It's always pretty here ... Friday, 2/23/18

We are so fortunate to live in Nevada City, California ... when the days are too hot, a short drive will take us to the high country and cooler temperatures, and when it's so danged cold we don't even want to go outside, an even shorter drive takes us down the hill where it's warmer.  Win-win!  Right now we are in the midst of a cold-weather wave, have been and will continue to be, with little moisture to show for it and no snow to play in.

What's a body to do when cabin fever strikes?  Down the hill we went on a bright, sunny Friday to take in some Vitamin D and give the ol' legs a workout.  Like last year.  Fact is, almost exactly a year ago Jimmy and I spent an afternoon hiking the Buttermilk Bend Trail on the South Yuba River.  Don't know if you remember our flooding rains of last year, but the contrast between February 2017 and February 2018 is stunning.  Click here to see 2017's post.

Left:  2017.  Right:  2018

No matter what the season, flood or drought, it's always pretty on this trail.  Wildflowers abound, the canyon walls erupting in colorful displays, though there isn't much to see yet.  Technically this is winter!  The river, albeit low, runs with a roar ... it's not the silent type ... and puts on a beautiful blue-green display.

The hillside grasses are lushly green, pleasing to the eye against the boulders and lichens.  Jimmy above gets a head start on me, the slowpoke with the camera.  Chilly here, but not cold, and most of the trail is in full sun, which is perfect for a cool day!

Buttermilk Bend Trail is a 2.5-mile R/T moderately trafficked out and back trail.  Following the river, it's the route of the old 1877 Caleb Cooley water ditch, so it's mildly sloped and has been made wide enough for wheelchair accessibility.  Parking is easy during the week, with a $5 charge ($4 for old people like us), but the lots may fill up on weekends.

We're not sure of the distance between trail and water but figure it averages 100'.

Above is a nice summer swimming hole if you can get to it.

A notable distinction between placid and raging water!

Common Fiddlenecks soaked up the sun's rays today.

We attempted this rutted downhill climb to the water,

but the ruts won. 

Sierra Fence Lizard, doing what comes naturally --

enjoying the sun's warmth.

This is another approximately-the-same shot (judging by the big pine on the left in the foreground of the 2018 bottom picture).  That big pine is toward the top in the 2017 photo above.  A helluva difference in a year's time!

Canyon Dudleya with Resurrection Plants.  No bloom yet on the Dudleya.

The Resurrection Plants look dead without any moisture to turn them bright green.  

I managed to clamber down to water's edge further along the trail, where it wasn't so steep.  I think some of the huge boulders in the water are photogenic enough to make into wall hangings.  Jimmy elected to stay up on the trail ... he continued on past the park boundary till the trail dead ends at a drop-off.

Always.  Everywhere.

California Saxifrage (I believe)

Speaking of photogenic,

a few lavender Blue Dicks jut out of a hillside. 

Here we're on the way back toward the car.

What a lovely spot to hike.

At the parking lot, I leaned over a wire fence to capture the above shot.  The aquamarine water is so clear as it zips toward the covered bridge.  At this point, the riverbed is filled with boulders, rocks, large and small, thousands of them, which extends on the opposite side far beyond the scope of the camera.  We guessed that many of them were deposited by last year's floods.

I almost forgot to mention the benches that are strategically placed, where a person can sit and admire the view, have a snack, doze in the sun, or just rest for a minute or two.  Altogether, this is perfect.

We found a new way home (a bit shorter, maybe) through the beauteous rolling hills.  Maybe my sister and brother-in-law will want to visit Buttermilk Bend, see how pretty it is for themselves.  The first thing I did when we got home was turn up the heat!  Call us wussies, but 43 degrees for a high and a low in the mid-20's is flat-out cold, period.  Along with planning trips, Jimmy and I have been playing the card game called "Hand and Foot" in the afternoons before supper on these cold days.  It's a fun game, and we're not too competitive (she says), and fairly evenly matched.  I think we're at a draw.

What's next?  Light flurries this afternoon (Saturday).  More cold, and snow forecast for Monday, Wednesday and so on and so on.  Hope it warms up soon.