Silver Lake to Granite Lake

As I was forced to take a furlough day in September, and couldn't take any day prior to today off I decided to take advantage of the lack of crowds by hiking to Granite Lake. Silver Lake has camping, two resorts with camping, and forest service cabins so it's usually crowded. I like to let Commando off leash but that means going to lonelier places so I don't bother anyone.

The trail head as described by the forest service is well marked. The sign says 1 mile as do the forest service directions, but I'm not so sure. After climbing a bit through a mixed granite high altitude pine forest there is a surprise trail junction. It says Granite Lake .5 miles ahead and the parking area 1 mile back. Even my math says that's 1.5 miles.

We reached the lake and I changed into shorts and waded around. The water was nice and cool. I did pick off something that looked like a leech though. Ick. We met some odd women with a Puli dog on a leash. They didn't know where Plasse's was and said they had hiked to Hidden Lake which was several miles along. Hmmm, I didn't think it was that far. Plus, didn't they look at a map?

Read a little, drank my drink, ate my sandwich. Commando waded, scared off the blue jays, and chased squirrels. It was nice and relaxing. Headed back and encountered no one so it was a perfect day.

More Mt. Lola pictures

 

My signature on the summit log. Commando refused to sign.

This is the box in which the summit logs are stored. It would have been interesting to read all of the entries...the box is stuffed with papers.

Bagged Mt. Lola - Finally!

A few weekends ago I decided to try and summit Mt. Lola. The trail from White Rock Lake is described as about 2 miles to the 9100 ft' summit. The first time I got on the wrong trail. I tried to follow a use trail that goes straight up and I gave up because it was too difficult. I did have a nice hike around the lake though.

The second time I studied the terrain and decided to dispense with the trail entirely and go up a saddle on the dam end of the lake. Although I had a great hike, going cross country proved to be a bit much and I didn't make it.

The third time I determined to carefully follow the trail. Unfortunately, I skipped lunch and didn't bother to hydrate or eat while hiking and somewhere very close to the summit I became ill and had to turn back. This route was quite punishing once I got to Mt. Lola's final flank. The trail from White Rock Lake is not well marked and is a bit hard to follow, although, not impossible. There also seems to be a trail, not on any map, that seems to head over to Castle Peak area so be careful.

After more terrain and map studying, I decided to drive up a forest service/logging road to Cold Stream Meadow and take the trail from there. There also seemed to be a sort of road on satellite views that went to almost 8500 feet and put one quite close to the summit.

The forest service road is passable by most high clearance vehicles. It's narrow and overgrown so you'll get paint scratches. I chose to drive over the foot bridge and it felt sturdy but it was scary nonetheless. If it ever fails there will be a good 3 foot drop into the creek.

The road forks above the meadow. I didn't like the look of either and parked a few feet back in a logging clearing. I chose to hike the road that went up and this turned out to be a good decision. It goes up and up and up with several switchbacks and a few steep places. It finally ends at a logging clearing and I had to just go up through the forest, then across a boulder field, then through some mule's ears and scraggly manzanita to a saddle. Once here, the going is not bad. It's all worn volcanic rock with scrubby plants worn down by the wind. It's not very steep, but there is still a climb to a rounded peak, then a slight drop, another climb to another rounded peak, then a slight drop, then, finally Mt. Lola!!

On this trip I set an alarm every 1/2 hour and forced myself to rest, eat, and drink. It made a big difference in how I felt. Although I could tell I was at elevation, there was none of the nausea and dizziness of Friday's trip.

I chose to take the trail back to the meadow and the car. I'm really glad I took the road up because I think it was easier than the trail. It took about 3 to 4 hours for me to get up and only 2 to get back to the car.

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.