Endless Trail

Highway 41, North of Highway 145, Madera County

2009-11-30T20:54:00.003-08:00

Highways 41 & 145, Madera County

2009-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

Little Table Mountain as seen from Highway 41 at Highway 145, the day after Thanksgiving.

Madera Irrigation District Canal, Highway 41

2009-06-11T21:28:00.001-07:00

Madera Irrigation District Canal, Highway 41

2009-06-11T18:59:00.001-07:00

Madera Irrigation District Canal, Highway 41

2009-06-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've driven by this big drop in the canal along 41 many times but finally stopped to take some pics.

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Forest Road 10, Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, Part II

2009-06-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Forest Road 10, Sierra Vista Scenic Byway

2009-06-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Forest Road 10, or the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway starts (or ends) at Sierra Sky Ranch Road off of Highway 41, North of Oakhurst. It is basically a recreational gateway. There are all sorts of small lakes, fishing and hunting spots, backpacking trails and other gems that branch off of road 10. This weekend I took road 10 up to Kelty Meadows to get some photos with the storm clouds. The Oakhurst River Parkway postponed their parkway cleanup day to the 20th of June so we suddenly had the morning free in Oakhurst and the clouds looked interesting. Digby, sensing an outdoor activity, packed himself in the back of the Durango. We didn't really have a choice in the matter.

The dogwoods were at peak or just past peak bloom around 5,000 feet elevation and we stopped to take a few shots.

Side Note: You may be interested to check out the rustic Sierra Sky Ranch just past the turnoff from 41. It is supposedly haunted and has a lot of history. However I would not recommend eating there unless you like guessing what menu items will actually be available, waiting a terribly long time for service or chewing odd steaks.

More from El Cid, Highway 41

2009-06-09T21:31:00.001-07:00

Behind El Cid restaurant, Oakhurst

2009-06-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

El Cid restaurant, Oakhurst

2009-06-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

Our favorite restaurant to visit in Oakhurst is El Cid. They have the best homemade salsa and chips I've tried. The trick is keeping yourself from gorging on chips and salsa so that you still have room for dinner. The service is excellent. I am amazed at how quick they are in light of the large crowds they get. If you sit in back you can watch the finches attacking the hanging seed bags and get a view of the mountains and the backyard cactus garden. My favorite plate is the Enchiladas Suizas. I can't really talk restaurants in Oakhurst without mentioning my other favorites, Todd's Cookhouse BBQ (Pulled Pork sandwich and pineapple shake is worth driving to Oakhurst for) and Mountain House (berry blintzes have my number).

Campbell Mountain Last Year

2009-04-20T22:31:00.001-07:00

Campbell Mountain

2009-04-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

This mountain is becoming an old friend, even though I've never walked its slopes. When I have a short time before dark to catch some passing clouds and I need something under the sky to tie the clouds down to earth, Campbell Mountain is there.

Orchards along Highway 180

2009-04-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Vineyards along Highway 180

2009-04-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Highway 49, Oakhurst

2009-04-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of baby blue eyes around Oakhurst right now, but this is the one spot I found with owl's clover mixed in. Its' just off Highway 49 on Vista Del Rio between Oakhurst and Awhahnee.

Highway 180 revisited

2009-04-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

Near Centreville on Highway 180

More on the San Joaquin River

2009-04-11T23:56:00.001-07:00

The river access on the San Joaquin is so close I took this on my lunchbreak..

Undeveloped County Park on Piedra

2009-04-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

There is a little known Kings River access point on Piedra Road in an 'Undeveloped County Park'. Here's a photo from there last night. More on the way..

Vacancy

2009-04-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here's some mustard and owl's clover from a vacant lot in the Pinedale Palm Bluffs industrial park area.

Telegraph Fire

2009-04-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

One of the areas recovering from the Telegraph Fire along Highway 140..

Briceburg Backroad

2009-04-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

There's a small BLM visitor center at Briceburg on the Merced River. Below is a launch point for rafts and kayaks. Just past the visitor center Incline Road (that's sometimes closed) runs across the water via a bridge and down the river canyon away from Highway 140.

San Joaquin River Bluffs

2009-04-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

This morning on the way to work I visited a vacant lot in the Palm Bluffs area that Gavin found owl's clover in. On the way home I looked for a road that I heard gives public access to the San Joaquin River right behind GB3 and west of Spano Overlook Park. Sure enough there is a dirt road right down to the river. I can't believe after living in Fresno for 36 years, working near the bluffs for 5 and looking for river access many times I missed this spot. You can follow this link to a bird's eye view of the intersection during development of GB3 and just pan to the West to get to the river.

It looks like it would be fairly easy to launch a kayak or canoe in this spot. There were ten other cars at parked there when I visited at 5pm on a weekday so it's certainly not a secret spot. I also saw a bunch of teenagers with army helmets and Jedi robes running around. Not sure what that was about.

Previously I'd arrived at this same spot from a less legal approach across a nearby undeveloped property that has an open gate on the bluffs. That time I talked to a fisherman with all his gear strapped to a moped. The approach on the bluffs is a great spot to photograph datura (Jemson weed) late in the Summer. Monday night I returned empty handed for the third consecutive time fly-fishing on the lower Kings River so I think I'll be trying out this much closer fishing option a try very soon.

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Merced River Hotspot

2009-03-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

If you follow Carol Leigh's Wildflower Hotsheet, or read the papers, you know this Spring that two places in California have been brought up more than anywhere else for crazy blooms. One is Arvin and the other is Hite Cove Trail. Lucky me I got to see both over the last two weekends. I hit both of them after they had peaked, but I wouldn't know that from the amazing colors. I'll be posting more pictures this week as I get them ready.

Blossom Trail

2009-03-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

Right now is the perfect time to hit the Blossom Trail outside of Fresno and Sanger, California. I've only got one photo ready so far but I'll add a few more this week.

Big Baldy, Kings Canyon NP

2007-11-11T22:25:00.001-08:00

Taken at Big Baldy (8200 feet), Kings Canyon National Park and along Highway 180.

Tuolumne Grove and Hwy 120

2007-10-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

October 20, 2007

My friend Gavin and I were looking for a place to see Fall Colors on day trip from Fresno. We did some research on Calphoto to scout good places that were nearing peak color. We read about a place called Tuolumne Grove that was supposed to have red dogwood. Tuolumne Grove is a Giant Sequoia grove near the junction of Big Oak Flat Road and Highway 120 (connects Manteca to Tuolumne Meadows). It's about a 1 mile walk downhill to the grove. As it turns out most of the dogwoods at the grove were in a lighter yellow shade. So we stopped at turn on Big Oak Flat Road that had a great mix of yellow, orange and red leaves. We also returned to a stretch of the Merced called Stinson Beach with Cottonwoods that we photographed a couple of years ago.

Redwood Creek Part II

2007-10-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from Redwood Creek in the Redwood Mountain Grove at Kings Canyon National Park. Click on a photo to see a larger version.

Redwood Creek, Kings Canyon National Park

2007-10-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

I took the afternoon off today (Friday) to look for Fall Color in the Sequoia/Kings Canyon area. A friend told me about the dogwoods, some of which turn red along Redwood Creek in the Redwood Mountain Grove in Kings Canyon National Park. On the drive up I came around a bend on the windy 180 to see a pickup hauling a recreational trailer, awkardly stuck off the side of the road. The front of the trailer and the hitch mechanism was damaged. A few small trees and shrubs had kept the truck from going over the edge of the cliff. If you've driven this road you know that some of the drop-offs are of the no return kind. This was one of those.

To get to the Redwood Creek Trailhead I turned off of 180 (right/East) onto the General's Highway towards Sequoia NP and Hume Lake. Then I took the bumpy dirt road (right/South) a couple of miles down to the trailhead. There is small bathroom, two large bear boxes and a trashcan at the large trailhead parking lot. I threw all of my trash in the can and all of my food in my pack. There are number of routes to take from this trailhead, the longest of which is a 10 mile loop. I opted to take the Northern route to the Redwood Creek trail and follow it down close to the stream to get to some of the dogwoods. I had asked a ranger on my way up about places to get Fall colors and they said that the main Kings Canyon was the best place and all of the dogwoods higher up were already past their prime and had lost a lot of leaves. I decided to chance it anyway because most of the dogwoods in Yosemite weren't peaking yet the previous weekend and often the rangers at visitor's centers don't get out in the field much. Plus I didn't have time to drive down into the better parts of the canyon towards Road's End on a half day trip.

It is only a half-mile or so down the trail to the junction with the Redwood Creek Trail (right/South turn). As I descended the trail I noticed the ranger was dead-on. The dogwoods were not looking great. They were on the browner side of yellow and missing half their leaves. I was regretting my inflexibility but it was too late to turn around and make it home before dark. I stopped to focus on some of the dogwoods in better shape and the leaves on the ground.

Once I got to the Redwood Creek trail I began to notice that some of the dogwoods were in better shape and more colorful. I made several stops to photograph the dogwoods with sequoia. I found what looked like a paper wasp nest on the ground and thought about doing some photos. Being on the ground it must not be occupied anymore, right? I thought back to some of my encounters with wasps in the past. Let's see, there was the time one stung me on the neck and that side of my face was hot and puffed up for a couple of days. Then there was the time I got three stings all at once in my ankle (still probably the sharpest pain I've felt) and clicked into some kind of hyperstate where I cleared about 5 piles of logging slash running downhill before I realized what I'd done. I decided to pass on the wasp nest photos.

I finally ran into some dogwoods that contained not only red but a mix of green, yellow, orange and red on the same tree. I got a few photos of the dogwoods and one of myself sitting in front of what appears to be a rock cliff but is actually the side of a downed sequoia log.

On the way back uphill I noticed a single hiker walking slowly. He asked me in a German accent if I had seen bears. I said no. It took me a few second to realize he meant he was looking at bears and wondered if I had noticed them yet. There was a female about 50 feet away watching us from the top of a log with two cubs further back on the log. A few seconds later a third cub joined them. It was a perfect picture opp as the tops of the bears had sky in the background making them stand out in contrast. When photographing bears in the forest they usually blend into the background because of their coloration. I turned on my camera, cranked up the ISO and shutter spead and took a shot. Being more of a nature/landscape photographer than a wildlife photographer and generally an absent-minded fool I had left it in the usual timer mode. The loud beeping of the timer immediately sent the bears retreating over the log. At least if I had disabled the beep I just would have had to just setup another shot. Oops. Bear photos would have been nice but at least I got to see them. The last several times I have been in the mid elevations of that area where KCNP and SNP come together I have also seen bears. In several cases including this one they were either within 100-200 yards of the trailhead or in a campground. Good thing I took the trash and food out of the car.

I would definitely return to Redwood Creek next year but maybe a week earlier in the season. It would be a great spot for Spring Blossoms as well. I imagine the mosquitos are pretty bad in the area during the late Spring and Summer.

I'll post more of these photos as I process them over the next few days.

Madera Wine Trail

2006-11-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

Typically I keep my writings here to trail hiking or photography trips. But I had a great time yesterday on a different kind of trail known as the Madera Wine Trail. The wine trail is a collection of wineries in Western Madera County that hold a special event three times a year to encourage public wine tasting. They call it a 'trail' to draw wine tasters down the road to each successive winery. It's like the Sierra Art Trails event held in Eastern Madera County every October except with wine. You can also think of it as a poor man's pub crawl.

What? You meant a RICH man's pub crawl right? I mean, it's wine not beer.

Well, here's the thing: in a pub crawl you would have to pay $6 for each pint of good beer and pretty quickly you'd be out at least $30. On the Madera Wine Trail you pay $15 and you get to try as many wines as you want. Maybe you could call it a thinking man's pub crawl as it is certainly a more refined experience.

Before I go any farther let me say that although I enjoyed the experience I can share with you some of my observations that might help you narrow down your list of stops if you decide to do the trail in February and don't have time to visit all 8 Vintners.

I should also warn you I am not a wine connoisseur. In fact, I am a wine moron. So if you are looking for details like what kind of nose a bottle of wine has, whether it has mocha and raspberry accents, or whether it will go well with orange roughy and spicy asparagus stir fry, stop right here and go back to google. If you think there is more to a wine tour than aroma and palate, read on.

We started on the wine trail around 11:30 on Saturday (Nov. 11) and travelled straight to Ficklin Vineyards on road 30 off Avenue 7. On the way in we passed a small building made of adobe bricks like the ones you'd use for pavers. I wondered aloud how long that building would last (I've seen those yards where the mortar between pavers is sticks out farther than the bricks as a result of differential erosion). My mother assured me if it was good enough for the missions it would probably do for the winery building. Later I found out that the building was constructed sixty years ago from hand-made adobe bricks - not the landscaping stuff. Why do Moms have to be right all the time?

Other buildings at Ficklin are covered floor to roof in some type of vine (not grape) that lends an old world feel. The volunteers and employees at Ficklin were quick to welcome us and give us tips such as eating a bit of cheese to 'open the palate'. The first wine we tasted is one I must confess a bias for the - the Tawny Port. It's a favorite for my Dad and so I couldn't be the most objective judge of its quality. If you don't know Port it is a sweet dark dessert wine in which brandy has been applied to prematurely arrest fermentation leaving a high sugar content, an exceptionally fruity flavor and high alcohol content. The brandy lends it a belly-warming quality. If you are the type of person who doesn't like things 'too sweet' then port is probably not the wine for you.

What really shined about the Ficklin visit was the layout. Guests were invited to follow a circuitous path through the storage rooms, machinery and outer corridors to get a feel for the operation. Each tasting station was in a different area. Because the tasting was spread out it was easy to get individual attention from the servers. It made the tour feel bigger and cozier at the same time. One of the first stops was the storage rooms where hundreds of antique casks were holding the very slowly breathing port. The impressive craftsmanship, wear and size of the wood barrels filled me with a sense of living history. A volunteer explained how the new batches of port on the third level were gradually removed down into the lower level barrels to replace the amounts pored from the bottom level for bottling. The result is that the Old Vine Tinta Port contains some wine from the original crush in the 1940's. The volunteer served us the Tinta in the building where it is aged and his enthusiasm for the process was infectious. We moved on to try a new lighter Port and several other wines all of which I enjoyed. The final building is a large wherehouse where foods were served. A chocolatier (Chocolate Occasions) offered samples of hand made candies including an orange chocolate truffle that inspired me to buy a couple to bring home. Dug-Out cookies was also in attendance and there's no way I would pass up a free tea cake cookie. The boy scouts also offered a tri-tip lunch for fund raising.

At the end of our Ficklin visit I felt like the day was already a success.

Next on the list was the Pacific Crest Winery on Avenue 9. I'd direct you to their website but their domain has expired. We couldn't get into the main parking lot because a tour bus had parked in the driveway. After parking off to the side of the building, the first thing we noticed was the tile on the front of the building was set on a concrete backing that was left uncovered on the side. Picky I know, but it gave an unfinished feel to the facade of the building. We walked in and it felt we were in the small living room of a personal residence. There wasn't anyone to greet people either outside or inside the tasting room. So we walked up to the bar where wines were lined up and two pourers stood. I tried to engage the pourer but he was all business. I'm not sure if smiling was in his repertoire. I gave the Merlot a shot and tried a sip of a couple of other varietals. The wine was okay but nothing that would interest me in a purchase. I decided to try a few of the items in the nice spread of food and it was really good. There were shrimp, pasta, antipasto and cold cuts. We stepped outside to see if we could get a look at the actual vintner operations as we had at Ficklin and a polite young man offered to show us around but warned us that operations were down for the season and there wasn't much to see. We walked up to the new 'gardens' (a citrus orchard with some really cool wood and metal gates) and the young man shadowed us from a short distance for a while. I'm not sure why but maybe to make sure we didn't make off with anything.

Later I found out the stern barman was the owner of the Pacific Crest Winery.

Our next stop was a short drive away at Birdstone Winery. As we neared the winery I thought 'these guys know how to get the word out'. There were 50 plus cars, a limo and a tour bus and our last stop included 5 cars and a tour bus. We were immediately guided to a parking spot and welcomed by a greeter who guided us to all of the wine and food offerings available before we even got out of the parking lot. He was the kind of guy who could sell ice to an eskimo and I mean that in a good way. A flamenco-classical guitar performer really set the mood for a bustling crowd in the large tasting room. I tried the Merlot again to try and stay consistent for comparison sake. I also had a sip of the Cabrenet and Muscat. The Merlot was decent and a bit dryer than the last few I had tried. The Cab was pretty bad and the Muscat was passable.

We had a good lunch that was a fund raiser for the Golden Valley School District and tried some gourmet cheeses from Fiscalini. The Horse Feathers cheese spread with horseradish, San Joaquin Gold and Bandaged Wrapped Aged Cheddar were all excellent. The latter two were hard cheeses with subtle flavors and I bought some of the aged cheddar which you can't really compare to a standard store-bought American cheddar - it's a completely different animal. They also had an olive vendor which I didn't check out. I wasn't too impressed with the wine but the atmosphere was great at the Birdstone winery which would account for its popularity. This was the first anniversary of the winery. Given their attention to detail I think the wines will only improve in future vintages. And maybe if I knew anything about wine I would give them a more favorable review.

One thing we realized after a few stops was that we should have saved Ficklin for last as the dessert wines have such a sweet rich flavor they kind of ruin you for the more subtle table wines.

I can't give you my full impression of the Oak Hollow Winery because I didn't try the wine! There is only so much wine I can try in one day and I had to take a break. My parents did though and they weren't overly impressed with the tasting. I can tell you they have also let their web domain expire, so no link to check out. But the interior was a bit of a sterile atmosphere. Impressive from a food production point of view but not a great event ambience I'm afraid.

Our next stop was Quady Winery which was another dessert wine stop. The architecture was impressive and the music, food, outdoor cigar area and other touches made it a popular stop. The first room we hit was the port wine room. The ports we tried were excellent and there were several others we didn't try that were part of a special tasting for an additional fee. We moved on to the apertif ('French Kiss') made of sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, ice and bit of orange zest which was unexpectedly a favorite of the tour for us. We tried a table wine called Visao which I really enjoyed and would have purchased but for the next wine I tried which stole my heart: Elysium. As the name suggests it is a heavenly wine and it is made from Black Muscat grapes. It was a little tough to choose between the sweet concoctions including Essensia, Electra (both of which I have tried before), Red Electra and the Elysium but the latter edged out the competition and I am really looking forward to opening that bottle - maybe after Thanksgiving dinner.

Our next stop was the Mariposa Wine Company off of road 21 North of Madera. Again the wines following a dessert wine stop were at somewhat of a disadvantage. But I did enjoy the Yosemite View Merlot. And the Yosemite View label was the best graphic design on any of the labels we saw. I was hoping they would have a t-shirt of the label I could purchase. The interior design of the tasting room was on a par above all of the other locations we visited on the tour. And the servers were very friendly. I wanted to take a run at the Carmichael Sangiovese offered in the wherehouse but the server there seemed more interested in flirting with women than pouring for men. Can't say I blame him.

We finished the day at Chateau Lasgoity (pronounced Laz- goyty). By the end of the day I think everyone was well liquored and in a great mood. At least it seemed that way at the Chateau tasting room where everyone was in good spirits including the Black Lab with a big Newfoundland face who layed down in the middle of the crowd to ensure attention. I purchased a Syrah which was my favorite non-dessert wine of the tour. Afterwards we checked out the noisy bird display outside with beautiful Lories and Macaws.

So after reviewing all of our experiences of the tour I would give the following recommendations to others:
1. Save Ficklin and Quady for last as the dessert wines would be a good choice for the end of the day. However if you only have time for one or two stops do these!
2. If you can't visit all the wineries you could easily skip Pacific Crest and Oak Hollow due to a lack of ambience and interpretive information. Just my uneducated opinion.
3. Don't try to visit Golden Valley Wine. It's a bulk seller of grape juice and doesn't have a tasting room or a tour. In fact it isn't open to the public at all. Why is it listed on the wine trail? GOOD QUESTION!
4. Overall we had a great time and I would recommend it to anyone over 21 years of age. I am planning to go back next year, visit all of the wineries and try more of the wines.
5. If you can, get a designated driver whether it be a friend, family member or hired driver (such as in a bus tour or limo). If you can't get one you'll have to limit yourself to a few very tiny portions and take in a lot of food and water.

If you had a different experience of the tour please leave a comment.

2006-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

All-American Mutt Digby takes a breather after madly rolling in the grass where deer bed down.

Picturing the Reek

2006-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus Part IX

2006-10-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus VIII

2006-10-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus Part VII

2006-10-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus Part VI

2006-10-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus Part V

2006-10-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus Part IV

2006-10-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Ireland by Bus Part III

2006-10-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

More Photos..................

Ireland by Bus Part II

2006-10-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

More Photos...

Ireland by Bus Part I

2006-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've kept up my journal here. What better way to get started back up by posting my photos from a trip to Ireland? My parents-in-law Ken and Jeanne took Pam and I on a C-I-E tour counterclockwise around the Emerald Isle. Thanks to our entertaining guide Denis and precise driver Tommy we had a great time. I'll go ahead and drop a bunch of photos here and fill in the accompanying information later.

Desert Suite

2006-04-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

A 5-part series from my recent Mojave/Sonoran desert trip in chronological order:

Antelope Valley Part I
SuperNatural
Palm Springs
Coachella Valley Preserve
Lost Palms Oasis of Joshua Tree

You can use the links above to visit my desert posts or scroll down and find them the usual way.

Lost Palms Oasis of Joshua Tree

2006-04-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

March 21st, 2006

Tuesday afternoon and I'm done with the conference. Now the conference was actually all it should have been: reinvigorating and educational but I'm still all washy to get out on the road. I hit the 10 and make straight away for the South Entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. I've decided to forego the northern area where the rock formations may be more interesting in favor of the Ocotillo and Cholla that I haven't seen since 1991. That was when I travelled to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico with my then girlfriend (now Wife) Pam as part of the legendary Man and the Natural Environment (MNE) program at CSU Fresno.

Speaking of Pam, I was supposed to call her before I went dark and started my overnight wilderness hike. The facilities at Joshua Tree National Park are nothing like the facilities of Yosemite National Park or Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Get that clear in your head before you visit. There are no phones in the park. Seriously. Not that I'm complaining. Time without phones is a real vacation. But it's helpful to know before you visit.

So while I am hoping to hike in 3.5 miles, make camp and get to the Lost Palms Oasis before dark, I am forced turn around from the visitor center and head back to the highway where I can get cellular reception.
Whispy charcoal streaming clouds ghost me for a couple of miles as I drive to the trailhead and worry me about my stay for night. I haven't been backpacking for a while either (since 2000 and never in the winter) so I am not sure my tarp seals will hold up to a blast of rain. The trailhead has a few cars and visitors. There are quite a few tourists crowding the Cottonwood Springs Oasis at the trailhead but once I leave the Springs behind it's all me. Even the clouds have left me alone.

It's good to be back in the desert with all these strange creations. If you've never seen Jumping Cholla you're missing out. It is especially beautiful when backlit by the sunrise or sunset because of the dense, slightly transparent light-colored spines But if you've never felt a Jumping Cholla you are very lucky indeed. Back in MNE I remember having my own introduction to the plant.

We had been warned at the beginning of a 2-week field trip to stay away from the plant which is said to 'jump' because it seems you don't even have to touch a plant for the cactus pieces to get stuck in your clothes and skin. One expert rates the cholla at number 14 on the world's top hitchhiking plants and undisputed number one most painful hitchhiking plant on account of the hundreds of microbarbs that get caught on their way out of your body (picture velcro from hell).

I was wary the full fortnight in the field and was proud to have picked up no travelling succulents. Until the last day. Our van got stuck leaving our desert campground and I took the opportunity to relieve myself before we hit the open road. My own sense of privacy was my downfall. On my return from my distant desert lavatory trip I must have brushed a cholla with my calf. Thank God for body hair! Most of the spines were embedded in my leg hair so I was spared the full wrath of the cholla. It was painful, but not near half as much as just watching the dozens of spines get individually plier-jerked from a less fortunate classmate.

So I am happy to see my old friend cholla from a safe distance and for the first time note magenta blooms on the tall and sparse ocotillo. The first section of the Lost Palms Oasis trail is fairly flat. It drops and rises a short distance into and out of canyons sometimes following the route of a desert wash a while before returning to the ridges. A few small barrel cactus dot the open desert floor and jackrabbits cross the trail with a careful eye and ear.

Following the guidelines of the trail map I stop to make camp before the 3 mile marker and I try to distance myself the 500 feet from the trail that is required. Some good flat spots appear to rest near house sized rocks on hilltops and I find a very small perch that is out of the wind. I set up my GoLite tarp that got me and Brian through the Pacific Crest Trail (only needed it about 4 nights) and the rest of my gear and head for the Lost Palms Oasis.

En route to the oasis I find that I could have camped at least a quarter mile closer to my photo destination than I thought as I pass a day use area boundary marker nearer the Oasis. Next time. I finally drop into a canyon with tall Palms across from me and stretching away to the East. Apparently the Lost Palms/Victory Palms Oasis is part of the larget California Palm Fan oasis in existence. But most of it is down stream from where I am. I drop down into the canyon and feel the cool lushness of the vegetation that follows the hint of water sitting in the canyon floor. I reach the water just as the sun is setting and so I must leave almost as soon I come due to park policy. Dark falls quickly in the canyon and all the rustling of the many creatures (mostly birds I am sure) vying for precious little water make my look over shoulder. I begin to imagine the mountain lions that must frequent this sure source of prey, the only water within miles around.

I hold my camera tripod in front of me ready for a quick parry of trail kung fu. But I realize with a laugh how effective the tripod served me in my battle with the barbed wire a day before. I return to the camp to find the tripod is much more effective as a stand for my led headlamp, lighting up the cooking area and bed. I peel off a couple of 1 oz cooking tablets (no stove needed!) and get the sierra cup humming. I brought a pre packaged Indian food box from Trader Joe's and some instant rice. I needed every ounce of rice to absorb the firy Indian food. I'm a fan of spicy Asian cuisine, bought I definitely overdid it this time. I wondered how I would sleep on a belly full of red pepper. Very poorly as it turns out, but not on account of the food. After I set up for bed the winds changed to strafe my side of the mountain and only got worse through the night. I eventually got up and watched the moon for a while before I set to untying knots, taking down the tarp in the dark. The tarp and lightweight Tyvec ground cloth were just a liability as they picked up every bit of breeze making a racket around my head. Without the noise of the flapping nylon I finally got a few winks.

I got to do a little morning photography at sunrise which is a rare treat considering I am not in the very least bit a morning person. Ask my wife. But I wasn't too close to any features I had speced out for a shoot so I just took what images were present and started my return hike. I stopped along the way at an especially tall ocotillo (about 13 feet) and returned a happy camper. It was my first backpacking trip since my long bout with a 'back injury' had rearranged my social calendar. And I was warmed by the fact I didn't have a spot of back pain. I'm still feeling the glow.

Storm over Fresno City College

2006-04-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

April 6th. Strange Day. I usually only get my camera out when I travel or hike but the strange yellow storm light coming through the front window convinced me to take my camera along on my dog walk to Fresno City College. I stopped several times to stare at the clouds and wonder whether a tornado was going to form or whether I could get a good photo. After one of these staring sessions a woman who had parked her car nearby stopped her car and asked me in a very perturbed voice if I was 'scared' to have someone 'like her' in my neighborhood. And she didn't want her daughter to think this wasn't a trusting town since they had just moved here. This was all on account of my 'staring at her'. I explained to her that I was staring, but at the clouds. I would have thought that was obvious by the fact my neck was craned back at a 45 degree angle but I guess people sometimes see what they're most afraid to see because it is on their mind. If she only knew what the ethnic makeup of my Fresno City College neighborhood was, she wouldn't have been so afraid of not fitting in.
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Coachella Valley Preserve

2006-04-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night and what to do in Palm Springs? Well, I saw this beautiful photograph of a desert landscape at sunset on the cover of a hardbound tourism brochure on my hotel desk. It must be in Joshua Tree National Park, right? No. Coachella Valley Preserve. Where’s that? No one (including two convention concierges at the Palm Springs Convention Center who were available for consulting on local entertainment) knew where it was. A brief internet search showed it was just 10 miles outside of town. And it is free to visit. No wonder nobody knew about it. Those nutty conservationists evidently doesn’t grease any palms around town.

So after a full conference day I jet out towards highway 10. On my way out I call the preserve to check on the directions and make sure I get there straight. The preserve closes at dusk so I can’t afford to go bumbling around the desert. My directions are good but the lady who answers the phone says, ‘you aren’t planning on coming tonight? Because we’re closed’. Now it was at least an hour until sunset and so I’m thinking hmmm… either someone is anxious to get home or she’s probably just talking about the visitor center which I don’t really need to see. I mean visitor centers are just for goofy tourists right? I want to see the desert itself, not look at manufactured displays about what the desert looks like.

I drive through the preserve until I am close to one of the palm groves and there is a wide sandy shoulder to park on. One of the beautiful things about desert travel is that you can often hike cross-country without having to fight brush - there is often a great deal of bare ground. So I cross the road and head for the Palms, taking photos along the way. To get across some thick brush near a wash I do have to walk out of the way a bit to find an open crossing, possibly a game trail. So it takes a while, but man is it worth it. As I reach the grove I realize that there is a world of difference from seeing palm trees in an urban shopping mall parking lot and visiting a natural grove of palm trees.

First of all, the sound of desert wind blowing through the palms is both exotic and comforting at the same time. It begs you to close your eyes and just enjoy the sound, or picture you are in Hawaii? The Sahara? You choose. California Fan Palms in the wild have a lot of untrimmed dead branch material around the crown and the trunk. Along with the live leaves above, these shift in the wind making a sound a bit like the water in a stream.

The second thing I noticed was that there is tree litter everywhere, ivory dead leaves and chocolate fallen bark. The fact is the things you would probably rake up in your yard or have a landscaping crew clean up are just as beautiful as the standing trees. I spent a long time just looking at the color and texture of the leaves and bark on the sandy desert floor.

The bonus of going late on a week day was that I had the grove all to myself. I set up my camera for a few long exposures and just stretched out on the sand. I looked up into a sand dune about 10 feet high and noticed my lucky timing: evening primrose and sand verbena blooms. I had to try and get a shot of the wildflowers with the palms in the background. Unfortunately the same wind that made for a lush soundscape also meant it was just about impossible to get a shot of the wildflowers and palmtrees in focus without blur. I tried a few different things. I put the ISO at 400, the highest I can do without risking terrible image noise . I turned on the flash and put flash compensation at -1.5 stops to fill in the foreground and shorten the exposure time. I gave up on depth of field and just used a small enough aperture opening to keep the flowers in focus. I used the remote cable rather than the timer so I could take shots immediately when the wind let up.

Out of all that I got a couple of decent shots. I also took some photos of the palm trees with longer exposure times than usual just to capture the sense of wind and movement in the leaves. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. For some reason the effect of the motion blurring on the digital sensor was a little different than what I am used to on film but I liked it.

I stayed until sunset taking photos. I had spent all my time on the outskirts of the grove and on top of the dune. How about a different route back, walking down the dunes through the thick of the palm trees to experience the full force of the grove? I quickly noticed a fence with the back side of a sign facing me. Not good. I must have bumbled into the rear of a closed area. I head back on the trusted route from my trip in. After about 25 yards of walking I realized that the return to the car was not going to be so simple in the failing light. I pulled on my headlamp to make route finding easier. Of course using a headlamp or flashlight really helps for lighting the path just ahead but peripheral and distance sight get sacrificed.

Somehow along the way I find a better path than the one I came in on which seems like a good find until I happen on another barbed wire fence and the back side of a sign. So I take a lateral route hoping to circumvent the fence. But I keep coming up against fence. How on earth did I find a route in so easily with no fence but everywhere I turn on the way back is surrounded by barbed wire? I even turned away from the fence blocking my route to the road and came up against another fence as if I had walked into a yard. After a bit of stumbling around I realized it was now officially dark and besides being trapped I was probably no longer welcome on this private reserve.

I sat down for a minute just in time for an owl to make a stop about 15 feet above me and give me a good scolding. I really didn't want to crawl under the barbed wire so I got up to try another route. I finally came to the end of the barbed wire and loosened up into a jog heading towards the road, with my tripod held in front of me just in case. I immediately was picked up by an invisible wall and bounced back just like a scene I remember from one of Pam's old Clifford D. Simak's sci-fi books. Of course I had just imagined an opening in the barbed wire. The fence line just wasn't straight. Each one of my limbs stung a bit but other than that I was alright. After another 10 minutes of wandering I found a fencefree zone and returned to the car to assess the damage. I had scrapes on my right forearm, left hand, and left thigh from the barbs and a sort of dark circle in my right shin where either a strange blister-bruise had developed under the skin, or I had a hole that started clotting already. I am so glad I had to get tetanus and hepatitis shots for canal survey work.

On the way back to town I stopped at a drug store but was dissapointed to find they had no first aid kits or anything for a bruised ego. So I settled for Neosporin. I seem to learn everything the hard way. Maybe stopping in at the visitor center during office hours and finding out the lay of the land wouldn't be such a bad idea. I could have gotten a preserve map and found out where to (and not to) access the groves.

But that's the great thing about this blog. Not to say that you'd do the same foolish things that I do, but maybe you'll learn from some of my mistakes and be better prepared!

Palm Springs

2006-04-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 20, 2006

During the GIS conference in Palm Springs it was pretty tough to get out and do much hiking between the end of the conference day and sunset. The wind was blowing upwards of 40 mph out in the desert making it difficult to open the car door on the windward side. I didn't want to sandblast my lenses either so I had to be careful when and where I took my camera out. But I managed to get a few decent photos on Sunday and Monday nights. Sunday I only had time to drive out to the highway and photograph the storm coming over the San Jacinto Mountains.

Coming up next .. the Coachella Valley Preserve

Public Service Message

2006-04-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

We interrupt your scheduled programming to bring you the following important announcement..

Millerton Lake wildflowers are now at their peak. So go visit now! The hills are still green thanks to the recent storms. The orange fiddleneck (Amsinckia), white popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys?), and Lupine are all flowering and carpeting the hills in color. There are some other flowers like Blue Dicks with a little less frequency but easy to find. Pam and I went for a date Friday night with Digby. It was his first outdoor adventure outside of town. We went during a storm that kept everyone else away and made for a perfect quiet night overlooking the lake on Sky Harbor Road and at the park at the end of the road. It rained on our way in and out but our stay was fairly dry. If you haven't been to Sky Harbor Road before it starts right next to Table Mountain Casino. It winds up around the ridge to Pincushion Mountain. The native people had a different name for it and held that the mountain played a part in the bringing of thunder. It gets very windy (must slow down) before it ends at a small picnic area and a trailhead to the San Joaquin River Trail. Not only will a storm keep away the teenagers who go to neck but it also makes for an interesting skyscape. Go before it gets hot and dried out. If you hike one of the trails out of the Winchell Cove Marina instead of Sky Harbor you might get to see Chinese Houses, a four-spot Clarkia, or wild cucumber (Marah).

SuperNatural

2006-03-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday March 18, 2006

My goal for Saturday was to get out early in the morning and reach the Devil’s Punchbowl in the morning light, take a hike, sample some desert scenery on the way to Palm Springs and cache some water in Joshua Tree for my Tuesday overnight hike. Due to a poor initial attempt at sleep I ended up waking up at 9am. I started loading up the car and returned to the room whereupon I shifted my hand into my pocket to search for the room key. My finger slid ‘thuunk’ into something sharp. An open mini pocket knife on my keychain. Genius! How did my mini pocket knife get open in my pocket? Well, I used it the night before to open a package and counter to my Dad’s teachings since my youth I left the knife open on the table. In the morning I must have grabbed my mess of keys without noticing the open knife and threw them in my pocket. Sorry Dad. You were right.

I had spent the sleepless evening before reading a book called ‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman. There was a reason I was reading this book. Pam had been trying to get me to read it and another Gaiman book called ‘Neverwhere’ for a couple of years. Now don’t get too harsh on me yet, I do listen to my wife sometimes. I mean it doesn’t always take me years to fulfill her requests. In a bookstore at Jack London Square recently we had co-picked out another of his titles, ‘Stardust’ and I enjoyed it so much I read a few sections twice or three times which is an almost-never kind of experience for me. Some parts of Stardust reminded me of poetry except I could understand them. And ‘American Gods’ looked to be a tale of the road among other things so it was a good choice for my trip.

So I’m reading this book which is somewhat reminiscent of Jane Lindskold’s ‘The Changer’ and Joan Osbourne’s (or really songwriter Eric Bazilian’s) ‘What if God was one of us?’. You know the lyrics, ‘What if God was one of us, just a slob like one of us’. Well in the book ‘American Gods’ I think we’re talking more gods with a lower-case g. But the slob part definitely fits. The premise of the book is that these beings that were once the proud old gods of the old world are slinking around America up to no good but without out the flash of their early years.

Now you can’t expect a book about Odin and a leprechaun mentoring a two-bit ex-con with an undead wife to not stretch your sense of belief a bit. I realize that. I mean, just because I throw open knives in my pocket doesn’t mean I’m a complete idiot. But some of the dialogue of the Odin character (Mr. Wednesday) to me was hard to believe. It’s just that he talked in a way that was so forward I have trouble imagining him not creating alarm in those around him on a plane for instance. Or without making people just walk away. You’ll have to read it to really know what I mean but here’s an excerpt that shows a little of his forwardness in displaying knowledge that our main character (Shadow, a complete stranger) is not yet privy to..

“I have taken the liberty,” said Mr. Wednesday, washing his hands in the men’s room of Jack’s Crocodile Bar, “of ordering food for myself, to be delivered to your table. We have much to discuss, after all.”
“I don’t think so,” said Shadow. He dried his own hands on a paper towel and crumpled it, and dropped it into the bin.
“You need a job” said Wednesday. “people don’t hire ex-cons. You folk make them uncomfortable.”
“I have a job waiting. A good job.”
“Would that be the job at the Muscle Farm?”
“Maybe,” said Shadow.
“Nope. You don’t. Robbie Burton’s dead. Without him the Muscle Farm’s dead too.”
“You’re a liar.”
“Of course. And a good one. The best you will ever meet. But, I’m afraid, I’m not lying to you about this.”

Now people don’t really talk like this, do they? But of course Mr. Wednesday is a god if only with a lower-case g.

About now if you’re still with me you think I’ve got pretty far off-track from my story of traveling the desert. But that’s what traveling for fun, especially in the desert, is all about : getting off-track. And I’m just about to swerve back on to the road so hold on a sec.

I’m all done washing up my bloody finger and loading the car and I head off for the continental breakfast room at the Inn of Lancaster. I don’t even want to waste time making my usual coffee pot instant oatmeal so I can get on the road quicker. I unlock the room and the only patrons in the place are two older women. Now by ‘old’ I mean that if one of the women had told me it was her hundredth birthday I wouldn’t have blinked. And the other was probably young enough to be the centenarian’s daughter. I head to look for some cereal and before I’m even tempted by the Fruit Loops the centenarian announces in an almost outside voice, something like, “Oh a young man has come to join us. There were two men here earlier but they’re off to start their day”. Then more clearly to me, “My name is Lorine and this is Bridgit and that’s Imelda over there”.

Imelda is a hotel maid cleaning up the breakfast area and gives me a real smile with an unsure look that says, “I just met these ladies. I don’t really know what they’re up to and my name may not be Imelda”. Now in fact her name wasn’t Imelda and neither were Lorine and Bridgit their real names. Not that they lied to me. Not that I’m trying to protect their identities. You just can’t expect me to remember anything I learned in my first hour awake after a rough night. You might go ahead and expect someone else to but not me.

Now here’s the kicker. I tell Lorine ‘I’m Jason’ and then turn to look through the packaged danishes. I’m especially fond of the Butter Horns by Svenhard’s. Lorine says ‘we know several Jasons, but right now you’re the only one that matters’. I have to admit I have never heard an older woman talk in a forward, almost sleazy salesman way like that. I once knew a young woman from Missouri who spoke like that and it always made me (and mostly everyone) cringe. Right now I don’t know if I should cringe or laugh. I decided to keep my mind on business and fill up on other quick items for the car ride like orange juice.

Lorine proceeded to talk more about me than to me in a loud sort of way talking about how most men get up early but ‘this one likes to sleep in’. It was remarkable in a funny way – she obviously was craving attention. But I admit part of me was tempted to sit down and chat for the novelty. My gut reaction and my need to get on the road won over and I bailed out the door while Imelda attended to Lorine’s refill request.

I thought about how a famous author (was it Tom Clancy?) once said that you can learn at least one thing from every person you meet so learn to listen. This definitely would have been one of those situations. But more importantly I thought Lorine sounded like one of those old gods in the book. So maybe it’s better I high-tailed it out of there.

Does ‘American Gods’ portray a dwindling sense of spirituality in a modern world? I don’t know. Fact is I haven’t finished the book yet so I’ll refrain from giving my final word on that yet.

There is something about spending times outdoors in 'Nature' as we call it that makes me focus more on the supernatural. I guess for a lot of the people in this world who spend almost all of their time outdoors such as hunter-gatherers there really is no distinction which makes my premise a little silly maybe. Or maybe it reinforces it. But for some of us spirituality resides on some plane of the human mind that must be ascended to through some means or method. Maybe it's by dressing up and going to church, or kneeling on the ground, taking our hats off, bringing our hands together, or maybe climbing the steps towards a lofty ziggurat like the old Mesopotamians used to do it.

For me heading 'away from the things of man' works. How it works I'm not really sure. I think it has something to do with being in quiet places makes me feel at peace and thankful. Sometimes it's more the exposure to the power of nature like standing next to a flowing river can make me feel pretty insignificant or part of something much greater than myself. But it's not too important how it works. It does, so I use it. Sometimes I feel like I need a hike like someone else might need "churchin' up".

I thank God for every day I get to spend outside kind of like Cahuilla Indians (as I learned on my trip) thanked the spirits of a mesquite bush for all the beans they took off it to eat. But how spiritual could a visit to a place called the ‘Devil’s Punchbowl’ be?

The Devil’s Punchbowl is a County Park. I’ve driven past the sign to the Devil’s Punchbowl several times on the Pearblossom Highway and considered a side trip. Why is it County Parks sound inferior in some way to State Parks or National Parks, like they’re only recognized locally, they must not be that spectacular? That’s a bad conception on my part.

For some reason, particularly peculiar examples of geologic curiosity have been labeled as the ‘Devil’s’. That’s a bad conception on somebody else’s part. I don’t know why in most cases. Then there’s the Devil’s Postpile, the Devil’s Golfcourse, the Devil’s Racetrack . I’m just guessing that the Devils’ Postpile has to do with the rock’s dark appearance, the Devil’s Golfcourse deserves the name because it would be a golfer’s ultimate nightmare and the Devil’s Racetrack gets its name from the mysterious rock moving phenomenon there. The only reason I could think of for the Devil’s Punchbowl name is a 5 foot diameter, 4 foot deep hole at the bottom of a steep rock pit at the foot of one of the tilted rock formations.

The parking lot at the Punchbowl park was a bit past the formations I wanted to visit so I turned around and parked closer on the sandy roadside. I decided to test out my new hiking equipment, a Camelbak ‘Blowfish’ 3L water bladder pack. I generally rely on bottled water but I also generally get mildly dehydrated when I hike so I thought I would try something that would make me sip more often. The idea is you have the mouthpiece near your mouth and drink on it more often due to convenience. You actually suck on the mouthpiece, but apparently ‘Suckfish’ was not quite as marketable as the debonair ‘Blowfish’ name. I filled the pack with my camera gear and headed out cross country (which is a bit easier in the desert than other climes).

After about 30 or so minutes of chugging up and down small canyons walking circuitously around high sage and other desert scrub I finally sight-navigated myself to a proper angle and treeless view of the tilted rock I wanted to photograph. This small break in the brush on the side of a hill must have been the only decent spot to get the photo I wanted. But the camera wouldn’t power up. Probably because I left the camera battery in its charger in the car.

Back to the car.

Back to the one spot I could take my photo that took a half hour to find.

Now I could start my day of photography.

Well, I made a lot of other stupid mistakes that day but do you need to hear all of them? How about the smart things I did? I figured out I could use the high shoulder strap cross strap on the Blowfish to hold my heavy water bladder pack onto my light tripod and keep it from vibrating during long exposures in the wind. And I ended up relieving myself at least seven times so the water bladder must have been a good idea too.

There was something really powerful about the place. Some people believe there are places of power. In ‘American Gods’ one is a carousel at a road-side attraction that transports you to another dimension. This wasn’t quite like that but I got a good feeling from just being there, waiting in a little divot high on the rock wall past where I should have stopped on account of the rock being darn easy giving and loose. Waiting for a perfect light from cloud and sun alignment to compliment the sun-bleached dead yucca rosette I was camped at. A few flakes of snow fell in the desert while I waited and rested there. It felt sacred to me. It made me patient which, believe me, is a transformation.

I’m thinking of petitioning LA County for a name change to ‘God’s Punchbowl’. If you visit there maybe you’ll sign my petition.

-j-

Antelope Valley part I

2006-03-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

March 17, 2006

Whenever I travel for work I try to throw in some fun too. So I added a couple of days of desert hiking and photography to my trip to Palm Springs for the ESRI Business Partner Conference. Going to the desert in Spring without getting outside would be a crime. The conference started on a Sunday so I left on Friday around 1pm and headed down 99 for the Antelope Valley. From the San Joaquin Valley, the easiest route is down 99 to join up with 5 and head over the Tejon Pass. A little past Gorman is the turnoff for 138. There always seems to be some interesting wildflowers in Spring along 138 even if the poppies of Gorman are taking a break. There's a nice chunk of public land near the Antelope Hills called the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

Antelope Valley is the western tip of the Mojave Desert that asserts itself between the Tehachapi Mountains to the North and the Sierra Pelona Mountains on the South. One of the great things about the Antelope Hills is I'm always alone there. Most people don't give it a second glance especially when the poppies aren't in bloom. But even then it's often quiet. At sunrise or sunset it's often vacant and that's when the lighting is the best.

I started shooting photos of the goldfields (Lasthenia sp.) and the storm that was sweeping through the Valley. I got a number of landscape and close-up photos before I left my tripod and returned to the car to get another layer of Fleece to stop the wind from making me shake. As I reached the car I heard the last thing a photographer wants to hear: the WHUMP of camera biting dirt.

A wind gust had tossed the whole tripod over. I picked up the camera and noticed that the adapter ring had taken most of the impact. It was bent. A good sign. I turned the camera back on and everything looked okay. Now the problem was I couldn't get the adapter ring off the lens and I couldn't put a filter holder or lens cap on it. Bad, but not as bad as a busted camera. It was 5 o'clock on a Friday. I called my lovely assistant Pamela at home for a desperate internet search that turned up King Photo Supply in downtown Lancaster. And they were open 'til 6! I drove in to Lancaster and I got great service from Eric in the shop. I was able to remove the adapter ring and they had a replacement in stock. That was pretty lucky because I had to mail order the original. Eric cleaned up a bit of moisture on the lens that had transferred from the high speed ground vegetation encounter. He also noticed a bit of a fog on the inside of the lens. Aye carumba!

I considered the possibility of having to buy a replacement lens but they had sold out of the one I needed. Eric informed me that the best thing to do was to wait a day or two and see if the fog went away on its own before committing to repair or replacement. After a nervous night in Lancaster the lens was crystal clear. The trip was not going to be a total loss.

Next installment .. SuperNatural.

-j-

Yosemite Valley part I

2006-03-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

Click on photos to see larger version

January 29th, 2006

As a belated celebration of my Dad's Birthday we (my wife Pam, my father John and my mother Julie) headed to Yosemite Lodge for the weekend. This was my first overnight stay in Yosemite Valley (other than one possible trip when I was a couple years old). We spent a lot of time just walking around the valley, visiting the Ansel Adams gallery, watching the snow and taking photos. We also ate at the Ahwahnee for the first time, which was a great experience. I was taken aback by the selection of seafood at breakfast time. I don't usually go for seafood that far inland. But I tried to adopt a 'when in Rome' mentality. So I'm happy to say that the lox and the green lip mussels were the best I've ever had. My favorite dish though was pork with sweet potatoes and cornbread pudding.

We could see Yosemite Falls from our front door and Half Dome from our back door. The best part was being around for dusk without having to drive home for two hours. It's hard to make an original image of Yosemite given it's one of the most photographed places in the world. But since I don't live too far away and I go there a few times of year I didn't spend my time worrying about having a snapshot of Half Dome, El Capitan or the view of the valley from the tunnel parking lot that everyone else has to stop and get. So I just followed the changing weather conditions and focused on what interested me.

And now to the photos..

All photos in this post were taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT camera.

San Joaquin River Trail part I

2006-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Click on photos to see larger versions.

Did you know that a single trail exists that will eventually allow hikers to travel from highway 99 in West Fresno to the East side of the Sierras? How about that there's a quiet 14 mile long trail that is just beyond Table Mountain Casino, only about 45 minutes from central Fresno? If not, then I should tell you about the San Joaquin River Trail (SJRT).

The San Joaquin River trail right now is a collection of historical and modern trail segments that roughly follow the San Joaquin River and the route of Native Americans and later miners as they crossed the Sierras. In some places the trail is a maintained foot path, in others a jeep trail. In a few places it disappears altogether. The longest complete segment in the foothills connects the terminus of Sky Harbor Road to the BLM's San Joaquin River Gorge (formerly known as Squaw Leap) near Auberry. If you read the Weekend section of Friday's (March 3rd) Fresno Bee you probably noticed a front page article about a trail at the San Joaquin River Gorge. The main trail in that article is a different trail known as the Loop. But it begins at the same trailhead as the SJRT. And the SJRT is mentioned as 'a 14-mile hike'. While the SJRT heads downstream parallel to and far above the river, the Loop Trail heads down to a pedestrian bridge crossing, over the river before it splits into two uphill trails that form a loop. Both trails have significant up-and-down exercise. Right now I'll focus on the SJRT as I just completed a short 6 mile hike along its course a couple of weeks ago. In some places you will hear of the SJRT as a 76-mile trail from Friant Dam to Devil's Postpile National Monument in the Eastern Sierras. But the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust and other organizations plan to extend the route to Highway 99. How long will that take? 20 years? I don't know.Several follow-ups on this topic are in the works as I have had a number of experiences on various segments of this trail.

February 12, 2006.
I'm so used to seeing smog in Fresno and even in the foothills that I didn't think too much of the grey layer of air hanging over Millerton Lake at noon. I chose to hike the down the San Joaquin River Trail because it's close and I thought I could do some fishing for (spotted?) bass that seem to be active in the ripples of narrower sections of the river canyon. Fishing in small streams of the Sierras doesn't open until April.

The cows at the entrance gate to the trail were all heifers so I wasn't too put off by their presence. The first thing I noticed different about the trail on this hike was a lot of new flagging dedicated to trail maintenance plans. That's a good sign. The maintenance of trails around Millerton has often been overlooked, and can sometimes lead to dangerous trail conditions. The beginning of the trail can be misleading. The first section is uphill which seems like the wrong way considering the trail leads downstream along the river. But eventually the slope heads back down and steeply at times. I was hoping to see some active wildlife such as Turkeys (not native) but the real points of interest turned out to the be small things that usually escape notice, like the new mushrooms, the new leafs budding out on the oaks and the brightly colored lichen on granite rocks. And the coolest thing I saw was the germinating buckeye nut (below left).

The buckeye leaves are already well developed (see above right) as they are usually the first to bud out. They are also the first to fall in the summer while other trees are busily carrying out photosynthesis. Last year's nuts have started to sprout and give children (or adults) a good look at seed germination in action due to their size. The shoot first reaches the ground and then splits somewhere between the nut and the ground where the first leaves push skyward. The tree starts forming while still connected by the umbilical-like connection. I collected a few nuts that had just started to sprout from the sand below the high water line of the river. Those trees weren't going to make it anyway so I didn't feel too bad about taking a few home to try growing in the yard. So far they have survived in a planter but don't appear as healthy as they were in situ.

I like to pick up a few buckeye nuts during the fall before they sprout too because they have a very smooth seed cover once they come out of their leathery outer cover. A buckeye makes a perfect 'worry stone' (other than the fact it isn't a stone). You can keep one in your pocket and rub the tough smooth cover when you're anxious. I'm not into new age philosophy but I find that using a worry stone does have a therapuetic quality like rocking in a rocking chair, swinging in a hammock or floating in a boat. They're also pretty to look at but they tend to shrivel after being kept in a dry environment for a few months.

The one thing you don't want to do with a buckeye nut is eat it. According to everything I've read on the subject they are toxic. Native peoples used mashed up seeds in streams to stun fish but they would only eat buckeye themselves after repititive leaching as with oak acorns. So while they may provide a great science lesson for kids, don't leave the nuts where children can grab them.

There are some interesting man-made items to be found along the river as well. You can find anything from the usual bass lures and driftwood to toys, construction tools and cut lumber. As disappointing as it can be to see trash on a hike, you can find some great subjects for found art out there if that's your thing.

About two miles in on the trail there is a must-see natural feature. As you approach this point on the trail you will sometimes hear a waterfall like sound or feel the temperature drop depending on the time of year. The cool air and rushing water sound are the product of a 'cave' that may have been formed by the drilling action of rocks spun by water pressure. It's a narrow slot canyon shaped cave. This time of year cold water rushes through, creating air displacement. Later in the Summer and Fall the water flow drops enough that an adventurous spirit may climb upstream to explore the cave further. In the Winter and Spring the water flow causes the rock surfaces to be extremely slippery. A few openings above allow shafts of light to descend and make for tricky contrasts for photography. Though it's just a few feet underground, the rush of the water and the dark cool air make me feel like I'm in a different world where I might find some creature new to science.

I came down to the water's edge to see about fishing but there were two large log flotillas. I'm not sure if you could call them log 'jams' as they weren't jammed into the space between the rocky shores and they only appeared to be on the surface. In fact as I sat and watched the lower log flotilla it continued to move upstream at about 1-2 mph probably on account of wind. Boats were kept from moving upstream even though the current water level would normally allow passage further. I tried fishing for a few minutes but it seemed like a dead day on the river. Besides I had so much fun stopping to photograph mushrooms, buckeyes and the cave that I had left no time to fish! So I made the steep hike back uphill to the trailhead parking lot.

The smog/haze was so thick it was like a dirty grey fog upcanyon. The smog can actually make for good sunsets photographs (as long as your subject isn't far away) so I stopped to take a few. But for the very first time in central California I actually could feel the bad air quality in my throat and chest after hiking uphill. I've had that feeling before when hiking near Los Angeles, like I could't breathe in all the way or a horrible pain would hit me below the throat. It was a sobering realization that the air quality in the Fresno area can really take me down a notch.

I'll be sure to add more information about the San Joaquin River Trail as I move further back and forward through the timeline of my hikes in the Sierras. If you want to visit it yourself you can click on the map (above left) to see where the trailhead is located in relation to the several trails in the area. Or you can go the Millerton State Recreation Area map, which shows the entire 14 mile segment. To get there take Friant Road past Millerton Lake where it turns into Millerton Road and past the Table Mountain Casino. Take a left on Auberry Road and drive through the town of Auberry. When you reach a fork in the road above the school at the end of town you should take a left again. Now you will be on Powerhouse Road as you pass a trailer park. Eventually you will have to take a hard right on to Smalley Road where there is a BLM sign for the San Joaquin River Gorge. Follow that down to the trailhead campground and park.

All photos for this post were taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT camera.

Mariposa Grove part II

2006-02-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

As promised I'm putting up more photos from the Mariposa Grove hike/showshoe trip. To read about the trip see the previous post.
Click here to see a map of the trailhead at the park entrance.

Photos in this post were taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT.

Mariposa Grove Part I

2006-02-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

About a week ago - February 19th, 2006.
My Father and I were looking to take a winter hike in the snow. I figured cross-country skis would be the way to go for some snow photos. My friend Brian had mentioned Mariposa Grove as a cross-country ski destination. Only a few problems: 1) I hadn't cross-country skied for almost 10 years and even then I was pretty unskilled, 2) My dad had never cross-country skiid, 3) we had no ski gear. But the Grove is only 2 miles from the Wawona Entrance parking lot and we should be able to rent equipment, right? Not so easy in Fresno I'm afraid. Here's what I learned. Only one store still rents cross-country skiis in Fresno: Herb Bauers. And they were out of our boot size. So we opted for snowshoes instead. Not half as much fun downhill, but a little easier uphill.

Once we arrived at the trailhead (the gate blocks off the Mariposa Grove road right after the Wawona Entrance station during the Winter) we could see that snowshoes weren't even necessary. People were hiking up with tennis shoes on. There was plenty of snow - at least a foot but between a service truck and dozens of skiiers travelling the road, it had plenty of tamping down to make a nice frozen pavement.

Off the trail the snow was very powdery and the snowshoes came in handy. We made a lot of stops for photos and walked along various trails and roads in the Grove. We also enjoyed some funny people watching. One guy had his 10 year old daughter with him on skiis. Apparently she got tired and whiny so an unacquainted young couple offered to tow her up by her ski pole baskets - a low tech ski lift. After letting her off near the top they complained to each other that she was 'too young' to bring up there. Ha! That 10-year old girl probably has more energy than those two adults put together. As my Dad pointed out she was also much smarter.

Although the trail that day was much more busy than we usually experience (especially for a Winter hike), it was easy to see why, being at the main entrance to a National Park on a perfect snow day. I would recommend the trail to just about anyone in decent health. It's a little tougher with snow and if you carry a lot of gear (like we do) but overall it's a fairly easy hike. And even with all the traffic it was pretty easy to walk out into the snow to get some isolation. Most stay on the main route.

Now to the photography. There's a few images that I think while not the best in quality offer a platform for discussing some of my thoughts on my photosophy (made-up word). A lot of people including those who appreciate and make nature photographs believe that nature photos should not be manipulated at all. Some have an almost religious belief that the reality should be conveyed as-is. Things like filters or time-lapse are gimmicks to be avoided and change the scene from what was visually there.

I think after you look through some of my photos you will find I am not one of those people. I have no problem with that approach. I think strict reproductionists have to employ great skill to be successful. It's just not realistic to me to think that a camera can completely reproduce human vision anyway. Film is notorious for reducing contrast (from 11 'stops' that humans can see to 5 'stops' on slide film). And you don't want to go down the road of color comparisons. No two printing methods even have the same color gamut. But the bottom line for me is that photography is like any other art. It's a way of producing a vision in the mind of the artist. That may take the artist down many paths using filters, exposure modification or even photoshop software tricks. I hardly use any photoshop tricks other than sharpening and color adjustment. That's not because I think it's wrong or too much. I just don't know how to use the software very well yet.

To me what sets an artist apart is their creativity and style. A painting can be both very 'photorealistic' demonstrating great technical skill and lifeless at the same time. But successful artists can remold reality to their vision rather than the other way around. Through composition, and stylization and even creation of novel content a great artist can produce something that we can't see in everyday life. Or they can make us see something of everyday life in a new way. For me I know I'm nowhere near that stage yet in my photography and I'm even farther away in drawing, but that's what I'm shooting for someday. Most of the time I really don't care if my photograph of a sunset doesn't look just like it would have if you had been there to see it too. What I want is to take elements of that sunset that interest me and share them with you. Sometimes if I'm lucky and patient and I can even get my camera to show you aspects of that sunset that I couldn't even 'see' at that moment.

I have a very simple pair of photographs to illustrate a little of what I mean though neither are stunners. The first (right) is a fast shutter speed (1/100th sec.) photo of snow falling on cedars. The shutter speed is just slow enough to convey a sense of movement as the flakes are slightly blurred. Click on any photo to see it larger. In the second shot (below) the shutter speed is much slower (1/8 sec., my favorite speed for moving water photos) allowing the flakes to streak across the scene, not at all the way a human eye sees it. But does that make the photo worse? What do you think? Click on the 'X Comments' (where X is the number of comments received) link to give feedback.

You can visit my photo gallery at BetterPhoto.com to see better examples of photos that aren't very close to typical human vision (and some that are). One photo ('Reach') looks more like what I see with my glasses off (extremely myopic). A few show long exposures of water that create a streaks of flow or a cloud of light. Several shots use close-up photography to show detail the naked eye can't quite see (even with glasses on).

An artist that did a much better job photosophizing than I can was Galen Rowell. Through his magazine articles, books and body of work he demonstrated a keen sense of the science and art of perception.

You'll notice I call this posting Mariposa Grove Part I. Part II is soon to follow with a few more photos and a lot less words.

All photos in this post were taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT.

Walking California Revisited

2006-02-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Almost 6 years ago I embarked on a journey with my friend Brian that would take us from the Mexico border to Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon National Park on foot. We initially planned to hike the length of California on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 3 months but for various reasons we stopped short but for a 4 day extension from Tuolumne Meadows to Sonora Pass (about 76 miles). All together we hiked 880 miles in the summer of 2000.

I find myself returning to that time very often, remembering the myriad of feelings and experiences. Mostly I am grateful I had the opportunity to go and to share the experience with a good friend. And I am always amazed at how so many people, especially my family supported and encouraged me to follow my wandering spirit. Now that I am embarking on my first log or journal of sorts since that summer, it's time to stroll down memory lane a bit. So I am posting a few photos taken on the trail and a link to the original web journal website on Fresno Bee.com (see below). Noone was really using the 'blog' term in those days and the journal entry posting process was much less automated - we emailed our entries via a digital-analog-digital phone line system and the FresnoBee.com posted the content to their site.

This trip back through time is just the beginning, or middle as it were. You see, I am planning to run my blog in reverse. I've been taking photos and hiking for a while and I thought I shouldn't only throw in what I've been doing this weekend each entry. I should go back through all the great experiences I've had hiking and traveling back at least 10 years but starting with the most recent. So I've got a backwards blog you might say. My 2000 trek is only somewhere in the middle. I've no intention to bore you with the Ots (as in Ot-6) version of the old guy bringing up a stack of old slide carousels from the basement. I have too much respect for your time and my own. But I hope to share with you just the most interesting or funny moments and build up what will become a sort of hiking guide to the Central Sierras so you can search through it for good places to visit yourself. There's a lot of beautiful places to see and don't let anyone tell you there's nothing to do around Fresno.

Walking California Site from 2000

And now for some more photos (these are ones that were never put up on the Walking California site or were since taken down..

All photos in this post were taken with an Olympus fixed lens point-and-shoot camera using Fuji Velvia 50 ISO film. Slides were scanned on a MicroTek ArtixScan film scanner.
More to come soon...

Join me on the endless trail..

2006-02-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this site is to share my wanderings photographical and otherwise. To start things off I am including one of the photos that I took this Winter in Yosemite National Park.