First Mineral King Stay of 2024

On the drive up the hill, I was just astonished by the abundance of yellow flowers, particularly bush poppies, covering the areas that burned in 2021. There were also blazing stars, common madia, flannel bush, and monkey flowers, all yellow. There were some other colors too, but yellow dominated.

This is actually looking back downhill.

I have been working on a painting of a scene, incorporating every cabin below Timber Gap and Empire’s outcropping, in spite of there being no actual place to see everything at once. So, this was a good opportunity to really observe each cabin before all the foliage had leafed out.

I spent several sessions standing in various locations, sketching how each cabin might look in relation to its neighbors.

But I bet you didn’t come to this post to see me go on about my work.

View looking uphill from Lookout Point. The tip of Sawtooth is barely visible, but you can see that Sawtooth is still snow-covered.
Farewell Gap is also very snow-covered.
This is the stream by the Honeymoon Cabin.
The Nature Trail has some snow drifts.
The Spring Creek bridge is not in, but someone went snooping around and found a metal plank and placed it below where the stream divides.

The Mineral King road is still under construction with a fluctuating schedule of closures. As soon as I think I know when it will be open and when it will be closed, the schedule gets rearranged. There were many pieces of equipment parked along the shoulders (such as “shoulders” exist on this road), many piles of dirt, and many places of dropping down to gravel where sections will be repaved. But compared to last summer, it isn’t scary.

Let the summer begin!

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3 Comments

  1. Actually, I do come to your blog to see you “go on about my work” so there!

    I see the road giving you the finger, as usual! Ha!

    Love, love seeing all the snow still on the mountains, and the high water in the streams! It’s going to be a wonderful summer!

    Someone else has daffodils! Whom, pray tell?

    I believe the road schedule is now closed between 7 – 12, and 1-6. This from a road crew member who posted yesterday in our Mineral King Facebook Group. But “it isn’t scary” is all I need to know. I plan two lengthy visits in July and August, yay!

    • Aw shucks, thank you, Sharon! Because I do go on about my work, since the blog was created to promote said work.

      We have daffodils, as does a section across the creek.

      Who knows for sure about the road?? So glad you have 2 lengthy visits in the near future (and remember to bring coffee!)

      • I’m-a nevah gunna live dat down, AmIRite?

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