Summer medley, to 8-16-25

 

Summer 2025 has been very good to us thus far.  We've been lucky, we know, and we thank the heavens daily.  Maybe we'll pay for it later on, but right now you'll hear no complaints from us, especially when we see floods and heat waves and fires all over the country.  Jimmy and I have been Out and About a lot this summer, as much as we can in-between chores and appointments.  Make hay while the sun shines as the saying goes.  I can't remember exactly when we went here or there and I'm too lazy to look up the details, but you'll get the general idea.  Anyhoot, take a gander at each photo's sky:  Always blue.

One day we decided to EXplore further away from home.  For years (on our way to the high country) we've passed a sign for Omega Road off Hwy 20 but till we bought the Subaru, we wouldn't have tackled this rough dirt and gravel road which leads to the former Alpha and Omega mines.  Dang road spiraled down and down, but we didn't make it to either mine.  Instead, we pulled in and parked roughly two-thirds the way down and took off on an alleged path.  Big boulder, Jimmy! 

How about this pile of tailings?  That's me up there.  We walked hither and yon and realized a person could easily get turned around in this mess o' hills.  We were careful to keep an eye on where we'd been so as to not get lost.  We got hot traipsing around.

I tipped this picture, to see the dead critters better.  Looks like a dragon fly atop an unknown insect, but who killed who?  They're on a Cedar tree trunk.  Makes you wonder ....

At left is true-blue Chicory, which flowers all over the US, I think, especially in habitat nothing else seems to like (except maybe Queen Anne's Lace, and together they make a lovely pair).  Top right is a variety of St Johns Wort, and bottom right is California Indian Pink, native annual herb.

On another day, we bit off more than we could chew when we hiked the Point Defiance trail counter-clockwise on a HOT Sunday!  Mistake.  We couldn't even find a parking space and had to park on Rice's Crossing Rd!  That meant we had to climb the switchbacks at the end of our hike, which just about "did us in."  When the South Yuba River water level was low, someone made the round rock circle.  Looks like a huge bathtub drain!  Weird!  Enlarge the picture.

This fella entertained us as we trudged along.  It scurried ahead of us for a long time, keeping pace with our steps.  It was big and methinks it's an alligator lizard.  

We picked an awesome weekday to bike from Beal's Point to the Sunrise footbridge on our favorite American River Trail.  With mild temps, we felt like we could've biked forever (but we settled for 27 miles).  It's always a plus when you see a swan afloat, the white speck in the water at left.

Enjoying a bit of lunchtime rest.

We like the sentiment on the bench.

Lots and lots of watercraft on the river near Folsom.

Kayaks, canoes and SUP's.

Whoa, how about this! Peaches. Ten pints. They join jars of strawberry and blueberry jams, as well as plum sauce jam, cherries and applesauce. Productive summer so far. Tomatoes are yet to come. Maybe next week. Aren't we lucky to have friends who share their produce bounty with us? Yes, is the answer.

The Nevada County Fair in August is always held during the hottest week of the year. 😄 We usually go with Matt, Jen and Evie, but this time they were elsewhere, so Jimmy and I went by ourselves.  Yup, it was hot, but we enjoyed the four hours we spent.  We checked out the award-winners in every category.  Can you spot Jimmy, above, by what appears to be the world's tallest Ferris wheel?

Too hot to move, may as well nap. 😂

The fairgrounds are decked out every year with gorgeous flowers.

Recently we took off for a hike in the Grouse Ridge area, again off Hwy 20, higher up the hill, elevation between 6600-7000+ ft.  Trust me, this is one of the prettiest places ever.  First thing we saw was mountain goats. 

Round Lake Trail passes by five or six serene alpine lakes.  Above, Jimmy stands before Feeley Lake, one of the larger lakes on this trail.  Fall Creek Mountain looms in the background.  We wondered if we could hike to its summit, but we couldn't see a trail.

Finally. We "accidentally" found a stand of blooming native Corn Lilies.  I've tried several times to see these plants in flower while hiking in other areas of the Sierras (namely Castle Peak), and here they are!  The plants are quite tall, as you see, above, with many inch-wide flower clusters.  The bees were happy.

What makes a tree shift like this?

Perhaps a snow drift?

While tiny in size, Delaney Lake was also mucho picturesque. Pond lilies dot the surface, but the water in every lake was clear as bottled water. 

Comely no-name lake with an island, and two gals swimming!  Maybe skinny-dipping!?  See the two white dots toward the back of the lake, at right?  We left them in peace.

Left is the perennial herb, White-veined Wintergreen, and right is one of the largest clumps of Woodland Pinedrops I've ever seen. It's a root parasite that depends on its association with a mycorrhizal fungus (also associated with a pine tree), and has small pink, urn-shaped flowers which hang upside-down.  Both are members of the heath family and are found in coniferous forests.  Cool beans, huh?

We both tested and declared the water cool, verging on cold, but if you had to swim, you could.  Once immersed in the water, maybe it feels refreshing.  I prefer the water temp of Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs:  Warm as toast!

After eating our granola bars perched on one of these granite slabs, I left Jimmy to rest and continued my climb up to Long Lake overlook. This entire area is pocked with lakes and ponds, and each is simply gorgeous.  There are plenty of other trails or offshoots of this one in the Grouse Ridge area, and it's easy to get here in the Subaru.  Pesky gravel-dirt roads!

That's a wrap on some of our summer doings. Of course, we enjoyed other stellar bike rides and hikes, but I didn't take many pics. Hopefully we'll have a few more adventures this summer.  Yet, as August wanes and September closes in, Jimmy and I are beginning to prepare for our ambitious journey across the Big Pond -- our trip to Türkiye, Egypt and Jordan. Oh, but first we stop in Maryland.

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.

At Catalina, January, 2025

 

We are here!  Roughly 580 miles from home, with one overnight stop at the Elks Club in Wasco (near Bakersfield), Jimmy and I checked our motor home, "Tergel," in at Catalina Spa and RV Resort on Wednesday, 1/22/25.  We encountered no issues, fire-or-smoke-wise, and actually had a pleasant drive.

Such a lovely sunset from the Wasco Elks parking lot.

Catalina Spa in Desert Hot Springs, is a large RV resort, but there's plenty of room for everyone.  This is our third (or fourth?) time to stay in this park.  Our Oregon friends, Sue and Mo, were camped across from us last year, and we enjoyed fun times together.  They're coming later this year.  It's easy to make friends here; in fact, two people we met last year were here to greet us just after we pulled in this year.  And they invited us to go on a small-group bike ride the following day (Thursday).  We said, "OK!"

With their two bikes and our two bikes in the back of his Dodge Ram truck, Wayne and Betty, drove us to the meet-up spot in Palm Springs.  The day was sunny and mild.  Great for riding.  We tooled around the streets of the city, admiring homes ($$) and landscaping and green-green golf courses.  I think we had 12 in the group.

After a couple of miles, it's a quick break for lunch,

and then the group continued on.

Betty and Wayne's doggie, Gaffer, loves to ride in the basket behind him.  (and ride, she does, 'cause Wayne does all the pedaling!)  She doesn't bark or try to jump out, she just gazes at her surroundings.  Above, we were stopped at a traffic signal.  Excellent introduction to life at Catalina Spa!  Thanks, Betty and Wayne!

* * * * *

One afternoon, Jimmy and I went for a walk beyond Catalina, to an area we remembered where we could access a pond, like an oasis, but the durn gate was locked today, so we couldn't get in to see all the birds, just a photo of a duck paddling away from us.

And on the way we found a sort of Jurassic Park!  Private property, of course, surrounded by chain-link fencing, but not off limits to a camera.   All these critters were big, a lot taller than either of us.  We saw others, and more that were being built, but our question was, why?  Uh-oh, Triceratops, bottom right, has a broken front leg!

Isn't this fantastic?

We spotted goats in a different enclosure, with one cute li'l baby goat who loved to run and jump and chase the chicken you see in the photo above, right.  Interesting walk!

* * * * *

The desert is dry, drier than usual, I think.  No wildflowers are in bloom, and most plants and shrubs in their natural setting appear dull and dun-colored.  Tiny Creosote leaves are curled and crispy, hoping for rain, desperate for rain.  I was shocked to see Mount San Jacinto and San Gorgonio both barren of snow!  Been a very long time since the area has had appreciable moisture.  Ah, but look at the sky on Sunday, above!

Jimmy and I were again invited on the Palm Springs small-group bike ride.  With a weather forecast of afternoon showers, we almost didn't go.  But, you only live once, so what if you get wet!  That's Jimmy, above, riding toward a very dark sky!  I felt three (I counted them) raindrops; he felt one.  Wayne's truck wasn't far from where we were at this point.  We didn't get wet.  Another fine ride!

Da Biker Gang!

The big draw for me is the pool, above.  Odorless mineral hot springs.  We were done for the day and Jimmy in his red shirt is ready to return to our motor home.  The swimming pool has a temp that hovers between 88°-90° and I love slipping into water that caresses you like a lover.  Every day I swim.  It's good for me.

Jimmy loves the hot "tub," actually a large pool.

It's a hot pool!  (as in HOT, over 100°)

Heavy clouds moved in over Catalina Spa while we were in the pool (after our bike ride).  Yup, time to go home, I said, before it rains.  As soon as we closed Tergel's door behind us, we heard raindrops pinging our roof.  Oh boy.  Oh Yay!  Rain!  And, a rainbow!  By gum, a gentle rain fell, off and on into the night.  It's a start.  Perhaps we'll see desert flowers blooming before we leave in February.