7
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Adventures
of 2015 - February to May |
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Photos
Related
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Travel Reports |
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The
Road to Goofy Smith Flat
Henry
Cowell Redwoods & Big Sur
Pine
Flat Drive & Hike Finegold
Trail White
Rock Road Trip Edison
Point Trail Nelder
Grove Adventures
of 2015 - June to December |
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The
Road to Goofy Smith Flat
In the
second week of February I realized I had a few days free. This
usually means that it's time for camping or a day trip, so on February 9 I
packed a lunch and set out in my pickup for Pine Flat
Lake, on the Kings
River in the Sierra foothills to the east. I planned to go at
least to the ridge near the upper end of the lake, where several old
roads into the countryside offer hiking opportunities, and possibly
as far as Goofy Smith Flat (more about that name later).
The
long-running California drought is far from over, but we've had
small storms on a fairly regular basis since early fall, so the
grass and wildflowers have had a good start. This meant that once I
left the city, I enjoyed spectacular scenery from start to finish.
My plan
was to stop and hike at several places, enough to get in at least my
daily 30 minutes. Of course, I also made a number of short stops to
take pictures and/or look around. One of the first of these was
Kirkman's Point,
where the lake first comes into view, and as expected, there was not
much lake to look at. In mid-December this million acre-foot
reservoir was filled to only 12%
of capacity, and January was virtually rainless.
The
drought's effect was even more dramatic farther up the road, where
the two major tributaries come in on the north side. The lake pretty
much ends where Sycamore Creek enters, so there is no
lake at all
up this canyon nor the Big Creek channel. You are looking at the
river flowing in its original bed above this spot.
These
conditions still make for some striking views, with what looks like
green lawn on much of the lake bed, long dead trees standing in the
shallow water, and the remains of an ancient bridge across Sycamore
Creek exposed for the first time in many years.
My first
walking stop was at a campground just past Sycamore Creek. Between
Sycamore and Big Creeks there are two campgrounds and a picnic area.
For reasons unknown they have been closed for decades, and I could
write an essay about the stupidity of keeping people from enjoying
this area, but I'll just say that it annoys me every time I drive by
there. You can still walk in, and this is what I did, following the
camp road through a relatively level area of blue oaks, bull pines
and flowers. The road is in very good condition for having been
basically abandoned for nearly 30 years. There was no place that I
could not have driven on it, as long as I removed small piles
of branches from two areas.
Once back
in the truck I continued on toward Big Creek, deciding as I drove
that I would check out one of the more interesting man-made
features in the area. Along the west side of Big Creek are a
number of structures that I call "waterworks" and
my friend
Sue refers to as "weirs," probably a more accurate
description. They consist of small concrete
basins, guardhouse like structures, valves, and other features,
and I believe they were used to measure runoff before the
construction of Pine Flat Dam. Most of those I've seen are found on the dirt
road that goes up Big Creek to the Shaver Lake area through Blue
Canyon, and I have walked up to several of them. This time I
explored one of the three that are on the paved road before it crosses
Big Creek and before you turn onto the dirt road.
This was
more like wading than hiking - the grass, above knee-high in places,
was soaking wet with dew, and by the time I got back to the truck,
water had entered my canvas top boots, gone through my socks, and
cooled my heels (as well as the rest of my foot). However, it
certainly qualified as exercise, and I got a good look and a number
of photos. This is one of the smaller complexes, but still includes
a basin, "guardhouse," spillway and valve. I got some
good pictures of the artifacts, as well as some spring
flowers, and
returned to the truck to continue my journey.
Past Big
Creek the road heads up hill and away from the lake, eventually
crossing over Secata Ridge before dropping back down to lake level,
where there is a power house and an open campground, Kirch
Flat. My grandson Mikie and I have made many
trips to this location and what we call the Frog Pond.
When you come over the ridge you can see some higher mountains,
particularly a part of the Monarch
Divide, which separates the
Middle and South forks of the Kings River. The head of this ridge,
Wren Peak, is normally covered
with snow at this season, but no white stuff could be seen this
year. There's also a good view of Patterson
Bluffs, which rise above the North Fork of the Kings.
To the right side of the
road (south) there is a lot of land between road and river. There
are some fairly level areas, rounded knolls, and rolling
country, which then drops off steeply closer to the river. Old dirt
roads, probably from ranching activities, run through this area in
several places, and are drivable for short distances.
I went into an area I've
gone to a number of times before. The foothill vegetation here
includes a lot of manzanita, and we have gathered the dead branches
for our campfires at Kirch Flat. This time my only activity was
hiking. I drove in and parked by a big electrical tower, then walked
farther in on the road, which becomes too steep and rough for
anything but four wheel drive. This 15 minute hike led me down hill
for a while, then in a loop back up to my parking place. Again I
collected a large amount of water in my boots and socks, enjoying
the walk in spite of this.
Back in the truck, I
continued down the hill to Kirch Flat Campground, and drove in for a
look. When Mikie and I have camped here during Easter vacation
it has been nearly full, but this time there was no one there. I walked
down to the frog pond, and they weren't there either.
Now it was time to decide
whether to start back or go all in and drive to Goofy Smith
Flat. Past Kirch Flat the
road crosses the river, then a mile or so above that it cross back
and follows the North Fork. At this location dirt roads
go up both sides of the main river. The one on the south leads to
several small campgrounds, the largest of which is Mill Flat Creek
Campground, reached via a three mile drive that climbs up and down the canyon,
offering some spectacular views of the river.
The
road leaves the river at this point and follows Mill Flat Creek for
a while, eventually coming out on Highway 180, the road from Fresno
to King Canyon
National Park. About three
fourths of a mile above the camp is a place named Goofy Smith Flat. This
isn’t one of my names; this name was painted on the rock cliff
along the road when I first went there about 30 years ago. Across the creek was an old, dilapidated cabin,
which I am always going to assume was occupied by Mr. Smith, who
could have been a miner, rancher, or just a guy who liked to get
away from it all.
After
my trip I asked a couple of local history experts about the
location, but neither of them had heard of Goofy Smith Flat or
anything else Goofy Smith. An Internet search turns up three hits,
all of them my pages on visits to the area.
The
painting on the rock has faded badly since I first saw it, and has
been partly obscured by goofy visitors with more paint than brains.
If you did not know what it read originally, you would not be able
to read it now.
However,
the cabin still stands. In my mind it was a falling-down wood
building, but in actuality the exterior is corrugated metal, so it
should last a long time. When I first saw it I was able to get
across the creek for a closer look, but the details of that visit are long
forgotten. This time the creek was too high to attempt a crossing. It's hard to spot
the cabin through the trees that line the bank,
but I got a few photos that show part of it.
The
dirt road into this area is winding and very
narrow, especially the
last half mile or so. Driving out after one of my visits years ago,
we met another vehicle at a place where passing was impossible, and
he had to back up several hundred yards before we found a spot wide
enough - this on a road that has a high bank on one side and drops
off steeply to the creek on the other. On my recent trip I was
holding my breath and crossing my fingers hoping I would not meet
anyone, but it was hard to drive that way, so I relaxed and
hoped for the best. It helped that above Sycamore Creek I had seen
no more than three or four other cars, even on the paved road.
Along the section of the
road by the lake, and also at the far end of my trip, I saw lots of poppies.
I believe the ones by the lake were mainly a variation called gold
cups, a little smaller and with a bit more yellow in the orange than
"regular" California poppies. There were many
other flower species, but none in great numbers.
There seemed to be fewer
the farther I went. Despite the low elevation, when you go that
far, you are a long way into the mountains (a 125 mile round trip
in this case).
By the
time I left Goofy Smith Flat I was ready to eat the lunch I brought along.
I made one quick stop, where there is a Forest Service rental
cabin about a mile in on the dirt road, to write down the contact
number. Then I
drove back as far as Kirch Flat and ate at one of the picnic
tables there. By this time there were two other parties in the
campground, both day visitors like myself.
On the
return trip I took a few pictures at places I'd missed on the way
up, but mostly I just made it a non-stop run back home, vowing to
take similar day trips whenever the chance arises.
--Dick Estel, February
2015
Goofy
Smith Trip Photos
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Henry Cowell Redwoods
& Big Sur
In January
my daughter Teri called me and asked if I was interested in hiking
in the Santa Cruz redwoods on President's Day weekend. Since I
always look forward to spending time with my kids and grandkids, and
since hiking is my main form of exercise, I immediately said
"yes." The fact that she wanted to do all the driving was
an added bonus.
She made
reservations at the Fern River
Resort in Felton, on the San Lorenzo River
right across from Henry Cowell Redwoods State
Park.
Teri left
work early on Friday the 13th of February and we left from her house around noon,
expecting to arrive between 3:30 and 4. When we got on State Highway
9 going north from Santa Cruz, there was a sign saying that the road was closed
ahead and to "use detour." We did not see a sign
indicating where the detour was, so we continued up Highway 9,
watching for it. Instead we came to a barrier across the road, and
had to turn back to Santa Cruz and get on Highway 17. Not far up
this road we saw the route to Felton and a detour sign.
The lodge
is just south of town on Highway 9, and offers very nice individual
cabins, many of which overlook the San Lorenzo
River. Although we
did not get there till 4:30, we still had time after bringing in our
luggage to take a short walk. We walked along the side of Highway 9 about a quarter mile to the park entrance, and walked in.
The road immediately goes over the river, and just past the bridge
the Meadow Trail led to the right. We followed that for a short
distance, but it was starting to get dark, so we soon retraced our steps back to
the cabin, and enjoyed an
excellent homemade tortilla soup for dinner.
Our plan for
the next day was to drive into the park, stop at the visitor center,
then start by hiking the short Redwood Grove Loop
Trail. After this
we would explore another section of the twenty miles of trails in
the park. The loop trail is asphalt and pretty much level, with
numbered posts marking many of the trees and other points of
interest, and a trail guide is available just past the visitor center.
You can also arrange guided walks with a docent at the visitor
center.
If you've
never been in the coast redwoods, it's hard to appreciate them from
a written description, and photos can only capture a small piece of
these amazing places. It is basically a rain forest, and anything
that falls on the ground is immediately covered with green moss, as
are a number of old stumps. Since coast redwoods get over half their
daily requirement of 500 gallons of water a day from moisture in the
air, the damp fogs that drift over the area many days each year
contribute greatly to the forest's development.
The average
coast redwood is taller, but smaller in diameter and younger than
its cousin, the giant sequoia of the Sierra. It also
produces new growth around the base, putting up a few or a hundred
stems that can develop into separate trees under the right
circumstances.
Besides
redwoods, the most
common large trees in the area are Douglas fir, tan oak, and bay
trees. The latter grow much larger than the big shrub we are used to
seeing in the Sierra foothills, reaching to heights of 50 feet or
more. The Cowell grove area boasts what are believed to be the
tallest bay trees in the world.
The space
between large trees is filled with a large variety of small shrubs
and bushes, and many plants and flowers. Probably the most common of
these is redwood
sorrel, which creates a thick ground cover in many
areas.
The damp
coastal forests of the Pacific are home to the banana
slug, a large,
yellow version of this species. Teri had never seen one
"live," but I assured her it was almost impossible to walk
in these woods without spotting several. We had walked about a third
of the trail when we met a volunteer. He asked if we had any
questions, so I asked him where the banana slugs were. "Just
past tree 7, at the end of the fence, there was one a few minutes
ago." We followed his directions, and sure enough, there he
was, just waiting to pose for us. Teri was delighted to see a total
of three that day, and two more the next. It's worthy of note that
the slug is the official
mascot of nearby the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Now if I am
completely honest, one of the main reason these creatures delight me
is that they live at least a hundred miles from my yard. But they do
look better than the small brown pests that I had to put up with at my
previous residence.
At the
southern end of the loop trail, where it curves back toward the
starting point, another trail heads up hill, connecting
with the Pipeline Trail. The volunteer at the visitor center had
told us this trail led to a place with a view of the ocean. Another
trail nearby goes up to a higher place with a viewing platform. This
trail parallels the river, but rises up above it several hundred
feet, and goes through a variety of terrain and vegetation. We went up to the ridge, the first viewpoint, where
there is a bench from which we enjoyed the view down the San Lorenzo
River valley to Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. Just past the loop, the
trail goes under a railroad
trestle, part of the nearby Roaring
Camp & Big Trees Railroad, which offers steam train rides
through the redwoods.
The distance
to
this point was about a mile and a half from the visitor center, so
after enjoying the view, we started back down. Near where this trail joined the redwood loop
we sat at a picnic table and enjoyed the sandwiches we had brought,
and also one of our more interesting experiences in the grove.
The picnic
area is near the John C. Fremont
Tree, where the famous explorer
camped in the 1840s. It was reported that he slept inside the
hollow base of the tree. When asked about this during a return visit
in 1888, he replied, "It makes a great story; let it
stand."
There was a
hole in the base of the tree that seemed to go in pretty far,
and while we were looking at it and talking with some other hikers,
a young man got down, made his way across boards that had been laid
down over a large puddle, and disappeared inside. Soon we heard him
call out, "I'm standing up!"
At this
point a docent came along with several hikers, and said that when a few
years earlier a group of high school students decided to see how
many people could go in, they had 81 people inside. At the same
time, several children went into the tree and soon there were at
least a half dozen. The details of the story about the record number
seemed to change the next day when another docent told it, but we
witnessed a good number of tourists managing to go in both days.
However, I suspect that the number was probably closer to 18 than
81.
The visitors
who had been walking with the docent chose to continue to the
Pipeline Trail, so we replaced them on the rest of the walk back to
the visitor center, learning a few new facts and being reminded of
some we already knew. Henry Cowell, whose name is honored by the
park, does not really deserve that much credit - he cut down most of the
redwoods in the area and burned the wood in his lime kilns. His
descendents donated the land to the state with the proviso that it
would carry Henry's name.
Along the
final section of the trail are several unusual trees. One is an
example of a typical coast redwood feature - when a tree is badly
damaged or cut down, a circle of new trees often grow up from the
roots around the original tree's location. The Celery Stalk tree is
a rare example of multiple trunks grown up with the mother tree
still standing in the middle.
Further down
the trail is a strange looking
redwood, with huge branches coming out and growing up from the main tree, more like an oak or similar
species. Scientists believe it is a mutant, because the branching
repeats higher up on the newer trunks.
Some other
visitors were discussing a small redwood with almost white foliage,
and asked the docent about it as we approached. This was the first
time I heard of the existence of albino
redwoods, which develop this way due to an inability to produce
chlorophyll. To survive it must join its roots to that of another
redwood, from which it draws nutrients as a parasite. Only about 60
examples exist in the entire redwood belt from Big Sur to southern
Oregon.
Also in this
area is the Theodore Roosevelt Tree. The great president stopped
here in 1903 and spoke
briefly. From here he went immediately to Yosemite, where he had
his famous
visit with John Muir, which helped convince TR to take steps to
preserve what is now one of our great national parks.
Our visit to
the park this day provided two other memorable sights - driving in
past a meadow, we saw a number of deer, who were also there for our
enjoyment the next day.
Next to the
entrance station and park office there are several specimen trees
that were planted for educational purposes - a giant sequoia, a
Douglas fir, and most unusual, a dawn
redwood. Native to China, this is a rare deciduous conifer, so
my photo of it's leafless branches is not nearly as impressive as
the species deserves. In the 1950s I was privileged to hear a
lecture at UC Berkeley by a scientist who was part of an expedition
into the remote area where the trees grew, one of the first
westerners to see it. A Google search provides plenty of photos,
some of which are obviously NOT dawn redwoods.
After taking
a look at these trees, we drove back to the resort, where we spent a leisurely
evening reading and of course enjoying one of Teri's wonderful
home-cooked meals, barbecued chicken in this case.
On Sunday,
studying the map of this relatively small park, we decided to hike
in from the campground and up to the viewing platform. This required
driving up Highway 9 through Felton and east on Graham Hill Road, to
the eastern side of the park, a drive of just a few miles. The
campground itself was closed, but there is a parking area with trail
access. Although it was fairly early, we got one of the last two or
three parking spots, and when we returned, all spaces were taken and
there were a number of
cars parked along the roads.
The
trail
here connects with a number of others, including more than one route
in from the redwood grove. It was
sometimes hard to tell if we were on the right trail, but we just
kept following signs that said "Pine Trail," and this took
us in the right direction.
Our hike
this day was through much drier territory, with a corresponding
difference in vegetation. There were no redwoods, with tan
oak,
madrone, pines and live oak being the dominant species, along with
many shrubs including manzanita. We also saw a rare sight for a
coastal zone - ponderosa
pines, which appear in only four areas with
a marine climate. They are encouraged by both the somewhat drier
conditions on the east side of the ridge, and by soil
characteristics of the Santa Cruz sandhills.
We also spotted a number of knobcone
pines, another species that grows in poor soil.
The region
was under a vast sea about 15 million years ago, and these inland sandhills
contain a variety of marine fossils, including deep beds of sand
dollars. The soil is also low in nutrients and due to its coarse
nature does not hold moisture well, giving rise to species
that tolerate dry conditions, including several that are unique to
the area.
At one point
on our hike three boys, around age 10, came hurrying up the trail,
well in advance of their parents. As they passed us they informed
us, "We're the Hiking Crew!" I didn't have a chance to let
them know that I have my own hiking "club" with the
Ramblers.
After a nice
walk through what was mostly an oak and madrone forest, we reached
the viewing
platform, which is about 15 feet above ground,
accessible by a stairway. From the platform we had a 360 degree view
of nearby hills, some of the more distant Santa Cruz Mountains, and
an expanse of Monterey Bay and the Pacific that filled close to a
quarter of the vista.
We spent a
half hour or so on the platform and on the ground looking at bushes
there, including Bonny
Doon manazanita, unique to this area, and a
silver leaf bush lupine, very healthy but not yet showing flower
buds. We took a different trail back down, making a loop back to the
campground.
It was still
early, and we had decided to check out the Fall
Creek Unit of the
park, separated from the part we were in by the town of Felton. In
the morning we had noticed a covered bridge in town, so we stopped
there first. It's located in a small park, and dates back to the early
1890s. It's believed to be the tallest covered bridge in the
country, and at one time provided the only route in to Felton.
It was only
a short distance to the trail access point in the Fall Creek Unit,
but there were cars parked along the road and the small parking lot
looked to be full, so we drove on. We did not find another road into the
park in the next mile or so, and the map showed that it was several miles to the
nearest one,
so we went back to the first parking area, drove in, saw that there
were no spaces available, and decided to go back to the redwood
grove, eat lunch at the picnic area by the entrance station, and
repeat the loop trail again.
This proved
to be an excellent choice. There was plenty of parking in the picnic
area, lots of tables available, and during our walk, we again
connected with a docent part of the way, learning a few more facts
about the area. We also heard a different version of the Fremont
tree occupancy record, this time that the people involved were
"volunteers," whatever that meant.
We enjoyed
our second jaunt through the redwood loop, spotting another two
banana slugs to finish off our rain forest wildlife viewing. We got
back to the car, said our goodbye to Henry Cowell, and returned to
the cabin for another great dinner of homemade chili.
The weather
throughout our visit was excellent. It was sunny every day, but cool
and damp in the
deep shade of the redwoods. At the upper viewing platform it was
close to 80 degrees, and of course, much drier. At the resort,
although there was no visible mist, the grass around our cabin was
wet all day, and we had to watch our step on the stairs, which were
also damp.
We were
going home the next day, and our plan was to visit Natural Bridges
State Beach on the ocean near Santa Cruz. However, after a
little discussion we decided to drive further south down Highway 1, all the
way through the Big
Sur country. I had not been through the entire route
since the 1960s, so I was 100% in favor of the change in plans.
Looking at the estimated driving time on my map program, this meant
we would take about six hours to get home instead of three, but we
had plenty of time.
Even if you
have never been in the Big Sur country, you have probably seen a car
ad featuring the iconic Bixby
Creek Bridge or other views along this rugged and scenic
section of the California coast. If you go there, you will also see
high cliffs, ranches that date back over a century, flowers of various
kinds, surfers, high end resorts, waves
crashing on rugged rocks, and redwoods. Along nearly all the
route a high cliff
drops off on the ocean side, and rises high above the road on
the other.
We enjoyed a
leisurely drive down this route, stopping often to take
pictures,
and finally emerging from the cliff zone into a broader, more level
sea plain. The end of Big Sur is at San Simeon, of Hearst Castle
fame, but we had a different destination in mind, stopping to see the
elephant seals that congregate in large numbers on the beaches.
The growth
of this herd at Peidras Blancas from two animals in 1990 to around
17,000 today is a story in itself, best told here.
Although
these huge animals seem to spend most of their time lying motionless
on the beach, they put on a pretty good show for us. First a baby
seal decided it was lunch time, so he started nudging his mother.
She turned slightly, and with his continued encouragement finally
got herself partly on her back, making the lunch station available.
Then came an
even more dramatic event - a large male came up from the water,
moving quite quickly till he was half way to a group of females
guarded by an even larger male. He made a couple of further
tentative moves toward the others, at which point the boss seal
turned, raised his head, and issued a verbal warning. The other seal
moved back slightly, but not far enough or quick enough to satisfy
the big guy, who suddenly heaved his 8,000 pound bulk up and began
moving toward the young upstart. The latter turned and started back
toward the water, moving only a short distance. A couple more short
moves by the dominant male caused him to move even further, finally
satisfying the other, who went back to his rest.
Realizing
that the baby seal was right and that it was indeed lunch time, we
drove on down the highway to the town of San Simeon and ate at El
Chorlito Mexican Restaurant. Although the place has quite a few
negative reviews on line, what we had was very good - shrimp
enchilada for Teri, and shredded beef for me, both a la carte. The
service was a bit slow, since a single server was tasked with
seating guests, taking and delivering orders, and acting as cashier.
There were about a dozen parties in the restaurant, and more coming
in on a regular basis. Overall he did a good job of getting people in and out, but
the place certainly needs to add more staff.
After lunch
we had just a short drive down Highway 1 to Highway 46, where we
turned east. This route passes over the coastal mountains, then
through Paso Robles and over more hills into the Cholame Valley
where it connects with Highway 41 into Fresno. The first part
presents green, oak-covered hills, then an area of vineyards.
Through the Cholame Valley our route was lined with wildflowers,
including splashes of orange poppies on the hills above the junction. The
rest of the route was very familiar to me, being the road I take
going to and from the annual bluegrass festival in Parkfield,
fifteen miles up the valley from the 41/46 junction.
Once back in
the San Joaquin Valley we we driving through flat farmland the rest
of the way. By a canal that parallels the road north of Kettleman
City, we were privileged to see a number of egrets and a heron.
We got back
to Teri's in late afternoon, and I transferred my luggage to my car,
visited briefly with Tim and Mikie (son-in-law and grandson) and
headed home.
So, for our
President's Day weekend we got in a lot of exercise, visited places
we'd never seen or hadn't seen in a long time, ate some great meals,
and saw fantastic scenery. Surely Abe and George would have
approved.
--Dick
Estel, February 2015
Henry
Cowell & Big Sur Photos
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Pine
Flat Drive & Hike
There’s
something about spring that make me want to get out and go camping
and hiking.
There are people who will tell you that there’s almost a month of
winter left, but when temperatures are in the high 60s, it hasn’t
snowed since the late 20th century, there have been only
three nights of below freezing weather all winter, the wildflowers
are in full bloom, and the fruit trees are blossoming, it’s spring
in central California.
So on February 26 my friend Carolyn Amicone and I set out for the
foothills on what I call a “drive and hike.” This is where you
drive to a good hiking location, take a relatively short hike, drive
a little more, hike some more, and repeat till it’s time to go
home.
Our
destination was nearby Pine
Flat Reservoir, where I had gone earlier
in the month. There has been enough rain to
get the wildflowers going good, and there were a lot in bloom
during my previous trip, so I had high hopes for a good display.
As
it turned out, they were spectacular. Along the road and on the
hills above the lake, many areas were painted orange with poppies.
Further up the road, we went by a stretch where there were bush
lupines right by the road for a hundred yards. During our
hikes we saw quite a few baby blue eyes and shooting stars, and
fields of popcorn flowers. Of course, there were many other blossoms
large and small, many of which we could not identify.
We
stopped first at a vista point that overlooks the lake, which is
more of a pond due to the extended
drought. This area had a lot of
poppies and other flowers by the parking area, so we got some good
pictures. We also talked with some other people who had stopped
there, including a lady from Kansas who was delighted to be out in
the spring sunshine of California, instead of shivering in the
frozen Midwest.
Our
first hiking stop was at what I call the Sycamore Creek Fire Road, a
place I hiked last
year. I don't know if it's really a fire road, or a road used
for ranching, or what, but it is an old dirt road, blocked off to
vehicle access. Despite the barriers, there's a track where people
with four wheel drive vehicles have simply driven up the bank and
around the barrier. They've also created detours at two locations
where trees have fallen across the road. Carolyn was familiar with
Pine Flat, but had not been this far up the road in many years, and
had never visited the areas where we walked.
Although
the first 100 feet or so of the fire road is very steep, it then
becomes a nice "up and down" hike, with nothing very
strenuous, and lots of stuff to look at. The trees are mostly blue
oak, bull pine and live oak, with lots of shrubs of various types,
especially chaparral (in bloom) and manzanita (with just a few
blossoms out). We saw many wild cucumbers in bloom, and some unusual
miner's lettuce with striped
leaves.
I'm
keeping track of time spent walking, and Carolyn is paying attention
to distance, so of course, I forgot to start the time and mileage
app on my phone (which I also left in the car). Last year I had used
a different app, and we agreed it was close to the mile I registered
at that time. We did check the time and walked about an hour and a
half on this hike, of course with lots of stopping to look and take
pictures.
We
turned back at the same spot I reached previously, just below a
slope covered with the thickest stand of popcorn flowers we saw
anywhere. It was late April when I walked here last year, so most of the flowers
were gone by that time, and I saw just scattered remnants of the
flowers that were thick this year.
From
here we had three more walks to do, but not much driving. Along a
one mile stretch past our first stop there are two campgrounds and a
picnic ground on the lake side of the road, all of which have been
closed for close to 30 years. They are open to walking, and our
first stop was the one I
checked out earlier in February when I went to Goofy
Smith Flat. It was much the same
as it had been earlier, except that the fiddlenecks had exploded.
They were thick on February 9, but they had somehow found a higher
level of thickness. Many of them were nearly waist high. We also
encountered a nice stand of baby blue
eyes.
The
short loop walk through the campground is nearly level, and I
expected pretty much the same at the next stop. However, the road
there took us down hill a few hundred feet before arriving at the
first campsite. This road had a lot more vegetation on it, but
nothing that impeded our hike. There was a bit more up and down and
it was slightly longer than the other one, probably taking us five
minutes longer to walk.
Returning
to the car, we drove the minute or two to the final hiking spot, the
picnic ground. When these places were open I had camped at one of
the campgrounds once, but my favorite spot was the picnic area, and
I camped there a couple of times. It didn't get much use even then,
so no one complained about my presumably illegal activities.
The
picnic area is located on a ridge that divides Sycamore Creek from
the main river channel, so walking out we had good views of the
creek. The road goes out probably a half mile and loops around a
small rise. On the return part of the loop we could look down into
the main part of the Kings River - truly a river instead of a lake,
with the water level in the lake severely reduced by drought.
Continuing a theme, this road was buried under even more leaves,
soil and plant growth than the two campgrounds, and it was hard to
find anyplace where the pavement was visible.
The
spot I camped at was located at the farthest point of the road, and
in those days a trail went out a short way to the end of the ridge.
You could follow it from the highest point to a small knoll a
little bit lower down, and all the way to the lake if you were
willing to make the steep climb back up. I had hoped we might be
able to to walk out at least to the high point, but there were two
problems. The trail was just barely visible to someone used to
following faint paths in the country, but was completely overgrown
with tall grass and fiddlenecks. At the start of this last walk, the
sole of one of Carolyn's boots had started to come loose, getting
worse as we walked in. I offered to turn back, but she bravely made
her way to the end of the road and back out. However, bushwhacking
through tall grass was out of the question.
With
lots to look at, we stopped often, and this was the longest of our
three campground walks, although it was
mostly an easy, level route. When we got back to the car, we were
ready to get rid of the sandwiches I had brought for lunch. We drove
another mile or so to where the main road crosses Big Creek and a
dirt road goes up the creek, and drove in a few hundred yards. Here
there is a nice, level place to park, and we set up a card table and
folding chairs and enjoyed the nice weather, spectacular
surroundings, and views of the creek.
This
location is across from the largest of the concrete and rock
"waterworks" I've mentioned
in my earlier report, with rough concrete steps leading up to the
basin, but we were through with walking for the day. I've been up
those stairs, and it's steep climb, and you still have to go through
an area with no trail to get to the rock work.
With
lunch finished, we started home, once again enjoying the hills and
flowers along the way. We noticed some flowers we hadn't seen while
driving up, including rare white shooting
stars, and got some
different views of the poppy-covered hills. And we were glad to
realize that we would be making another visit to the area early in
March with the Ramblers.
--Dick
Estel, March 2015 Pine
Flat Drive & Hike Photos |
|
Finegold Trail
With March rapidly
speeding by, weather getting warmer, and little rain in store, I've
been trying to do as much hiking as possible during our unofficial
spring (known in some areas as the last two months of winter).
With this in mind, on
March 9 I made my eighth trip to the Finegold Trail, officially the
western end of the San
Joaquin River Trail, which goes uphill from the Finegold Picnic
area on Millerton
Lake. Since I've written about this area so many times, I'll keep
this short, and provide links to all the previous trips at the end.
Focusing on what's new or
different, we've had rain on a fairly regular basis this year, not
enough to end the drought, but enough to bring forth an above
average wildflower
display, and I believe they were better on this
trip to the area than any previous one.
Just past the start of
the trail there was a small patch of baby blue eyes, the only ones I
saw on the entire hike. The blossoms were not fully open, and were
bent over "looking down" due to the weight of the dew.
When I came back out they were fully open and looking me in t he eye
as they should. The miner's lettuce is especially luxuriant this
year, and I saw some with 3-inch bracts, which are usually around an
inch in diameter.
I also saw more livestock
than any other time, including a cow and her half-grown calf who
were occupying the trail, and didn't give any indication that they
planned to move as I approached. Finally, when I started to pass
them on the narrow trail, they moved down the hill one foot off the
path.
Birds were also active,
with a number of vultures riding the updrafts, and a woodpecker
diligently drilling into a tree above the trail as I passed by.
Just past what I have
named Resting Rock, there is a fork where a very steep trail goes up
above the main trail and eventually to the top of nearby Pincushion
Peak. I went up this trail once, just to the lower knoll, and have
wanted to try to get all the way to the top. I debated whether to stick with the
easier main trail but eventually dived into the challenge of the
other one, following my long-standing tradition of taking short,
slow steps. The steepest section was longer than I remembered, but I
made it with no difficulty, although I soon realized I did not feel up
to going
all the way to the top.
I stopped on top of the knoll and
rested, eating an apple and power bar, and taking a bunch of photos.
There were a lot of poppies here, and they would have been
impressive if I had not recently seen what may be record numbers by
Pine Flat Lake. The bush lupines were out in full bloom, as were
many other flowers. Other than the ubiquitous fiddlenecks, the most
common flower was one I can't identify. It has a clump of off-white
blossoms, and the overall impression when there are a bunch of them
together is that they look fuzzy, so I call them "fuzzy
whites," which I am certain is not their real name. They were
in evidence along Sky Harbor Road on the way to the trailhead, and
along the trail in many places. (Later I learned that they are
called phecelia.)
There were also lots of
poppies along the road, but the blossoms had not opened for the day
when I drove in. Like the baby blue eyes, they were wide awake on my
homeward trip.
While on the knoll I
noticed a rock outcropping just down the hill and realized I had to
take a photo of myself in honor of my Ramblers hiking companion, Wes
Thiessen. It would probably have provided good comic relief to an
observer to see me trying to safely make my way down the rock strewn
slope and up on the "posing rock" in ten seconds. I
managed to get one fairly good shot in four or five tries.
From the knoll, a trail
goes west down to a saddle. A narrow path then goes up and around
Pincushion Peak. What I can see looks fairly steep, but there is an
old road around the south side that is nearly level, so I walked
out on this. As expected, when I got just past the peak I had a good
view of the main part of Millerton Lake and Friant Dam. At this area
there was a very steep trail going up
Pincushion. It looked like
it would not be too difficult to get to the stop, but experience
told me it would in fact add an hour or more to my trip and be more
of a challenge than I wanted at the time.
When I started back down
I did not have to go up to the top of the knoll again, since a
narrow cow trail went around to the left, more or less level, back
to the steep trail I had taken coming up. I made my way down this
with care, and was very happy to reach the main trail and Resting
Rock. From there it was a fairly quick and easy return to the car.
I had planned to head for
home and fix a nice breakfast or lunch, since I had only had orange
juice before my hilltop snack. Then I realized it would be much
better to let someone else do the dirty work, and went to the
Colorado Grill, one of the best burger places around.
Previous visits and
photos from those times
October
8 and 29 and November 5, 2012
Dry grass in
Fall 2012
February
2, 2013
Green scene
in February 2013
March
25, 2014
Finegold
Branch of lake, March 2014
The lake in
March 2015
October
13, 2014
Dry Hills,
October 2014
December
6, 2014
Green grass
getting a good start by December 2014
Turn by Turn
Directions
The first major street
after I leave my house is Villa, which I take north to Herndon. Just
past this point it curves around into Minnewawa (one of my favorite
street names), which takes me all the way north to Copper. A short
jog left brings me to Auberry Road, which goes straight north, then
winds its way through a residential development and into the
foothills. You can follow this road all the way to the town of
Auberry, but I turn left at Millerton Road, drive a couple of miles
to Sky Harbor Road, which is just past the Table Mountain Casino.
Six miles on Sky Harbor brings me to the end of the road and the
trailhead.
More Stuff
This
trail is part of what is intended to be an 80-mile route from
Highway 99 on the west side of Fresno to the eastern slope of the
Sierra. Various segments exist, including the section from Sky
Harbor to the San Joaquin Gorge. Be aware that many of the web pages
mentioning this trail focus on bike riding. It's a delightful walk
from either end, but I have no hope of ever completing the entire
segment unless I can do it three miles at a time, with a helicopter
ride to and from my starting and ending points.
--Dick Estel, March 2015
Finegold Trail Photos |
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White Rock Road Trip
My first
trip on the White Rock Road, in early December of 2013, was a
solo journey, the landscape was cloaked in brown fall colors, and
there were no flowers. I had wanted to make a return journey with
additional companions in the spring, and finally on March 21 it
happened. Along with my daughter Teri Liddle and my friend Janell
Sidney, we left Fresno about 9:30 a.m. and drove up Highway 99, then
via Santa Fe Avenue to the junction with White Rock Road, which
winds up through the foothills in southeast Mariposa
County.
Even before we reached
the turnoff we made our first photo stop, when we saw a herd of
horses in the field where Santa Fe crosses the railroad tracks. As
we approached the fence they drifted away from us, but we were able
to get some good photos.
The first few miles of
the road is in Merced County and goes through flat ranch land, but
as soon as it enters Mariposa County, it becomes a narrow, winding
road that gradually climbs from the valley at around 500 feet to the
2,000 foot elevation near Mariposa.
In addition to flowers,
trees and grass, things we saw along the road included windmills,
old sheds and barns, rustic bridges,
two wild turkeys, and cows. What we did NOT see for the first
half of the drive were people, other cars, and even connecting
roads. Of course, we had to stop and take pictures of the things we
did see. This included several unfamiliar species of wild
flowers,
as well as lupines, popcorn flowers, and the ubiquitous fiddlenecks.
Where we stopped to look
at an old wooden bridge, Janell heard a splash, then saw a turtle go
into the water. We then saw him under the water, and there were at
least three of them, either seen or heard.
We also walked through
the old White
Rock Cemetery, reminding us that White Rock was not
just a road but once a
community with a school, and possibly some
business enterprises. "Old" does not mean abandoned, since
the cemetery contains members of pioneer ranching families who died
in the 21st century, as well as many from the 19th.
Since this route rises up
from the valley well into the foothills, there are various types of
terrain along the way. You can refer to my previous
report for a detailed description. I'll just mention here that
we crossed Mariposa Creek twice on the way up and twice coming home.
This is a fairly small stream, but it runs all the way from its
source outside of Mariposa down into the valley and into the San
Joaquin River. Our first crossing was at the end of the dirt section
of the road, after which we were in more "civilized"
country, with lots of homes, mostly just out of sight of the road.
I didn't take pictures of
a lot of the cool stuff along the way, because I had done that
earlier, so click here
for earlier White Rock Road photos.
When we connected with
Old Highway, where I drove less than a week earlier with The
Ramblers, we went only a short distance, then took Yaqui Gulch Road
out to Highway 140. It's only a few miles from this junction into
town, where the highway again crosses the creek where Highway 49
comes in from the south.
We arrived in town around
lunch time and all agreed that our best choice would be Mariposa's
leading Mexican restaurant, Castillo's,
which is in the building that was once the town post office (but in
a different location). We all enjoyed our lunch, and were fortified
for our final project of the day, visiting some of the shops in
downtown Mariposa. We all managed to find something to buy, but
didn't get carried away, which would be easy with the many choices
offered.
When we started home we
decided to stay with a scenic route, and went down Old Highway, the
same road I traveled with the Ramblers on March 16. This time
we stopped at a couple of places I had bypassed on the previous
drive, and got a good look at a big patch of flowers known as
Chinese houses growing on the road bank.
We followed the same
route home as my earlier trip, completing our 176 mile round trip
journey around 5:15.
--Dick Estel, March 2015
White
Rock Road Photos |
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Edison Point Trail
Trying
to get in as much spring hiking as possible, I decided on a fourth
visit to the Pine Flat area on March 24, this time a solo outing. At
first I thought I would return to the Sycamore Creek Fire Road
that Carolyn and I hiked in February.
However, as I got near the lake, I decided instead to visit the
Edison Point trail, where the Ramblers hiked in early
March. This time I would attempt to complete the entire loop,
going where no Rambler has gone before.
Before
arriving at the trailhead, I made a couple of stops to check out the
hillsides that were previously covered with
poppies, looking like someone had
spilled orange paint down the slopes. There was not a speck of
orange remaining, and I saw only a few scattered blossoms along the
road and where I hiked. I would say that 99% of the poppies were
finished, as were most of the fiddlenecks and popcorn flowers.
However, there were new blooms to enjoy, which I'll get to a bit
later.
When
the Ramblers hiked the Edison Point Trail, we did an "out and
back" on the section that is really a rough dirt road leading
to an electrical tower on the point - a gentle uphill
stroll. At the
top we saw a narrow path leading to the west toward the lake. Wes
explored this route a short way, and came back up the other side of
the hill to report that it appeared to go straight down to the lake.
This information caused us to decide to return the way we came.
This
time I resolved to go down that trail unless it became impossible,
and try to discover the complete loop trail that is described in
articles about the hike. The trail went half way around the hill,
then took a sudden dive straight down the hillside. This lasted only
about 100 feet, after which the trail turned into a series of
switchbacks with long
stretches, gently descending to a bench just above the high
water level. I could see the bench at the start of the switchbacks,
but it seemed to take a long time to get there.
Along
the way I was rewarded with views of a new hillside painting - large
patches of pure blue where lupines were growing on the upper slope
of the dry lake bed. In addition I had seen quite a few purple and
yellow brodiaea on the first part of the trail, but nothing like
what was to come.
From
the bench, the trail led in the direction of the main road, with
several more long switchbacks. In one
place the trail was only about ten feet above the section I had just
walked. I could have saved quite a few steps with an easy climb up
the hillside, but of course, I would have reduced my exercise time
and mileage.
Descriptions
of the trail have described it as "overgrown," and It
was indeed a challenge to see the trail in some places. The wild
grasses were three to five feet high, the trail was narrow, and I
credited my ability to find my way to wandering
around in country like this while I was growing up.
It
was along this part of the hike, where the trail went into several
cool, shady areas where a drainage came down, that I saw massive
amounts of purple
brodiaea, in greater profusion than I have ever
seen anywhere. There were also quite a few of the yellow
ones, also
known as "pretty face" and "harvest brodiaea,"
but the big fields of these were still to come. While poppies on the
hillside were visible from the main road on previous trips, seeing the
big brodiaea
fields required some hiking.
The
lavender color of the brodiaea was in contrast with the darker
purple of vetch, which occurred in large patches at a number of
places. I also came across some climbing brodiaea. These plants put
up a long stem that twines
around brush and other plants, often to a length of six feet or
more, with a single
blossom at the end.
When
I got back close to the trailhead, there were a number of
"shortcuts" leading up to the parking area, so it was hard to trace the actual trail,
although it was obvious once I got back to the start. On the earlier
hike we had started down what I thought was this end of the route,
but we soon got into a place were poison oak grew all across the
path we were following. After returning to the trailhead this time,
I went out the path we had started on, and less than 20 feet before the
poison oak there was an "obvious" switchback where the
trail went down and back away from the bad spot, and of course,
connected to the rest of the loop.
Last
time we had noticed someone walking up a dirt road across from the
parking area, another gated route that goes up to other sections of
the power line. I walked up this road a short distance. It was fairly
steep, but was also decorated with thick patches of flowers, with an
emphasis on the harvest
brodiaea. There was also a flower I call the Mystery
Snap Dragon Flower, which Teri, Janell and I also saw
on our White Rock Road drive. These flowers are few in number, but
the individual blooms are very beautiful. A friend has since advised
me that these are a type of penstemon.
On the last third of the Edison Point trail I saw a number of
Mariposa Lilies, one of the more spectacular flowers in our foothills. There are white and purple
varieties, but I saw only the white ones. They also appeared along
Trimmer Springs Road. Also in evidence on the trail and on the road
were Farewell to Spring - somewhat presumptuous considering it's
only the fourth day of the season.
I
walked just under three miles total, all but about a half mile of it
on the Edison Point loop, and enjoyed at least two hours of actual
exercise, along with a lot of stopping to look and take photos. It
was a fairly warm day, but there was a constant breeze.
Although
it would have been more fun with a hiking companion or two, visually
this was one of the most delightful hikes I've enjoyed this year.
--Dick
Estel, April 2015 Edison
Point Photos |
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Nelder Grove
Last year I hiked at
Nelder Grove three times - with the Ramblers, with my neighbors Bob
& Alice, and with my grandson Johnny and great grandson Colton.
On May 3 of this year I hiked with someone who was with me the very first time I
visited the area, my older daughter Teri.
She was five years old at the time, and I was a bit younger too, and
we've both been there many times since.
There is a lot of
information about the grove, and details about the trail here,
so I won't repeat that stuff. That link covers all three hikes of
last year. Links below include
some information about my early visits to Nelder, the first of which
included my former wife
Jackie, and daughters Teri and Jennifer.
We got a fairly early
start, but because we were talking and not paying attention, I
missed the turn-off from Highway 41, which is a few miles past
Oakhurst. It took two tries to find it, since there are three roads
leading off 41 in that area, and the big Sky Ranch sign that used to
be my landmark, is gone.
Along the dirt road on the way
in, we noticed some unusual flowers by the road where it crosses
California Creek. We stopped, and as soon as we got out of
the car, a butterfly landed on Teri's arm, and stayed there while I
took several pictures. Later I was able to identify these flowers as
bleeding hearts.
The gate across the road to the campground and
trailheads had just been opened the day before, and there were
several other parties there. We stopped briefly at the interpretive
center, which was only partly open, then drove the short distance to
the parking area near the Bull Buck Tree trailhead.
This is an easy half mile
walk with some gentle ups and downs, through the typical forest of
that elevation - sugar
pine, cedar, ponderosa pine, and fir trees.
We were delighted to discover that the dogwood was in
bloom, and saw
many blossoms along the road and on the trails. I had brought the
Nelder Grove guidebook that I picked up last year, which describes
various trees, stumps and other points of interest along the way,
each marked with a small numbered log sign.
The Bull Buck was its
usual magnificent self, flanked on both sides by dogwood in bloom,
and we rested and enjoyed the surroundings there for 20 minutes or
so.
We then continued the
short distance to the start of the Chimney Tree Loop Trail. I had
hiked this route at least three times previously, including last
year with the Ramblers, but it was Teri's first time. It should be
mentioned that neither trail existed when we made our first visit.
We were prepared for the
possibility of fallen trees across the trail, since it was so early
in the season, and we did indeed encounter one. It was not a
difficult detour to go up the hill and around it. Overall, the trail
was just right in length and difficulty for me. Teri can handle much
more challenging hikes, but most of what she was seeing was new to
her, and she greatly enjoyed the outing.
When I hiked with the
Ramblers, we saw many piles of brush, dead branches and fallen logs
that had been cut up by fire crews that
were on stand-by last summer and put in piles for burning. As expected, these piles had been
burned during the winter, leaving a number of blackened circles of ash
and wood remnants. Where the piles were particularly large, the
burning crew had raked a fire break around the circle, to remove old
bark, needles and typical forest debris that could possibly catch
fire and burn
beyond the desired limits.
Naturally we saw a number
of wildflowers along the way, including some that I first thought
were yellow violets, a blossom that was common around the area where
I grew up. The foliage did not look quite right, but I attributed
that to a fading memory. However, hiking with the Ramblers two days
later I saw both these
flowers and
violets with the correct type of foliage. The blossoms are
nearly identical, but the leaves are quite different, and eventually
I was able to identify the ones from the Nelder hike as Shelton's
violet.
We also saw many wild
strawberry blossoms, gooseberries, a snow
plant, and of course, the dogwood
throughout the grove.
We had perfect weather
for our hike, with a high of 70 expected but in the 60s during the
time we were there. At the end of our walk, we checked my exercise app, and learned that we had
averaged a zippy one mile per hour, typical of this type of hike,
which is as much about looking at stuff as it is about getting from
one place to another. On our way along the trail one couple passed us, and we met
two people on bikes and a family that were going in the opposite
direction. The lady on the bike asked us how much farther the trail
went, and looked dismayed when we we let her know she had barely
covered a quarter of the distance. It did not surprise us when they
soon came back down the trail, returning the way they had come.
After we drove out from
the campground to the main dirt road, we took a short side trip to
where California Creek runs across Road 6S90. There is a small waterfall
cascading down above the road, and below the road, a sawdust
pile, a remnant from the logging operations of the 1890s.
Even with a good
breakfast and snacks along the way, we were ready for a late lunch
when we got back to the car, so we headed for Oakhurst and Pete's
Place, a restaurant we've both enjoyed several times before, and
which we highly recommend.
We arrived back home with
about an hour to spare before the adult league hockey game in which
both of Teri's sons play, and I finished off the day watching my
grandsons on the ice and chasing my older great grandson around the
rink.
--Dick Estel, May 2015
Nelder
Grove Photos |
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Photos
(Click to enlarge; pictures open in new window) |
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Goofy
Smith Flat Trip Henry
Cowell Redwoods & Big Sur Pine
Flat Drive & Hike Finegold
Trail White
Rock Road Edison
Point Nelder
Grove |
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Goofy Smith Flat Trip |
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All that nice green lawn
should be
underwater
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Poppies on the hillside |
Low water exposes the remains of a
long-
abandoned bridge across Sycamore Creek |
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Big Creek runs into the river
which should be a lake
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Blue dicks in bloom near Big Creek
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This section of Big Creek is
normally a
branch of the lake |
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Concrete and stone work at the
"waterworks" near the Big Creek Road
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This rusted valve has long been
inoperable |
The purpose of these
"guardhouse"
like structures is a mystery |
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Upper end of Pine Flat Lake
reveals the
original river channel |
Snow on the Monarch Divide |
Wren Peak |
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Patterson Bluffs |
Power pole near Secata Ridge |
Section of giant oak that was
removed
from the road |
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No passing lane here |
Some of the letters in "Goofy
Smith Flat" are still visible |
Goofy's cabin, on a flat spot
across
the creek from the road |
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Evidence of recent rain |
Mill Flat Creek |
Green hillside above the creek |
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The road to Garnet Dike,
on the north side of the river |
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Henry Cowell Redwoods & Big Sur |
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The lodge area was planted
with large
camellia trees |
Blossom close-up |
Teri and Dick on the cabin porch |
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At the Fern River Resort |
The biggest tree in Henry
Cowell
Redwoods State Park |
We walked close to the
fences, watching
for slugs |
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And there he was, the famous fighting
banana slug |
Redwood sorrell |
Corel fungus |
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Trestle over the San Lorenzo River |
Emerging from the John C. Fremont Tree |
The Celery Stalk |
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A typical scene in the grove |
Plant
life of all kinds is
rampant in the area
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Mutant redwood |
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The deciduous dawn redwood |
Ponderosa pine in the
drier area of the
park
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Woods in upper area of park |
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Madrone tree |
Close-up of leaves |
A cluster of tan oaks |
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Dick on the trail |
Teri is having a great time |
Knob cone pine |
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One of several manzanita
species found
in the area |
Fallen madrone |
Dead ponderosa and viewing platform
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Santa Cruz area on Monterey Bay |
Santa Cruz Mountains
from the viewing
platform
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The sand hills |
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Teri climbing the stairs
to the viewing
platform
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Monkey flower |
Bush lupine |
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A massive oak tree |
Covered bridge plaque in Felton |
The bridge, over 120 years old |
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Teri inside the bridge |
Typical rugged coast at Big Sur |
At least 50 ground squirrels were at
work in this field
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Iconic Bixby Creek Bridge on
State Highway 1 in Big
Sur |
Teri enjoys the view |
Pampas grass grows in profusion |
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A misty scene |
Secluded beach |
New bridge replaces one
destroyed by a
rock slide |
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Heed this warning! |
Elephant seals, doing what they do best
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Lunch time |
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Pine Flat Drive &
Hike |
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Poppies cover the hillsides
along the
river and lake
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The Kings River at Winton Park |
Poppies with the lake beyond |
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A few of millions |
An unusual variety of
miner's lettuce
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Popcorn flowers along the Sycamore Fire
Road |
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Blue oaks are having their
"coming
out" ceremony |
Leaves cover the abandoned
road in the
Sycamore Wildlife Area |
Fiddlenecks win the
award for quantity
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One of nature's
masterpieces - baby
blue eyes
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View in the old campground |
Artistic daubings on the hillside |
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Colorful new growth |
Lunch beside Big Creek |
Rare white shooting stars |
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Finegold Trail |
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Fiddlenecks at the start of the trail |
Conditions have been perfect for
lush
miner's lettuce growth |
A young bull pine |
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Cows share the trail |
Poison oak shines in the sun |
Unidentified at the
time, this
turned out to be a fiesta flower |
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"White
fuzzy" phecelia,
second
only to fiddlenecks in numbers
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Brilliant green hills
covered
with oaks and pines
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Landscaping in stripes |
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The lake is a little
fuller than last year
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Buzzard on the lookout for lunch |
Gold cups, a smaller, more
yellow
variety of poppy |
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This trail is steeper than it looks |
This rocky hill top is
covered with flowers
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Bush lupines are out in force |
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Dick channels his inner Wes |
The San Joaquin River Trail |
Ridge across from the trail
is covered
with flowers |
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Pincushion Peak |
The other side of the peak |
Close up of the rocky top |
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A nice pale yellow bloom |
There were only a few
plants of this flower |
Another of nature's amazing landscape
designs |
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The lake from the
southwest
side of Pincushion Peak |
The trail crosses a small drainage |
Delicate lavender edges
decorate bird's eye gillia |
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The view to the northeast |
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White
Rock Road |
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Horses by Santa Fe Avenue |
Where White Rock Road
crosses Santa Fe
Avenue |
The beginning of a long
lonely road
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The only car that we
saw for
the first 20 miles - Dick's Honda
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Windmills dot the countryside |
Cows pose for Teri |
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A lonely shed on a lonely road |
Barn is a reminder of the
main industry
in the area |
The old corral |
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Cattle chute next to barn |
Janell and Teri |
A rustic bridge |
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White lupine in White
Rock Cemetery
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Windmill through the oaks |
Our favorite unidentified flower |
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Enjoying the green rolling hills |
A long-abandoned homestead |
After driving the 5-mile dirt section
of the road |
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Chinese houses on Old Highway |
Rock walls are found
throughout the Sierra foothills |
Rust colored rocks above Owens
Creek along
the Old Highway |
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Edison Point |
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Along Trimmer Springs Road
west of Pine
Flat Lake |
Where the poppies were three weeks
earlier |
Electrical tower above the trail |
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The trail approaching Edison Point |
Go that way |
Where the road becomes a narrow trail |
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This inviting bench is
a long hike away
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The trail has some long switchbacks |
Yes, that IS the trail |
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Finally on the bench |
View from the bench |
Upper lake bed is converted
to a garden
of lupines |
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A type of penstemon |
Thistle with huge striped leaves |
One of the more striking
flowers, the
Mariposa Lily |
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Lots of grass and flowers,
just a very
narrow trail |
Typical view along the trail |
What's left of the poppies |
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Tangled stems of climbing
brodiaea
(also known
as twining brodiaea) |
Climbing brodiaea blossom |
From a distance this flower
can be
mistaken for a dandelion seed head |
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The beginning and end of the trail |
Gate admits upright bipeds
and blocks bulky quadrupeds |
This "obvious" switchback
takes
you away from the poison oak |
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Parking lot overview |
Hill above the trailhead |
Hikers welcome,
vehicles not so much |
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A white lupine |
One of the mystery flowers |
Don't pick these - they're
poison oak
blossoms
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The star of the show, purple
brodiaea,
close up... |
...and in profusion |
Green seed pods of lacepod dry to a
rust color |
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The co-star, harvest brodiaea |
They like a little more sunshine
than
the purple variety |
Blazing Star, a spectacular
flower about four
inches across |
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Nelder Grove |
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Butterfly on Teri's arm |
Bleeding hearts near California
Creek
and Road 6S47Y |
Shelton's
violet
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Several dozen brush piles
were burned
along the trail |
The Bull Buck Tree |
The tree, flanked by
dogwood in bloom
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Stump with the Bull Buck beyond |
Dogwood blossoms |
A close-up |
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Snow
plant |
Young fir growing on a
downed redwood log
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Teri on the bridge on
the
Chimney Tree Loop Trail
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Small waterfall on California
Creek
below Nelder Campground |
Sawdust from logging in
the
1890s, downstream from waterfall
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Teri and Dick after the hike |
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Dick in the meadow
by
the campground |
Fern on log |
Sugar pine with a nice
crop of cones |
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Related Links |
|
Pine
Flat Reservoir |
Kirch
Flat Campground |
Foothill
Wild Flowers |
Kings
River Conservancy |
Sycamore
Creek |
Kings
River |
Henry
Cowell Redwoods State Park
|
Felton |
San
Lorenzo River |
Redwood
Grove Loop Trail |
Coast
Redwoods |
Reviews
of the park by visitors
|
Big
Sur |
Big
Sur Tourism |
Giant
Sequoias |
Banana
Slugs |
Roaring
Camp & Big Trees Railroad
|
John
C. Fremont |
Henry Cowell
|
Dawn
Redwoods |
Santa
Cruz Sandhills |
Felton
Covered Bridge |
Big
Sur |
Bixby
Creek Bridge |
Miner's
Lettuce |
Elephant
Seals |
California
Drought |
Millerton
Lake |
San
Joaquin River |
Topographical
Map |
Millerton
State Recreation Area |
San
Joaquin River Trail |
Hiking
the Trail |
Wildflower
Identification |
White
Rock |
Castillo's |
Mariposa
County |
Mariposa
Shopping |
White
Rock Cemetery |
Edison
Point Trail |
Dick's
Nelder Page 1 |
Dick's
Nelder Page 2 |
Redwood
Photo Gallery |
Snow
Plant |
Snow
Plant Photos |
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