A Week of Mineral King, Chapter 3: Franklin Falls

One day I took a walk with two friends to Franklin Falls. This is a four mile round trip walk, fairly flat, a nice way to just meander along the valley floor in Mineral King for awhile.

We discovered a creature poking his head out of a hole, until he filled the hole with dirt. Guess he was shy.

We wondered what this little fern-like plant is that no one has seen previously but is very abundant this year. Maybe it will have flowers…

We meandered up the Franklin trail just to the falls. Not much water in late August/early September. (Look at the beginning of  this post from 2017 to see it roaring.)
This little flower has been hanging in there for awhile. I think it is a fuchsia, but I can’t quite tell. It is red, but the color fuchsia is bright pink. Anyone know of a good wildflower book?

I like this view of Crystal Creek, even when it is low and spread out, probably because I am just ravenous for green.

I considered posting a photo of my two friends at the falls, but since this is the World Wide Web, I decided to keep that one for myself. 

Tomorrow, Eagle Lake.

A Week of Mineral King, Chapter 2: Nature Trail

This is the classic view of Mineral King: Farewell Gap, the Crowley Family cabin, the creek (sometimes called “the river”, which would make people in wet places fall down laughing). I snapped this photo as we crossed the bridge at the end of the road. This is one of the easiest routes: down the road, up the Nature Trail.

Although this view from the top of Endurance Grade is gorgeous, the camera is often incapable of relaying that information to you.

Wait, I have a better photo from another day:

On this little walk, Trail Guy explained everything to us, starting with these giant nettles above the Tar Gap parking area. (It ain’t much of a lot, but it is a place to park.)

Do NOT touch that stuff. It will hurt you. We believe the seeds came with feed for the stock that used to be in a pack station that used to be at this site. (Burchell pack station)

These are tracks from a millipede.

This is the source of the cold spring that gives Cold Springs Campground its name. Wait—one spring, but Cold “Springs”? Looks a bit weak and tired, but it never stops flowing.

We also explored the walk-in campground sites at the lower end of the campground. They are downstream from the rest of the campground, farther than I expected. I’d never seen them before, nor had our hiking friends. Nothing much to photograph, but interesting to see in person. With the online reservation system now in place for the campsites, it is pretty difficult to discern how to reserve one of those walk-ins.

It was a hot day, so we abandoned the idea of heading out on the Tar Gap trail a ways.

Instead, we headed back up the Nature Trail. There is a clear sign stating no dogs, but it seems that there are many illiterate folks in Mineral King this summer.

Now Trail Guy is telling the story of installing the water tank that supplies the campground and cabins in the area (he was Maintenance Guy back then). The situation got a bit dicey, and there may be a dent in the tank, but none of us wanted to climb the hill to inspect it.

The Nature Trail deceived us and somehow we were on the mini loop that goes past the garnet mine. I didn’t see any garnets.

We stopped for some fuel at Iron Falls and were thankful that The Farmer carried enough food to share with us all, which made it a hike for him and a walk for the rest of us.

This is how Iron Falls looks when we were plunked on the rocks, looking downstream.

This is how it looks facing upstream, while practically sitting in the stream.

And this is how it looks in an oil painting. (Last time I did inventory at the Silver City Store, it was still there.)
This is some mine tailings.

Here is the site of an old ranger station. The Farmer is “walking up the front steps”. (Use your imagination)

A little ways past the ranger station is this weird bathtub. Looks scratchy and pokey.

And beyond the tub is another trough, or a something else?**Come back tomorrow for more Mineral King. I wonder if I can stretch it to a week plus a day. . . stay tuned.

**Trail Guy just explained this item. It was a place to cook, an outdoor stove that probably had a sheet of metal with removable plates on top and a chimney pipe at the back. 

 

A Week of Mineral King, Chapter 1: Clough

Recently I spent a longer stretch than normal in Mineral King and now there are lots of stories to tell, hikes to follow, hanging out to see. Let’s call this one Chapter One, Clough.

“Clough”? William O. Clough spent a great deal of time in Mineral King in the early 1900s. He disappeared one winter, and now we like to go to a site where he had a cabin.

First, this is an example of how a bear marks a tree.

We took the Clough Cut-off trail (off the Franklin/Farewell trail) and started up. The trail isn’t maintained, and we were relying on memory. I was looking for the gnarliest red fir tree around, and when I saw this one, it looked right but the terrain was wrong and the surrounding trees were missing. I was confused.

Trail Guy was in front (as usual), and he found the correct tree. This time the light was wrong so you cannot appreciate the true gnarliness of this giant red fir. It shows up in this old post about Bill Clough.

There’s Vandever, the peak on the right side of Farewell Gap.

Those people think they are going to find gold up there in some mine tailings. I’m happy to just bumble around below, looking for the missing memorial sign on the giant red fir. 

The bear scratch marks showed up better on the way back down the Franklin/Farewell Trail.

Look at these guys. This view is common to me on our hikes. Makes me smile.

Monday, chapter two.

Many New Things Learned in August

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. It was a month of lots of new information.

 

  1. Victor Davis Hanson interviewed Dr. Steven Quay who explained the 5 different types of gain of function research, three of which are considered acceptable and two which are considered bio weapons. I had to listen over and over, taking notes, slowing down the podcast to half-speed in order to understand. Interview with VDH on August 5.
  2. Dresser couplings (may you never need to know this): a brilliant simple device for repairing broken water pipes, available in plastic or metal.  A dresser coupling also has “teeth” in the center, and this is why: it gives a pipe wrench something to grab onto while you use a second pipe wrench to tighten up the twirly ends.
  3. Blueberry facts: A. farmers plant grass between the rows; B. they can be harvested mechanically; C. the plants benefit from sawdust.
  4. Oregon facts (many of which I already knew, but maybe you didn’t): A. No sales tax; B. Everything I bought was less expensive than in California; C. Trucks (big rigs) can haul three trailers; D. The roads are lined with Wild Carrot, AKA Queen Anne’s Lace, in August; E. Many of their town names are copycats—Portland, Salem, Glendale, Albany, Dallas, Harrisburg, Jacksonville, for example; F. Although most of the state is small towns and rural areas, the 2 largest cities decide the politics.
  5. Something very peculiar is happening with a book, Dawn at Mineral King Valley, by Dan Selmi. Trail Guy and I met Dan and his wife a number of years ago (5? 8?) when he was researching for a book about the lawsuit that prevented Disney from building a ski resort in Mineral King. I recently discovered that the book was published in June of this year, and I ordered a copy on eBay. I received an old paperback titled A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. What? I returned it, and ordered a copy on Amazon. This time I received a message that the book was out of stock. I ordered a third time from another seller and received the same message. I ordered from a third Amazon seller and received the message again. I ordered a fifth time (4th attempt on Amazon), and this time I received another copy of A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. This is truly baffling! When I worked out how to return the book, underneath the description of the book was this:In case you can’t read it, it says “There is a newer edition of this book” and it lists A Manual for Writers of Research Papers. . .” HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. Next, I need to compare the ISBNs on the 2 books. The Manual for Writers has ISBN 0-226-81619-2 Selmi’s book has ISBN 978-0226816197 (the 13 number version) AND 0226816192 (the 10 number version) Aha! Does the assigner of ISBNs have a problem? Looks as if Daniel Selmi has a problem. I certainly do, if I want to get the right book!**
  6. Perler Beads are tiny plastic macaroni that comes in multiple colors with little molds. You arrange the colors on a mold, melt them into place with an iron, and get these items. I made the blue one which is sort of a coaster.
  7. Do you know how much a gallon of propane weighs? 5.25 lbs., compared to 8 lbs. for a gallon of water. You’re welcome.
  8. This is more opinion than fact, but I believe it is better to drive through the Central Valley on Interstate 5 than on 99. Other people believe 99 to be superior; they are allowed to be wrong, because it will keep more traffic off 5.
  9. There are ice packs made from a gel that when thawed, can be put on your plants as fertilizer! They are called Enviro-Ice. My plants haven’t shot up as a result, but time will tell.
  10. If you want to package things securely in a ziplock bag, close the seal until the last inch, squish out all the air you can, insert a drinking straw, and inhale like crazy to suck out the air. Then, while still inhaling, pull the straw and speedy-quick-like-lightning, seal the bag. (I KNOW you are dying to try this!)
  11. The President and the Freedom Fighter by Brian Kilmeade was a wealth of new information about Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. I learned so much about both of these remarkable men and the War Between the States. (“Civil War” sounds to me as if there was a plot to overthrow the USA, when in reality, it was an effort to secede from the United States, not take it over.) My conclusion is that if everyone at the time simply acknowledged that slavery is sin, plain and simple, it would have ended and there would have been no war. (Can I get an “AMEN”?)

See you in September, maybe in about one week…

**I made a sixth attempt to order the book, this time from eBay. Instead of receiving the book, eBay sent an email saying the book was damaged in transit so it got returned to the seller, who, OF COURSE has no more copies!! 

What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Chapter Four

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. “Day Four” refers to the number of posts in the series rather than to the number of the vacation day. And this day was definitely not a vacation day—it was a goodbye day and a 550 mile driving day.

I hated leaving. But over a week ago, I hated leaving home. Leaving is tough. Bye-bye, Beautiful Oregon.

This time I was prepared to see Truck Village, but still couldn’t get a decent shot. It is better to pay attention to the road than to the scenery when one is a driver.

The goal was 550 miles, in order to spend a night with a dear friend in a suburb of Sacramento. An audio book by John Grisham helped to pass the miles. He isn’t an author I enjoy reading, but it was perfect for driving.

I found my friend’s house without difficulty, following her directions rather than those of the unreliable Talking Lady. The next morning we took a walk, since I didn’t want to encounter commute traffic by leaving early. She lives in a pretty neighborhood with good walking routes available.

We had breakfast by her pool, which was such a welcome sight when I pulled in the previous evening.

As I was leaving her town, I saw this inexplicable road sign multiple times. When I asked her later what it means, she said, “Lookie?” Apparently she doesn’t know either.

I chose 99 for the route home, on the recommendation of family members who prefer it to The Five. I did not like it better than The Five, but enjoyed looking for the 2 trees that demarcate the center of California. This funny little landmark is between Madera and Fresno, a palm tree on the south and a pine (or fir?) tree on the north.

I stopped in Lemon Cove to get “cheap” gas, and felt compelled to document this. It is another angle of the scene in a recently completed commissioned painting. (Scroll down to “If This Ever Gets Returned in this link to see it.)

Thus we conclude our series of What I Did on my Summer Vacation. Next week we will resume our normal broadcast schedule. Wait. That’s not accurate. Next week we will resume our normal topics. Thank you for reading to the end!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Chapter Two

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. After our three days of work, we went to the beach. (Because I am involving other people in these posts, I am keeping their faces small and leaving out names in order to use good World Wide Web etiquette.)

Oregon was so beautiful that I did not even attempt to knit on the drive. Instead, I was a sight-seer who took these photos from the back seat. The only unfortunate part about sitting there was that the window was tinted. Otherwise, I was perfectly content to be a passenger after driving 800 miles a few days prior.

The beach was beautiful, of course. I hadn’t seen the ocean since October of 2019 and could have happily spent hours (possibly days) walking along the edge, sitting in the sand, listening to the sounds, absorbing all the blues and greens.

Since my sister and I had our mom with us, “long walk” was redefined and no one sat in the sand, but we all were very happy to be there.

That might have been the “vacation” day. The next day of the trip involved farm labor.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Chapter One

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. Do you remember those terrible assignments on the first day of class in the fall (always the day after Labor Day—none of this ridiculous school attendance in August!)? I couldn’t think of a thing. Until age 11, we went to the beach for 2 weeks, but I never ever considered those other weeks to be a “vacation”. It was hang around the house time, and there was nothing to say about that uneventful sort of life. (I must have been so dull to not have told about days in the pool, trips to the library, or bikerides, and somewhat thick-headed as to have considered such unencumbered free time to be unremarkable.) 

On my recent trip to Oregon, I took photos, and I have plenty to say about it, so this will be a series. I don’t know if it was a vacation or not; I certainly had a good time, but is it a vacation if one spends 4 days driving? Is it a vacation if one spends three days working on a garage sale and one day doing farm labor?

The sale was enormous – the garage, driveway, front lawn, front walkway, all covered with merchandise from about 5 different households. We were very organized, dividing things into appropriate categories, helping customers as if it were a department store, making friends, seeing old friends. Everything was priced and labeled by owner’s initials. Day One of the sale. We continually rearranged the merchandise for better attention attraction. (Note I said “merchandise” rather than “stuff” or “junk”. Stuff is the junk you keep; junk is the stuff you throw away.)

Day Two of the sale was significantly smaller, but just as tightly arranged. If you hadn’t been aware of Day One, you might think this was the only day.We had an enormous amount of jewelry, which was enormously popular.

The most commonly heard comments were: 1. You two must be sisters! and 2. Everything is in such good condition!

This precious child fell in love with this doll, and her dad made her offer a lower price than the marked price. I told her yes but on the condition that she name the doll “Martha”.

This bumper sticker cracked me up, and the customer gave permission to photograph it.

That was two days of work, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Hiking Nowhere in Mineral King

August is a busy month for cabin folks in Mineral King. The first weekend of the month is full of meetings and reunions. 

We also got rain, lots of wonderful soaking rain. Look how green it is!!

Since all the willows were pruned for fire prevention, I noticed new rocks that had escaped me for many years. This is Big Rock, so I guess that smaller one must be Little Rock. Or Small Rock.

The asters were thick along the road as I walked down to attend a meeting.

I saw a butterfly I’ve never noticed before.

I love this view at the top of Endurance Grade but either the water or the distant peaks are overexposed in every photo. This time I chose to let the water look all white so that you can see the peaks. Farewell Gap is out of the photo, to the right.

We listened to the superintendent of Sequoia National Park at the meeting. There were many many questions about fires. There were more people behind me and also to my right, but I like to protect people’s identities here on the World Wide Web. Some of these people we only see every handful of years, which makes it difficult to recognize faces and remember names. Good thing that Trail Guy and I never change, eh?

I rode up the hill with my friend Sharon, who drives fast, and down the hill with my friend Karen, who drives slow. Driving fast meant we got there sooner; driving slow meant we spotted scarlet monkey flower, something I’ve only seen once in memory. Both trips were fun, a time to visit with dear friends, friendships based in Mineral King which have grown closer through many years of occasional visits, layer upon layer.

Next Friday I will tell you a little bit about life as part of the community of Mineral King. 

Day Two of First Road Trip Since the Plague

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. Does anyone else find it hard to sleep in a motel? I was dying to open the window, but it opened onto a walkway where other occupants passed by, and who knows it someone would crawl in?? So, that, along with the road buzz, made sleeping a bit of a challenge after my 500 mile driving day. “Road buzz” is my description of that inner vibration from being so alert for all those hours. Even my long walk around Weed didn’t completely obliterate the inner hum.

So, I was back on the road by 5:15 AM.

Holy guacamole, Oregon is so very beautiful. Even though the hills are becoming golden, the dried out look is offset by all the greenery surrounding it. Maybe it seemed extra beautiful because it wasn’t hot.

Upon arrival, my people had an appointment in downtown Salem, the capitol of Oregon. So, I went along but took a walk, in search of the capitol building. There were so many pretty parks, and beautiful old homes. No photos of the homes, because I was on a quest.

The talking lady on my phone sent me around in circles, telling me for about 3/4 of a mile, “go one quarter mile and turn right”. That right turn never arrived, so finally I shut her off and just followed my instincts. 

Instincts? This was based on a vague hand wave indicating “it’s that way”, and eventually, seeing the tip of a gold idol way above the other buildings.

Idol? A statue in gold reminds me of things mentioned in the Old Testament. It also reminded me of all those Moroni angel statues on top of Mormon temples in Utah. I’m not sure who Oregon has commemorated on their capitol.

Turns out that I walked 3-1/2 miles in the middle of an August afternoon. What a thrill to be somewhere that doesn’t cause one to just cower inside the air-conditioning! (I’m sure they do plenty of cowering indoors during the winter, because everything is a trade-off of some sort.)

Look at the scenery on the drive back. I was a passenger, so the photos aren’t quite as wonky as the ones from when  I was driving.

What a beautiful state!

The next few days will be spent in family activities, probably not photoworthy, so tomorrow (Friday) we will return to a Mineral King post. 

Next week? More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

 

First Road Trip After the Plague

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. We interrupt our regular broadcasting schedule to bring you a special report. After only leaving Tulare County 5 times in 2 years*, I drove 500 miles one day this week.

I headed straight out Highway 198 to Interstate Five, also known as “The Five” (not to be confused with a group of talking heads). For about the first 100 miles, I drove in silence. Then I tried talk radio, bouncing to music and back to talk. At about 250 miles, I put in a book on CD, Condoleeza Rice’s autobiography, read beautifully by her. Thinking I’d need more breaks, I was surprised to only stop twice for gas and once for coffee.

One of my favorite sights on that long highway is Truck Village. (My photos are better when I am a passenger than when driving.)

Suddenly, I was in Weed, my first night’s destination. This is a seedy town, dominated by Mt. Shasta, capturing traffic off The Five in addition to capitalizing on its unfortunate name (named after Mr. Abner Weed, who most likely is turning over in his grave).

The Hi-Lo Cafe has good food but a bit of trouble with spelling.

Resisting the urge to correct the sign, I took a walk around town. The elevation is about 3400′ and it was a very clear and comfortable evening to hop aboard the Zapato Express** after sitting all day long.

I went under the welcome arch (the cafe’s menu said it was built in the ’20s and then rebuilt in the ’60s), heading to downtown. There is definitely an artsy vibe, discovered several places but only photographed here on these decorated steps. Looks just like something I would do.  (Ahem. Something I may have done. Trail Guy is very tolerant of my little eccentric experiments.)

Weed has one rather worn-out looking mural. Sorry to break it to you, Weed, but a mural cannot save a village.

The town is dominated by Shasta.

Such a sad downtown. Many dispensaries, a thrift shop, a tattoo parlor, a couple of bars, a big antique mall, some souvenir places taking advantage of that unfortunate town name, a closed movie theater, a closed bowling alley, many other abandoned buildings, and some attempts to spruce things up by having nice sidewalks, a nice city hall, a couple of tiny parks. The homes I passed were full of potential for cuteness, but what would bring someone to this place besides the geography? 

Bye-bye, Weed. Maybe I’ll see you on the way back home.

*Once to Kern County, 4 times to Fresno County

**Take a walk