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Dick's Adventures of
2024 - Part 2 |
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Adventures
of 2016 Adventures
of 2017 Adventures
of 2018 Adventures
of 2019 Adventures
of 2020
Adventures
of 2021 Adventures
of 2022 Adventures
of 2023 2024 Part
1
Mile High A-Frame
Nelder Grove
Rancheria Falls
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Mile
High A-Frame For
a number of years the Upshaw's - my older grandson Johnny, wife
Brittany, and sons Colton and Jack, enjoyed many visits to a
doublewide mobile home in Greeley Hill in Mariposa County. The
winter storms of recent years brought a tree down on its roof,
allowing a ton or two of snow to enter, effectively rendering it a
complete loss. This motivated them to buy a cabin near Shaver
Lake, a much shorter drive from their home in Clovis, and
convenient to the winter snowboarding they enjoy. It's
also available as an Airbnb rental, so I arranged to spend three
days and two nights there at the end of May. Being retired, I have a
seven-day weekend every week, and did not think about the days I
requested being the last two days of Memorial Day weekend. Although
this probably meant a bit more traffic on the main roads, it did not
cause any real problems for me.
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Early
days, before repair and remodel |
Snow in
January 2024 |
All
cabin photos by Johnny and Brittany |
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The
cabin is actually about ten miles from Shaver Lake, which is a small
mountain town catering to tourists on Highway 168. The lake of the
same name, formed in 1927 by the damming of Stevenson Creek, has a
capacity of 130,000 acre feet and is part of the Southern California
Edison Company's (SCE) Big
Creek hydroelectric project. At the 5,500 foot elevation, it
draws boaters, swimmers, and fishermen most of the year. Located on
the route to the China Peak
Ski Resort, it also does a good business in winter serving
skiers, snowboarders and snow play enthusiasts. The
cabin is located on Bald Mountain Road off Auberry Road, about three
miles from where it connects with Highway 168 near the famous Cressman's
General Store. The elevation is 4,300 feet, so it's surrounded
by black oaks, pines, and cedars. Lots of cedars. Cedars ranging
from a height of two inches to around 80 feet. Oh yes - also sequoia
trees. These were planted and there are about a half dozen, the
tallest of which is about 15 feet. The smallest is a thriving
specimen that Jack was given when he joined a Ramblers
hike last year. |
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Jack's
sequoia |
One of
about five nice size sequoias on the property |
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I
arrived at the cabin in the mid-morning of May 26 and got my stuff
carried in. I was delighted to see that there are many wild iris in
bloom around the cabin and all over the neighborhood. There was also
a daisy-like flower with a dark center that grew in profusion in
many places. These blossoms would close up or otherwise disappear
when the sun got hot, then reappear in the early evening.
I
also saw a lot of western wall flowers, some lupines, and limited
numbers of other flowers, some appearing quite a bit later than they
do at lower elevations. |
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Wild
iris |
Some
kind of daisy |
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A nice
stand of western wall flowers |
Bear
clover in bloom |
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On
the opposite side of Bald Mountain Road from the cabin, a loop goes
east about 300 yards, then curves around and back out to the main
road. Although it's a paved road, this is a great place to do a
short hike. Upshaw's call it "The Horseshoe." This is
where I saw most of the different wildflowers that enhanced my stay,
but more importantly, it offers a view of the Ritter Range - Mt.
Ritter at 13,000 feet, Banner peek, just 200 feet lower, and the
Minarets. Although part of the range, the latter are not visible
from this location. To make up for this, you can see Fuller Buttes,
two classic domes topping out at just above 6,000, a mile lower than
the range. |
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The
Ritter Range |
Banner
Peak, with Fuller Buttes in middle foreground |
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Another
great feature of the place is the wood deck, about 15 by 30 feet,
with comfortable chairs. You can sit out in the morning or evening
(or any time you want) enjoying the oaks and evergreens, and in my
case, sipping a Bloody Mary. I spent quite a bit of time out there,
reading and resting. I went out during the night to look at the
stars, and at 4 a.m., the moon. There are other houses all around,
but they are well spaced and mostly without the ultra bright lights
that so many people put up to eliminate the stars.
The
next day was Monday, Memorial Day, the only full day of my stay.
After a relaxing morning and breakfast, I set out for Huntington
Lake, another SCE facility 20 miles and 2,000 feet in elevation
above Shaver. This area does not have the tourist development of
Shaver, but it is the site of China Peak, a major ski resort. The
proximity of this snow play area has been one of the Upshaw's
favorite things about their new vacation location, and Colton
especially went snowboarding many times during our recent
extra-snowy winter.
State
Highway 168 ends at this point, but a paved road goes up and over
9,000 foot Kaiser Pass and into several other popular recreation
spots, including Edison and Florence Lakes, as well as Mono Hot
Springs. I did not intend to go even as far as the pass, my
destination being a vista point just a few miles up the road where
there is an excellent view of Rancheria
Falls, where I have hiked a number of times with
family and with the
Ramblers.
It's
probably a good mile across the canyon from the road to the falls,
but I had brought my tripod and a telephoto lens, and was able to
get some good still photos and videos. The location also provided a
good view of Huntington Lake. The elevation here was 7,900 the
highest point I reached on this adventure.
From
the vista point I drove back down to the lake and walked in on the
trail that starts at the ski lodge and goes up Big Creek to Indian
Pools. It was already time for me to be sitting on the deck, so I
kept this hike very short, just going far enough to get a good look
at the
creek. |
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The
dramatic beauty of Rancheria Falls |
Huntington
Lake |
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I
did not have a formal check-out time, so on Tuesday, my last day, I
took my time getting ready to go, just as I would if I were camping.
I enjoyed some final "deck time," had bacon and toast for
breakfast, and got everything cleaned up and put away. I took a
final walk around the "Horseshoe," where I photographed a
vista that is somewhat less than delightful. Much of this area was
affected by the Creek
Fire of 2020. It did not touch what is now the Upshaw property,
but its scars are visible just over a hill back of the cabin, and
especially down in a basin overlooked by the east end of the loop.
What was once a thick forest is a land of blackened sticks and the
brushy plants that are first to come back after a fire. |
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Devastation
from the Creek Fire of 2020; this scene is repeated over 380,000
acres of the Sierra |
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When
I left for home I did not drive back out to Highway 168, but instead
turned left on Auberry Road and went through the village of Auberry,
then out to 168 below where it starts its climb up the 4-lane
section. This offered some different scenery and avoided the three
twisty, roller coaster miles between Bald Mountain Road and the
highway.
I
was well satisfied with my short vacation, and a looking forward to
another three-day stay scheduled for July.
A few final notes:
In
addition to the flowers mentioned above, I saw farewell-to-spring,
buckeye, chaparral,
Sierra star, dove lupine, baby blue eyes, filaree, harvest brodiaea, blue dicks,
tall lupine, penstemon,
dogwood, and yellow violets.
Driving
up to Huntington, between Cressman's and the Shaver Lake Marina, I
met over 50 trailers and motor homes heading home on Monday. This
didn't leave the mountains unpopulated. When I returned to the
cabin, where the highway runs close to Shaver Lake, there were cars
parked on both sides of the road for a half mile, and many people in
the water swimming and boating.
I
saw two gray squirrels and quite a few birds. No other wildlife.
Shortly after I arrived I walked out from the cabin as far as I
could go before encountering a fence. On my way back, I saw through
the trees a patch of red flowers near the cabin. Up close they
looked like
this.
There
were patches of snow all along the Kaiser Pass Road, and large mound
of very dirty snow near the ski lodge.
I
drove a total of 145 miles, and got 40.2 MPG in my hybrid. Take
that, big oil!
--Dick
Estel, June 2024
More
Photos |
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Nelder Grove
I
can't begin to tell you how happy I am to be writing about Nelder
Grove. It's been one of my favorite spots since my first visit in
1969, but it has been closed for the last three years, due to so many
trees having been killed by drought and fire (even including
sequoias). It's not exactly wide open even now - the gate on the road
to the campground is locked, requiring a hike of a quarter mile or so
to where our outings normally start. So of course the campground is
closed, and the current opening is very brief - it will close June 30
so that rehab work can continue.
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Jennifer, Jack, Teri and Jackie pose beside one of
many burn piles
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Fire and insect damage produced seemingly endless
dead logs
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The
Ramblers have hiked here a number of times, so we made plans to go on
June 5. My friends from Mariposa, Susan and Andy Crandall, would join
us. Then the wheels came off, the bottom fell out, and locusts took
over the land. OK, it was not that drastic, but every Rambler ended up
canceling. Andy and his friend David went, and enjoyed a four mile
hike, and contributed some of the photos in this report.
Fortunately,
I had also scheduled a hike with family members for June 8, and this
worked out perfectly. Our group was myself, daughters Teri and
Jennifer, their mom Jackie, and great grandson Jack. We invited Susan
and Andy to join us. They wanted to get an earlier start and said they
would leave Mariposa at 8 a.m., an hour before our planned departure
time from Fresno, and hoped we would meet up on the trail.
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The Chimney Tree Trail was a challenge for Andy and
David
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David is temporarily stopped by this log across the
trail
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I
took my pickup, because the last few miles are a dirt road which can
range from pretty good to pretty bad. However, the road was newly
graded and in better condition than it's ever been. This includes the
section beyond the gate, which in the past has never been been better
than pretty bad. The weather was nice, warm but not too much so. There
is a very steep section at the start, but then the road levels out and
goes through the interpretive center, the campground, and on to the
jewel of Nelder Grove, the Bull Buck Tree.
This
would not be a Dick Estel report without mention of wildflowers, and
we saw lots of wild iris, western wall flowers, and many unknowns,
including a tiny flower no bigger than a ladybug.
Great
grandson Jack likes to take photos, so as we walked in I gave him my
camera, knowing from experience that he will have a different point of
view and will capture some images that would not occur to me.
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Wild iris are in bloom all over the Sierra
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Ladybug gives us perspective on how tiny these
blossoms are
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Jack captured this dogwood blossom
surrounded by
wild blackberry leaves
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This fuzzy fellow would not stop long enough for a
really good photo
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We
were on the last section of the road to the campground when Teri
spotted Susan and Andy coming toward us, and capturing a nice photo.
We chatted for a few minutes, then went our separate ways. But there
were still more people to meet. Brenda Negley, whose grandparents were
campground hosts for 20 years, and who spent summers as a child and
young adult in the grove, was guiding a group on a hike. She is in
touch with the Forest Service and aware of their plans. She said there
is still a great deal of work to be done to make the area safe and
fully accessible. She said that the expectation is to have it open
next year, meaning when the snow melts near the end of the winter of
2024-25. But we celebrated the fact that it is open at all.
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When we met Susan she quickly snapped this photo
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Andy rests at the interpretive center
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From
the campground it is just a quarter mile to the Bull Buck via the old
road. There is a half-mile trail through the woods, but it is blocked
in many places by fallen trees. The Bull Buck is one of the more
perfectly shaped giant sequoias in the entire Sierra, tall and straight, with hardly any of
the typical dead branches near the top. It stands in a row with the
stumps of two other trees that were cut down in the 1890s, and we
could only imagine what a wonderful sight it was to see them still
intact. A sign erected in 1975 gives the tree's statistics, including
the height of 247.31 feet. We speculated on how much taller it might
be 50 years later.
When
we first came to this area in 1969 there was no place you could stand
to see the Bull Buck from top to bottom. Eventually the Forest Service
cleared a stretch of land out from the tree and provided a bench where
visitors can wonder at the full towering height of this giant.
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A forest giant in numbers
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The Bull Buck Tree
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Jack at the Bull Buck vista point
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The Bull Buck has a classic rounded top
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As
mentioned earlier, there are a lot of dead trees that need to be
removed. Anywhere that tree removal goes on, you will see burn piles, limbs and brush in classic campfire teepee form. Usually
the ones we've seen have been about the height of a man. Right now in Nelder there are
hundreds of such piles, most of them 15 to 20 feet tall, with
"sticks" as much as three feet in diameter. The normal plan
is to start burning after the first snow.
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One of dozens of burn piles
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When this gets burned, bring a bag of REALLY big
marshmallows
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When
we finished marveling at the Bull Buck, we hiked back to our cars.
Jennifer had a lunch date with husband Rod; the rest of us went to our
favorite Oakhurst restaurant, El
Cid, and enjoyed excellent Mexican food.
With
the grove closing on June 30, we probably won't be able to do our
usual fall hike there. Meanwhile you can enjoy some of the fall colors
that we captured when the Ramblers last went to Nelder in October
of 2019.
--Dick
Estel, June 2024
More
Photos
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Rancheria Falls
My
plan is to make this short and sweet, since I've been to this
location a number of times - in 2016,
later
in 2016, in 2017,
in 2018,
in
2019, again that
year with great grandson Colton, in
2020 with Colton and his brother Jack, in
2021, and again last
year. You can read these, especially the earlier reports, for
details on location and how to get there, so I'll just focus on what
was new this year.
The
hikers this time were my former work colleague, Ardyss, great grandson
Jack, and me. My former wife Jackie planned to go, but bad air caused
her allergies to flare up, and she had to pass.
The
dirt road into the trailhead is a rough mile, with lots of bumps and
dips, so we were glad to have Ardyss' all-wheel drive Subaru. There
were two cars at the lot when we arrived, but three more drove in
before we got on the trail.
It
was a very pleasant walk, with lots of flowers along the way, and of
course many firs and pines. The trail goes up to 7,500 feet, where red
firs are the dominant tree. The most common flowers were lupines, creating
large patches of blue above and below the trail.
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A big patch of lupines
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Blue flowers with butterfly
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Jack
likes to take over the camera, and can be counted on to photograph
something that would not catch my eye. Of course, I delete about half
of all photos, mine or Jack's. This is the wonder of digital
photography - you can "waste" 100 shots to get a few good
ones. In the days of film, I would maybe take two 36-exposure rolls on
a major trip, and half a roll on a hike like this - then pay around
$13 total, purchasing and developing, for each roll
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Snow plants often emerge before the snow melts
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Lupine bud up close
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The
falls were delightful as always. They were not as full as we've seen
them in the past, but were still flowing powerfully. From the first
time i saw these falls, I declared them to be one of the best
waterfalls I had seen outside of a national park. Jack's parents hiked
in through the snow in April, including the two miles from the
highway to the trailhead, since the access gate was locked. I limit
myself to enjoying things
like that through photos only.
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Jack at Rancheria Falls
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Wide view of the falls
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Counting
people we met on the trail in both directions and at the falls, there
were at least 50, maybe 100 adventurers enjoying the area. We
"took turns" getting out on the last few feet of the trial
where the best view is seen. We lingered long enough to take photos
and soak in the view, then made our way back to the trailhead.
Grandson Johnny had recommended the Hungry
Hut in Shaver Lake, so we stopped there for what proved to be an
excellent lunch. Jack already had his sights on a milkshake, and
Ardyss was inspired to try the boysenberry shake. She enjoyed it so
much she plans to go back.
At
the end of the day, we all agreed that you can't go back to Rancheria
too many times.
--Dick
Estel, July 2024
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