June wrap-up, 2025

It's been a few years since we pedaled the Squaw Valley Bike Path.  Wednesday, the 25th, we brought the bikes up to the high country.  After parking at the junction of Hwy 89 and Squaw Valley Rd (our usual spot up in these parts), we covered both sides of the magnificent valley you see below, ending at Olympic Village.  Certainly, this is one of the most beautiful alpine valleys in the Sierras.

Your eyes are naturally drawn to the lush meadow in the foreground, surrounded by those majestic peaks.  We were thrilled to see patches of snow at higher elevations.  Isn't this a spectacular sight?

Lots going on at the Village.  A shindig of sorts was in full progress outdoors, with vendors and booths, speakers and sign-up sheets.  This weekend is the Western States Endurance Run, the world's oldest 100-mile trail race, which takes place annually the last full weekend in June.  It begins here in Olympic Village (through the Sierra Nevada Mtns) and ends in Auburn, California.  All I can say is "more power to them."  Running 100 miles -- whew!  I can't imagine ... I don't even like to drive 100 miles!

See the yellow x in the photo above?  Right above that x is the aerial tram heading up to High Camp at 8200'.  Can you spot it?  Enlarge the pic.

We backtracked, crossed Hwy 89 and commenced riding the Truckee River Bike Trail, a ride we always enjoy, even if it is very popular (think: crowded).  It appears the river's water level is high, no doubt due to snow melt.  It's still early in the season.

And, yes, because it's early summer, that water has to be COLD, yet we saw several rafts floating downstream with the current.  Wild Roses bloomed along the entire trail (above), lending a pleasantly sweet scent overall.

Lots of other wildflowers adorned the trail:  Top left, wrapping around:  Blue Flax, Brewer's Lupine, Penstamon, Buckwheat, and Scarlet Gilia.

Never saw this before.  As we neared the dam between Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River, three long black tubes shot water into the river, while the filled white bags held it back.  Hmmmm, not sure why, unless it's to concentrate the water for river rafting?

Here's the other end of the black tubes, with water coming straight off the lake/dam (spillway).  Interesting.  We spied several whopper-sized fish, probably rainbow trout, swimming in the shallows.

Summer snow!  The Cottonwoods were filling the air with billions of white "cotton" seed fluff.  You didn't dare look up with your mouth open!

Mama Merganser had claimed a rock in the middle of the shallows near the bridge shadow, with junior resting beside her.  Cottonwood snow was everywhere!

Lake Tahoe was placid today and the usual eye-catching blue!  But you know this lake (any lake) can turn violent in a sudden T-storm, as evidenced here last week.

I hadn't seen a Western Tanager in a long time.

Happy to see this guy!

Looking north from the bridge near the car.  We only put in 20 miles today, which was just what we wanted.  Besides, we broke up the riding by stopping in Olympic Village and the dam, and then we parked 'em and sat on a picnic table at lake's edge, simply enjoying the shade and being present. 

* * * * *

A few days before our bike ride, we pointed the Subaru in the other direction and drove down to Davis, CA, to visit my cousin, Judy.  She's moving away and we wanted to visit before she left.  Lunch was at a restaurant near the railroad tracks and -- lucky us -- two Amtrak trains zipped in, stopped briefly and were on their way again.  Next, Judy drove us to the historic UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.  It was a "bit warm" to be walking, but we managed.  Even better was walking along 640-acre Putah Creek Riparian Reserve beneath the cooling Redwood trees.

Here we are, with Putah Creek behind us,

and resting in the shade.

I looked up the translation:  The Forest Gnome's Birthday Party

She brought along this copy of a children's book written/illustrated by Sigrid Nyqvist in 1929 (but not published till 1983 by her daughter, Brita).  Sigrid Nyqvist would be our grandfather's sister (our great-aunt).  Gosh, almost a hundred years ago.  (Judy's Mom bought this book online before she passed away.)  Written but not published for over 50 years.  Wowzers, there's hope, then, for me to publish my own children's picture books!  Thanks, Judy, for the visit and bringing this special little book.

So, that's our month.  Plenty of other things, like visits to Matt and Jen and Evie, here and at their place, neighborhood walks, a Hand and Foot game, doctors' appts (ho-hum) etc.  I will say that this has been a truly nice June, weather-wise, and we're most appreciative.  Sizzling summer is on its way, we know, but so far we've been spared.

Springtime in the High Country 6/2/25

 

Monday.  Meh, right?  Stay home, work in the yard, clean house, buy groceries?  Nah, phooey on that; it was time to get outa town.  After one load of laundry, we pointed the Subaru east toward Truckee, some 60 miles away.  Just north of Truckee is one of our all-time favorite hikes:  Sagehen Creek.  Springtime is an especial time here, and its allure isn't diminished by repeat visits.  I find a peacefulness and beauty on this trail, and, today, like other times, we shared it with lots of people (and dogs).  Oh, I wish I could capture the delicious fragrance of firs and flowers and everything else as we walked along on this warm spring day and impart it to you!

The creek was lively!

As we began, we encountered a lot of Bitterbrush lining both sides of the single-track trail, their small, creamy-yellow flowers profuse.

Jimmy pulls a green-leafed Aspen aside to show

the beginning of the yellow explosion.

We're a bit early, maybe by a week, but still -- look at the vibrant yellows of Woolly Mule's Ears and Arrowleaf Balsamroot (foreground) -- they blanket the hillsides!  The vision was wonderful.

We saw a beaver once a few years ago, and now we always stop along here and get very quiet in the hopes of seeing one again.  Or a descendant.  So far, nada.  Lots of birds flit about in this area, and we usually see woodpeckers.  Ducks, too.  But no beaver.  Mosquitos, yes, darn it, and Skin-so-Soft lotion is not much of a deterrent.

Wildflowers galore!  Top L to bottom L:  Lupine and mules ears and balsamroot, Bittercherry, Sand Corn Lily, and acres of Mahala Mat.  And so many others, too many to show.

Appears as though the Sagehen Creek area got hit hard by some hellacious winds last winter.  We saw many uprooted trees, the one above still cluttering the trail, and others that fell away, plus a couple that had already been cleared and chopped up.

At this point, the trail leaves the forest and enters Sagehen Meadows.  A massive Bistort bloom was just beginning to the right of Jimmy, now a grassy green meadow, and on the left, Bitterbrush is full on!  Stampede Reservoir (lake), Sagehen Creek's terminus, is not far behind Jimmy. 

We saw a number of small tent caterpillar webs

wreaking havoc on Bitterbrush shrubs.

Here 'tis – Stampede Reservoir! The lake and shoreline attract migrating birds, ducks, geese, sometimes Pelicans, and once we saw a long-legged Sandhill Crane.  I always have my binoculars.  Some years the water level is so danged low it's nearly invisible from right here.  Yet, two years ago, water had risen to past where I was standing for this pic!

A small plot of Nuttall's Larkspur

not far from the lake added a pop of color.

From the old sheepherder's hut ruins, we followed the track to the water's edge, or as close as you can get without sinking in mud.  Love that venerable pine, unsure which pine it is.  I'm convinced it plays host to numerous critters/creatures.

Plenty of Canada geese (ahem, be careful where you put your feet), a couple of Mallards, and Common Mergansers -- that was it on the lake today.

A lone motorboat, anchored dead center,

with a fisherman, hopefully being successful.

Penstamons and Lupines, not far from lakeshore.

On our return, we got another view of the downed tree.  This is a pretty easy, fairly flat trail with a mere 200+ ft elevation gain, and a round-trip of 5+ miles.  It takes us much longer to get to a turn-around point than it does returning to the car.  I guess we don't stop as often, and the afternoon gets hot, meaning we're ready to head back faster.  We must be getting old, for as much as we love this trail, we were ready to be done!

Nevertheless, I continue to "pause" for a photo or two -- above is Pussy Paws, a cute perennial herb that my sister and I admire, soft and velvety and reminiscent of chenille.  It's a low grower, so I have no idea if it's sweet-scented or not.  If I bent down to sniff it, I'd never get up!

Jimmy and I got our "get-away" fix today, happy with our choice.  Sagehen delivers every time.