Miscellany, through 3/24/24

How fast can a month disappear?  Apparently pretty darned fast!  Our month has been a hodgepodge of the usual comings and goings, riding bikes, taxes, hiking, RV repairs, a couple of birthdays, and even a few fine sunny days, a sneak peak, if you will, of warm and pleasant weather ahead.  Probably not anytime soon, though.

Every photo I'm posting is a phone picture (which is okay, I guess) -- I can't find my camera!  Jimmy and I both draw blanks when we search our brains on its last usage.  I've made a plea to St Anthony, but there's no answer yet.  I really dislike losing things.  Or misplacing things.

On the Ides of March, my sweetheart and I elected to hike to Beale (Fairy) Falls again in Spenceville Wildlife Area, maybe 25 miles southwest of us.  First we dropped off our Tergel at the fix-it store to have new (needed) brake$ installed.  Hallelujah, the day was bright and the sky was blue!

As you see, the spring-green leaves on these imposing oaks are a sight to behold, especially in person.  This tree tops a rise; below is a wonderful view of an open, broad, pastoral valley, ringed with oaks, covered with wildflowers and filled with free-range cows.

We've previously hiked to the falls, but never took the lower path, so this time we chose the path to the right.  We returned via the upper path.  Win-win whichever way you go.  No matter, the distance is a solid 5+ miles R/T.

NorCal has had a lot of rain since the first of the year,

and below the falls, "Dry Creek" was ripping!

Some call this Beale Falls, for others it's Fairy Falls.  It tumbles over a steep rocky cliff into a large pool set in a rocky bowl and people swim at its base in summer.  We could hear the falling water long before we saw it.

Honestly, we'd never seen as many moo-cows as we did today.  This gal was eating the tiny white wildflowers.  I said, "boo" to one cow and she skedaddled like she'd been hit with an electric prod.  My bad.  It was a great day for a hike and, while we were footsore by the time we reached the car, we really enjoyed being Out and About on this trail.

* * *

We traveled to Fair Oaks several times to help with moving and to watch Evie, as the younger set (Matt, Jen, and Evie) bought a new house not too far from their previous place.  Son, Matt turned 44 on Feb 28th, lucky him to miss being a leap year baby by only a few hours!  We sang Happy Birthday to him, but he was too busy for a party.

I captured sweet Evie by this lovely yellow-flowering tree (what is it?) one day when she and I were on a walkabout.  We celebrated her 7th birthday on Sunday, the 17th.  Her folks bought her a new, bigger bike which she couldn't wait to hop on and ride!  How can she already be 7 when it seems only minutes ago she was born.  ** sigh **

* * *

Our two Forsythia bushes are convinced Spring has Sprung, and their cheerful yellow flowers can fool you into believing the same.  But, with today's cold rain and a daytime high temp of 41°, I know we're now in "second winter."  No fooling me -- I won't put away my woollies till the end of May!

 * * *

One of the pluses for us when we bought our house on Banner Lava Cap Road in June 2012 was close access to the Cascade Canal trail (9 miles R/T).  We don't need a vehicle to get to the trail; we walk out our door and a couple of short streets later, voilà, we're there.  An offshoot of the CC trail is the Orene Wetherall loop trail, which we combine on occasion, like we did Friday, the 22nd.  This is also a woodpecker preserve.  We listened to a loud rat-a-tat, but couldn't identify which woodpecker (in silhouette).

We can see downtown Nevada City from our starting point on the trail.

Water levels in the canal fluctuate.  It's low right now.

Ferns are happy.

We seldom encounter others on this one, probably 'cause it's a bit strenuous (well, moderately) since it's all down and then (whew!) back up those switchbacks.  But, it's wonderfully peaceful, filled with flora of all kinds and, of course, the big trees we have at this elevation.

Trees that grow up, despite ...!

Down by the DS canal (off the trail) we spied this stout rod between two trees and debated as to its reason.  Keep the trees from marrying?  A chinning bar?  If you fell, you'd land in a heap at the bottom of a hill.

The Madrone tree bark is peeling.  It's that time of year.  Its new bark is smooth as silk, almost lustrous, and a reddish-blond color.

Two different and very small (left is teeny-tiny) fungi.  The biggest round ball on the right pic was only about an inch in diameter.  That's all the 'shrooms I saw this trip.

Several benches have been strategically placed.

Nice to sit and rest.

Bear Yuba Land Trust has also put informational signs on some of the native plants.  As above.  I always think of this soap plant as a "corn plant" because the leaves looks like corn.

One delicate Pine Violet blooms beside the trail.  And one Bleeding Heart is flowering alongside the canal.  It's too early for many blossoms.

Haha, we came across one still-alive banana slug, and the thing was truly sluggish!  At least it wasn't squished!  We hit the trail this morning because rain and cold were forecast beginning tonight and lasting for -- who knows? -- days.  While the sky was gray, we weren't chilly.  Altogether just four fun miles because we didn't hurry, no racing -- no, we stopped frequently to look or admire or verify, and then home.  That's our month in a sort of nutshell.  Happy Spring, y'all.

3/26/24:  Camera found hiding in the Subaru!

Dodged another one, Wed, 8/25/21

 

When Jimmy and I moved to Nevada City in June, 2012 and bought our house in the tall trees, we were happy to find such a dream location to settle down (at our tender ages of 68).  Just what we wanted.  Lots to see and do, four seasons, snow to play in, room to garden and a spot for Tergel, and beautiful trees in our own backyard.  Apparently we ushered in an historic drought, too, more's the pity.

This has been a brutal summer (on top of last year's ugly one) for so many people around the globe, and especially in NorCal, with a succession of monster, deadly wildfires, consuming all as they roar across the landscape, and leaving the rest of us gasping through unhealthy to hazardous air.  It's been a hot one, too, up and down the west coast.  Though the heat wave broke and our temps now resemble normal summertime hot, we've been hunkering indoors because it's been too smoky to do much of anything outside.  Our Tergel returned to the shop for necessary brake work, so we've been kinda stuck.  As soon as she's home again, we'd love to pack it up and head for the cool, clear(ish) coast.

Dry Creek has fishies in it.

Meanwhile, Wednesday morning, after a dreaded DMV visit to renew our driver's licenses (which proved to be really easy), Jimmy and I elected to get outa dodge and head down into the valley to hike, where the smoke levels were much less, by Beale AFB.  We were happy to learn that our hiking area hadn't burned in their recent fire!  We packed some granola bars, waters and Gatorade and got there maybe 1 o'clock/ish.

The first thing we saw was a family of four raccoons crossing the path ahead of us.  They escaped into two trees, mom in one and the kids next door, but they weren't hidden, and posed nicely for the camera!

But, we screwed up, you see.  We forgot about the long stretches of hot sun, "no shade."  And we were here in the heat of the day.  It did feel good to be Out and About on our feet, at least for a while, and we knew we wouldn't stay out as long as usual.  Too hot.  90° hot.  Cabin fever will do that to ya, make you forget.

The area is really pretty, golden rolling hills, blue oaks and gray pines, and old-old rocks strewn here 'n there.  Good walking paths for cool days, wintry days.  If you had the energy, it's a nice hike to Fairy Falls.  We didn't attempt that today.

Doesn't this snaggly tree look as though it's straight out of Sleepy Hollow?  I call them "Ichabod Crane" trees.  The story terrified me as a youngster.

We'd make haste while trudging along in the sun, hurrying toward a tree offering shade.  Jimmy decided to take a load off for a minute while I "basked in the shade!"

At first I thought this maroon- or plum-colored "dirt" was retardant spilled from the Beale fire.  Not so.  I've read that Spenceville was the site of copper mining, but I don't know about this color.  The hill behind Jimmy shows a bit of the haziness we were in.  So dry.  Everything is soooo very dry.  

The California Buckeye is a fascinating tree. It is a true California endemic, occurring nowhere else in the world!  It's sends out spikes, like fireworks, of spring flowers, forms round fruit while its leaves are green, and then the leaves turn brown in summer and drop to the ground, leaving these round green fruit hanging on bare branches.  Inside the green outer shell is a buck-eye, similar to a chestnut.

We overheated and were drenched in sweat, so we turned around, putting in close to three miles.  Not our best day, by far.  In the Prius, we turned on the A/C and headed up Hwy 20 toward home.  

"Oh No," I cried when I saw this smoke plume!  Oh no!

Our town is on fire.

Cringing, we made our way up Hwy 20 to the freeway, being passed a couple of times by fire vehicles on their way to help.  On the freeway, we drove by the building above -- Hills Flat Hardware and Lumber in Grass Valley, and we wondered if their wood pile caught fire.  We soon realized that wasn't the answer.

We pulled over while on our Dorsey Road off ramp and took this pic.  The wind was taking the fire east.  We lived east.  (Oh No!)  You can't cry and drive at the same time.

A sheriff was directing traffic at the intersection of Dorsey and Sutton Way.  The white bldg/roof in front of the smoke is a nursing home.  We were still heading home.

On Old Tunnel Road (which connects to Banner Lava Cap road where we live), we pulled over, along with half the city population to watch the fire progress.  All the trees had been cut down to make way for a small housing development called Brunswick Commons, and this was the best vantage point in the entire area.  The green box will be their new elevator.

CalFire sent their planes filled with fire retardant.  Helicopters made water drops.  Each picture we took had either one or both in it.  Still hot and sweaty, we stood, transfixed, meeting neighbors who stood alongside.  Cellphones blared out an evacuation warning (not for our zone), scaring us half to death.  Spot fires were flaring.  We knew, that if the wind picked up ....  I saw a flame.  That scared me, because I knew that if I saw flames, it was time to go.  But we stayed.  If we saw any more, we'd take off, but thank goodness, we saw no more flames.

The fire appeared to be in a semi-industrial area, rather than a neighborhood, just perilously close.  One good piece of news.

The spotter plane circled and circled, telling the big guys where to drop retardant, helicopters where to drop their load of water.

Traffic on Hwy 49 (aka the Golden State Freeway)  heading west toward Sacramento backed up and stopped, as local off ramps were blocked.  Dorsey off ramp is pictured above.  Smoke, of course, filled the air. 

That big guy is dropping his retardant.

I don't know what kind of plane it is, but it's good-sized.

The firefighters (HEROES!!) were encircling the fire with retardant.  We learned this blaze is being called the Bennett Fire.  They name fire disasters just like they do hurricanes.

We couldn't leave.  I was texting with my friend across the street, other friends, Nannie and Matt.  We couldn't leave till we knew that the fire was knocked down or that we'd have to flee.  How long did we stand there?  An hour?  Who knows?  A long time.

We could hear loud pops every now and then, like something exploding.

Thank God, CalFire has an air attack base, literally around the corner, at Nevada County Air Park.  The planes had such a fast turnaround.  Ground crews lit backfires to try to contain the fire.  They threw everything they had on it; they had to, or a large chunk o' town might have burned.  Again, thank God the wind wasn't gusting!  And firefighters are stretched so thin, fighting massive, monstrous wildfires all over the state.  God bless 'em.

And then, finally, we knew.  White smoke.  We knew it would be okay to leave, to go home.  We could tell the fire, while still burning, was being contained.  They -- those fighters -- would keep us safe from one more fire, just like they did the last time three weeks ago with the River Fire.

We came home.  Our friend stopped by, we reassured her that she didn't have to evacuate.  I nuked leftovers for dinner.  We showered.  Jimmy plopped in his comfy chair and I retired to the couch.  He turned on the TV.  We closed our burning eyes; we saw nothing.  At 9:15, we looked at each other and said, "let's go to bed."  Altogether, not our best day, but a successful day nevertheless.

  

Eureka! Thursday, 12/10/20

With another stellar sunny day in front of us and nothing on our schedule (no kidding), Jimmy and I packed up the waters and granola bars and set off for:  Fairy Falls ... again!  Before leaving, we really studied the hiking book and I took a picture of the book's map.  You know we are determined people, and after last week's defeat we darn sure wanted to find the falls.  We were pretty confident (if the bridge being repaired last week was fixed) that crossing the bridge would lead us to our destination.

We followed the same route as last week, which involved driving on a portion of Chuck Yeager Road.  This week the name meant something more, as the famous "Right Stuff" pilot and Grass Valley resident passed away on Monday at age 97.  I like to call it Chuck Yeager's Road.  

Yup, the bridge was open!  Yup, we found the parking lot.  And, yup, we saw a sign pointing to the falls!  After crossing Dry Creek, these horses and riders were the first thing we saw.  Actually, other than two walkers, we passed the hours hiking alone ... just the way we like it (although we both voiced that we wished Nannie had been with us, as she would've loved it here).

Spenceville Wildlife Area abuts Beale AFB (in gray), and Chuck Yeager's Road runs through both.  We come in from the right on the red road (Hwy 20).  The Town of Spenceville is gone now.  It sprouted to life in 1865-1866 after copper was discovered along Dry Creek.  By 1932 the town hit a dead end, and in WWII, the area was used for training by Camp Beale.  Check out this interesting sentence from the hiking book:  "During WWII the US military fitted Spenceville's abandoned buildings and streets with German signs and props and conducted war games there."  All that remains of Spenceville is the concrete bridge the horses are on (first photo, above), inscribed, "Chico Construction Company Aug 1919."

The preserve is comprised of approximately 11,900 acres of blue oak/gray pine woodland and those gorgeous golden rolling hills.  Aside from Dry Creek (which isn't), numerous other small creeks, ponds and riparian zones can be found.  We haven't seen any yet, but we'll be back!  There's tons of trails to explore.  Not big on signs, tho, and we had to guess several times which way to the falls.

A true-blue sky, and a nice breeze kept us cool.  Funny thing, we saw no critters at all, same as last time.  We see lots of small birds and woodpeckers, but no turkeys or quail or deer.  For a wildlife preserve, it seems strange.  It's quiet, too.  In fact, we stopped a few times to listen:  all was silent ... not something a person can find anymore.

After walking a couple of miles through the grassland, we hooked up with Dry Creek again, only this time, it's much rockier, more like the South Yuba River with its polished granite boulders and surrounding volcanic rock.  We saw several small falls cascading into pools, as above.

Still a fair distance from the falls (Fairy, aka, Shingle, aka Beale Falls),

I marked it with a red checkmark.

Aha!  Here's the main drop.

Into the pool (below).

The rim was fenced, thank you very much, and we hiked to the end of the fencing beyond the falls.  Dry Creek meandered below us and out of sight.  Don't know its origin.

On our return, we chose the Upper Loop trail, and spotted this majestic specimen perched atop the rise.  There isn't much elevation gain on this hike, maybe 500' and that's initially.  Altogether it's 5.3 miles to the falls and back.

Hello!

So many oaks and acorns, so many leaves!

Look Jimmy's in short sleeves!

Dry Creek has its picturesque moments.

I wish they didn't call it Dry.

In the car on our way toward Chuck Yeager's Road, we spied "A Swinging Tree" over a waterhole on the creek.  Imagine how much action this gets on a hot summer's day!  Yeehaw!

The bridge.  You see it's open.  I'm not fond of driving on wooden bridges like this one, but I did it, coming and going.  Be proud!  Moo cows were to the left on the other side.  We saw plenty of gates accessing the preserve, and we could be in a field with 'em on our next hike.  So, I'm gonna bring my walking stick in case I have to fight off a moo cow like a toreador!  (Jimmy sez they're not cows.)

We had another delightful day in the preserve -- it's such a peaceful place.  We really like it here.    

Boo!