02-16-2022 Sunshine and Friends

Most winters we make plans to travel south to the desert for some much needed sunshine.  Last year we stayed closer to home, traveling to the coast several times.  This year, with Covid still rearing its ugly head, we decided against driving 750 miles south to Desert Hot Springs as we have done almost every year since we got the MoHo.

I-5 between Yreka and Mt Shasta can get murky sometimes in winter

We didn’t feel much like dealing with all the complexities of dining, going to movies, hiking crowded trails, swimming in a crowded pool, and hanging out in a crowded spa.  After reading the comments from my last blog, where a few mentioned that I sounded melancholy, I realized that maybe the decision to stay home during foggy January wasn’t a great idea.

So many times when traveling south, we pass by side routes to friends, thinking maybe we can catch them next time. Or maybe we can catch them on the way home, forgetting that we are like horses to the barn after being on the road awhile.

Heading south and east over Highway 58 in 2020

We decided it was time to plan a different kind of trip.  This time, after heading south toward Redding as we usually do, instead of barreling down I-5 to get to the desert, we planned to take a few side routes.  We would visit friends living east of the interstate in the Sierra Foothills, friends in Davis, west of our main route, and take another side route to visit my sister in Vallejo.

We also decided that it was time to slow down and enjoy Lodi. In the past, whenever we parked overnight at Flag City RV Resort, we would read about the many wineries in the area that are especially known for their old vine zinfandels.  I reserved three days in Lodi, and Mo ordered the paper copy of the Lodi visitor brochure.  We read about the wineries, made some possible choices and added visits to a few wildlife reserves to fill out our three days with Lodi as our southernmost destination. 

Fun times with Jimmy and Nickie in Nevada City this year

I called our friends along the route, making sure they would be around, and planned accordingly.  The plans were probably the most detailed we have made so far.  It isn’t always possible to be completely spontaneous when including several other people in several locations!  Another minor glitch appeared as we attempted to make reservations near Auburn, California.  Every single RV Park within 50 miles was fully booked without even a waiting list available.  I tried pulling the ADA card as well, to no avail.  All those sites were filled up too. 

We had just signed up for Harvest Hosts to help with our cross country trip next August and I thought it might be worth seeing if there was anything available near Auburn.  Using the Harvest Host website was easy, and the reservation-notification process worked well.  We found two places near our friends where we could park overnight.  Harvest Host has a few minor requirements: one that you show up and two that you are considerate.  There are usually no hookups at these sites, but accommodations vary. The only other suggestion is that you buy $20.00 worth of merchandise from the hosts.  This way everyone benefits.

Somehow our plans all came together and worked perfectly.  The weather has cooperated as well, with brilliant sunshine, chilly nights and days in the high 60’s.  What could be better?!

Departing Grants Pass at 8 on Sunday morning, February 13th, we were delighted to travel on roads without ice or snow, something nearly unheard of in early February over the passes. A short stop in Yreka yielded a rare treat for us.  Not often are we interested in fast food, but those sausage McMuffins at McDonalds have been a travel treat for us for years when on the road.  Pretty sure we haven’t had one in at least two years. The adjacent parking lot was huge and the breakfast was a sinful delight.

One more stop at the Red Bluff rest area to change drivers, and let Mattie get a little walk about was all we needed on the six hour drive. Another stop at the Costco in Chico, where we filled the MoHo with fuel at $4.08 per gallon, saved us from paying the much higher prices we saw along our route on I-5. It only took us 8 hours to arrive at Nickie and Jimmy’s driveway in Nevada City.  We chose to unhook the Tracker at the local market rather than driving up their windy, narrow road.  With just a tiny bit of adjustment, we were parked and level in their driveway.

Nicki and Jimmy have been to visit us, but with a bit of searching memory banks, we realized that we hadn’t been to their home in almost 6 years!  I visited overnight in 2019, but Mo wasn’t with me on that trip.  Nickie fed us snacks and goodies before feeding us a great supper of chicken enchiladas and home grown blackberry cobbler for dessert. The Super Bowl was on in the background, but none of us paid much attention to it except when something exciting happened.  Visiting and talking and laughing definitely took priority. 

Mattie as usual was happy as can be to have two new people to pay attention to her.  So far, almost everyone enjoys Mattie and she reigns queen of the household most everywhere we go.  Nickie and Jimmy were no exception, spoiling her terribly with treats and hugs.

The next morning Nickie fed us another delightful breakfast with fresh fruit, yummy bacon, and homemade scones.  We had a couple of hours To enjoy the late winter plants in the yard, and enjoy our friends before we unhooked the MoHo and headed back down the road toward town.

Our next visit for the day was with a long time friend of Mo’s.  Mo and Jan both taught PE for more than 30 years at Terra Nova High School in Pacifica, California.  Mo had a great photo of Jan, with Mo and another good friend who taught at Terra Nova.  Jan got a kick out of the photo.

Sadly, Jan’s husband had fallen just a few days prior to our visit, so was in rehab and unable to join us.  Jan picked us up down at the local market where we left the MoHo and Tracker.  This time we let Mattie wait for us safely in the MoHo so she wouldn’t have to wait in the car while we had lunch at Jan’s clubhouse.  Jan showed us her home and then took us for a tour of Lake of the Pines, an upscale housing development built 29 years ago in the foothills north of Auburn.

Named for the local lake, the development has an 18 hole golf course, tennis courts, a swimming pool, many smaller parks and beaches around the lake, and pickle ball courts.  An avid pickle ball player, Jan’s husband fell playing pickle ball, hence his time in rehab. 

We enjoyed a delightful lunch in the Sports Club restaurant, with a great view of the lake.  Behind us on the wall is a photo where Jan is playing tennis.  It seems in the 29 years that she has lived there, she has been president of the tennis club a few times, in addition to president of the golf club.  She even taught swimming aerobics.  I guess if you have been a PE teacher for many years, folks know you will be good at everything physical and want to tap your talents.

It was after 3 when we left Lake of the Pines and traveled to our very first Harvest Host destination.  It was an easy drive from Auburn, just a few miles south of town near Newcastle. Our choice for the night was Martha’s Gardens, a small family farm that specializes in cut flowers, eggs, and produce.  What makes the place a delight are the several acres of gardens created by the owners. 

The garden has a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Fresh Picked Flower program.  Flowers are selected from what is blooming that week on the farm.  I had heard of CSA’s for veggies, but hadn’t heard of fresh picked flowers showing up weekly.  Love that idea. 

When we arrived after 3 yesterday afternoon, both of us were worn out.  Not sure why, except that we have been isolated so much in the last two years that we are out of practice. Then driving the short distance from Nevada City to Auburn and then on south to the farm was a reminder of just how busy it can be on California highways.

We settled in for the evening with no need for any kind of supper thanks to our afternoon luncheon with Jan.  I decided to walk the gardens a bit, and after talking with Tom learned that Mattie was welcome, and after a bit of exploration I decided I needed to return for Mo so she and Mattie could enjoy the walk with me.  It was a very relaxing evening for all of us.

The next morning we had brunch planned at Awful Annie’s in Auburn with not only Jimmy and Nickie, but our long time friends, Laurie and Odel.  Long time readers already know that these two couples are friends that we discovered more than a decade ago through our mutual admiration of each other’s blogs.  I learned about blogging through Laurie, and the web page blogger version of my blog (not the simplified phone view) is a direct result of Laurie’s tutelage.  All of us were aghast to realize that it had been six years since we last shared breakfast and laughter together at Awful Annie’s. 

Breakfast was wonderful and after a bit of shuffling, we enjoyed the very same big table by the window where we ate together in 2016.  Have we all changed much?  Just me I think, with all that white hair.

Nickie and Jimmy and Laurie and Odel get together more often, with hiking a main activity that they share.  Since they often hike several miles on steep Sierra trails, when Nickie mentioned a hike after breakfast I said to please pick something short and flat.

Laurie did a bit of searching about and found a lovely trail for all of us to share that was easy enough for me and yet not entirely boring for them.  Laurie chose the BLM Dave Moore Nature Area just 16 miles or so from Auburn along the South Fork of the American River.  We caravanned in our three cars down the American River Canyon on Highway 49 and I was once again reminded of what it was like living in the Mother Lode, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Highway 49 has almost every road in the United States beat for intense curves.  It is a great ride for motorcycles, and sports cars.

The one mile loop trail "goes from the parking lot trailhead to the South Fork American River and back again, passing through several habitat types. Nestled in the heart of Gold Rush Country, the trail is lined with remnants from nearly 150 years ago when Chinese laborers channeled creek water by hand with pick and shovel for gold mining. Tailing piles from the Gold Rush period blanket the area which lend to the characteristic landscape that makes this area so unique."

The trail was designed especially for people who are physically challenged with the portion going to the river being wheelchair accessible. After hiking down to the river, we chose to take the non-accessible portion of the trail back to the cars.  Easy and especially lovely as it meandered through a mature old blue oak/live oak forest that was just ready to burst with wildflowers.

Laurie downloaded the pdf brochure for the area and at special points in the walk she read to us.  We learned about the huge ring madrone where she took my photo.  She read about the mushroom rock created from weathered granite affected by erosion from the river.  She read to us about the beautifully crafted rock walls built by Chinese workmen more than 150 years ago.  The sun was shining, the walk was beautiful, and it was so much fun to share it all with our friends.  Mattie, of course, especially loved the walk when we reached the river and the sandy beach.

Nickie had a great time finding all the tiny dinosaurs and lizards hidden in various nooks and crannies along the trail.  They are not to be removed, but can be relocated to other hiding places.  Of course, Nickie was thinking of her sweet granddaughter and how she would have loved the dinosaurs. It was a bit sad when the hike was over and we returned to our cars.  Hugs all around and goodbyes for everyone, we all said that there was no way we were going to let six more years go by before we got together again.

Mo and I returned to Martha’s Gardens at 3 on the dot, and with no hookups to consider, were on the road by 3:20.  Our next stop was Bee Z Bees Farms, just past the town of Lincoln north of Sacramento.  It was a short drive, less than half an hour, with the only excitement being a bit of a kerfuffle with the Tracker.  After 15 years hauling a towed, we thought the Tracker was rolling.  The crazy noise on the curves alerted us otherwise.  Just goes to show that in spite of all our experience, it is still possible to make a momentary mistake.

We looked at the website for Bee Z Bees Farms before choosing to stay there, but didn’t bother reading the reviews.  There weren’t that many choices in the vicinity of where we wanted to be that night.  Mo and I were picturing a large family owned operation with large warehouses, plenty of space, and some kind of a nice little gift shop that showcased the cute stuff that they had for sale on their website.

We were a bit taken aback when we arrived at a somewhat rural looking place, with no house or shop, and an RV under a shelter.  The home was surrounded by kids toys, and there was a lot of “stuff” lying around.  The owners were not home when we arrived and the directions over the phone told us to pull in, make sure we weren’t in the middle of the road, and park toward the blue UTV.  I didn’t know what a UTV was but figured out it was the blue thing in front of us, between the RV, the chickens and goats and the very large barking German shepherd.  He was fenced, but we knew Mattie might get a bit disturbed by his barking.

So far, so good.  A bit later the husband showed up, was very nice, and gave us a few instructions about keeping the dog on a leash.  He told us they didn’t have a showroom and his wife would bring out the candles and honey a bit later.  We settled in, and after a bit she came outside with her candles in a box.  They were quite lovely, and I bought a small one for $20.  I have no idea if that was a reasonable price, but it didn’t matter because we fulfilled our obligation and were free for the rest of the night.

The place turned out to be fine for an overnight, and we learned to not have any expectations regarding what a Harvest Host location might be like.  Later, when I took the time to look at the reviews, the only complaints I found were about the dog barking all night.  He did quite a bit after midnight, but the MoHo is fairly sound proof and it didn’t bother us.  It was really a decent place to be, with no night light and no noise from the adjacent farm road.  Dark, quiet places are NOT easy to come by.

The next morning we took our time leaving.  Davis, California, is just an hour down the road from Lincoln and we had one more visit to look forward to.  Sue Southard is a work colleague from my days in California soil survey, and her husband Randy is a retired soils prof from UC Davis. 

They invited us to their beautiful home, one I had only seen in shared photos.  It was gorgeous, and filled with love and flowers.  The sun was shining brilliantly, and we wandered around the back yard in bare feet enjoying all the yard projects that have kept Sue and Randy busy since they retired.  Sue served some fresh local oranges and tasty cinnamon cake as we shared stories of families and travels.  Sue and I marveled that this time our conversation wasn’t dominated completely by soils talk.

We told them we were planning to stay in Lodi for a few nights, and they told us of some great places to visit.  One special treat in Lodi we might have missed if not for their great advice.  We left this part of our journey with good memories of good times with friends, and looking forward to what was to come next.

09-27-2021 Arches National Park

We rose before dawn to arrive at Arches at sunrise. We knew from following the Arches National Park website that arriving early is the only way to be reasonably certain there will be parking available at the several scenic viewpoints and trailheads throughout the park.

Arches is a moderately sized national park, covering about 120 square miles.  There are more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches within the park, many of them named and many more remain nameless. There are several well marked trails in the park, ranging from a few hundred feet at various viewpoints and several trails that link together for a total roundtrip length of 7.9 miles from the Devils Garden Trailhead.  The hike to Delicate Arch may be the most famous, with a total roundtrip length of 3 miles.  There are also back country trails that require a permit to hike, including the trails throughout the Fiery Furnace, a labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons requiring canyoneering and extensive hiking ability to explore.

When we arrived at the Windows trailhead parking lot it was already nearly full.  My disability parking tag was to save us several times at the trailheads throughout Arches and Canyonlands.  Without it, we would have had to circle, wait, or leave and come back as is suggested in the park brochure to avoid clogging the parking lots. I found it rather amazing that at every single lot we visited there was a handicap space available.

We could see dozens of tiny people backlit against the dark arch by the morning sunrise and people were standing on cliffs and rocks with their tripods attempting to catch the fist morning light in an unforgettable photo.

We started up the trail in the cool of the morning with light jackets. Mo, Dan, Chere, and I hiked the loop trails toward Turret Arch first.  At that time of day, there were fewer people hiking around that area.

In the photo below I am again in my happy place, standing on slickrock, lit up by orange light.

Dan was pointing to the shadow of the pinnacle at the entrance of the arch.  I didn’t notice the photographers when I took the photo below, but they were everywhere.

After wandering around Turret Arch a bit, we returned to the trail toward the North Window.

The sun was rising quickly and the hordes of people who were there at sunrise had dissipated somewhat, with just a few people left crawling around the arches.

This is the North Window, and as you can see with temperatures warming rapidly, Dan no longer needed a jacket.  We then backtracked to the trail that went up to the South Window.

The light in this photo below on the South Window is what Mesa Arch in Canyonlands looks like on the underside if you get there at the right moment.  The moment doesn’t last long.

I hiked up the slickrock and Dan got my photo

Dan then hiked up as well to hand me the camera so that I could get a shot to the east through the window.

Notice the tiny guys on the rock face opposite from where I was standing.  They were no longer working with their tripods and seemed to be simply enjoying the view.

By the time we returned to the parking lot at 8 it was completely full, with cars circling, tour busses coming and going, and hordes of people starting up the trail.

One of the most famous trails in Arches is the 3 mile round trip hike to the northern side of Delicate Arch. I have hiked this trail a few times and the views are magnificent.  The side road that leads to the Delicate Arch trailhead also continues to the Upper and Lower Delicate Arch viewpoints.

The main trailhead at Wolfe Ranch was completely packed with cars lining both sides of the road.  We continued toward the Upper and Lower viewpoint trailhead, and arrived just after another big tour bus.  Due to the lack of parking at the Delicate Arch trailhead at  Wolfe Ranch, we saw folks in hiking gear parking at the lower viewpoint trailhead and hiking along the road half a mile back toward the Delicate Arch trailhead so as not to miss the hike.  I can only imagine the crowds at Delicate Arch.

A photo of my friend Laura at the base of Delicate Arch in 2000

When I hiked with my friends Laura and Eva to Delicate Arch in 2000, the skies were dreary, and the trail was very windy and cold.  Even on that cold windy day 21 years ago, the trail was somewhat crowded. All that hiking and I didn’t get very good photos.

The view from the lower trailhead is less than impressive unless you know what to look for

After checking out the lower viewpoint, Dan, Mo and I hiked the short, moderately difficult trail to the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint.

There was a bit of climbing involved, but the view from the top was slightly better than the view from the lower viewpoint, and of course, I loved seeing all that slickrock up close.

I zoomed in with the camera for this view above of Delicate Arch from the Upper Viewpoint.  The string of tiny figures on the left side of the arch are hikers walking single file along a 2 foot wide ridge of sandstone as they approach the base of the arch.

We left the incredibly overcrowded parking lots and traveled back west to the main highway with a few more stops as we traveled north along the park road.

The trailhead at the beginning of the Fiery Furnace had a dramatic view of the complexity of the fins and ridges.  With no cell phone service it would be imperative to have a GPS of some sort to find your way through the crazy mazes.  Pretty sure Mark Johnson has photos on his blog of some of his crazy hikes in this area.

We continued to the end of the park road at the parking lot for the Devils Garden Trailhead.  It was getting close to 10 AM when we arrived and the parking lot was already full and the trail was crowded.  There were people everywhere, including bus loads of tour folks.

I have hiked into the Devils garden back to Double O Arch and enjoyed seeing Landscape Arch.  Geologists say the arch is very close to breaking so it is worth the hike to see it before it happens.  We didn’t hike far on this day.  With so many people on the trail, it wasn’t very inviting.  The nice bench at the beginning of the trail did turn out to be a delightful place for people watching.  Many, Many People!

I enjoyed the peachy glow cast on Dan and Chere along the vertical sandstone wall at the beginning of the trail.

Dan also attempted to get a photo of Chere and I in the narrows, but as is often the case, the bright light and dark shadows make photography very challenging.

The moon showed up beautifully in the blue sky against the red rocks along the Devils Garden Trail

Returning along the main road, we stopped at Skyline Arch.  The interpretive sign was fascinating, showing an image of the arch before a big rock fell out of it in 1940.

Continuing along the main park road we passed trailheads and scenic viewpoints that were packed to the gills, with cars circling and competing for non-existent parking spaces.  It was good that we left so early in the morning to see the park before the crowds took over completely. 

These lovely ladies are called the Three Gossips

I have so many photos of the views in all directions along the main park road, but this post is much too picture dense already. If you care to see more of the 100 plus photos I took in Arches National Park on this visit, simply click on the picture below and you will be taken to my SmugMug gallery where all the photos reside.