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Dick's
Adventures of 2018 - Part 3 |
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Photos
Related Links
More
Travel Reports |
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Adventures
of 2016 Adventures
of 2017 2018
Part 1 2018
Part 2 2018
Part 4 2018
Part 5 2018
Part 6
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San
Joaquin Gorge Bridge Trail
Lewis Creek Trail
Courtright Family Camp
New Trail Discovery
Sentinel Dome, Mariposa Grove and
Nelder Grove
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San
Joaquin Gorge Bridge Trail
Regular
readers of these reports know that I have to visit the San Joaquin
River Gorge several times each fall/winter/spring, and on May 15 I
made what will no doubt be the last trip for this season. I hiked the
upper (San Joaquin River) trail in
February with the Ramblers (Wes, Colton and I), the Bridge
Trail by myself in April, and the upper trail later
in April with Ramblers Wes and Sue. My goal this time was to see
the late-season wildflowers on the Bridge Trail, and there was a
bumper crop. |
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Athurial's spear, a
variety of brodiaea |
Pink
farewell-to-spring and yellow common madea |
The bridge from the
Fresno County side of the San Joaquin River |
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The
two flower species that dominated the scene were farewell-to-spring
and common
madea. This made for a nice pink
and yellow color pallet, with a fairly heavy sprinkling of white
mustang
clover, and samples of a number of other varieties. My favorite
was Athurial's
spear, a deep purple variety of brodiaea that blooms late in the
season after its various cousins have gone to seed. A seemingly rare
blossom, elegant
Clarkia, appeared in larger numbers than I've ever seen before.
Other flowers included milkweed,
buckeye,
owl clover, yellow clover, and datura. There
were more than the usual number of the flowers known as Chinese
houses. These pink or purple blossoms resemble an Oriental
pagoda, and prefer shady slopes along roads and trails. Two
common flowers, climbing brodiaea and purple vetch, were at the end
of their season, with limited numbers, and blossoms fading fast. A
very few fiddlenecks were hanging on as if to remind hikers that
they are the number one flower earlier in the season. I saw one
plant with three blossoms that appeared to be a white
mutant variation of farewell-to-spring. The
weather was very cool when I started out in the morning, and there
was a strong breeze at the
bridge. It warmed up to the point that I had to get out my
bandana and wipe my face and head several times on the return trip.
The sky was clear all the time, although clouds were visible above
the higher mountains from the road up to the area. I
went past the bridge about a quarter mile, and stopped for lunch.
Three pairs of hikers went past while I was resting, part of at
least a dozen in all. I may have seen almost that many lizards. Snakes:
People sometimes mention that my hiking areas are snake country.
When I was a kid, we had about 150 acres of other people's land next
to our house where we could wander freely. I don't think I ever went
out without my parents reminding me to watch out for snakes.
Although my dad dispatched about eight rattlesnakes on and around
our one-acre property over a 15-year period, I NEVER saw one while I was out walking. We
did see a couple dozen others, mostly king snakes, gopher snakes and
what we called a striped racer. On my hikes as an adult, I've seen
probably four rattlesnakes. I left them alone and they did the same
for me. On my hikes at the San Joaquin Gorge, covering a period of
just under 40 years, I have seen ONE
live snake. Snakes are very good at not being seen, so the fact
that I don't see them is proof to me that they are out there. I hope
to see a few more. When
I got back to my car, I changed to dry socks and tennis shoes and a
dry t-shirt, and made it home without incident, already thinking
about finding a cooler place for my next hike. I finally got some
photos I've wanted to capture for several years, the "back
side" of Squaw Leap mountain from Auberry Road near the
Hurley CalFifre Station.
--Dick
Estel, May 2018 San
Joaquin River Gorge Bridge Photos |
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Lewis Creek Trail
The Lewis
Creek Trail leads off State Highway 41 about halfway between
Fresno and Yosemite. A short distance from the road it forks, with
the west fork going about a quarter mile to Corlieu Falls. To the
east the trail crosses Lewis Creek, with a hike of a mile and a half
to Red Rock Falls.
I've
taken the Corlieu route several times, most recently in April
2017. I've gone the other way twice, once with the
Ramblers and once with
my daughters, reaching a place we think was Red Rock only on the
second try. With four consecutive days open on my calendar in early
June, but
several ambitious hikes ahead, I wanted to do a short excursion, and
drove up the highway to the trailhead on June 5, with Corlieu as my
destination. |
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Corlieu Falls |
Larkspur |
Multiple trunks are
common on canyon live oak |
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Although
it was a weekday, there were a half dozen other parties of two to
five on the trail, all of us enjoying great weather. It was a little
warmer than I expected, mainly because I had been looking at
the weather forecast for
5,000 feet instead the actual elevation of 4,000 feet. But it was
delightful and much of the trail is shaded by large ponderosa pines,
cedars and canyon
live
oaks.
Of
course, there were a number of wildflowers blooming along the
highway and the trail. Most common along the trail were bear clover
and wild strawberries, plus a nice display of wild
iris, larkspur,
wild rose, Indian pinks and a number of the well-known
"unidentified" varieties.
The
falls drops down 80 feet in a series of cascades. It's a delightful
sight when the water is at mid-level, as it was this time, and a
dramatic, crashing torrent during spring runoff. Its low
elevation means it becomes fairly small and less impressive in late
summer. At the best spot for viewing the falls, the US Forest Service
has built a nice wooden viewing
platform, complete with a bench, and
virtually every hiker stops here for a rest and some photos. The
trail is fairly steep down to the platform, and the next two hundred
yards or so, then it goes right next to the creek and becomes a
gentle downhill walk. I think the trail goes into Cedar Valley, a
private residential development along the creek, but I'm not sure of
the distance.
The
elevation change is about 500 feet from trailhead to the bottom of
the falls. People taking shortcuts have created what looks like the
real trail at one spot, but it's no more difficult than the official
route, as I discovered when I took it by accident coming back up.
It's easier to keep to the real trail on the downward journey.
When I
returned to the trail junction, I went down about 100 yards on the
east fork to the creek, just to check on the status of the crossing.
There used to be a bridge, and there are plans to replace it (In
2016, says the USFS website, but you know, funding, environmental
reports, etc. etc.). Our first crossing of the creek was on a
makeshift "bridge" of stumps, with the water fairly low;
and the next time, a rock-hopping crossing with even lower water.
Teri and I visited this spot some time in the last year or so, when
the water was too high for safety, although a log and a rope across
the creek just upstream were available for the adventurous. This
time, the log was gone, replaced by two smaller
logs, one resting on
the other, about five feet from the rope. Fortunately, I had no
plans to go that way. However, I did get to see some western
azalea in bloom next to the creek. This trail continues into Sugar Pine, a
residential area that used to be a lumber
camp, about a mile off the
highway.
On my
way home I stopped at daughter Jennifer's to drop off some stuff I
had for her. She and husband Rod were both at work, but I enjoyed
another batch of wild flowers along Road 620 - Mariposa lilies,
harlequin lupine, Athurial's spear, and farewell-to-spring.
Since
I had got an early start, I got back to Fresno just after the lunch
rush at Sweet Tomatoes, where I enjoyed a well-deserved lunch - lots
of greens, topped off with frozen yogurt for dessert.
--Dick
Estel, June 2018
Lewis
Creek Photos
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Courtright Family
Camp
Our
family has been going to the Courtright
Reservoir area since the
early 1970s, and we never tire of it. Each new family member that
comes along seems to agree with this viewpoint, so it was a delight to go
there June 8 with four generations. Besides the lake, it's a land of
domes, dramatic granite slopes, and exfoliating rock that creates
"shelves" and little cliffs, filled with flowers and
juniper trees.
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Double Dome as seen
from our camp |
Jack and Teri on the
hike up the rocks |
Nature's landscaping |
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I
drove up in my camper pickup on Friday, June 8, stopping at McKinley
Grove between Dinkey Creek and the Courtright turnoff to take some
photos of the giant sequoias there.
I
arrived at Courtright, drove across the dam on the road to the Maxson
Trailhead, and occupied our
favorite camping spot, a large, semi-level granite outcropping just
off the road about an eighth of a mile from the parking lot.
Teri arrived about an hour later in her motor home with grandsons
Colton and Jack, and her friend Sandy drove in not long after. We
all got our "housing" set up, with Sandy in a tent, then
set off on our first hike.
Across
from our camping spot is a ridge that lies between the road and the
lake, and we've enjoyed making our way
up it several times. Since there
are places where layers of rock create small cliffs and walls, it's
necessary to do some route finding, which to me is half the fun. It
was the boys' first time on this hike, and as I expected, Colton had
no trouble keeping up and enjoyed himself greatly. At first Jack was
a little hesitant and didn't like going up hill, but he quickly
learned how to find the best routes for a 3-year old and soon
got into the spirit of adventure with the rest of us. In a
couple of places Teri helped Jack climb up a rock by holding her
hiking pole out for him to hold on to, and soon Colton was doing the
same for his little brother.
About
half way to the top is a large dead juniper that I have named the
Sentinel. The top of it has branches sticking out and up, with pointed ends,
typical of both living and dead trees of this species. We stopped at
this point to take pictures, and Colton made his way up several rock
layers to stand next to the
tree.
One of
the dangers of hiking up granite slopes is places where there are
loose particles of rock that can slide as you step on them. Colton
and Jack made good use of a place like this, sitting down and
sliding down several feet, and of course, putting a bit of wear and
tear on the seat of their shorts. They also gave us a few
heart-stopping moments when they realized they could run and skip
down the slope when we started back. Teri and I were glad their mom
was not with us to see this.
We
made it back to camp safely, and it was time for dinner. I had
ordered two pizzas the day before so we would not have to bother
with cooking the first day, and this was well received by all. Not
long after this Johnny and Brittany arrived, and were greeted by
their sons as if the time of separation had been weeks instead of ten
hours. Jack and Colton climbed into their pickup and helped
unload, while Johnny and Brittany set up their family-size two-room tent on a flat grassy spot at the
base of our big rock camp area. Next to the tent Johnny strung a
hammock which provided endless entertainment for the boys.
There
was a strong breeze much of the day, and as the sun got down low,
the temperature dropped quickly, getting into the low 50s well
before dark. Johnny had brought his chain saw and cut some rounds
from a fallen lodgepole pine near the camp, then impressed the boys
by splitting most of them with one blow of my splitting maul. Sandi
and I had provided store-bought
kindling and almond wood, and Colton gathered up a couple dozen pine
cones from another fire ring and brought them to our camp to help
get the fire going.
If you
remember your physics training, you'll recall that hot air rises and
hold air sinks. This results in the wind blowing upstream in the
daytime, and downstream at night. Around the time we start our
campfires, the wind starts to change. So it blows first in one
direction, than another, before finally getting settled down. It
seems always to follow one person no matter which way they move, and
the victim the first night was Sandi. However, eventually
equilibrium was reached and the air was still for quite a while,
with smoke going straight up.
Once
it got completely dark all us except Sandi went out on the rocks
away from camp, laid down in a flat area, and enjoyed the brilliant star view. The
Big Dipper and Scorpio were clearly visible, and everyone but me saw
a few meteors. However, I saw a very good one later during the night
when I got up to go to the bathroom.
Everyone enjoyed the fire, with various people drifting off to
bed at different times. Jack faded out first, but Colton hung in until
ten p.m., at which time Johnny took him down to the tent, where he
was soon asleep. By this time the temperature was in the low 40s,
and eventually it got down to 34.
I'm
used to getting out of the truck in the morning, heating water on a
propane stove, and finding a sunny
spot to have my tea. This time we were fortunate to be able to go into
Teri's motor home in the morning, and take advantage of the propane
heater. People came to life one by one, and eventually Johnny fixed
bacon and sausage. Thanks to the motor home generator, we were able
to make toast the easy way.
Not
long after breakfast we had our first day visitors, Curtis and his
girlfriend Meagan. Johnny and Curtis played hockey together starting
around age 12, and have been close friends ever since. Our guests had to
head home early for a graduation, so after a short visit, they drove to
the other side of the lake to get in some fishing.
Meanwhile
the rest of us set out for the day's hike - back the trail and
four-wheel drive road north from our camp, then to an unofficial
camping area close to the lake. The boys (except me) carried fishing
poles, and Brittany carried
Jack. The rest of us managed the hike
OK, but when we reached the Big Granite Slope about a mile in, I
decided not to go any further, and wished everyone good luck. I
explored this area a little, getting a nice photo of some patches of
green grass that grew in a semi-level spot filled with soil and
decomposed granite, and watered by a trickle flowing down the rock.
About
halfway back to camp I met our second daytime-only guest, Dustin. He and
Johnny were in YMCA Indian Guides together from about age 8, and
they and Curtis are frequent backpacking and fishing buddies. We
chatted briefly, and I let Dustin know where the others were headed
and he continued on. I got back to camp and just sat and rested for
a while, then tried to nap, with no success. Not long after that
Teri and Sandi returned. They had gone all the way to the lake, but
were ready to come back before the others were. They also met up
with Dustin and had a nice chat.
Finally
the Upshaw's arrived back at camp, with Jack sleeping soundly draped
over his Dad's shoulder. They put him in the tent and he slept
another half hour or so. Dustin had arrived at the lake about the
time they were ready to leave, so he stayed behind to fish a while.
Teri
had brought tri-tip for dinner, and Johnny and Brittany had fixed a
potato dish. They put the barbecue behind a large rock out of the
wind and got it going. It took a while to cook everything and by the
time it was ready, everyone was hungry and greatly enjoyed our meal,
with Jack and Colton having hot dogs. Dustin made it back to our
camp, but could not stay for dinner.
It
started getting cold earlier the second night, and by the time we
finished eating, we were ready for the
campfire. Johnny could not
resist cutting and splitting some more wood, but after we got the
fire going, he and Colton drove to the other side of the lake to
fish for a while.
Despite keeping the
fire going good till after 10 p.m., we had wood left over. I took two boxes home and we
still left some behind. Most everyone went to bed a little earlier the
second night, probably due to having exercised a little more and for
some of us, having two days of fairly strenuous activity behind us.
We
went for simplicity with Sunday breakfast, with most of us having
the cereal of our choice. We slowly but surely gathered up the tons
of stuff scattered around our camping area, and amazingly, got it
all back into our respective vehicles. Sandi was the first to
depart, followed not long after by Teri. I asked the Upshaw's to
take a short walk with me to see an especially magnificent juniper
tree, only about two hundred yards from camp. You can stand on a rock that
drops off 20 or 30 feet, and look right across at the very top
section of the tree, which has several rugged, dead limbs, typical
of many older junipers. Everyone agreed the walk was worth it, and
of course, Colton wanted to venture as close to the edge as
possible. We made it back to camp without mishap, and started for
home.
As
often happens, I was distracted from making a quick, non-stop
journey. On the Courtright Road I saw a deer. Then I had to stop at
one place to photograph a big patch of high-altitude lupines, a
slightly more violet color than most of the foothill varieties. A
year or two ago driving down the road not far from Dinkey Creek, we
had noticed a good view of Bear Creek where it tumbles down a series
of cascades before crossing the road. By the time we saw this, there
was no place to pull off the road. On this trip I found a place
where I could see the falls, and was able to park and walk a short distance and get a good
view, although not a great photo. I stopped again just a short
distance closer to the creek for a look at the lower
section of the cascade.
I then
vowed I would continue home without further stops, but I came around
a curve and saw one of the biggest patches of western wall flowers
I've ever encountered, so I had to make one more stop.
At the
end of the journey I was tired, delighted at having spent several
days with family and
friends, and thankful to Teri for organizing
the outing.
--Dick
Estel, June 2018
Courtright Camp Photos
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New Trail Discovery
I'm
not sure if this was an unexpected adventure, a comedy of errors, or
what. The explanation is long and possibly boring, so I'll save it
for the end, and by the time you get there, you can decide if it
matters or not.
I had
planned to camp at Nelder Grove, but instead ended up at Summerdale
Campground, on State Highway 41 just past Fish
Camp. I hiked in three places I had never been before, learned
some things, and saw lots of flowers and other
scenery. |
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Water
ditch off Big Sandy Road |
El
Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite |
Applegate's
paintbrush in McGurk Meadow |
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I
drove up in my pickup on June 25, and got the last available campsite. This was not my preferred type of camping, being in an
area in which 30 or so parties are living in close proximity.
Usually when my family goes camping, we don't want any other campers
within sight. However, I accepted my fate. The particular site I had
was also very bad for my camping style. It was a narrow parking
spur, with about 18 inches on either side of the truck, so that I
had to be very careful not to fall off the pavement when getting stuff
out of the cab. Since I have to get up several times each night, I
place a plastic milk crate at the back of the truck to step up and
down on. At this site the area back of the truck dropped off at a
sharp angle. I finally was able to position the truck so that I
could use the four by four wooden barrier at the back of the parking
spot to climb on. But enough of the bad.
Since
I had not planned to camp at this location, I had no hiking
destinations in mind. However, I have driven on the forest roads
that go in from the highway on both sides, and decided to re-visit
one of the worst roads I've ever driven on. Lest you question my
sanity, I did NOT intend to drive as far as the very bad section
that is stuck in my memory, since once was enough.
In our
visits to Nelder Grove in the 1970s, we naturally explored the
various roads in and out of the campground and in the vicinity. For
reasons now forgotten, we found ourselves on the White Chief
Mountain Road, we being myself, my wife, and two young daughters.
The road got worse and worse, but our VW bug could handle places I
would not care to go with a "normal" sedan. We came to a
place where I thought we might have to turn back, but we ended up
putting branches and maybe some boards into a very bad, rocky spot,
and made our way through, eventually reaching the highway in "downtown" Fish
Camp.
I
decided to drive in on this road from Fish Camp and see if I could find a place
to do some hiking, knowing I would not go anywhere near as far as
the spot that caused us trouble 40 years ago. The first part of the
road is paved and has some residences. It soon turns to dirt, and
not long after that I came to a fork. There was worn old sign that
read "Buffin Meadow - easiest." This "easy"
route had a lot of ruts and rocks, and I would not care to try the
"hard" fork, but it was far from the worst road I've driven
on in the last few years. Eventually I came to a junction where the
road became much better, and there was a sign reading "Buffin
Meadow Loop Trail." Considering the physical condition of both
these signs, I later concluded that the "easiest"
description may have applied long ago, but no longer.
I
stopped here and looked for a trail, but there was no sign of one.
Eventually I concluded that the reference was to a 4-wheel drive
trail, although the road was easily passable by most any vehicle at
this point. I walked down the road and after a few hundred yards
spotted what was probably an old logging road, now a wide trail, and
went that way. There were vehicle tracks farther in, but it was very
narrow, and any vehicle going down that way would get scratched by
brush on both sides. I arrived at a beautiful
meadow. The road
continued on above the meadow, but there was a short route into it,
which soon led to a wet, swampy area which was as far as I went. The
area was a riot of flowers of various types, some familiar and some
not, including quite a few western azaleas in bloom. I spent some
time here taking photos and just enjoying a place I had never seen
before. Beyond the meadow, the trail started to rise, so I assumed it would take me back
to the same road, but it fizzled out. I looked up through the trees
and realized I was just a short distance from the road. Walking
through the fallen logs and brush, I discovered an amazing
plant,
somewhat like something I've seen before that is similar to snow
plant but grows tall. These were completely white, stem and
blossoms, and about one to two feet tall.
I
reached the road and returned to my truck. Instead of going back the
way I came in, I took the other road, which looked to be in much
better condition. It was in fact a very good dirt road all the way,
and came out on Highway 41 right at the Yosemite National Park
Border, about a half mile beyond my camp. I later learned that this
route is the Mt. Raymond Road. It was still early, so I
drove back toward Fish Camp and on the other side of the
"town" turned left on the Big Sandy-Jackson Road. I had
been on this road from both directions several times, and it was
always easily passable, although in one place it was necessary to
drive through a creek.
About
two miles in I came to an old corral and cattle
chute, and of course,
stopped to take photos. I realized there was a creek just past where
I parked, so I walked up to take a look. It proved to be a man-made
ditch carrying a pretty good flow of water through a culvert under the
road. Two men parked just past the crossing and went upstream. I
followed them to see what I could see. Right around the corner was an old
cabin, so I took photos then walked around to the other side if it.
Here I found a good trail running along the bank of
the ditch. This
was high up on the side of what was obviously a natural drainage,
and was relatively level, with just enough slope to allow the water
to flow easily.
There
were many wildflowers along this way, and it was nearly all easy
walking, with a couple of narrow spots where you had to walk close
to the drop-off. About a half mile in I saw a small
waterfall, and
realized I was at the point where the creek was diverted into the
ditch. There was a low concrete dam across
the creek above the drop-off, and a
gate in the ditch to allow water to flow down the creek or into the
man-made waterway. I saw quite a few other people on the trail,
including some carrying inner tubes. They said they were headed for
a spot upstream from the falls.
The
road I drove in on goes to two campgrounds, Big and Little Sandy,
and I had always assumed that was the name of the creek which ran by
Big Sandy camp. However, looking at the map later and matching it to
the terrain I had visited, I now realized that the creek was Big
Creek, which crosses the highway at Fish Camp, runs on the west side
of Summerdale Camp, and eventually flows into the South Fork of the
Merced River.
I
finished my hike and drove back to camp, where I just relaxed and
read the rest of the day, with a walk around the campground loop
road. It got cool enough that I put on a long sleeve t-shirt, then a
flannel shirt. During the night it got down to 40 degrees, which
seemed MUCH warmer than the 30 degrees at Courtright a few weeks
earlier. I wear a hooded sweat shirt in bed, but didn't need an
extra blanket and didn't keep the hood on all the time.
I had
decided that I would go into Yosemite on Tuesday and hike a trail
that leads off the Glacier Point Road near Bridalveil Campground. I
saw by the map that I could follow this trail and its branches to
Glacier Point (10 miles), Sentinel Dome (also too far), Taft Point
(six miles or so), or Dewey Point. My hiking friend Wes had
mentioned this location and had hiked there in the last year or so
and I hoped that it might be only two miles or less from the
trailhead. When I saw the mileage
sign, alas, it was 3.8 miles, a
round trip that would be about twice as far as I am prepared to
tackle. However, the name of the trail was McGurk
Meadow, so I
assumed I would at least see some green grass and flowers.
It
turned out to be a delightful place to hike. The first part of the
trail was relatively level, passing through a forest of pines and
firs. Then the route started down what I named The Hill of
Lupines. For a half mile or so, thick patches of lupines appeared on
both sides and up the slopes nearby. Other flowers added
variety from time to time. As the trail got near the meadow, I saw an old,
badly leaning cabin, which I have to assume was where Mr. McGurk
lived, probably grazing cattle or sheep in the meadow. Fortunately
the area has fully recovered from any destruction caused by these
creatures, and I was treated to the sight of a brilliant green
meadow, perhaps 300 yards wide and extending in both directions as
far as I could see - at least a mile or more. Wild flowers, both
familiar and unknown, were thick everywhere. There were lots of
shooting stars, royal blue
larkspur, several species of white and
yellow flowers, and my favorite, a flower that was new to me with
long, spiky, orange petals that somewhat resembles Indian paint
brush. Research on wildflower identification sites later indicated
that it was probably Applegate's
paintbrush.
Where
the trail went through the meadow, there was a bridge across a small
creek which had attracted dozens of butterflies. There were at least
three different kinds of larger butterflies and possibly as many as
a hundred small blue ones that fluttered all around me as I
disturbed them walking on "their" trail.
Beyond
the meadow, the trail went through a thick forest of lodgepole
pines, but the forest floor played host to many kinds of tall green
plants, so it was almost as if the meadow continued into the trees.
At one point I had to scramble through trees to get around a fallen
log blocking the trail. A short distance farther I found a good resting log and stopped to have my lunch, then
started my return hike.
I met
a number of people on the trail, including a group that started just
ahead of me, and of course, were soon out of sight. A half mile in
or so I met one of them coming back. "Forgot the lunch,"
he said. When he caught up with me again I learned that they were
going to Dewey Point. A couple of groups I met on the way out soon
passed me again, indicating that they had probably only gone to the
meadow. But a father and son, about ten, that I talked to while
hiking in, had already been to Dewey Point and were returning. I
recalled that I had done a couple of eight-mile round trip hikes
during 4-H camp in Yosemite at about that age. These included the
top of Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point, both four-mile hikes up
from the valley floor and another four back down. Ah, youth!
Driving
to the trailhead, I had passed a meadow with a striking growth of
pink flowers, so I stopped there on the way back. They proved to be
shooting stars, as thick as I have ever seen, in several huge
patches at both ends of the meadow. While there I offered to take a
picture for a family so they could all be in it, and learned that
they were visiting from Israel.
It was
still fairly early, so when I got back to the main road, I turned
right toward Yosemite Valley. I did not plan to go all the way to
the bottom, but instead stopped just past the Wawona Tunnel, to
enjoy the iconic view of the valley including El Capitan, Half Dome,
and Bridalveil
Falls, Countless postcards, tourist photos, and now
cell phone images have captured this spectacular vista.
An
informational sign that identified various landmarks showed the
photo of an ephemeral, or seasonal, waterfall, the Silver
Strand. I looked toward the direction indicated and saw that it
still had a small flow of water. After
enjoying the view and observing the coming and going of other park
visitors, I started back toward camp. Not far past the west side of
the tunnel there is another good view, dominated by El Capitan and
Half Dome. It's high enough and far back enough that little of the
valley can be seen, and only the very top of Bridalveil is visible.
I had
run out of paper towels (used as napkins and multiple other
purposes), so I made a quick stop at the
Fish
Camp General Store before heading back to camp for the night. I
can highly recommend this place - they were friendly and helpful,
and acted as if they had been awaiting my arrival all day.
My
final night at camp was uneventful, with the usual eating, reading,
and walking around the campground loop road. I took my time getting
loaded up and ready to go in the morning, and made a short stop to
visit daughter Jennifer and her husband Rod at their place above
Oakhurst. I would be returning for cat sitting and more hiking in a
few days. Can another travel report be far behind?
And now for the rest of the story: When I drove over the top of
Deadwood Grade above Oakhurst on Monday, I saw that it was very hazy
everywhere, and I thought I smelled a hint of smoke. I stopped in
town and did a search for "fire near Oakhurst" on my
phone. A story came up about a vehicle fire that had spread into the
trees and brush along Sky Ranch Road, the main route toward Nelder
Grove. Campgrounds in the area were being evacuated, and although
Nelder was not mentioned, it would probably be very smoky there. I
considered several alternative sites, made some phone calls and
settled on Summerdale.
When I
drove home, there was no sign of smoke in Oakhurst, and Rod and
Jennifer were not aware of any fire. When I got home I checked the
Internet and found the same story. Although there was no date on it,
I soon recognized it as the Sky Fire of 2015. Even so, there COULD
have been smoke at Nelder, since there was a fire far to the east
between the North and Middle Forks of the San Joaquin River. And by
going somewhere I didn't want to go, I discovered several new places
to hike.
--Dick
Estel, July 2018
Discovery
Camping and Hiking Photos
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Sentinel Dome,
Mariposa Grove and Nelder Grove
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East
side of Sentinel Dome from the trail |
Wes and
Dick on top |
Yosemite
Falls and high country to the north |
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Cat Sitting & Sentinel
Dome |
A
cat-sitting assignment for Rod and Jennifer is more a vacation than a job. They
live on five acres near Oakhurst, at the 3,000 foot elevation, so when I
stay there, I'm half way or more to some of my favorite hiking
spots. Once I make sure there is food and water, clean out the
litter box, eat breakfast, and dispose of any dead bodies the
kitties have left as a gift in the garage, the rest of the day is free.
When I
was asked to be on cat patrol the first four days of July, I called
Wes Thiessen, my hiking buddy from the Ramblers, and suggested a
hike to Sentinel
Dome in Yosemite. We would also have time to do
anther short adventure, perhaps to the newly-opened Mariposa
Grove
of giant sequoias. The Ramblers had made the Sentinel Dome hike in
2014, one of our earliest outings, but I had not been to the
Mariposa Grove for several decades.
Rod
and Jen take care of the cats before they leave, so I don't need to
get there till late afternoon. With no hiking plans that first
day I left home around noon and got there in the early
afternoon. I brought my things in, walked around the property, and
ate restaurant leftovers I had brought with me. After that, I took
it easy, knowing I would have to get up early on Monday.
Parking
at the trailhead is at a premium, so Wes arrived a little before 8
a.m., hoping we could get to our starting point by 9:30. We actually
arrived a little before that, to find all the "official"
spaces taken. Fortunately there is room to park along the road at
several places in both directions from the trailhead, and we were
able to get a spot that was fairly close.
The
hike itself starts off with a gentle up and down stretch through a
forest of red fir, sugar pine and Jeffrey pine. Various flowers
decorated our path. As the trail approaches the base of the
dome from
the south, there are views across the lower part of Yosemite Valley
to the west, including the upper half of El
Capitan. On the other side we could see the peaks of the Clark Range, including
Mt. Clark
and Mt. Starr King, as well as the top of Half
Dome. The trail winds
around to the northeast side of the dome, where hikers can take a
trail to Glacier Point, or follow the route around the base of the
dome and along the Yosemite Valley rim to Taft Point and other
destinations.
There's
not really a clear trail up the dome, so visitors going to the top
make their way up to the top by choosing what seems to be the best
route across the sunny granite. The view at the top is 360 degrees
of magnificent Sierra Nevada scenery, highlighted by Yosemite Falls
down in the valley, and Nevada Falls up the Merced River canyon
below Half Dome.
Decades
ago one of the required photo opportunities on the dome was a
gnarled old Jeffrey pine, turned into a large bonsai by the harsh
weather conditions at 8,000 feet. This
photo shows my parents and sister by the tree at its best in
1945. Eventually drought killed the tree in 1977, and it fell
over in 2003.
Wes
and I took photos of each other and the scenery, took photos for
other people; had others take photos of
us, and enjoyed a snack.
Eventually we reluctantly took a last long look around and started
our walk back to the trailhead.
Sentinel
Dome Photos
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Meadow Flowers and Mariposa
Grove |
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Shooting
stars along the Glacier Point Road |
The
venerable Grizzly Giant |
Sequoias
in Mariposa Grove |
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Driving
in, I had pointed out the meadow full of shooting stars where I
stopped when I hiked near there in June. We were going to stop on
the way out, but spotted a meadow on the right side of the road that
looked even better. We stopped and Wes got up close with the
flowers, getting some nice
shots. We continued on to the main road,
and stopped at Wawona for lunch at the historic lodge.
After
an excellent meal we headed for the park entrance and went around
the new traffic circle into the parking lot for the Mariposa
Grove of giant sequoias. This feature had been closed for three
years for a major restoration
project, which included removal of all pavement and a gift shop
close to the trees, and the construction of new trails, with bridges
and boardwalks over sensitive wet areas to allow water to flow
naturally.
The
parking lot holds 300 cars, and from here you can hike to the grove
(over a mile and a half) or take a free shuttle that runs every ten
minutes. We chose the latter, and were delivered to the starting
point for four miles of trails through the trees. We went as far as
the Grizzly
Giant, one of the largest and most dramatic looking
trees in the grove, a little over a mile and a half round trip. In
the restaurant I had showed Wes a photo of my grandparents at the
tree in 1935,
soon after their arrival in California from Ohio. Thinking about the
many vehicles that have driven over the pavement right next to these
shallow-rooted trees over the 80 plus years since then, we were very
satisfied with the time and monetary investment that went to help
preserve the grove for future generations.
After
an enjoyable tour through the trees and fields of lupines and other
flowers, we took the tram back to the parking
lot, and started down
the hill. Wes dropped me off at my mountain retreat and continued
his 50 mile drive back to Fresno.
Mariposa
Grove Photos
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Nelder Grove: Giant Trees
and Stumps |
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One of
two big stumps next to the Bull Buck Tree |
Full
view of the Bull Buck |
Brilliant
orange flower along the Chimney Tree Trail |
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I
still had a full day in the mountains, so on Tuesday I went to Nelder
Grove. When I was going to camp there in June (which
didn't happen), I had planned a fairly ambitious exploratory hike
that might involve some rough cross-country travel. I considered
doing that hike this time, but after hiking over four miles in
Yosemite the previous day, I did not want to tackle
something that difficult. Instead I hiked the Chimney
Tree Trail, a loop that starts between the exhibit area and the
campground, and joins the short trail from the camp to the Bull Buck
Tree. There are a half dozen or so large sequoias along this route
and hundreds of younger ones, along with the usual pine, fir and
small bushes. There are also a lot of
stumps, reminding visitors
that this area was heavily logged in the 1890s. These stumps are
mostly ten to fifteen feet high, and in a few cases, the tree that
grew there is still lying on the ground where it fell. The wood of
the sequoia is very brittle, and the trees would often shatter when
they hit the ground, rendering them useless for lumber. Sections of
these trees were often used for shakes and posts. I have
photographed some of the stumps in the past; this time I attempted
to photograph every stump I saw, and have included several of them
in the photo section of this report.
Along
the first part of the trail, the
pine and fir forest on the upper side showed signs of recent
fire. The large trees were still living, and the area had an open,
natural look. I don't think this was from the Railroad
Fire of last year, but rather from a prescribed burning program
intended to reduce the fuel load and consequent danger of big fires
that destroy everything. Reducing the amount of brush and small
trees also encourages germination and growth of sequoias.
The
route also has some wildflowers, although the profuse numbers of
early spring have lessened considerably. The trail crosses
California Creek, and runs near it in other locations, and for the
most part it is a cool, shady
route. Of course, when I came to the
junction, I turned left and visited the Bull Buck Tree for the
umpteenth time and could not resist photographing it once again.
When the Ramblers were here in May, the base of the tree was set off
by dogwood blossoms. These have now been replaced by western
azalea.
When I
got back to the campground I went along the path that runs on the
east side of the creek, where the Ramblers explored in
May. This time I went almost to the end of the trail, far enough
to see that it angles away from the creek and works its way down to
the road that goes beyond the campground approach. I turned back,
but before reaching the campground, I crossed the creek and
went up the Big Ed Trail past the tree of that name and through the
exhibit area back to my car.
In
previous writings I've commented on some of the changes that have
taken place in Nelder Grove since my first visit about 1968. Most of
them are the result of human efforts to return the area to a more
natural state. The effectiveness of this effort can best be
understood by realizing that almost none of the photos presented
with this report would have been possible in those early years. The pines,
firs, cedars and brush were so thick that nothing could be seen
that was not in the campground or right by the road. Of the five
stumps visible near the exhibit center, only one was visible back
then. The Bull Buck was accessible but surrounded by smaller trees
that prevented a view of the entire tree. And most of the trails did
not yet exist.
When I
finished my hike, I realized that I had expended sufficient energy to be hungry,
so driving back down Highway 41 I bypassed the road to Rod
and Jennifer's and drove into Oakhurst for an excellent lunch at El
Cid Mexican Restaurant.
The
rest of my stay was fairly routine. One thing new was that I was
able to pet and photograph Pebbles and Bam Bam, Rod and Jennifer's
two older cats who are shy about strangers and have never let me
touch them in the past. Of course, there was constant entertainment
provided by newest
kitty Stryper, as she chased strings and other toys. I got up on Wednesday, the Fourth of July,
did the usual morning chores and had breakfast, and got back home in
the early afternoon.
--Dick
Estel, July 2018
Nelder Grove
and Cat Photos
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Photos
(Click to enlarge; pictures open in new window) |
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San
Joaquin River Gorge Bridge Hike
Lewis
Creek
Courtright Family Camp
Discovery Camping and Hiking
Yosemite & Nelder Grove
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San Joaquin River Gorge
Bridge Hike |
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Farewell-to-spring
along Auberry Road |
Common madea |
A few streaks of
green grass remain, but most of it is quickly turning brown |
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Farewell-to-spring
The "plain" variety and the spotted ones are common. This
was the first time I'd seen the white version, possibly a mutation |
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Buckeye
and wild grapes in the drainage we call Grapevine Canyon |
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Typical scene along
much of the trail |
Squaw Leap table top
mountain from the trail |
Milkweed blossom up
close |
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The striking
blossoms of elegant Clarkia |
Chinese houses |
Buckeye on the
hilltop |
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Buckeye blossom up
close |
Mustang clover |
Still lots of green
in this cool, shady section of the trail |
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Five-trunk blue oak
on the Ridge Trail |
The river as seen
from the bridge |
The "back
side" of Squaw Leap from Auberry Road |
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Lewis
Creek Trail |
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The beginning |
Bear Clover AKA
Mountain Misery |
Wild Iris |
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Suggested names
welcome |
Indian pinks |
The falls and the
viewing platform |
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Corlieu Falls |
Lewis Creek below
the falls |
Western azalea |
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Wild rose |
How you're expected
to cross the creek |
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Courtright
Family Camp |
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Sequoia at McKinley
Grove |
Top of tree, with
huge horizontal branch |
Double Dome from our
campsite |
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The
LeConte Divide, separating the Kings River and San Joaquin River
drainages |
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Colton loves
shoveling dirt |
Gathering pine cones
for kindling |
Sandy, Colton, Jack
and Teri on the rock slope |
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Junior photographer
at work |
The Sentinel Tree |
View from the tree -
Mt. Goddard at left |
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Flowers
abound in the rocks - pussy paws, penstemon and wavy leaf Indian
paint brush, and more paint brush |
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Up the rock steps |
Colton and the
Sentinel |
Teri and her
grandsons |
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Jack likes to take
pictures too |
A helping hand from
big brother |
Running and skipping
down the rock |
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Jack at full speed |
Helping unload the
truck |
Fun in the hammock |
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Brittany and Johnny |
Johnny and sons
enjoy the view |
The Upshaw's ready
to cross the boardwalk |
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At
this location the trail heads into the forest and to the lake |
Trickles of water
encourage patches of green on the Big Granite Slope |
This little creek
runs close to the trail at this point |
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Jack, flopped on pop |
Starting the
campfire |
Sandi,
Teri, Colton, Johnny, Jack, Brittany, Dustin, and Dick |
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A late afternoon
fishing trip |
Courtright sunset |
The falls on Bear
Creek |
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Wavy leaf Indian
paint brush |
Mountain phlox |
Purple lupines |
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A big bunch of
western wall flowers |
A closer look |
Snow on the
mountains above the North Fork of the Kings River |
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Trail
Discovery Photos |
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My
campsite at Summerdale Campground |
Meadow
area of the campground |
White
Chief Road |
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Buffin
Meadow |
Corn
lilies in the meadow |
Ancient
stump |
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Who can
identify this unusual plant? |
Cattle
chute on Big Sandy Road |
Corral
by the cattle chute |
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Cabin
just off the road |
Ditch
carrying water diverted from Big Creek |
Trail
along the ditch bank |
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Bright
orange flower along the ditch |
Small
waterfall on Big Creek |
Diversion
dam to send water down the ditch |
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Watergate
controls where the flow goes |
The
places you can go on the McGurk Meadow Trail |
It was
the season of a million lupines |
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Western
columbine along the trail |
Cabin
near McGurk Meadow |
Resting
by the meadow |
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McGurk
Meadow in Yosemite National Park |
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A
delicate white meadow flower |
Butterflies
were thick on the trail through the meadow |
Larkspur |
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View
from the north side of the meadow |
Three
choices are offered: Climb over, go around, or turn back (I chose
"go around") |
My lunch
and resting log |
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Shooting
stars in meadow by the Glacier Point Road |
El
Capitan with Half Dome in the distance |
Bridalveil
falls drifts in the wind |
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The
famous Tunnel View of Yosemite Valley |
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Silver
Strand, a seasonal waterfall still flowing in July |
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Sentinel
Dome, Mariposa Grove, Nelder Grove
and Cats |
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Along
the trail |
Southern
Yosemite Valley and El Capitan from the trail |
Half
Dome from the Sentinel Dome Trail |
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Mt.
Clark |
Hikers
heading for the top of the dome |
Dick
with Yosemite Falls in the background |
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Panoramic
view of lower Yosemite Valley with El Capitan at the right and Three
Graces on the left |
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North
Dome and Basket Dome |
Nevada
Falls, still running good in July |
Unidentified
but delightful |
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Wes on
the rock |
North
Dome, Basket Dome, Mt. Watkins, Half Dome, Cloud's Rest, and lots
more |
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Meadow
and Mariposa Grove Photos |
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Wes in
the meadow, shooting shooting stars |
Shooting
stars by the thousands |
Shooting
star close-up |
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Wes at
the Mariposa Grove parking area |
Lupines
in the grove |
Some of
the 500 mature sequoias found in the grove |
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A wider
view with even more sequoias |
Wes at
the California Tree |
Azaleas
in the grove |
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Nelder
Grove Photos |
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Nelder
Grove sign |
Forest
opened up by prescribed burning |
Tree cut
by ax |
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The Old
Forester |
Fir tree
along the Chimney Tree Trail |
Lavender
lupine |
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Western
azalea |
Columbine |
Sugar
pine cones |
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A
sampling of he many big stumps in Nelder Grove |
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More
stumps |
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Stump on
west side of road at exhibit area |
Crown of
the Bull Buck |
Base of
the Bull Buck with azaleas |
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Along
the trail |
Stump
next to cabin moved in from a nearby meadow |
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Cats |
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Stryper
and her favorite string |
Stryper
at rest |
A rare
photo of Pebbles |
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Related Links |
|
San
Joaquin River Gorge Special Recreation Management Area |
All
my reports on hiking and camping at San Joaquin Gorge (Squaw Leap) |
Snakes
of California |
San
Joaquin River |
Lewis
Creek Trail |
Corlieu
Falls |
Red
Rock Falls |
Courtright
Reservoir |
McKinley
Grove |
Colton
& Jack Rock Sliding |
Colton
Running Down the Rock |
LeConte
Divide |
Maxson
Trailhead |
Dick's
Juniper Photo Page |
Juniper
Slide Show |
Courtright
Area Slide Show |
Summerdale
Campground |
Fish
Camp |
McGurk
Meadow Trail |
Yosemite
National Park |
Sentinel
Dome |
Mariposa
Grove |
Wawona
Lodge Restaurant |
Ansel
Adams Jeffrey Pine photo |
Nelder
Grove |
El
Cid Mexican Restaurant |
Dick's
Early Writings on Nelder |
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