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2023 Rambler Hikes
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2023 Page 2
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Blue
Oak Trail
San Joaquin Gorge - Bridge Trail
Edison Point
San Joaquin Gorge - SJ River 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
More
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San
Joaquin Gorge - Bridge Trail
Possibly
this destination sounds familiar. The Ramblers have visited the San
Joaquin River Gorge at least eleven times.
Including Rambling, camping and
various hikes, I've been there at least 50 times since 2012, and
probably another 50 or 60 before that, going back to the 1970s. Did
I mention that we like the place?
Originally
called Squaw Leap, It's a plot of Sierra foothill territory
administered by the Bureau of Land Management, straddling the San
Joaquin River just above Millerton Lake. To get there from the
Fresno-Clovis area, you take
Highway 168 or Auberry Road to Prather. A short distance farther
Auberry Road goes north to the town of the same name. When Auberry
Road forks right to go up and re-join the highway at the 4,000 foot level, we
take the left fork, Power House Road, then turn left on Smalley Road
after a mile or so. This road goes down and down to the trailhead
and parking lot plus a short distance beyond to a power house.
From
the parking lot a trail goes down to a bridge across the San Joaquin
River, where you cross from
Fresno to Madera County. On the north side, a loop trail goes up
from the river about eight miles around a ridge. Another trail
branches off and goes down to Millerton. On the Fresno County side,
the San Joaquin River Trail parallels the river about twelve miles
down to the Finegold Picnic Area at the end of Sky Harbor Road.
We
tend to alternate between going down to the bridge and back, and
then on our next outing, hiking a mile or so down the River trail
and back. This part of the south side trail winds around the
contours of the hills high above and out of sight of the river, then
drops down close to it, well past our usual turn-back place.
With
elevation ranging from 800 feet at the river, 1,200 at the
trailhead, and 2,000 on top of the table mountains that rise up on
both sides of the river, it's the perfect place to enjoy the
brilliant green hillsides and multitudes of wildflowers that
decorate the area in springtime.
Like
all natural crops, grass and flowers require rain and some warm
days. So far we've had tons of the former, but not quite enough of
the latter to germinate the flower seeds that wait patiently through the
baking hot summer. |
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Don, Sue,
Ardyss and Allen are bundled up against the cool day |
Allen and
Ardyss on the trail |
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The
weather forecast was for scattered showers, but they did not get
scattered our way. It was very cool, with a few clouds, which filled
in and covered the skies by the end of our hike, but as far as we know, there was no rain
there that day.
We
were a group of six, five hikers, Wes,
Dick, Allen, Sue, and Ardyss; and one trailhead explorer.
Don has not been able to hike lately,
but drove down to the nearby power house, tried to go to the visitor
center (gate locked), and checked out the cedar bark shelters erected
near the group camp by Native Americans for informational purposes.
The
Bridge Trail goes pretty consistently down hill, with a few short level
or slight uphill stretches. However, it's not really steep except in
a a few very short places, and can be enjoyed by hikers of all ages
and abilities.
Of
course, we were on the lookout for wildflowers. We've had copious
rain, but not much warm weather, and the "floral display"
was limited to a half a dozen shooting stars. Instead, we enjoyed
green grass and trees waiting for the arrival of warmer weather to
leaf out.
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Heavy dew
sparkles on the new grass |
A
leafless oak surrounded by bright green grass |
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About
3/4
of the way down to the river, a small creek crosses the trail. Even
in the driest years, it usually has a little trickle of water. Other
seasonal creeks along the route have been dry the past few years,
but thanks to our "atmospheric rivers" the first half of
January, we saw seven creeks crossing the trail. To meet our
definition of "creek," there must be visibly flowing
water, so some of them were very tiny, and none presented any danger
of flooding the trail. Wes went down into the channel of the biggest
creek and got some very impressive photos of its little waterfall.
When
we got to where we could see the lower part of the river gorge, we
observed a creek on the opposite side that cascades down from the
ridge above, dropping over several small
waterfalls. One of these can be seen from the group camp area
near the trailhead.
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The
biggest creek on the trail also offers a nice little waterfall |
This
creek cascades down from a ridge on the Madera side |
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We
rested at the bridge for ten or fifteen minutes before starting our
trek back up the hill. Actually four of us rested while Wes explored
the area looking for a great photo opportunity. From a short spur
trail that connects to the road to the old power house, he got a
dramatic shot from above the bridge. We also posed on the bridge for
our mandatory group photo. |
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A short
walk on a spur trail revealed this dramatic view of the bridge |
The
Ramblers on the bridge: Allen, Sue, Ardyss, Dick, Wes |
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With
plenty of rest stops, we made it back up to the trailhead, where we met
Don coming down the path a short distance to greet us. We
followed the paved roads back to the village of Prather, where we
enjoyed our usual Mexican lunch at Velasco's.
Back
in the city, we found blue skies, with a good view of the clouds
looming over the foothills, and started making plans for our next
outing later this month..
--Dick
Estel, February 2023
More
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Edison Point
This was a true adventure, which is what you call it when you can't do what you planned but you do something just as good.
Driving up from the valley to Pine
Flat Reservoir on March 23, we were
six in number. My daughter Teri had the day off, and she and her
mother, Jackie, rode with me. Wes brought two new Ramblers into the
group, Bruce and Susan Vasquez. Bruce and Wes attended elementary
school together on the west side of Fresno County, back when buffalo
still roamed the plains. Or at least, tule
elk. Bruce and Susan have lived all over the world since leaving
Fresno, most recently spending several years in Washington state.
They moved back to Fresno to get away from the rain. Oops!
There
was a slight chance of rain, and it was partly cloudy when we
started out, but as usual, we were undaunted. We enjoyed amazing
views of clouds over the mountains, bright orange and yellow citrus
ripening in the many orchards along Belmont Avenue, and enough blue
sky to keep our hopes up. |
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Bruce and Susan, enjoying their first-ever visit
to Pine Flat |
The lake from Kirkman's Point |
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Our
destination was the Sycamore Wildlife Area, which consists of three
former campgrounds in the hills above the lake, a short distance
past Sycamore
Creek. We've hiked here a number of
times, and we can always count on a nice display of wildflowers.
BUT: In this year of record rain all over the west, flooding and
slides along foothill and mountain roads are a constant thing. As we
neared the lake, we saw sign saying that Trimmer Springs Road was
closed at Trimmer Campground, several miles short of our target.
We
drove on to see for ourselves, and of course, were stopped by
barriers across the road at the campground entrance. Wes talked with
the driver of a Fresno County public works pickup, who said there
were large boulders on the road ahead. Apparently they were beyond
our destination, and Wes hinted that we should be allowed to
proceed, but no such luck.
We
drove into the campground to use the facilities and take some
pictures, then turned back and parked at the Edison
Point Trail, another location we've
visited a number of times. As we left Trimmer, it started to rain,
but it had stopped by the time we reached the trailhead, and we set
off for a short "out and back" hike, going
counter-clockwise on the loop trail. |
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The lake below Trimmer Sprigs Campground |
Due to the cool, cloudy conditions, most poppies
were closed up |
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This
part of the trail was almost impassible the last time the Ramblers
hiked it, with many fallen trees requiring tedious detours on the
steep hillside, so we normally just take the transmission line
service road out to the point, the start of the clockwise route around
the loop. About two years ago, the powers that sometimes do what
they should graded the trail and removed the fallen trees, making
for a pleasant hike down the slope toward the lake through blue oaks
wearing a coat of fresh spring green, as well as lupines,
fiddlenecks and other wildflowers. This walk offered plenty of views
of the lake and the clouds. |
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The always plentiful fiddlenecks |
Lupines on the road bank |
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Despite
the recent maintenance, this trail is no "walk in the
park." A couple of newly-fallen trees and a muddy, slippery
slide area offered plenty of challenge, but the natural beauty more
than made up for any difficulties. |
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Dick coming up a short, steep section of the
trail |
Susan, happy to be in California |
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When we finished our hike, we were ready to set out our chairs and enjoy
lunch al fresco. It was not to be. The dark cloud we had been nervously watching zeroed in on us, and forced us to eat lunch in our two separate cars.
One hapless fellow who did the entire loop came running to his car
after the storm had been going for about 15 minutes. Our timing was
excellent, as was the day's adventure and the company, and we plan
to visit several other foothill locations before hot weather
sets in.
--Dick
Estel, March 2023 |
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We kept wishing this dark cloud away from
us, but Mother Nature cannot be controlled |
The combination of clouds and sun created
some amazing lighting effects on the green hills |
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Photos are by Wes, Teri and Dick, and there are
more here. |
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San Joaquin Gorge - San Joaquin River Trail
(Hike # 100)
(Photos by Wes and Dick)
This
was a special hike. Partly because we were able to go where we
wanted, but more importantly, because it was the 100th Rambler hike.
This group started modestly enough on May 26, 2014, when I was
joined by Wes Thiessen, Carolyn Amicone and Julie Hornback on a hike
to Buena
Vista Peak in Kings Canyon National Park. At the time we were
just a group of retied Fresno County employees, but another
colleague, the late Regina Wheeler, soon gave us the Ramblers name.
We
did only four hikes that first year, but in 2015 we made a determined effort
to hike every month. It was just the original four until October
2016, when Don McClellan became an official member, followed in
February 2017 by Sue Wirt. Before that we had a couple of
"guest" hikers who join us when their schedules permit -
my younger daughter Jennifer, who lives in Oakhurst and is a
full-time
teacher in Chowchilla, and an old family friend, Susan Crandall, who
lives in Mariposa County and keeps very busy even though officially
retired.
Recently
Julie and Carolyn have had health issues and family obligations that
have kept them off the trail, but Wes and I have missed only a
handful of hikes. Meanwhile we've been joined by a half dozen or so
short-term guests and added six whom we consider permanent members.
Two married couples, friends of two of our regulars, look promising
to be long-term members. |
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The first Ramblers hike: Wes, Julie, Carolyn and
Dick |
Probably our biggest group: Standing Ardyss
Webster, Elsa Sweeney,
Allen Ward, Teri Liddle; seated Berdie Beier, GlorIa Jackson, Sue
Wirt,
and Wes Thiessen. Marlene Pascua left early and Dick Estel took the
photo |
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Enough
history! What have we done lately? On April 6 we returned to a
favorite hiking trail, the upper end of the San
Joaquin River Trail, starting from the
the trailhead at San
Joaquin River Gorge. The trail names
here can confuse those not familiar with the area (and some of us
who are). The Bridge Trail goes down into the San Joaquin River
Gorge where it crosses a foot bridge to the Madera side of the
river. The San Joaquin River Trail goes 14 miles downstream to Sky
Harbor and the Finegold Picnic Area. We've hiked a mile or two on
both ends of this trail, but none of us have done the entire route.
To add to the confusion, a half mile from the parking lot is the
River Trail, which goes down very steeply to the river about two
miles downstream from the bridge.
Enough
geography! How were the flowers? Well, they were spectacular,
although not as thick as they have been some years (and may yet be).
More than enough rain and just barely enough sunshine is a recipe
for variable and inconsistent amounts of flowers. The bush lupines
were spectacular, and Wes captured some nice if somewhat distant
views (the best place to see them is on the road into the location,
about a half mile before you arrive at the parking lot).
The
blue dicks, a species of brodiaea, were plentiful along the trail,
along with popcorn flowers, fiddlenecks, filaree, some small patches
of bird's eye gillia, and various yellow daisy-like flowers. Redbud
was getting a start, but flowers were sparse on most of the bushes. |
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A classic Sierra foothills view |
Redbud was just getting started |
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Blue dicks were among the three or four most
common flowers |
Too many popcorn flowers to count |
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The
record rainfall during the first two months of the year has brought
back to life a number of seasonal creeks that have been dry in
recent years. I decided to take pictures of every creek we crossed,
with the total reaching seven. There are some muddy, soggy spots
that did not qualify, but if movement of water could be detected, it
counted as a creek. Not all of them were particularly photogenic,
but it was nice to see evidence of the return of plenty of rain.
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A tiny footbridge across tiny creek Number 2
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Creek Number 6, the one that seems to flow every
year |
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The
weather was excellent - not too warm, no clouds, and a slight breeze
now and then. It was certainly the best hike and the best conditions
of the year. There were a lot of people out enjoying the day - the
parking lot was full and we had to go on to an unpaved
"overflow" lot about 200 yards farther.
We
had a group of six, including a couple who are friends of Jackie,
and were new to the group. Hikers included Richard and Gayle,
Jackie, Sue, Wes and Dick. Richard and Gayle drove their own car in
case they decided not to join us for lunch. I guess we passed the
test, since they went to Velasco's in Prather with us, and plan to
hike with us again.
I
gave Wes a challenging assignment to use the macro app on his
iPhone to photograph some very small flowers, and he came through
with flying colors. |
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The delicate beauty of the dove lupine |
One of several varieties of clover that we see in
the Gorge |
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All
in all, we could not have asked for a better day, and we're looking
forward to at least a couple more foothill hikes while the flowers
are still putting on a good show.
--Dick
Estel, April 2023
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