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.