade that had various kinds of bugs. A spider scared the shit out of me on rock 1. Some kind of fly bothered me at rock 2. Rock 3 looked good for a while and I rested and almost napped. Then I noticed a tick like insect, some ants, and some kind of tiny red bug.

This was the only place I saw people. As I was heading to a good crossing, some people were meandering up the other side. Three horses came down going the opposite way. I headed along the trail.

At one point I almost lost the trail. It was rocky and overgrown and there were a lot of likely looking "trails." Some people were camping and I asked them. They weren't sure but the guy said he thought I was on the right trail and that it headed up. Well, I knew that part.

Within a few feet I could see the horse hoof strike marks on the granite and a cairn and was pretty sure I was on the right path. After that I never lost the trail again.

After hiking a LONG time up and up and not seeing the intersection that was next goal I was starting to worry. Could I have missed a turnoff? My map didn't show a turnoff and I hadn't seen one, but that didn't really mean anything. We came in sight and sound of a creek. If I was where I thought I was that would be Bassi Creek again. I wasn't so pleased that we were so close to it though. I kept going up and up and at LAST saw the sign and the trail junction that put me back on impossible to miss trails back to the car.

Had a great pizza and Commando is snoozing heavily in his basket. I guess it is possible to hike his paws off after all!

alea iacta est

Tom Stienstra's thoughts on getting out and hiking.

Good hike, Meh hike

Today we drove up 50 to Wright's Lake road and then parked at Dark Lake to hike on the Barrett Lake Jeep Trail. The gate was closed. That's bad for the jeeps, but good for hiking. It's definitely a road that requires special outfitting on your rig. It's a lot more like a trail than a road. There are still trees down across the trail. For hiking it's quite nice. It's relatively level. It climbs a bit, then is flattish, then drops a bit, then climbs a bit, then drops. We stopped about a mile in at the crossing of the Jones Fork of Silver Creek. The trail is mostly dry and dusty with a few muddy spots. The creek is great. It was running nicely but the snow has melted and the water was warm enough to soak my feet. Commando fished for sticks and spent most of his time hunting rodents on the surrounding granite.

The trail has lots of fabulous views of Red Peak, Taylor Peak and the rest of the Crystal range.

Saturday we drove up 50 again to Wright's Lake road and then turned up the Wright's Lake tie. Just after crossing the cattle guard near the Wilson Ranch meadow we turned left onto a forest service road. From the maps, it looked like we could explore Lyons Creek from some unusual angles. It wasn't much of a hike. We parked and walked along the very bad road and could occasionally see the creek below, protected by steep canyon walls. There were some dusty, rocky, brushy places to scramble down but we didn't try any of them. The road eventually just disappears.

We turned back the other way. The road dead ends at Lyons Creek and the land to the left is marked private property. We scrambled around on the Eldorado side and eventually found shade a nice granite and a sandy pool. I read until deer flies forced us to leave. Commando chased rodents.

Visited Donna, Malene, and Gary for dinner. Donna and Malene were having a quilt fest and I borrowed their sewing machines to do some much needed repairs.

I can recommend the Barrett trail for hiking but Lyons Creek is a bit of a hot, dry scramble without much payoff.

Forgotten Flat Trail Fail

According to various maps, including new maps, there is a trail about a mile up a dirt forest service road. The road is undriveable just past one of the creeks because there has been major flood damage. At one place, they have removed giant culverts leaving a hard to cross gash across the road. It's easily 10 feet deep with steep sides. I went up stream to where the natural banks were more gradual and crossed there. I hiked up about a mile and saw where the trail should be according to the map, but no easily identifiable trail. I hiked up the dirt road a bit more, but it was hot so I turned back.

It's a nice area, the pine forest before getting high enough to be all granite. There are lots of streams and some might even have water in them all year.

I'm not sure I'll try this again unless I check with a ranger to see if the trail is passable. It's one thing to follow a road, but I really don't want to follow a faint trail that gets lost and then dead ends at an impassable creek.

Sat in the creek where the car was parked and cooled my feet.

Dinner in the City

Left Sacramento a little late and was the last arrival at the Eureka Lounge near the Castro in the City. It was a very nice place with a homey feel to it. Before I'd even said anything when I entered the guy said, "Oh, you must be the long-lost last member of the Victoria party!"

It was great to see everyone and rehear or retell all the old stories and catch up on whatever we're each doing now. Mrs. Robinson, the Hartman, the Peeps, our plethora or lack of "friends" on Facebook, the famous artist's ceramic pots, J Bird, the kids, the grand-kids, the pets, etc.

Sutter's Landing Dog Park

The town is really putting up a lot of dog parks so Commando and I headed to the one downtown. It was a hot day and we wisely went just at dusk when the temperature was below 90. The park is nice enough and Commando like it. There's not much shade but I'm not hanging out when it's hot anyway. There are some hills covered in bark to add an interesting place for the dogs to run. It's also got a distinctly urban feel to it. The hipsters were out in force and one guy was sitting on the ground trying to play his guitar. I didn't actually SEE any dogs go and pee on the guitar case, but I know they wanted to. Supposedly we can go down to the river here so we'll have to check that out later. We'll be back.

Donna's Cute Cottage

Donna's assistants assemble a cottage for her backyard.

North Fork Falls, Emigrant Gap

Drove up 80 and exited at Emigrant Gap. Drove to the North Fork Campground and hiked on the opposite side of the river from the trail. It was a relatively easy 1/2 mile although I spent time following the river and ending up in various oxbows.

The falls are pretty as is the rough volcanic rock that forms the drop. The falls are also hard to see from the top. If it had been warmer or if the water were warmer I probably would have scrambled down to the deep pool and swum around to see the falls. This might be a good hike for early fall on a hot day when the camp is closed, the water is as hot as it's going to get.

Forest Service road 19 was clear until several downed trees blocked the road completely. Someone had been there with a chainsaw, but hadn't cleared the blockage. There seems to have been a very recent forest fire (last year?) as the trees are burned but there really not plants or brush growing back yet. I don't remember a big fire here last year...but then, my memory isn't what it used to be...and it was never that good.

Lover's Leap Trail From Camp Sacramento

Drove up 50 to Camp Sacramento to take the Lover's Leap trail. This trail is the shortest at only 1 mile, and, because it starts at the highest elevation, I suspect it's the easiest. The link shows a 2.5 mile trail and there is also a trail from the town of Strawberry.

There are a few parking spaces just for the trail and then you head up the road to Camp Sacramento and head right after the camp store and just keep right till you see the trail marker.

It's a relatively straight, easy trail. It climbs steeply through a marshy area shaded by willows and aspens, then levels out through pines, then climbs steeply again over granite up the back side of Lover's Leap. There were a few snow drifts but it was easy to walk over them or go around them. They might last another week or two and then they'll be gone.

Met two off road motorcycle riders at the summit. There are great views over Strawberry and the surrounding mountains. Mt. Ralston looked close enough to touch.

I might hike this again in the fall when the camp is closed. The trail is probably very busy as long as the camp is open.

On the way back drove up Wright's Lake road. The snow blocks the road just past the Granite Springs road. Someone had driven further but they'd gone off the road a bit and damaged the terrain so I wouldn't recommend it. It might be possible to get through the drift in a really high truck with good tires.

Commando enjoyed the hike although he doesn't like heights. He looked over briefly at the top and then ignored it.

Road Trip Vacation to Most Northern Counties in CA - Day 5 and 6

We turned off 395 to Eagle Lake and were disappointed. It's high on a volcanic plateau and isn't surrounded by trees. The water was low and quite a bit of muddy looking shoreline didn't tempt us to try and dip our toes in the lake. We pressed on to Lake Almanor.

We reached Lake Almanor quickly with plenty of time to check out the various campgrounds. After looking at a private campground in Chester and the PG&E Last Chance campground Donna chose the Best Western's last dog friendly room. Donna showered. I took Commando for a short hike along the North Fork of the Feather River along the Chester Warner Valley road. This turned out to be very relaxing. We viewed a pretty campsite, walked along a stream, and played stick.

I also stopped back at the Lassen National Forest ranger station and bought some maps. They had closed but forgotten to lock the door. The woman was startled when I came in, but was very friendly, chatty, and helpful. I told her about the dead coyotes I'd seen along a fence. She laughed when I wondered if the coyote shooter noticed that the coyotes didn't seen deterred. She said her husband was from a settler family and that he had shot coyotes from an airplane when he was young. We agreed that coyotes certainly eat a few cattle but might also keep the rodents who dig holes in the pastures down too! There were a lot of taxidermied animals and birds. I thought the mink might be the animal we'd seen at Blue Lake...it was the right size. She said all of the animals were road kill, except the mountain lion. She had been shot by a rancher. Of course I'm an animal fan, but I see mountain lions as a lot more dangerous to cattle than coyotes so I have some sympathy for the farmers too. At least he'd had the sense to make some use of the cat instead of hanging it from a fence.

She said her husband had been out deer hunting and seen a mountain lion family and hadn't shot any of them. He had been on a rocky outcropping and seen the cats below. He froze, than realized that he couldn't see one of the cats. He peered over the rock and saw the daddy lion peering up at him. He stood up and waved his arms and yelled and the cats tripped over themselves to run away as fast as they could. His pals thought that was nuts and said they'd have bought him a six pack if he'd shot the lions.

We woke up early the next morning and took our time getting ready. I bought coffee and one of the best cinnamon rolls ever and took Commando along the Feather river again for him to stroll around and me to drink the coffee and eat the cinnamon roll. Donna napped and had the continental breakfast.

We headed back along 36 to Westwood and turned north on County Road 21. We turned left onto Silver Lake road and up to Silver Lake. This borders on the Caribou Wilderness. Silver Lake is exceptionally beautiful and has summer cabins. One end of the lake has a volcanic cliff which was covered in snow. We hiked along the lake to where the snow started to make hiking difficult. I continued up to the cabin road to try to get to the top of the volcanic cliff. I stopped at a seasonal creek with a pretty little waterfall. We hiked back along the road.

Donna had gone back and then hiked the opposite way along the shore. I saw her walking along and we got in the car and met her. We had snacks at some picnic tables and I soaked my feet in the lake. The water was so cold I really couldn't leave my feet in for more than a minute. Commando ate his breakfast.

He gives this lake 4 paws up!

We drove along to nearby Caribou lake. There was snow over most of the terrain so we stayed near the parking area. Commando played a bit with a lively gray terrier. He also swam out for a stick that I threw and then had some difficulty getting back through the floating logs. He thinks floating logs and bark are land and then is confused when he has to keep swimming. I was almost thinking I'd need to wade in and get him when he made it safely to shore. I didn't throw any more sticks for him!

We headed out then and back to 36 for home. After checking the map highway 32 looked interesting so we took that to Chico. It's surprisingly not very scenic although we did stop at the Lower Deer Creek Falls. Some federal rangers were having a nice lunch here and Commando took quite a liking to the guy. Donna almost lost her camera by dropping it down the trail. We also hiked a short distance up the creek to a natural spring that falls into the creek.

Commando gives this 3 paws up! It's short, but he likes the water and he liked the guy.

That was about it for our vacation. We continued to Chico and then took 99 south for home. I wish we'd had longer to stay and more internet access along the way.

Highlights of the trip: the beaches, the redwoods, the Garberville pancakes, Juanita Lake, Frank and Luke, Mill Creek Falls, the northern volcanic plateau scenery, the coyote carcasses, a large group of pronghorn in a lush hayfield eating the hay the thoughtful humans had planted, the 5 or 6 deer on their way to the lush hayfield that disappeared before Donna could take a picture, the Leffert trail adventure, the woman at the Lake Almanor ranger station, and laughing and traveling with Donna for 6 days.

Road Trip Vacation to Most Northern Counties in CA - Day 4

We woke up to a beautiful morning at Juanita Lake, packed up, and headed out. We took a brief drive to the Butte Valley Grasslands. This land parcel was reverted to the government in the '40s when drought drove the homesteaders out.

We continued on 161 east until it intersected on 139 south. This area is also part of the Klamath National Forest and we stopped at several places to look at birds. We hit 299 and headed east again to hit Alturas and get gas. For some reason, I thought there were plenty of campgrounds between Alturas and Cedarville. We found one, and it wasn't very scenic or nice. After Cedarville, we drove south on Surprise Valley Road to try and camp in the Warner Mountains off county road 40. Although scenic, the two spots were full so we headed back to Alturas to go south on 395.

We turned on the road at the town of Likely, and headed to Mill Creek Falls campground. We'd gotten a late start from beautiful Juanita Lake and had dawdled along the way looking at the high volcanic plateau scenery so it was dark when we pulled into camp. We were also tired, hungry, and cold. We tried to start a fire but all of the firewood was wet, the matches were wet, and the lighter was broken so we gave up. We had set up the rain shelter, because it was sprinkling, and that took a bit longer too. Eventually, we just turned in for the night to listen to the intermittent rain.

As it turned out, this was a comfortable place for me to sleep in the tent. The ground was softer and less lumpy than at the other sites. Donna froze in the back of the SUV and her sleeping mat wasn't holding air so she was not very comfortable.

I woke up at the crack of dawn and tried to start a morning fire. The same impediments existed as last night and I soon gave up. With no fire, and still cold and hungry, we packed up in a hurry just as the sun was starting to light the camp.

We headed on the trail to Mills Creek Falls and the walk before breakfast and coffee was well worth it. Although the rain and cold were not making us comfortable, it was certainly making all the water features much prettier. We headed into Likely to the lone diner to have coffee and breakfast. I had my usual pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The bacon was good but the pancakes were not good. The diner was filled with kitchen antiques and we both thought of Malene with her collection.

We drove back up to the Jess Valley and to the Blue Lake campground. Blue Lake was nice enough and we hiked along the shoreline for a bit before getting back in the car.

Commando only gives this part of the trip 3 paws up. He got two small hikes and had to spend a lot of time on the leash or in the car.

Road Trip Vacation to Most Northern Counties in CA - Day 3

We left Crescent City and Del Norte county intending to head into Sisiskiyou county to camp and tour. We drove up 199 through the redwoods and into Oregon. We stopped at a botanical area walk along 199 and it was spectacular. It's a dry area so the permanent flora (trees, bushes) are small and sparse. The wildflowers are not. Everywhere we looked along the decomposed granite path there were more and more flowers. My favorite was a electric blue flower.

Commando gives this area 4 paws up!

We drove down I-5 with a brief detour along the scenic Rogue River road and even 99. The scenic road was nice but 99 wasn't worth it. Soon after crossing into California we saw Mt. Shasta far ahead. It it a majestic mountain. We turned northeast on 97. We stopped at several wetlands areas in the Klamath National Forest to look at migrating birds.

We stopped for directions at the Goosenest ranger station in McDoel, CA and were directed to Juanita Lake campground. Outstanding! The lake has a camp host named Frank who was charming. He moved to the McDoel area in 1958 and plans to be buried here in "God's Country." The campsite was immaculate and is built for limited mobility folks and wheelchairs. There is a 1.5 mile paved trail around the lake. Great idea!

It rained overnight and snowed on some nearby hilltops. The snow left a dusting of powder on the pines just like someone has sprinkled powdered sugar over the them. The snow melted away as the sun rose. Frank said there is a nesting pair of bald eagles, although we didn't see them. We hiked around the lake and dropped into a magical meadow just up from the lake. Juanita lake must have looked like this before it was dammed. The campsite was almost deserted with only 1 other camper. Frank had a cute little dog named Luke and he and Commando spent a lot of time frisking around together.

Commando gives this camp, with no pesky leash and a fun dog companion an enthusiastic 4 paws up!

Road Trip Vacation to Most Northern Counties in CA - Day 1 and 2

We drove over to Sonoma and Highway 12 and then 116 to Jenner and Highway 1 as the most scenic route. We stopped just north of Ft. Bragg and camped at a KOA in Westport. The weather was cold so we stayed off the beach and had the campground almost to ourselves. I'm not a big fan of private campgrounds but this one was nice. The tent sites are next to a stream with otters (although we didn't see any). In the morning, we walked on the beach. Commando LOVES chasing the waves and did that till he could barely stand. He was joined by a cute white staffy in wave chasing until both of them were exhausted.

Commando gives chasing waves with a hot staffy 4 paws up!

We kept going up Highway 1 until it ends and joins 101 at Leggett. We had been hoping to eat at Leggett but there isn't anything there. We ended up eating in Garberville at a restaurant completely decorated with cows. I highly recommend the pancakes. They were delicious! I'll go on a bit about these pancakes because I ate them regularly on this trip and these were really outstanding. They were buttery tasting and the edges were reminiscent of caramel. I wish I could remember the name.

We kept driving up 101 through the redwood forests. If there was a scenic route option, we took it. We strolled at Founders Grove with some tourists who seemed to be on a bus tour. We also stopped at a quilt store Arcata. We saw the elk along the way.

Commando gives seeing elk but not chasing elk 0 paws!

We finally stopped in Crescent City. It was very cold and raining. The weather report was for more cold and more rain. We ended up staying at the America's Best motel. It was clean, renovated, and reasonably priced with friendly staff. We bought books on the desk clerk's recommendation at a nearby second hand store.

The Chart House fish restaurant was not good at all. It was disappointing to be in a fishing city and not be able to get a good fish meal.

We really felt we hadn't gotten in enough exercise so we headed to the Jedediah Smith State Park to put in a quick hike. Although it turned out well, our inadvertent adventure does remind me to review a map before hiking.

We turned off on a random road that seemed to offer a likely walking opportunity. We soon saw a sign for the Leffert Loop at .7 miles and the Ellsworth Loop at .2 miles. As it was late (7 pm or so) and raining, these distances sounded just about right. It's normally not that hard to get lost on a loop trail either.

We started out and crossed a bridge and a walkway over a marshy area. The redwoods were lovely. We came to a trail junction sign which was a bit confusing. Fortunately, Donna took a picture of it.

We hiked uphill for a bit, then along a flattish section, then downhill for a bit and then to a trail junction that looked just like the original trail junction. Donna asked which way and I pointed to the direction leading out of the loop. She thought that it didn't look right. I said let's look at the picture and we did. Imagine our surprise when we saw that the text on the sign was the same, but the arrows pointed in the opposite direction. Hmmm.

We headed along the flat section. It was getting darker. Donna had a cell phone but no signal and her batteries were running out. It was cold and wet. We were warm as long as we kept moving but would become very chilled if we had to stop. We decided to keep time on Donna's cell phone and walk for 15 minutes. At about 10 minutes we came to a stream. Should we continue or turn back? Fortunately we continued because within 20 steps we were back at the original sign and were back warm in the car withing minutes.

Phew! Commando gives the hike 4 paws up! He thought the forest smelled delicious and there was plenty of water to wade in.

Late Spring Off Highway 50

Drove up to 42 mile road near Sciot's Camp and hiked along the road that eventually goes to Cody Meadow. It follows Strawberry Canyon up Strawberry creek. The road is barely passable with a modified 4WD although I wouldn't recommend it. There are still too many big snow berms and the road is wet.

I was fascinated by the land slip a bit of the way up. A huge section of the hill has slid down to the creek at sometime in the past. You can see the huge scoring, rumpled dirt, and downed trees scattered over the hill. It was a while ago though as the road was built through it and the vegetation is back. Although I wasn't really worried, I didn't linger in the vicinity.

Commando enjoyed himself but was still tired from our hike on Saturday. I can't wait for full summer so I can explore more of this area. The Eldorado National Forest is truly a magical place.

Late spring off Highway 80

We drove up to the Eagle Lake exit and parked at the OHV parking area and hiked up the 4WD Carlyle Road. We have hiked to Eagle Lakes before so this time we turned left onto Grouse Ridge trail (actually another 4WD road) to visit the Pierce OHV staging area.

All the roads were wet with streams running down them and big, deep puddles. Freshets cascaded off any available slope leading to the Yuba river. We had to wend our way through the mostly deserted campground because of a snow melt lake across the trail. We relaxed at the river and were deafened by the noise.

Saw a funny pickup truck with an "Impeach Obama" bumper sticker. I'm not about to make snide comments to random strangers but I did wonder why they seemed to be all geared up to recreate in the socialist Tahoe National Forest.

Today was the day for funny sights. Almost at home we followed a stretch limo Ford Explorer. That seems an odd choice for a limo because I certainly have never considered Ford to be a luxury line.

Good day, tired dog, waiting for the pizza delivery.

Still miss San Francisco

Obama was in the city for a visit and a diverse group of protestors came to celebrate. These are a few things from the video that remind me of the city and why I loved living there.

Everyone is relatively mellow...diversity...it's raining!...the new Right...the Old Left...the creative solar protest chant...plenty of other people not there because they're doing something different and don't care...the happy, smiling cop at the end of the video.

San Francisco is just a town that likes to party and likes to be a spectacle.

Puppies and water

On Saturday drove to Arbuckle to look at a cute Boston terrier puppy with Diane. Although I'm a spay and neuter and adopt from the SPCA kind of person, these puppies were pretty cute. The dog runs were clean and the animals seemed well cared for and healthy. Diane ended up getting the puppy. She'll have to wait a few more weeks though till she's old enough to go home with her.

We drove up highway 20 and looked at the late spring flowers in Bear Valley and then drove up a dirt road into the Mendocino National Forest. We hiked up the dirt road along a stream and then hiked down the stream (getting pretty wet in the process) back to the car. It wasn't much for distance, but scrambling along the rocks and route finding were interesting.

On Sunday drove up to Kyburz and took the Silver Fork road to the Caples Creek trail. The road is blocked by snow just over the Fitch Rantz bridge. The trail is pretty easy, at least to the intersection with the Forgotten Trail. I think this summer we'll have to spend a bit more time along the Silver Fork road.

Camping Trip

Drove up to the Salt Springs Reservoir for a night of camping. The usual roads are blocked by gates and snow so I took the Tiger Creek road. It's quite a road; it follows the Tiger Creek and North Fork of the Mokelumne River canyons. It's extremely narrow and only about half paved...although, the dirt parts were some of the wider and faster parts. Because it runs through the canyon area, there's a 500 ft. to 1000 ft. drop on the water side. The fast moving forest service and PG&E trucks were a bit scary too, but there was always room to pass as long as you folded in your mirrors and didn't mind exchanging dust particles. I was glad there weren't any logging trucks because I wasn't wearing brown pants.

We checked out the dam area (no camping) and 2 of the 3 campgrounds. We selected White Azalea because it had a flat open space on the Mokelumne River. There was a couple at the other campground and me at this campground so it wasn't very busy.

Commando and I enjoyed a stroll around. We went down to the empty picnic area...over a bridge...along an old, unmarked forest service road/trail...and then back to camp. Commando ran all over the campground. He played in the water. He chased birds flying overhead. He chased far away squirrels.

I made a sandwich and lit a fire and just relaxed. Sometimes I read a book. Sometimes I looked at the fire. Sometimes I looked around at the river, or the fish biting, or the bats scooping up insects from the air, or the ducks paddling in the water. It was a bit colder than I'd expected but I stayed warm enough with the clothes I'd brought.

We went to bed in the back of the Escape. I closed the hatch but left the window open and we were as snug as could be. There wasn't much of a moon, but I could see stars. Sometime late at night, Commando woke me up with growling as another car pulled into the camp area. I could see the glow of their headlights against the tree trunks for a while, but eventually I went back to sleep.

In the morning we got up just as the sun was peaking between the V shape formed by Calaveras Dome and Hammer Dome (thanks KE). I had brought two cups of cafe mocha from Peets for my morning coffee and put it on the Propane Coleman to heat up. I went down to the river's edge to share a moment with Commando. When I came back all of the coffee had boiled away. I drank some dregs and then ate breakfast.

From the scouting the day before, we decided to hike up to the top of Garnet Hill. This is an old mine road that loops about 1000 feet up to the summit. I stupidly didn't bring any water for Commando, thinking there would be some seasonal stream for him to drink from. The trail loosely follows Monroe creek and it was filled with snow melt and was a constant and substantial noise. Unfortunately, Garnet Hill was dry and Monroe creek too steep sided even for nimble and athletic Commando. By the time we got to the summit (meh) he was one thirsty dog. He still wasn't thirsty enough to drink my Vitamin water though and he still had enough energy to chase off after squirrels.

We hastened down as fast as the steep terrain would let us. Poor Commando tried to get down at one point, but was defeated by the steep banks of the creek. It was almost comical to see his disappointed face. Less than 1/10 of a mile down though, and with some guidance from me, he was able to get his drink. He actually hates any bottled water and has often refused water I've carried for him. I bet he might drink water if I filled up from any lakeside that we might happen to be near.

We finished the trip to the car and then headed home. We did make a few side trips and excursions, and, after driving 22 miles out of the way, discovered that the Panther Ridge road back to 88 was not only blocked by snow but also blocked by a gate.

It was a good trip and can't wait for more of the high country to melt so we can camp again.

LOVE "Community"

This week's episode, a sly parody of action movies, was outstanding. I won't pretend to know all of the mocking references to actual action movies, but I could see many of the cliches in action. The show meta-mentions some of the cliches but leaves us to enjoy others. The hero coming into the game late, the male bonding, the gratuitous sex scene, the magical Asian fighter, evil laughter, and the hero backlit by an explosion as the fight comes to its end. The show also references Glee although the tubby Glee Club body shot out of a tree also pokes fun at the hotties on Glee. Fun, fun, fun.

Wright's Lake Road

The road was clear for about 2.5 miles and then it was very snowy. As we climbed, the snow got deeper until it was about 5 or more feet deep. We followed snowmobile tracks so going up was relatively easy. Once the sun started melting the top layer of snow I put the snowshoes on to avoid post holing. I actually hurt my knee near Lyons Creek and favored it on the way back. I also forgot to put on sun screen and burned the bottom of my cheeks from the reflection off the snow. Ow. We had a great time and both of us are very tired. Can't wait till the snow melts, however, it looks like it won't be until June at the earliest. Good for the drought, not so good for hiking at Wright's Lake.

What would it be like to live a thousand years?

That's the time from the Dark Ages till now. You'd have over 10 modern lifetimes. You'd have to work for how many of those years? Could you not work them? You could be a fireman, policeman, ballerina, doctor, lawyer, engineer (both train and civil), sailor, teacher and whatever else. What if all you could be was a ditch digger? Could you be a ditch digger for a thousand years? Could you make lattes or bus tables for a thousand years? Everyone you talk to, "I know, I know, I know." What would it be like to be 800 and be dating someone 200? Would science stagnate because everyone has all of their good ideas in their 20's? What if Octo-Mom wanted to have even more babies? What would we do with all those people?

Snow is melting fast

I've been sick most of April so my hikes have been limited. Last weekend we went along highway 49 to the Cronan Ranch area. We didn't end up hiking there, but just down the road from there at another entrance to the river hosted by the socialist Bureau of Land Management. It was a great time to hike here. The weather was still cool and there were plenty of wildflowers. Later it will be baking, crowded, ticks will be about, and the grass will turn to prickly weeds that get in the dog's ears.

This weekend we went up Highway 50 to Icehouse road. We hiked along the Granite Springs road for a bit. The snow is melting fast, fast, fast and water is pouring off the hills. We tossed snowballs in the stream and watched the water eat it up.

Today we went again and I tried to find a part of the Pony Express trail that is marked on my shiny new map. I found what might be the trail but it was just a forest service road and it was pretty hot so we headed up to Union Valley reservoir. We ended up hiking along a thumb near the dam and then coming back along an old logging road. Commando had quite a good time chasing some waves. I discovered that some of the bank is made of sticky, slippery mud. I also picked off another tick. I hate ticks.

Felt better today and I hope this cold and sinus infection is finally gone so I can really hike.

Stroll along highway 20

In spite of the unsettled weather we drove up highway 20 and hiked along the Dascombe Loop trail to the Pfeiffer trail and then back to the car. It hailed a bit and rained a bit and was sunny for a bit.

We normally wouldn't do this trail because it's fairly busy and there are horses. Not quite sure how Commando will do around unfamiliar horses.

It was a nice exploratory stroll.

More video of the trip to the snow

Getting lazy...last two weekends

Donna came up and we took Brianna and Kayla to Red Lake near Carson Pass and played in the snow. We had intended to snow shoe at the yurt, but decided just to sled. Surprisingly, the sleds weren't very sleddy so we couldn't make much progress down the hill. The snow was also extremely fluffy so we mostly got stuck in it.

We also went to the Capitol building. The girls were fascinated by GAS's office and kept quoting that famous movie line. Of course, there were no elected officials working, only state employees.

On Sunday we went to the Crocker Museum of Art and toured around. It's free till 1 pm...great deal. The girls were quite interested in all the paintings, even the older ones. They were surprised at some of the risque scenes and we had some good discussions about the lives of the subjects.

This weekend I went up the Pacific House and hiked around trying to find the forest service road to Jenkinson Lake. There were a few inches of snow of the ground but not enough to wear my snow shoes.

Today, Diane and I went to Jenkinson Lake. We even paid the extortionate entrance fee. Commando cost extra. We parked at the boat ramp near the mid-point and walked to Park Creek Falls. Then we strolled around the campsites till we saw a possible forest service road leading to Pacific House. We met a great retriever puppy and he and Commando played and played by the falls. Nice family out for a picnic lunch with their daughter.

Great views

Drove up 50 again to snowshoe but ended up hiking. Across from Pacific House is Hazel Valley road that possibly turns into Light Canyon road and intersects with Mormon Emigrant. The various maps are not clear.

I'd discovered it last weekend and stopped at a bridge where the snow started. By this weekend, most of the snow had melted so we kept driving until we got to a ridge top and then started hiking.

We hiked to the top of a hill with some great views of the Crystal Range and then just strolled around on top of various hill crests. I almost went off trail to find a faster way down to the road. Good thing I didn't because after examining the maps...I would have gotten lost!

Commando dug for rodents and chased birds and squirrels. I made a great stick for him and he happily carried it around.

The dead tree is just an excellent picture. My brother took a photoshop class so maybe he'll put a scary pumpkin head on it for me. Or is that too predictable?

What it's like to snowshoe

Took this video yesterday at Grass Lake.

Grass Lake Snowshoe at Luther Pass

Drove up 50 and saw what looked like a small airplane crash on the westbound side in Eldorado Hills. Don't see anything on the sacbee about it though (now that I'm home).

I was going to try to get to the top of Lover's Leap but decided not too after all. Instead, continued on the 89 south and then parked at the south most end of Grass Lake.

Grass Lake is a marshy area and in the winter is a big, flat snow filled bowl surrounded by mountains and trees. There were many others out enjoying the high temps and beautiful sun. Everyone I saw was cross-country skiing although I followed someone's fresh snowshoe tracks for most of my trip.

The snow was excellent! There was a firm base with just a bit of powder on top to make it interesting. Even trail blazing was easy and following someone else's tracks was even simpler.

Commando had a good time running around in the trees and jumping for snowballs. I've always meant to try Grass Lake and now I have.

Commando Catching a Snowball

Exploring Sayles Canyon Tract

It's amazing how snow transforms the mundane into the special!

We drove up 50 to a little plowed out area just after Camp Sacramento. There were two trucks already parked there, but no people.

We followed a heavily traveled trail that followed a road. It went gradually uphill following Sayles Creek. Most of the traffic led to one cabin that was in use and then it was fresh snow with older tracks just visible under about 6 inches of beautiful snow. It was perfect consistency...supported weight easily...not too wet so no balls of snow under the feet...stunningly beautiful.

We just kept going up and when it started to snow we headed back. Big storms are coming in and I wanted to be below 5000 feet before they hit!

The movie is of Commando jumping to catch snow balls. He does this for fun and to get a drink.

More snow, fewer ticks

Yesterday we lazed around except for the usual stroll along the river. After the stroll, Commando was a bit more tired so obviously he'd gotten plenty of exercise at Jodi's.

Today we drove up the Mormon Emigrant trail to see how far we could go. We got pretty far, and could perhaps have gone farther. We stopped when there were only single tire tracks showing pavement and hiked up the hill and then back down. Commando did a beautiful "wait" to avoid getting run over. He also was charming to a little girl who was visiting the snow with her father. He sat nicely for her and licked her face.

There was a spectacular view of the Crystal Range from one place on our hike. The sun highlighted the peaks. Made this trip special.

By Folsom we were back in the gloomy fog again.

No tick snowshoe

Jodi's cabin was available for a brief two days so Commando and I headed up on Wednesday. We unloaded and then drove around looking for likely places to showshoe. We finally settled on Billie Mack road, at the Donner Lake exit on 80. Many snowmobiles had blazed a nice trail along the stream and we enjoyed the final hour of daylight snowshoeing up and back.

The cabin was nice and warm with the brand new propane heater and we slept great!

The next day we lazed around and took a brief morning walk with coffee. Commando played with a young champagne colored standard poodle and also peed on virtually every driveway we passed. I don't know how he manages to hold so much pee.

The cute guy came to shovel off the decks and we had packed up and took this as our cue to leave.

I thought there would be a good place to go along 89 on the way to Sierraville and there was. We stopped at the Prosser Hill OHV staging area and explored the Prosser dam and a random picnic table. Someone had snowshoed along the 10 + mile Commemorative Emigrant Trail (to Boca Stampede reservoir) and left a pretty big trail. We followed that back after blazing our own trail for a short distance. The snow is GREAT! There's a deep, hard base covered with about 2-3 feet of wet powder. Great snow for shoeing.

Commando is exhausted and has spent most of the evening sleeping with only a few forays out to the backyard to remind the squirrel enemy that he is home.

Another low elevation hike with ticks

The weather was unsettled so I decided to stay out of the chain control zone and hike in Auburn. There is a small waterfall called the "Black Hole of Calcutta." It's at a popular area which I would normally avoid, but I was hoping that only die-hards would be out in the possible rain.

We drove to the Auburn confluence area and parked across the highway 49 bridge and started hiking along the Western States Trail. I could only let Commando off leash occasionally because there were other people about. We strolled along quite nicely for about a mile and viewed the waterfall. Despite the rain, it was thin and thready but it was high and dropped into a scenic dark-gray granite grotto.

We headed back and I stupidly elected to try to hike down to the river on the Cool trail side. After bushwhacking around for a bit, I was forced to turn back.

And, I have a tick bite on my back shoulder!

Ticks, or why I don't hike at low elevations

We started off intending to hike somewhere at Ice House but a boulder at Bridal Veil Falls was threatening the road and the traffic backup was insane. So we did a U-turn and decided to explore somewhere off Sly Park road. We turned off on Park Creek road. From the map, it looks like you can hike down to Jenkinson Lake via Old Sly Park road.

We didn't make it quite that far. My phone GPS was working and it just didn't look like I was moving that fast. The way back would be uphill. We turned off on an unmarked but well travelled road (White Springs). It traversed the hill at roughly the same elevation and parallel to Old Sly Park. I figured it must eventually hit Park Creek again. It does, almost, except for the dead end.

The last 1/4 mile to Park Creek was uphill through an extremely dense forest with manzanita, willow and plenty of junk pines. I'd already picked 3 ticks off Commando so I figured they were now raining down on us.

We saw plenty of deer sign, indeed, there really wasn't a place where there weren't fresh tracks or droppings. I did see what looked like bear scat, but I couldn't be completely sure. It was certainly a BIG pile of poo with lots of berries and twigs in it. I've never seen horse or cow poo quite that color either. It wasn't particularly fresh although I didn't touch it. There's only so much I'll let my naturalist self do. I observed, that was good enough.

Commando got a bath once we got home which he loved (not). I took a bath and am pretty sure I washed off some ticks.

So, that's why I don't hike at lower elevations.

Why I hike

Henry Shukman wrote about a trip to the Grand Canyon and had this to say about his first view of the trail:

We only stayed an hour or two. But before we left, from the rim I saw a trail, pale as chalk, winding down a huge slope beneath a cliff. There’s something about a trail seen from far away. That thread snaking over the landscape — where does it go, who uses it, why does it seem so intimate with the land? And why does it arouse such an intense longing to follow it? An unknown path seems almost necessarily a metaphor. We like to conceive of life as a thread, after all, a path crossing unexpected terrain on its journey to another element. When the trail winds across empty desert, up and down huge hillsides — as in the Grand Canyon — it’s all the more insistently allegorical.

First Snowshoe

Met up with Diane for a quick snowshoe excursion in the Icehouse area. There was plenty of snow but it was only a few inches deep so we didn't really need to snowshoes. We used them anyway because it's just more fun that way.

We took a mellow trip at the Bassi Falls area down to the river and back along the river bank to the road.

Then we drove up to Loon Lake and ate lunch and gazed at the scenery. Commando had a great time playing in the snow. I tossed snowballs down the granite ledge and he happily caught them and chewed them to bits...then he pretended he couldn't find the snowball and wanted more.

It was an excellent day!

Loon Lake Hike

Tried to hike from the dam at LL to SL but there really isn't a trail on that side of the lake and I didn't make it.

We did explore the LL shoreline and became intimately familiar with the thick brush. At one point, I slid down a cliff using the brush as a brake.

I may still try to make it, but with better directions!

Commando Kicked out of Doggie Day Care

Poor Commando is a little too aggressive to be in doggie day care. I had taken him several times to a great place and even boarded him for a few days. Yesterday he got into two minor altercations with some dogs (no breaking of skin on either side) and was kicked out of day care. Sigh.

He's still a good dog, just need to make sure he and the other dog plays nicely.

Lake Van Norden walk

After viewing the progress Jodi is making with some work on her cabin Commando and I walked around Lake Van Norden. This is a beautiful alpine meadow and is part of the Yuba, Truckee, and American River watersheds. There is a partially dismantled dam that has created the lake...don't know why it hasn't been fully removed.

I followed a random use trail for a while, then walked along the edge of the lake, then cut across the main stream (getting my feet wet), then followed a very straight trail back to the car.

Saw some small black frogs and a hawk. Commando really enjoyed the open space and ran and ran and ran.

Great people I met today

The hound and I drove up to Loyalton to look at some houses and hike. It's a pretty area and would make a great weekend place.

The woman who owns the Blue Moon Bakery in Loyalton (0n 49) was incredibly charming. They were transporting a bunch of cakes for a wedding (to be assembled at the wedding) and she was very friendly and pleasant.

Stopped at Machado's fruit stand (80 and Bowman) and bought an apple pie and some cherry preserves. I usually stop at Ikeda's but thought I'd give Machado's a try. They are much smaller but have some interesting produce...and they also sell fresh apple pies.

The guy working the pie counter was very charming and had the most engaging and friendly smile...he has a great sense of humor!

So, if you're ever traveling in either Auburn or Loyalton...stop in and bask in the friendliness.

Meadows Lake

Drove up 80 to to Truckee, then took 89 north, then took the Henness Pass Road to Meadows Lake road.

It's a pretty lake with some great camping spots. They are spaces far apart and most of them border directly on the lake. There were only a few spots occupied.

I put on my water sandals and Commando and I walked along the shoreline from camp spot 1 to the boat ramp and back. Then we drove over to an open area that turned out to be the remains of the town of Summit City According to the various signs, Summit Cityhad a brief stint during the Gold Rush and then was abandoned when they couldn't get gold out of the "stubborn ore."

There wasn't much left of the town. I was surprised. I expected some old tumbledown shacks. Perhaps the remains of a rock wall or sidewalk, but there really wasn't much there.

My main goal was to see if I could get close to Old Man Mountain so we headed to the dam area. I could catch glimpses of the mountain from campsite 1, but from the town site I could only see a volcanic crag (Hartley Butte). I decided to head to this volcanic high spot to see what I could see. On the way up I passed some other hikers who told me where to locate some petroglyphs.

Hartley Butte had some great views of Castle Crags, Fordyce Lake and the back side of Old Man Mountain so it was worth the scramble up to its shoulders.

I navigated down and did some cross-country scrambling to see the petroglyphs. There were quite interesting. I shot a few pictures with my cell phone. It seems as if many had been removed (based on the petroglyph sized chips on the granite. There seemed to also be some fake petroglyphs (on a wall not the floor, on bare granite not black discolored granite, and of different shapes). There was also some graffiti (1902?) and some intials that could have been from the settlers.

Perhaps someone needs to put up some signs for the First Nations people who were here before Summit City?

We drove back stopping in a few places for some short strolls.

Nice trip and I'll definitely have to come back before the snow flys.

Elkhorn Slough Paddle

Drive a little bit south of Santa Cruz, CA to Moss Landing and take any of the turns to the right just before you cross Elkhorn Slough to several kayak rental places. If you pass the power plant towers, you've gone too far.

We rented closed deck kayaks and headed out around 11 am on a Furlough Friday. This is very popular and I imagine in the height of summer the crowd might be a little too enthusiastic.

The tide was with against us on the way in, but the wind was with us. I think the tide was stronger because when I stopped paddling I almost immediately came to a full stop.

We saw plenty of sea lions, pelicans, water birds and otters. Sea lions were basking on the shore in various places and on a boat dock. Otters were basking in the water near the launch point, in a pod in the estuary about a mile from the launch point, and just swimming around doing otter stuff. On surfaced quite close and began grooming it's back flippers, rolling and rolling and rolling and then shaking it's head dry. The otters seemed to dry off more quickly in the water while the sea lions stayed wet and glossy. We made it a bit past Rubis Creek and Andy went along ahead to Kirby Park. I explored Rubis Creek but didn't manage to make it back to the main channel. Although there looked to be a clear channel, it was confusing to navigate and I did not want to get stuck in the mud.

I made it back about 15 minutes after Andy and both of us were muddy (getting out was definitely muddy) and our arms were like spaghetti. I told Andy our shoulder would really hurt later.

I'd like to definitely do this trip again, perhaps with the tide coming in to see if we can make it further and explore more of the marshy areas.

Of course we were hungry as we'd only had a coffee and 1/2 of a small breakfast burrito but we were also pretty dirty. Andy's jeans were wet from the knees down and my hair looked a bit like I'd jammed a hat over it, sweated, then frizzed the ends with seawater. We stopped at Haute Enchilada which had a vibrant and charming exterior and it had outdoor seating. The food was good, the mole very tolerable and the decor excellent. I highly recommend the place.

Two hike weekend

On Sunday drove up to the Carson Pass area to take a short stroll to the top of Hawkins Peak. From the maps, it looks like you can take a forest service road to within a few hundred feet of the summit at just over 10,000 feet. I wasn't in much of a mood for a hike and I'd been wanting to try this since last summer.

Unfortunately the road up was blocked by a gate. Although this shortens the distance quite a bit, I still wasn't prepared to hike at that altitude.

We drove down to the lake and parked and then hiked part of the trail to Grover Hot Springs state park.

On previous trips I'd hiked along a well marked trail that followed the exit creek to a riparian meadow. At this point the trail disappears and I've just walked through the meadow. At the far end of the meadow you eventually find the well marked trail again.

I was determined to follow the trail back so that's what I did. As it turns out, the trail stays under the trees and avoids the meadow. It edges between a small ridge and another meadow and then crosses a small granite ridge to the boat ramp of the lake. From the lake, there is no trail marking so one would have no idea this was the actual trail head.

Still, it was a pleasant hike around the lake, through the meadow, off trail up a small ridge, back to the trail and then back to the lake.

Fordyce Lake Trek

Drove up 80 to Cisco Grove exit and took the signed dirt road to Fordyce Lake. The beginning part, once paved, is in some ways the worst part of the trip due to the HUGE potholes. Someone has graded parts of the road because when I drove it late last year it was much worse. Once over the Fordyce Summit the road is also not good, but PG&E is doing some maintenance and they have repaired and sanded the road for heavy equipment.

We parked about 1/2 mile from the lake and then strolled along the inlet meadow to the the dam. From the dam you can see the back side of Old Man Mountain and I think I'll try to get there before winter closes in.

It's pretty, but Grouse Lakes is prettier so I think I have probably seen what I wanted to see with this trip. I may try to take another drive up to Lake Sterling.

Commando had a great time running around and chasing sticks.

Saw a dead skunk with skeleton-y goodness!

I just cannot get moving in the mornings so it was very late (4 pm) when we hit the trail at Fuller Lake to Spaulding Lake. All of the water in the streams is gone until you get to the stream that parallels the second big water conduit.

I decided to take the bridge over a water-filled stream that leads to Spaulding Powerhouse 3. The trail is fairly level and parallels the shoreline, albeit a good 100 feet below. The water is low.

There was a dead, mostly eaten skunk on the trail. It was partly dessicated (doesn't take much in the dry heat) and the skull was intact (with fur) and the tail bone (with fur) was also laid out neatly. There was some blobby, leathery looking innard that the predator also hadn't eaten. I almost wanted to take the skull because it would look sort of interesting (once the fur and gory bits had been boiled off) but I decided not to. The smell was faint. Poor skunk.

We made it over the first dam and rested along the shore. Well, I rested and Commando chased sticks, dug up good smelling stuff in the duff, and looked for critters.

I had been hoping that there was a link between this trail and the trail that follows the Yuba River so I could make a loop but if such a link exists, I didn't find it.

It was a nice hike with beautiful weather although the mosquitoes are incredibly fierce.

Saw a Lynx!

Drove up to the Van Vleck trail head again. This time we stopped at the ranger station on Ice House road and the map they had posted showed Shadow Lake almost 5 miles from the trailhead. It's 2 miles from where the trail turns off the Highland Lakes trail the intersection of which is about 2.5 miles from the trail head gate. Ah ha!

It was pretty hot and the mosquitos were still pretty fierce so I wore long sleeves and long pants and slathered on the DEET.

We headed up the Red Lake trail as I wanted to stop at the Bassi Creek crossing and soak in the creek and read a bit before turning back. About 1/2 mile from the start Commando started a lynx and they both ran across the trail and into the woods before he came back with his tongue hanging out. The lynx was as big as he was and I'm glad they didn't mix it up. I'd brought the squeaky toy for a recall and it seemed to work very well.

Although there were a lot of parked cars we didn't see anyone until we got to the Bassi Creek crossing. I briefly chatted with two guys coming down and we saw some mountain bikers splashing in the creek.

We ate our lunch although the mosquitos were so fierce I can't say I enjoyed it much. I got thoroughly wet wading around the creek so was cooler on the trip back.

It was a good hike and this is a fascinating area to explore.

Failed to reach Shadow Lake again

The Eldorado National Forest Guide says this hike is 2 miles but some trail descriptions, and my experience trying to take this twice says it's a lot longer, maybe about 5 miles. This time I was determined to make it, but stopped at the big mule's ears area and decided that was enough for one day. I still wasn't at the alleged cutoff to Shadow Lake and from the map, it looked like I was still only halfway to my goal.

The trail is actually pretty easy, well marked and with slight upgrades followed by really long level spots. There are a lot of water crossings, including two very wet meadows (still very wet in July) so this is probably not a trail to take any earlier in the year if you want your feet to stay dry.

It's a good trail for solitude, wildflowers and water. It rained on my way down (oops, forgot to check the weather before I left). The first rain was very mild and barely wet the dirt but it left pine pollen-y golden droplets on all the foliage.

It was also nice to hear the forest silenced just after the rain. There was no wind, and all the birds and insects were in hiding and silent. I don't know whether the cloud cover dampens sound but I'll just say it does.

It rained in earnest for about a half hour just as I was nearing the big marshy meadow and as I crossed it. I thought about taking shelter beneath a tree but it just wasn't worth it. I won't melt from a little water.

The mosquitos were fierce but this time I was prepared. I had long pants and long sleeves. I think I still was bitten, but a lot less.

Commando enjoyed the trip although (due to his bad owner) he had an accident in the car. I knew he had to go but thought we could make it to Ice House road. We almost did. I cleaned out the car and was fortunate that my tax dollars had paid for a trash bin just up the road. I wasn't about to throw his mat out but didn't really want to drive many miles with a poop laden dog mat.

I also discovered that he probably can't be trusted around horses. Just as we were starting off a group of about 6 were coming back form a ride. I got Commando's collar (he was off leash) and he stood quietly as they passed by. I let go of him because he didn't seem that interested. Oops, bad owner again. He wanted to chase after them and even looked like he might try to nip at the last horse's heels before he listened to my, "NO!" and came back to me.

It's a good trip but I'll have to see if I can find a better map and directions.

Slow Trip to Hell Hole

Drove up to Hell Hole reservoir for a short hike. I wasn't very motivated and left late. Reached Hell Hole and headed across the dam to the trail to the campground. It was pretty hot. Reached the trail and started climbing up the trail. It traverses a steep hill, nearly a cliff, over badly broken granite and volcanic gravel. It was hot and not very inspiring. I didn't get very far and decided I'd had enough and we turned back. Even Commando didn't seem too enthusiastic. The vulture that circled overhead was certainly not very inspiring either.

Just at the end of the dam there's a slope to the lake so we headed down. Commando needed water and there were plenty of driftwood sticks for me to throw and huge driftwood logs for me to sit on.

Fortunately there was a rocky, beachy slope so I could toss sticks pretty far out before Commando had to swim. The water is very cold and I really don't want to have to swim in it to rescue him. He is very confident. He swam out several times to try to retrieve a stick that appeared to still be firmly attached to the log jammed just under the surface.

I had noticed some weird looking thing on the bottom of the lake in the shallow water. They look like fleshy pink and white tulip with octopus type tentacles. But they don't move, they seem anchored to the bottom. I didn't touch one.

For some time I'd noticed one at the surface that was moving around a bit but didn't think much of it. After a while I focused on it a little more and discovered that a smallish snake was trying to eat one of these weird looking things and was having great difficulty gulping it down.

I watched the snake for a while and kept Commando from bothering him. The poor snake didn't seem to be making much progress so we finally left without viewing the final swallow. I hope he managed to choke it down.

انقلاب ایران

انقلاب ایران . من با چه تکنولوژی است که در ایران که در طول استفاده از ایهیجان انتخابات مسحور شده است. اعتراض به استفاده از چهچه و دیگر سایت های شبکه های اجتماعی برای برقراری ارتباط... فناوری اطلاعات در سراسر جهان است پله تا دسترسی به اینترنت را فراهم کنید و سعی کنید به سپر از دانشجویان معترض و در حال حاضر گوگل است که به بهبود خود را ترجمه خدمات. من این پست را به فارسی ترجمه کنید و بعد از آن دیگر تنها برای تفریح.

Iranian Revolution

I have been fascinated by how technology is being used in Iran during this election excitement. The protestors are using Twitter and other social networking sites to communicate...IT around the world is stepping up to provide internet access and try to shield the protestors and now Google is improving its translate service. I'll translate this post to Persian and post it again just for fun.

Enchanted Pools Round Trip

Drove to Wright's Lake and finally did the round trip journey!

Took the Rockbound Pass trail and then cut over to the EP just before entering the Desolation Wilderness area on the poorly marked use trail. There's a little summit just before the turnoff and we stopped to listen to a lone coyote somewhere north of us.

The weather was good for hiking because it was cold and overcast with dramatic clouds. There were even a few rain sprinkles and it had rained earlier in the day.

It was a little tricky crossing the stream...it's spring and the water is COLD, DEEP and FAST but I found a relatively short crossing with relatively shallow water (below knee deep) and not too fast. I took my boots off and then started across. Wow! Cold! The bottom was rocky but a little mossy and soft without being slippery. I took it slowly because I didn't want to fall in and get wet and cold. It was a bit of struggle scrambling over the granite on the other side but I didn't get wedged in any of the cracks and was soon sitting on the rock putting on my nice and warm and dry socks and boots.

We did spend a little time sitting on various comfy boulders and logs on both sides to enjoy the scenery and the incredibly loud water.

Hiking down on the Twin Lake trail side I saw some new views of the small cascades and sat down to watch a solid wall of water fall down into a crevice and then dart sideways to drop down a chute and then boil up before dropping into a large pool. By summer this will be a great pool to take a dip and cool off...but not today!

We had no problems crossing the other little stream. The water was swift but didn't really get to the top of my foot so I let my water resistant boots take the brunt.

I had to leash Commando up down at the Wright's Lake loop trail because it's a bit busy now and it is an on leash area.

He had a great time and was a tired doggy for that evening and the next day.

Calaveras Big Trees Camping Day Three

We all slept in although I was awake at dawn. It had rained during the night and the meadow was steaming until the sun dried it out. We broke camp and went our separate ways...Tami and Donna to Jackson Rancheria and home and Commando and I for a big hike and then home.

I had planned to go to the summit and hike there but we turned aside at Spicer Reservoir and then took a side road to Summit and Elephant Rock lake. We parked at Elephant Rock lake and hiked to Elephant Rock. It's a giant pile of volcanic rock sticking out (like a sore thumb?) amongst the more usual granite. From looking at the map I'd wondered if it were possible to get to the top. If it is, it certainly doesn't look easy.

We ended up doing a loop trail back to Summit Lake and then back to where the car was parked. It's a nice easy trail...not too heavily used and with no significant ups or downs. There were some creek crossings but my feet only got a little wet. Most of the trail is marked for mountain bikes but I didn't see any evidence. Trails leading off went to Duck Lake and Highland Lakes both in the Carson Iceberg wilderness and way too far for me to go!

There had been a few cars along the way on our way to the trailhead but they were all gone on the way back. We stopped briefly at Spicer and gazed at the trail at the bottom of the dam. It's a cool looking lake and maybe we'll have to camp here sometime and explore some of the other trails.

Commando had a good trip and when we got home he looked at me like he expected me to carry him into the house. Hmmph!

Calaveras Big Trees Camping Day Two

Donna really wanted to explore some caves which is why we selected Calaveras. We woke the next morning and ate eggs, potatoes and bacon then drove to Moaning Caverns with a NEW 1500 foot zip line.

I had no intention of risking my life on a zip line but Tami and Donna went twice. Commando and I watched and he chased the zippees down the slope. Then they went on the cave tour while Commando and I explored the area and gassed up.

We drove down a Power House on the Stanislaus river on Camp 9 road which was a very single lane non-county maintained "road" down the Stanislaus River Canyon to the power house. We crossed a green metal bridge and then entered a beautiful meadow filled with purple flowers. After scrambling down a dry creek bed we hung out on a beachy area of the river watching the water pour into a deep pool. Very pretty.

Hopefully we won't have any poison oak!

Commando didn't like the green bridge (metal slats and stairs) but he braved it once he saw that I was going to cross without him. On the way back he was nonchalant, quite the old hand at crossings!

Tami and Donna slept in their truck because it had rained again at camp and their tent was wet. We were surprisingly tired and all slept great.

Calaveras Big Trees Camping Day One

Drove up around 11ish after running some errands. I bought a cheap screen house so we'd have some shelter for the expected rain and a somewhat expensive soft sided cooler on wheels so I could take up less space. The drive was uneventful and I selected space 21, which, I highly recommend. It's on the meadow one space away from the very nice restrooms and there's lots of space in the site.

It was a challenge setting up the rain tent with just one person but I used my giant brain and was able to prop two of the legs between the seat and the table top of the picnic table to hold them in place while I got the other legs assembled and positioned.

I took Commando for a drive and then a short hike on some unidentified forest service road just past Dorrington while Donna and Tami set up their gear.

It did rain the first night and I was glad to have the shelter. It was also a handy place to stored our chairs and wood when we were away.

The first night we feasted on sausage. I couldn't find the mustard I'd bought though. Damn.

Sleeping in the Escape was a bit of a challenge. My knee is still quite bruised from the fall I took at work so kneeling wasn't really an option. I also forgot to close my thermarest so the air leaked out and it was hard to get comfortable.

Also, Commando and I breathe out lots of moisture so the windows were fogged up in the morning. Still, it was nice to not have to crawl into a tent and sleep above the ground.

More French Meadows Reservoir

This was really more of a driving trip because I was dizzy and shaky once we got up there. We drove up the Ralston Ridge way but could have come the Mosquito Ridge way as all the snow from last weekend is gone.

We strolled around at the trailhead to Granite Chief wildernesss but I didn't have the chops to cross the snowmelt stream. I put Commando on the leash when going down to the American River past the one group camping. On the way back I didn't do that because I didn't see anyone around and certainly no dogs. Unfortunately the dog was in the tent with its owner and the tent dog and Commando exchanged some pleasantries before he heeded my recall command. I'm guessing that the tent occupant was napping and the probably wasn't the best way to wake up.

On the way back one of the campers came down with fishing gear and he was very polite so they are (whew!) a forgiving group. He said he hadn't caught any fish yet but he'd warned his worms to get ready and to hold their breath!

We turned off at the Duncan Peak crossroad but a downward truck said the road was still closed by snow so we headed back to civilization by Mosquito Ridge.

It was hot and even with the air I couldn't get cool. Still, it was a good day and Commando got a little exercise while I strolled and he chased sticks into FMR and even had fun running and biting the waves.

Ralston Ridge Road is open

Made it to French Meadows via Ralston Ridge road. Stopped in the campground and sat on the shore and read a book while Commando roamed around. We also took a stroll in part of the burned area along a stream. Then we drove up the river and strolled in another campground just checking it out. Oh, I also used a lever to shove a tree off the road more. Saw a bear on the way up. It was smallish and black and moving very fast into the woods.

Almost got to French Meadow Reservoir

Drove up Mosquito Ridge road past the Interbay turnoff and was stopped by a snow berm. Hiked up the road to the Duncan Peak turnoff and then turned back. The road is intermittently snow bermed with the longest and deepest section just before the DP turnoff. A well equipped, high clearance pickup with what looked like special tires made it up to the longest and deepest section.

It looks like the Ralston Ridge road may be open because there were new tire tracks coming from the lake side. They too were stopped by DP road.

The weather was cool and great for hiking. It was fun to hike on MRR with no cars (well, the 1 4WD) and enjoy the journey at the slow walking pace.

Lots of birds and squirrels but no deer sign.

Commando at day care

Took Commando in for his first day care visit at Grateful Dog. He seems to have enjoyed it. He spent some of the morning playing with a white shaggy dog and then played fetch with a Cairn terrier in the afternoon. He even let the other dog get the toy out of his mouth. So, if he enjoys it and it seems like he is tired tonight I may repeat this every other Monday. He was certainly hungry when he got home.

Bassi Falls

The road was clear all the way up to the trail head. I didn't want to hike from Ice House road, instead, I wanted to see if there was a good route off trail to the top of the falls...and then try going upstream.

Just before the trail turned right and started dropping Commando and I forged off into the pine forest. I could see some brush ahead, but thought that the pines would keep the brush to a minimum. Wrong! We worked our way through rabbit brush and mesquite picking up many scratches in the process. We finally made it down to the upper part of the falls by following a rough and (mostly) dry creek.

I enjoyed the first of my two sandwiches just lazing on the granite and looking at the view and listening to the falls. Commando ran around and smelled stuff. A family was a bit upstream (still on the granite) and asked if there was a trail down. I said no and they said they'd bushwhack back down just like they'd gotten up.

After studying the terrain a bit I decided to head straight up the granite face and then hope there was a trail through the brush covering the ridge. I had to admit, it looked pretty impenetrable.

After climbing up (and then relaxing some more) I saw a guy coming from upstream but close to Bassi Creek. I started back down and he was soon joined by his pal. I thought, hey, they look like they know what they're doing! Wrong.

I headed upstream until we got to a tiny creek. The decomposed granite is a little hard to track through (or maybe the guys had never gotten this far) so I had to choose staying on "my" side of the tiny creek or crossing it to Bassi Creek side. Both ways looked choked with brush. Unfortunately, I chose the Bassi Creek side. I soon lost any hope of a trail and just scrambled through the brush (tearing holes in my shirt) and really hoping I didn't break a leg.

There was a small waterfall that I could almost see. In the summer, it will be possible to just hike up the granite, but I had no wish to be swept downstream in icy water. After much more bushwhacking, I made it back to the granite.

I was a bit tired so decided to head down to the lower area as fast as possible as it's all granite and then a nice trail. At this point, if I never see another mesquite it will be too soon.

Naturally there's no trail so there was more bush scratching, except this time with a steep drop over what is essentially a brushy cliff to keep me paying attention. I actually had to help Commando down at one point.

We made it back and I soaked my feet in one of the icy rivulets before making the final push to the car. It really was a beautiful day and I'll look forward to hiking this again in the summer (and maybe with a machete).

Oh, the dog in this link looks just like Commando, except he doesn't have a tail. She's even got the running bug!

More Lake Spaulding

Took the marked foot trail all the way to the lake. The snow is melting fast but there are still plenty of 3 foot deep drifts. The streams are running well from the snowmelt too so I didn't need to carry water for the hound.

The high water mark is a good 50 feet above the water line and it's strewn with plenty of driftwood. I relaxed at the top of a cove and read some of my book and ate my lunch. The only people I saw the whole day were two guys and a kid with two dogs headed out for camping somewhere along the lake.

Then we followed the high water mark along until I got high enough to intersect the trail again. I threw a big piece of driftwood for Commando to chase in the water and he grew quite attached to it. Unfortunately, when our route took us between two boulders he was forced to abandon it. I sat for a while watching him try to figure out how to get the stick through the gap. A nicer owner would have rescued him from his plight...but I guess I'm just not that nice.

Hike to Lake Spaulding

Drove up 80 to 20 and took Bowman Lake road the hike to Lake Spaulding. Stopped at the road just below Fuller Lake (perhaps called Fuller Road?). I could see quite a bit of snow from the paved road so I took my snowshoes. Almost as soon as I got onto the snow though, I could see bare dirt ahead.

That would mark most of the trip...snow...dirt (or mud)...snow...dirt...granite, etc., etc.

We made good time up to the open canal where the dirt road ends. We took the short but steep way onto the granite outcropping and then bushwhacked our way down closer to the lake. Although it wasn't particularly difficult, we had to route find through impassible manzanita stands, impassible cliffs and other impediments. We didn't make it all the way down to the lake "shore" but made it most of the way. We stopped for mid-hike snack on a nice rock overlooking the lake, Old Man Mountain and 80 while in the sparse shade of a bristlecone pine.

On the way back, we intersected the signed trail which took us to the bottom of the steep hill where we'd left my snow shoes. There were also some significant snow drifts to get through so I really missed them!

The signed trail is a little strange. It leaves the dirt road to duck under a HUGE water pipe and across a stream. It then follows a nice trail at the foot of either a steep cliff or really, really steep hill until it gets to a dry creek crossing from the PGE hydroelectic facility just up the hill. There are signs warning you that PGE may release water at any time so stay out. Well, why have the trail go here then? The dry creek crossing is substantial and you'd have no hope of clearing the boulders if any water started rushing down. You then duck under another HUGE water pipe and then parallel the lake, presumably coming down the water at some point. I think this trail goes east a while and eventually ends up at the Grouse Ridge area.

If I were the trail builder, I would have avoided the many dangerous creek crossings and gone over the granite dome and back down.

We had to scramble up the steep, steep hill in the forest area to retrieve my snow shoes...then I slid back down the snow covered dirt road on my butt. Fun!

Not very interesting hike at Hope Valley

Drove up 88. Was planning on going to Salt Springs Reservoir but missed the turn (just after Ham's Station). Stopped briefly at Bear River reservoir but there were a lot of people and snowmobiles and the snow covered terrain didn't look too interesting.

Drove to Hope Valley and hiked randomly on the Nevada side of 89 to a small saddle. The going was a bit interesting as there was really no trail and bare dirt then deep snow. The terrain wasn't really open so no view eastwards. The view west to Carson Pass was spectacular though. There was also a small stand of very healthy bristlecone pine at the top of the saddle with a spray of winter aspen leading down the hill.

We enjoyed ourselves, but it wasn't a very long hike for all the driving.

Bosworth Meadows

Drove up to Ice House and hiked along to Bosworth Meadows. The trail follows forest service roads that are to the right of Ice House road just after the Crystal Range information station. There was still significant snow on the road and in shady spots under the trees. The snow was mostly hard packed so my tennis shoes were fine. The metal cattle guard type bridge was free of snow but Commando still refused to touch it with his feet. Luckily he was able to find a safe stream crossing area. I gingerly and carefully crossed. It was a beautiful day marred on slightly by a helicopter flying back and forth ferrying snow mobiles from what might have been the Wright's Lake area to what might have been the Union Valley area. After about 4 trips though the 'copter was finished and I was able to enjoy the quiet. The meadow was wet and the snow leading to the meadow was wet and I got my feet soaked many times. Fortunately my socks insulate even when wet so no harm done...it was actually somewhat refreshing. This will be a fun area to explore this summer.

Bike ride at Spenceville

Drove up to Spenceville Wildlife Area to try to bike to Fairy Falls. Unfortunately, I didn't start till early afternoon because I met the gang at Red Hawk. By the time I made it to the trailhead, it was about 3 pm.

Commando and I started off in the heat and dust. We stopped at the bridge and I encouraged him to drink and get wet. There were a lot of cows in pasture so I had to leash him up a few times. We walked up the hill and then had a spectacular view across a green, green saddle or maybe even a valley sprinkled with small white flowers. Commando spent some time running over the grass, clearly enjoying himself.

Then we coasted down the hill and stopped at the stream. The next bits are uphill again and it was getting late. I had Commando swim in the stream to cool off and he drank plenty of water too.

On the way back, the open saddle had cows over it so poor Commando had to be on leash again. He got put back on leash when a wily cow crossed the road (having gotten through the 5 strand barbed wire) to the other side and then went up a wash, through some rocks and disappeared from view.

We saw plenty of turkeys too so it was a good trip.

Sold Jetta

Bye little car. Just sold it to some guys from the internet after posting on Craigslist. I think I got a decent price. It was a young kid and he'll fix the car up and probably drive it. I told him to be careful.

Exploring Bowman Lake Road

Drove up 80 to 20 then Bowman Lake Road. I was hoping that enough snow had melted so I could hike to Spaulding Lake over the route I'd taken in snow shoes a while back. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Still I backtracked down the road a bit to a forest service road that gave access to the major granite. We explored the road and followed it past a small, unnamed lake and back to BLR. We hiked up BLR and then got back on top of the granite overlooking the small lake and bushwhacked back to the car. It wasn't a bad off trail trip and I'm only a little scratched up from a few parts where I had to scramble through mesquite or pines. The rock is beautiful. Mostly reddish but with swirls of color. I'm going to guess volcanic and iron. It's also interesting to see the granite layered (successive volcanic flows?) and then pushed up so the layers are vertical. We enjoyed lunch on some rocks under a sickly looking bristecone pine and then headed home.

Long drive to around Foresthill

Drove up Mosquito Hill road and environs to see if enough snow had melted to get to Granite Falls. It hadn't. Hiked along a forest service road and scrambled around in the brush following some cow tracks. Then tried to drive up Ralston Ridge to French Meadows. The road was good to the French Meadows road but it rapidly deteriorated with snow. It was getting late so we turned back. We took a brief look at the "Georgetown District History Tour" stop 15 which proclaimed that this was Blacksmith Flat and a "nearby" trail would lead to some mines. I could see where the old miners had blasted away the hills but couldn't find anything that looked like a trail or a mine. Still, it was a pleasant drive and two nice strolls.

Pluses and minuses of the new Ford Escape

Pluses: The way the back seat bottom folds makes a great place for the dog...it maximizes his comfort and minimizes the amount of fur. It's comfortable on long trips. The AC works great! The cupholder is well placed and so is the middle storage thingie. That middle storage thingie is huge so it stores a bunch of crap. The V4 is completely adequate for my needs. I was able to climb hills and accelerate onto the freeway with no problem. Visibility is great...huge windows, no big "things" in the way.

Minuses: The cruise control on the steering wheel is positioned so that if your hand is at 7 o'clock you can inadvertently turn the CC off. Also, the CC is a little slow at accelerating on hills. I'm not sure how well the 4x4 works. I was trying to climb a hill with not very much snow (1/2 foot) on pavement and I couldn't make it. I'll have to compare it to the Saturn to see if it does better. Or maybe I don't have snow tires.

Meh: Seat belt adjustment is better than some, but I still can't keep it from attacking me in some positions. Why can't they invent a shoulder harness that is TRULY adjustable for short, tall, fat, well endowed, flat as a board people? Why do they insist on black for some of the dashboard trim? Black is too hot, especially in CA. I'm not in love with the white, still, I can claim some eco cred because white is a better color to prevent global warming (or global climate change or whatever).

Bought a new car

Thanks Edmunds.com for the hours of time I spent researching various cars. Looked at the Scion XB, Honda Fit, Element and CRV, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier and Rogue and finally settled on a Ford Escape. I decided I wanted a somewhat boxy car that I could camp in and that was suitable for driving on local forest service roads. Most of the low gas mileage cars were too freaking low to the ground. I did really love the Fit though, and if it had just been higher off the ground I would have bought it. What sold me on the Escape was the price, high clearance, lack of crap dangling from the bottom (that can get damaged from rocks), simple looking engine, 0% financing combined with cash back. The dealership was okay with nothing too smarmy happening to make me ill. We'll see how it performs this weekend.

North Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River Trail

I've been meaning to take this trail for a while, but I've avoided it for several reasons. First, it's name is longer than the trail. Second, it's at a low elevation so it's usually hot. Last, it's the type of easy to get to place that is usually too crowded for an enjoyable wilderness experience.

This weekend was perfect. The weather is unsettled with heavy storms predicted so I didn't want to drive too far. It's also nice and cold. The trail looks worse than it is at the beginning with a short rocky slope composed mainly of talus. It soon gets onto actual dirt and levels out in the typical oak, slash pine, manzanita, tick infested terrain of the 3000 foot elevations.

There are constant views of the river about 300 yards below. With all the recent rain and snow the river was very noisy and flowing hard.

We trekked along happily and only had to scramble over one mud pile where a tree had fallen and taken some of the hillside along with it. Someone will need to come in and repair this section a bit.

The trail ends at the river along a granite curve with plenty of rocks to bask on in the hot summer. I stayed up on the trail's end where someone had built a nice granite platform and fire pit. Commando hung around for a bit and then went off to dig in the ground.

It was perfect timing because just as I was finishing my drink it started to rain! I'd recommend this trail for people with older children who want to end up at a nice picnic and swimming area in the summer. It's only a mile long so it's not much of a challenge otherwise.

Snow at Icehouse while sick

Drove up to Icehouse expecting 8 feet of snow after the most recent storms. It looks like I need to go higher because, although the scenery was nice, there was not 8 feet of new snow. I'm feeling sick so I didn't go far...just along the bank to the end of the campground and then back through the campground. I rested often and sat on a rock overlooking the lake for quite a while.

Commando enjoyed running in the snow...running full tilt along the bank biting the water with his patented scoop mouth technique...and chasing a stick that he'd found when I was obliging enough to through it for him. He got lots of exercise and I didn't but enjoyed the day anyway.