Greetings One and All,
I'm just back from two weeks exploring California. It started out as a visit with my sister in San Francisco with a few days to explore the bay area. Then I started thinking about a return visit to Mammoth Lakes and the Devils Postpile National Monument. The season is very short in the park and it’s been closed every time I’ve been close by, including May of last year. https://www.nps.gov/depo/
Another thought was Mount Whitney. It’s located just outside Lone Pine. It’s the highest point in California and the highest in the lower forty-eight states. Then I read a few hiking websites. It’s eleven miles each way with an elevation gain of 6,800 feet, ending at 14,494 feet. Three different websites warned against trying to do it in one day. One went so far as to warn “such large elevation gains in a single day can easily lead to pulmonary or cerebral edema, which can be fatal.” Perhaps another time. Chances are pretty slim I could have pulled that off in a day anyway.
But, in the end I did manage to explore one more national monument and one more national park. I did a lot of driving to and fro, but saw some amazing things. I also met a woman named Courtney who single-handedly saved me from what could have been an utter disaster and another who was relieved I wasn’t a white supremacist and insisted on giving me a big hug. Yes, it was that kind of trip.
Day 1 Friday 8/11/17
Fortunately, I was covering an early schedule all week and clear at 2P. So, I booked myself on the 6P flight out. I may have been able to catch the 3:30P and certainly would have preferred it, but it would have been a little close to be safe.
A couple of months ago I went through the process to get Global Entry. It’s an expedited reentry service through Customs and Immigration. So, the next time I fly outside the country I’ll just have to scan my passport and fingerprint at a kiosk and I’m done. No more waiting in lines. It also comes with TSA Precheck. This was my first time using it. The line in Atlanta was longer than the line for regular passengers. So, I used the regular line heading out. Leaving San Francisco I didn’t need to remove my tablet from my bag. Nor did I have to go through those body scanners. Just an old school metal detector, complete with my sneakers still on my feet. Sweet!
There was a little kid in the middle seat, She was out cold shortly after take off and slept the whole way. I was jealous. At we flew west, we eventually flew into the sunset. It was directly ahead so the bulk of the colors were obscured. But, the light was turning the tips of the clouds a radiant gold. I tried shooting the clouds through the plane window. Shooting straight out the window was nothing but wing. Shot at an angle, the plane's window made it even more interesting.
My home for the night was the America’s Best Value Inn in San Mateo, just a few miles south of the San Francisco Airport. It was nothing special, just a place to crash for the night and the location was just right. It was clean, but nothing to write home about. So, I won’t.
Day 2 Saturday 8/12/17
Just a few blocks from the motel sits Seal Point Park. In the 1930’s the land where the park currently sits was a municipal dump. Everything was left here from generic city trash to the muck dredged from the bay, to incinerator ash from the water treatment plant. The smell was apparently legendary.
In 1982, the city of San Mateo decided they really needed to do something about it. Nothing became of it for a few years until someone proposed a bicycle trail around the edge of the bay. But what to do about the pile of trash in the middle. The first idea was to simply bury it under four feet of dirt. But, that held its own problems. Instead, they basically wrapped it in plastic and then covered it. One sign in the park mentioned the height of the trash as over eighty feet. Thus the large hill in the center of the park.
The trash is still there and the city monitors the air and groundwater continuously. But, that’s not why I came here. Among the scattered methane alarms sit a collection of sonic sculptures. They’re designed to hum and sing in the breeze.
There was a light breeze coming in off the bay. Apparently not enough of one though. The sculptures were silent and the one clearly designed to spin was sitting still.
I left the park, crossed the San Mateo Bridge and went in search of Tilden Regional Park, outside Berkeley. Sure, it was out of my way, but last month I came across an article about mysterious structures around the United States. When I read about the Berkeley Mystery Wall, I had to check it out.
The wall isn’t continuous, but contains segments that stretch over fifty miles. The height of the wall segments goes from two feet to as high as five feet and are made simply of stacked stones. Adding to the mystery are a couple of stone circles in the area around Mt Diablo.
The first Spanish settlers to the area reported the walls already there. The settlers asked the local Ohlone tribe about the walls and they said the same thing, they were already there. Of course there are plenty of theories, from ancient Mongolian settlers to perhaps crew from Sir Francis Drake’s expedition circumnavigating the globe in the 1570’s. But, in the end no one really knows. You can read more about the wall here:http://www.messagetoeagle.com/
The park overlooks the city of Berkeley and I had to cut through to get there. After the scant breakfast at the motel, I stopped into Berkeley Bagel for pretty good cranberry bagel, juice and another coffee.
I found the park and picked up a map. There was no reference to a stone wall and none of the trail names referenced it either. It’s a city park, so there was no information desk to ask. So, I never did see the wall. There are other places you can reportedly see it and they'll have to wait until the next time. I did however get out and walk around a bit.
Not much was blooming in the park’s botanical garden. There were plenty of small signs identifying many of the plants. Of course the one with the biggest flowers had no sign.
I continued through the park and stopped at a small lot with an overlook named Inspiration Point.
The original plan was to drive from the park east to Oakhurst for three nights. The town sits just outside Yosemite National Park. I didn’t win the lottery for Half Dome access, but I had two long trails picked out.
That all changed three weeks out. The Detwiler Fire was burning right where I was headed. At that point it had burned some homes and businesses in Oakhurst and caused the evacuating of Mariposa, a few miles north. The fire had also forced the National Park Service to temporarily close one entrance to the park, the one outside Oakhurst. Visitors to the park were posting photos of Yosemite Valley full of smoke.
I realized this was still three weeks out and a lot can happen in that time. The idea of hiking in the lingering smoke held no appeal. Between the idea of breathing in the smoke all day, the uncertainty of the fire and it’s smell, I decided to change my plans. I cancelled my reservations and started looking at maps.
A couple of years ago I spend few days in Lassen Volcanic National Park and loved it. There was just one full day loop hike I didn’t have the time for and really wanted to do. So, instead of heading east, I left Berkeley and drove north.
While I truly prefer to stick with the state highways and local roads, this was my one day with a long drive. I picked up I-80, avoided Sacramento on I-505 and eventually picked up “The Five’ northbound all the way to Orland and picked up Hwy 32 eastbound. The drive took me through some obvious old lava fields, and eventually through Lassen Forrest. I thought about a five mile side trip to Butte Meadows. The town name intrigued me. I checked out photos of the town on line and never saw a butte, just a few meadows and cabins.
Hwy 32 dead ends at Hwy 36. I drove west to the entrance of Lassen Volcanic National Park. By the time I pulled into the visitors center it was already 5P. I thought about a waterfall trail. But, I was also thinking of the sixty mile drive to Susanville. Instead, I just took a trail by the visitor center twenty minutes out, then turned around, It felt good to be walking
I left the park and drove east towards Susanville. I had read about the “Westwood Chimney” and when I saw it I stopped to check it out. At first glance it's just a chimney from an old house. The story goes, in 1992 a group of locals decided to meet at the chimney for a Christmas party. During the course of the evening they decided to give something back to the community. The Chimney Fund was born. It's goal was to help those in need at Christmas time. That year they collected enough food to distribute twenty baskets. Over time the fund grew and included Thanksgiving. Now they also include those in need of food year round. All because some friends decided to meet at the old chimney.
I timed it all just right, I did manage to make it to the Diamond View Motel before dark. I booked here because of the location and the price. It’s a small, eight room motel tucked away on Main Street. The rooms are small but very clean. Unfortuntely, they don’t do breakfast. I asked if there as somewhere in town I could get breakfast. They told me, “just McDonalds.” Fortunately, I had picked up some Cliff Bars and apples earlier in the day. They would do for breakfast.
Susanville was originally named Rooptown after Isaac Roop, one of the original settlers. It was renamed after his daughter Susan. Founded as farming, mining and lumber community, the biggest employer these days are the three prisons. The state runs the California Correctional Center, a minimum security facility, and the High Desert State Prison, a high security facility. Just down the road in Herlong is the Federal Correctional Institution. So yeah, a whole lot of prisoners. But, it also meant quite a few local, state and federal law enforcement personnel milling around.
Coming Up on Day 3,
Regrets
Coming Up on Day 3,
Regrets
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