Dick's Adventures of
2019 - Part 3 |
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Adventures
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of 2018 2019
Part 1 2019
Part 2 2019 Part
4 2019
Part 5 |
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San
Joaquin Gorge Campout
Nelder Grove Hike
Sycamore Creek
Rancheria Falls
Illilouette Falls |
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San
Joaquin Gorge Camping Trip
I've
written about the San
Joaquin River Gorge Recreation Area many times, so this report
will be heavy on photos and light on words. I do need to say that
this was the first time I had camped there in my pickup. I only
wanted to go for one night and did not feel like going to the
trouble of getting the motor home ready for such a short trip.
This
brief campout still gave me plenty of time to hike the two trails
that start from the main parking area. When I arrived, at about
10:30 a.m. on April 22, the only thing I did to set up camp was to
get out my card table and chair, just enough to say, "hey,
someone is camping here!"
I
then hiked down the Bridge Trail to the San Joaquin River, and a
short distance east on the Ridge Trail, racking up 2.8 miles total.
I had been down
this trail with the Ramblers about a month earlier, but as
expected, different varieties of flowers had taken over the dominant
position - in this case, mustang clover and common madea.
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Mustang clover |
Common madea |
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A hillside of
mustang clover |
And a field of
common madea |
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I
also saw white and red owl clover, foothill gilia, lupines, fiesta
flowers, and many
others, including a few remnant examples of early
spring blossoms like blue dicks, fiddlenecks and popcorn flowers.
There was rarely a time when there were not flowers along both sides
of the trail. |
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Owl
clover is found in white, red and yellow varieties |
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The San Joaquin
River upstream from the bridge |
PG & E
powerhouse near the bridge |
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My second favorite
tree, the five-trunk blue oak |
Flowers everywhere |
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I
got back early in the afternoon, and after eating decided to walk
the nature
trail, which starts behind the Equestrian Camp, a few
hundred yards from where I was parked. This was not to be, since the
gate was locked, there were trees across the trail, and it looked
heavily overgrown with grass and other plants. Instead I checked out
the nearby frog pond (almost dry), and did a few short wandering
walks near camp.
At
night it was partly cloudy, and once when I went outside, there were
long, wedge-shaped streaks of cloud
alternating with black star-studded sky, the clouds lit by the
rising moon or setting sun or maybe lights from the valley.
Whenever
we camp at the Gorge, we hope for a repeat of the Night of a
Thousand Millipedes, which added so much to our campout here in February
2016. Alas, I saw only a single one of these little creatures.
The
next day I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, then set out on the San
Joaquin River Trail, which parallels the river high up the side
of the canyon on the south side. You can take this trail about 12
miles down to the Finegold Picnic Area near Sky Harbor, but a hike
that long is not in the cards for me - I just hike as far as I feel
like, then turn back. |
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Harvest brodiaea,
AKA pretty face, line the San Joaquin River Trail |
A steep section of
the trail by Canyon Creek |
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A
little over a half mile into this trail is the place I call the Big
Burl Rest Stop. It includes an excellent resting log, one of the
biggest oak burls I've encountered, some bedrock mortars (Indian
grinding holes), and the longest-running creek along the trail. On
this hike I gave names to several of the six creeks that were still
flowing, and this one shall henceforth be known as Big Burl Creek. |
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Big Burl Rest Stop -
resting log, the burl, and grinding holes in the rocks beyond the
tree
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The Big Burl tree |
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Bedrock mortar |
The burl from the
trail to the west |
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A
short distance past the Rest Stop is the "Secret Trail."
Actually it's just a cow path, but it does lead to a place where a
big pine tree fell across
the fence. I went only a short distance, but was very glad I did
- I discovered a shady hillside covered with purple brodiaea, one of
my top five flowers. |
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Purple brodiaea like
shady spots |
Close-up look at the
purple brodiaea |
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There
were also a lot of the yellow harvest brodiaea, a few examples of
the intriguing climbing brodiaea, and perhaps my favorite flower of
all, the Mariposa lily. |
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Climbing brodiaea
winds around anything available, including its own stem |
The magnificent
Mariposa lily |
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Even
though it was a Monday, there were a lot of people on the River
Trail. I later learned that spring break extends to the Monday after
Easter, and that explains why there were a number of families with
kids out enjoying the area. I saw no one else on the trail Tuesday.
In addition to the millipede, I saw several lizards and got a fairly
good shot of a buzzard flying overhead.
The
weather was very nice - quite warm in late afternoon, but cool with
a strong breeze in the morning. However, I returned home to find the
temperature at 90 degrees. This will probably be my list visit to
the Gorge until fall, although I managed to do three more outings to
other places through the 2nd of May. Something for you to look
forward to, hopefully in a positive way.
--Dick
Estel, May 2019
More
San Joaquin Gorge Photos |
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Nelder
Grove Hike
This is
another of those places I've been many times, and in keeping with my
recent habit, the report will have more pictures and fewer words. I
had considered making this a camping trip, since I have not camped
in the Nelder Grove Campground for a few decades. However, I was not
ready to do some of the things I want to do there, and I decided a
day trip would be adequate for now.
Knowing
the dirt roads into the grove might have suffered from our winter
rains and snows, I took my pickup and started out early on April 29,
arriving before 10 a.m. There were no problems with the roads, but I
was not surprised to find that the campground road was closed. I
parked at the junction and got an extra half mile of walking. I
walked into the campground, and took the Bull Buck Loop Trail,
starting from the walk-in campsites.
There was
a good size seasonal creek flowing across the road in to the camp,
and California Creek was running big but not dramatically so. The
dogwood was just leafing out, with a few buds and a very few
blossoms getting started.
It was
also not a surprise to find trees across the trail, a couple of them
quite large. The forest area here is fairly level and open, so it
was easy enough to get around the blockages except for one huge
brush pile that made it hard to find the trail on the other side. |
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We're hoping it's
open in time for the Ramblers hike in June |
A lively seasonal
creek near the exhibit area |
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Dogwood buds |
The meadow next to
the campground |
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The first of several
trees across the Bull Buck Loop Trail |
The trail is under
there somewhere |
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By Federal law, you
must photograph the Bull Buck tree on every visit |
The base of the Bull
Buck is perfectly symmetrical |
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One of several large
stumps in the neighborhood of the Bull Buck |
Clouds above the
redwoods |
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When
I arrived, there was one other vehicle parked at the junction, but I
didn't see anyone on the trails until I was almost back to the gate.
When I left, four vehicles were parked there. On my way back home I
stopped for an excellent Mexican lunch at El
Cid, my favorite spot in Oakhurst.
Thinking
back, I made my first
visit to Nelder Grove in 1969. So this trip marked fifty years
of coming to this special place. I'm hoping for ten or twenty more.
--Dick
Estel, May 2019
More
Nelder Grove Photos |
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Sycamore
Creek
I'm
going to get a rubber stamp that says, "I've done this hike
many times, more pictures, fewer words."
But
you know there will be SOME words, and there were some new things
about this hike. I was here most recently in February
of this year. There were very few flowers then, and I
wanted to see what was blooming before it all comes to an end. As I
drove into the hills on May 2, I thought I might have waited too
long - not for flowers, but for foothill hiking in general. My
destination was Sycamore Creek by Pine Flat Lake, and the hills
above the first part of the lake were mostly brown.
However,
there was still quite a lot of green as I drove farther into the
canyon, and the grass beside
the trail was mostly still green As a bonus, the banks of
the road were lined with farewell-to-spring, one of the last flowers
to appear. |
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Farewell-to-spring
add a splash of pink to the brown hillsides |
Farewell-to-spring
up close |
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The
"trail" is actually an old road that was probably used by
ranchers or miners. It's not maintained, and over the few years I've
been going there, a half-dozen trees have fallen across the route.
However, I was glad to see that two of the trees across the trail
had been cut away. One of them was a big live oak trunk that had not
fallen all the way down, and I used to be able to duck under it. In
February I realized I could not bend down far enough to get under
it, and I decided I must be losing some of my flexibility. So I was
happy to see it had been reduced to a pile of firewood. When I got
back home and checked the photo I took in 2016, I realized that the
tree was higher
above the trail at that time, and by last February it had
dropped lower. I can still bend over! As for the trees that were NOT
removed, foot traffic has created fairly easy detours around
them, or they are small enough to step over.
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It was easy to get
under this branch in 2016; by February 2019, it had dropped a couple
of feet lower |
Fortunately someone
came in with a chain saw and dropped it all the way down |
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As
is usual at this time of year, there were still quite a few flowers.
It's common to see a very few samples of the earliest flowers still
hanging on - a half dozen or so popcorn flowers, fiddlenecks, and
blue dicks were still around. But the seasonal wildflowers that
dominated included milkweed, thistles, twining brodiaea,
yellow-throated gilia and fiesta flowers.
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Milkweed |
A beautiful flower,
despite being an invasive species |
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Twining brodiaea
hanging from a pine branch |
There were a few
fiesta flowers still out |
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The
trail climbs a steep hill where it seems to disappear. However, you
can walk across a field at the top of the hill and find the way
again, where it is more like an old road. I call this Popcorn Flower
Hill, because it was covered with those blossoms on one of my earliest
visits. This time I had to walk through tall grass, and I was
concerned my socks would be full of stickers, but the grass was just
starting to turn, and I had no problems.
I
came to the first of several
logs across this section, and thought about turning back.
However, after I had a snack, I was ready to continue, so I went to
my usual turning back place, where a nice little creek crosses the
trail. This time there was a muddy
pool above the trail, but not enough water to actually flow
across. After observing the fallen trees, standing flowers and
whatever else nature had to offer, I started my return hike back to
the car. Hiking out, I saw a snake go across the trail. I could not
identify it, but it was non-poisonous, long, slender, and very fast.
I also enjoyed a bit of whimsy where someone had fun with a Y-shaped
bull pine branch. |
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The green grass is
quickly turning brown |
Live oak and granite
boulder combine to create a nice scenic spot |
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This
is a little-used trail, and I have never seen anyone hiking here,
but the paths worn around fallen trees and the chain saw work this
year show that others do go there. I like to check it out at least
once a year, just to see the flowers and maybe go a little farther
than ever before.
--Dick
Estel, May 2019
More
Sycamore Creek Photos |
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Rancheria
Falls with Colton
Less
than a week after visiting Rancheria Falls with The
Ramblers, I went there again with my great grandson Colton. He's
been a big fan of waterfalls since his first visit to Yosemite at
age three, and at six and a half he's a good hiker and traveling
companion. His dad dropped him off at about 7:30 the morning of June
25, and after a breakfast of bacon and toast, we got started on the
60-mile drive to Huntington Lake and the one mile dirt road in to
the trailhead.
I
was happy to see that a big log that had blocked the trail on my
previous visit had been cut away, as had the second one. However,
the other three or four logs across the path were untouched, perhaps
because it was "easy" to climb over or go around them.
Along
the trail we walked through a cool forest of mostly red
fir, with a few wildflowers to brighten the way. |
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Log that was cut
away from the trail |
Colton on the trail |
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Western wall flowers |
Yellow violets |
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The
falls was flowing about the same as the week before, and creating a
fairly cold wind, along with a lot of mist. After a short time at
the end of the trail, Colton retreated back about 50 feet to where
it was dry and warm. I was concerned that maybe he was not very
impressed, but later his dad told me he talked about the falls all
evening after he got back home. |
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Colton at the falls |
Grandpa Dick and
Colton |
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Once
we got back to the car we drove down the highway a few miles to a
snow park, where we set up our chairs and had lunch. There was a
very cool breeze here, and we both had shorts and t-shirts, not
quite enough for the weather. I ended up giving him a big towel that
I carry in the car to wrap up in.
Overall
we had a good time, saw some beautiful
views of nature, and I'm looking forward to a future outing with
both Colton and his brother Jack.
--Dick
Estel, July 2019
More
Rancheria Falls Photos |
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Illilouette
Falls
If
a natural feature is hard to see and challenging to get to, it
should be all the more rewarding when you reach it. Illilouette
Falls in Yosemite checks all those boxes. It's located well back in
a canyon that drains into the Merced River from the south, above
Yosemite Valley and below the iconic Vernal Falls. There are views from the trail
that starts at Happy
Isles and goes to Vernal and beyond, as well as from a few other
places, but for the most part you are looking at the falls
"sideways" and its impressive nature is not apparent.
There used to be a trail off the Vernal Falls route that went up
fairly steeply a quarter mile or so to Sierra Point, where you could
see Illilouette (again a side view), as well as Vernal, Nevada and
Yosemite Falls. This trail has been closed for decades.
So
the best hope is to take the Panorama Trail
from Glacier
Point. This 8.5 mile route eventually goes to the top of Nevada
Falls, then down the Mist Trail to Yosemite Valley. But it first drops down (and down, and down) into the canyon of Illilouette
Creek. It crosses above the falls, runs parallel back along the
creek and offers a view before rising up (and up) to run above
Panorama Cliffs to the river above Nevada Falls. Along the way, the
hiker can enjoy views of many Yosemite features, including Half
Dome, Mt. Starr King, and the Merced Canyon - all from unfamiliar
angles. (By
the way, pay no attention to the spelling - everyone pronounces it
ILL-oo-wet.) |
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A new and different
view of Half Dome |
Vernal Falls,
Yosemite's most beautiful |
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My
daughter Jennifer and I set out on July 10 to hike as far as
necessary to get a good look at the falls, and we discovered that
it's not necessary to go all the way to the creek. About a quarter
mile or so from the crossing, an unofficial but well-marked trail
leads a short distance to an excellent vista point. This falls is
unusual in that it falls at a right angle to the flow of the stream.
The configuration of the rock at the top of the cliff causes the
creek to make a sharp
left turn, where it flows flows over a short cascade, then makes its final drop,
only to turn right again to flow out to the Merced. Illilouette
is a very beautiful falls, 370 feet high, and like all
Sierra streams, it was flowing very big during our visit.
From
our vista point we had an almost straight-on view, as opposed
to the side view at other locations. We also could lean over
(carefully!) and see a rainbow at the bottom, although our hiker
friend Wes captured the rainbow much better on his recent visit.
He crossed the bridge and walked down along the creek on the east
side to the top of the falls for his breathtaking view.
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Illilouette Falls |
The falls and
Half Dome |
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As
I implied above, this trail goes downhill from the trailhead at
Glacier Point all the way to Illilouette Creek. There are a few steep spots, but it's mostly a gentle
descent, with a number of switchbacks. The upper part goes through
an old burn scar, so there's not much shade, but the steep hillside
is covered with blooming chaparral and a number of wildflowers.
There are also some interesting rock formations on the ridge above
the trail. |
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Chaparral was in
full bloom |
This rock looked
like it could crash down on the trail at any time |
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We need help
identifying these big flowers |
Orange penstemon
appeared in many places |
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Well-known
Yosemite features visible along the trail include North Dome and
Basket Dome, Mt.
Hoffman, Vernal and Nevada Falls, and Mt.
Starr King, a sequence of three domes in the Clark Range, south of the
Merced River Canyon. About the mid-point of the trail we had a
final glimpse of the top of Illilouette. |
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Mt. Hoffman, 10,800
above sea level, north of Yosemite Valley |
North Dome and
Basket Dome from the Panorama Trail |
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Nevada Fall on the
Merced River |
We enjoyed a final
glimpse of Illilouette from half way back up the trail |
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We
spent a half hour or so at the vista, finding a somewhat comfortable
rock to sit and enjoy our snack. Jennifer took great delight in
pointing out the rainbow
view to other visitors, since it was not visible from the place
where people would normally stop. We made the rather tiring uphill
climb back to Glacier Point, and back to our homes. Because of a
busy schedule, I had come very close to making this just a visit to
Glacier Point, so Jennifer and I were both very happy that we
decided to do the hike. We were even more proud of ourselves when
this allegedly four-mile round trip clocked in at just under five
and a quarter miles.
--Dick
Estel, July 2019
More
Illilouette Hike Photos
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