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2023 Rambler Hikes
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2023 Page 2
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Blue
Oak Trail
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Blue Oak Trail
January
2023 came in like a whole bunch of lions, with record rainfall,
chilly winds, road closures due to rock sides, deadly flooding in
parts of California, and a mid-January snowpack at 250% of normal.
However, the 23rd was sunny and cool, with just a few clouds, almost
no wind, and a reservoir that had gone from 60% to 80% of capacity
since mid-December. Five
Ramblers met at the town of Friant, in front of Friant Dam, where
Wes, Dick, Carolyn, Allen and Sue squeezed into Wes's Highlander for
the short drove into Millerton State Park, to hike the Blue Oak
Trail along the edge of the lake. We
were delighted to see the water so high, having walked here a number
of times when the lake was dozens of yards below the high water
mark, with lots of bare soil marked with ridges that recorded the
changes in level, as in this
photo from 2018.. This
trail goes to a marina at Winchell Cove, a distance of a little less
than two miles. Most of us are not up for a four mile round trip
hike, but at least once in the past we placed cars at both ends of
the trail, making for a two mile hike. This is a hassle and requires
payment of the $10 entrance fee at both ends. Being retirees on
fixed incomes we are frugal, and contented ourselves with an out and
back hike that was probably about 1.9 miles.
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Just
under a half million acre feet of winter runoff,
ready to water the crops of the San Joaquin Valley |
The lake
level is the highest of any Rambles hike |
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This
is alleged to be a prime location for spotting bald eagles, and
though we have looked in every tree on previous trips, we had never
seen one. This time we were lucky and a huge bird posed in the top
of a blue oak for a few photos before soaring off to take care of
official eagle business.
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After
many hikes with no eagles, we saw two on this outing |
He posed
for awhile, then took flight |
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With
all the rain, the foothills were a brilliant green, and we even saw
a few wildflowers just starting what should be a spectacular bloom.
Hawks flew overhead, and ground squirrels scampered among the rocks
below the trail. All in all, we could not have asked for better
conditions or better companions. What we didn't see were people. We
met one hiker on the trail and had our group photo taken by a couple
who were sitting on a bench at the trailhead.
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Lots and
lots of rain has produced early green grass all over the foothills |
One of a
dozen or so ground squirrels we saw |
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Ramblers
at the Blue Oak Grill: Dick Estel, Sue Wirt, Carolyn
Amicone, Don McClellan, Allan Ward, Wes Thiessen |
Sue,
Dick, Allen and Carolyn on the trail |
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As
usual, Wes had a few post-hike thoughts: "Just
a few miles from the city, we found a quiet place in the country
with very few people around. It was so relaxing I could go back time
and again. We finished this adventure with lunch at the Blue Oak
Grill at Table Mountain Casino, where Don joined us. I can report we
only ate lunch. The 'one armed bandits' did not take any of our hard
earned cash (ha!). In a couple of weeks, Dick is taking us to
another quiet place in the country. You won't want to miss it."
You
also don't want to miss Wes's
video of the Ramblers on the trail. By the way, if my count is
correct, this was our 97th hike, meaning we will hit 100 in March.
Stay tuned!
--Dick
Estel, January 2023
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