Oroville to Snowbank to Oroville

Oroville, CA

    The CalTrans website showed that SR162 from Oroville to Bucks Lake was open except for a daily weekday closure just north of Oroville for road repairs. The shot to the right was the first view of Lake Oroville from SR162 north of Oroville.

 

 

    My Cousin Bill, who lives near Oroville, said that once when he tried to drive to Bucks Lake on SR162 it was blocked by snow not too far past a sign which said "Snow Not Removed Past This Point," or something similar. This view is toward the dam from next to the large suspension bridge over one arm of the reservoir.

 

 

    And here's Oroville's version of the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A view of the right arm from the suspension bridge just after a speed boat motored by.

 

 

 

 

    The leftmost arm from the suspension bridge.

 

 

 

 

    Continued by driving up SR162 after taking a break for lunch at the Berry Creek Post Office; there was a 10-mile detour around a slide using Bald Rock Rd, which was a granite outcropping unusual for its location at such a low elevation and with a mixed oak, pine, & fir forest. As I stopped to photograph the dogwood tree in blossom, a couple went by me in an old Ford F250 with snow tires.

    Never saw them again since I was stymied at a snowbank on the northern side of a ridge. Even 4-wheel drive wouldn't get me through the snowbank since the front of the pickup, despite its heavy weight, was high-centered and couldn't get traction without snow tires. So I returned to Cousin Bill's place in Oroville and told him he was right.
    Did get this final photo from the junction of SR162 and Bald Rock Rd just below the USFS Brush Creek [Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in on the valley around Yuba City/Marysville. While the valley was visible to the naked eye it does not show up in this photo even if you enlarge it twice.]
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Links:

• Wikipedia article on Oroville
• History of Bucks Lake blog
• Wikipedia article on Plumas County

M 23 May Actual Route: Portola

T 24 May Actual Route: Portola

W 25 May Actual Route: Portola

Th 26 May Actual Route: Portola

F 27 May Actual Route: Portola

Sa 28 May Actual Route: Portola - Susanville - Shingletown - Sacto Riv RV Pk

Su 29 May Actual Route: Sacto Riv RV Pk - Redding - Anderson - Sacto Riv RV Pk

M 30 May Actual Route: Sacto Riv RV Pk - Redding - Shingletown - Anderson - Davis - Stockton - Lathrop

T 31 May Actual Route: Lathrop - Manteca - Stockton - Rio Vista -Suisun City - Vacaville - Dunnigan

W 1 Jun Actual Route: Dunnigan - Orland - Black Butte Reservoir

Th 2 Jun Route: Black Butte Reservoir - Orland

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park

Oroville, CA

    The American River just a couple of miles downstream from the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park at an RV Park called Camp Lotus (which has WiFi).

 

 

 

 

    Not all buildings disappeared due to fire. Robert Bell's brick bldg, known as the Bell Brick Store, is still with us.

 

 

 

 

    The Coloma School House, which operated until the 1950s. And those who didn't like school would be happy to know that the school days were shortened during then winter because of lack of light.

 

 

 

    Click 1 or 2 times for more readable text. This site was originally occupied by the El Dorado County Court House.

 

 

 

 

 

    In case you didn't notice in the first photo of the school, there was a grate on the inside of the front door. And when I stepped up onto the porch to take this and the next shot through the grate, a motion detector triggered a recording which said, among other things, that Edwin Markham, a San Jose State graduate and poet whose most famous work is "Man with the Hoe," taught at Coloma.

 

    Some things I missed when I took this shot: a piano with a very nice light finish; a coal bucket; and the same kind of chalk I bought for myself when I didn't like what the various schools provide. Also wonder what's in the glass bottle. Castor Oil?

 

 

 

    Since this sign is falling apart I wonder if the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs still meet here.

 

 

 

    Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in on the history of the Odd Fellows and Rebekah Lodges in Coloma.

 

 

 

 

 

    Believe this building may still be in use despite the somewhat long weeds next to the bldg and in the parking lot; should have walked to the base of the rear starts and checked for foot traffic.

 

 

 

 

    [More text to be added shortly; the brochure (hand-out) for the MGDSHP is in my pickup]













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Links:

• State Parks website for the Marshall Gold Discovery SHP
• Wikipedia article on Coloma, CA

F 13 May Actual Route: Bear River CG - Colfax - Grass Valley - Oroville

Sa 14 May Actual Route: Oroville

Su 15 May Actual Route: Oroville - Nevada County Fairgrounds (Grass Valley)

M 16 May Actual Route: Grass Valley - Auburn - Georgetown - Camp Chiquita

T 17 May Actual Route: Camp Chiquita

W 18 May Actual Route: Camp Chiquita - Georgetown - Auburn - Camp Lotus

Th 19 May Actual Route: Camp Lotus - Shingle Springs - Mather VA Hosp - Roseville - Colfax - Bear River CG

F 20 May Actual Route: Bear River CG - Colfax - Grass Valley - Oroville

Sa 21 May Actual Route: Oroville - Berry Crk snowbank - Oroville

Su 22 May Actual Route: Oroville - Quincy - Portola

M 22 May Route: Portola

Indian Grinding Rock State Park to Sutter Creek

El Dorado County Fairgrounds, Placerville, CA

    Because of the cloudy and windy weather Saturday 8 May I had the entire Indian Grinding Rock State Historical RV Park off of SR88 to myself. Of the 23 tent/RV sites I chose #13, not only the flatest but also right next to the path to the Chaw'se Reional Indian Museum, which includes artifacts from the Northern, Central, and Southern Miwok, Maidu, Konkow, Monache, Nisenan, Tubatulabal, Washo and Foothill Yukuts.

    To the right: a DPR [CA Dept of Parks & Recreation] sign saying, in essence, "Keep of of the grass [in the meadow]." Incidentally, as one of the plaques says, Chaw'se is pronounced as though the final "e" were an "a." A docent who had just gotten off work walked over to look at a new sign [which is identical to one of the plaques below] talked with me for 20 minutes or so until one of her co-workers showed up claiming she was afraid that a mountain lion had gotten. [After the co-worker left I told her that I often stood to look around while cleaning fish since a big "kitty" might be attracted by the smell and become more interest in my crouched (actually seated) body as a source of a meal or two.

    This plaque essentially duplicates the sign which the docent had walked over to see. While I didn't have any beer or wine with dinner, it wasn't because of the "no booze" admonition, but rather because it was a V8 night, which follows a beer night and a wine night in rotation.

 

 

    Since the Miwoks and other indians relied on an oral tradition you can be certain that young'uns listened to their elders -- or found out that eating certain plants, berries, etc. would make them very sick or even end their lives.

 

 

    Here's a bush I noticed for the first time east of Porterville on or near the Tule River. While it's called Red Bud, the blossoms are really purple. I initially thought they had been planted by workers at the Wishon Power House on the Tule and spread from there, but it became clear that there were too many of them to have spread from that one spot. And they're in places I've driven by in years past to fish in the Sierras; however, since they bloom in the spring and are gone by summer, I had never seen them prior to this year. I believe they are somewhat toxic to the skin. [Wrong! See links below.]

    Apparently groups can actually use these bark houses or those further north in the meadow. "Environmental Living/Group Camping. Camping in the bark houses to the north (U'macha'tam'ma) is a unique opportunity to get back in touch with the natural world while learning something about Miwok life."

 

    I think if I declared, "that rock reached up and grabbed the toe of my boot, making me fall and dislocate my shoulder," a Miwok might reply that I'd step more carefully if I were wearing moccasins instead of Vibram-soled jump boots.

 

 

    If grizzly bears like to dance, do they also like to sing? If so, clear out fast if you hear one singing "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal, You" -- especially if he's packing a .44.

 

 

 

 

    I had hoped to see some petroglyphs near Fallon in northern Nevada, but the weather didn't cooperate. And I couldn't make out any "rock carvings" near the motar holes.

 

 

 

    Now that I look at this photo more carefully, the grinding hole with the most debris and a white ring in the center of the photo does have a faint petroglyph to its left.

 

 

 

 

    If memory serves, both the docent and one of the plaques states that there are 1185 grinding holes in the rocks in this meadow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Apparently during "Big Times" (September when the acorns fall and are harvested) Indian Football is still played.

 

 

 

 

    Think of a Hun'ge as the Miwok Church and Community Center -- except that when the tribe's leader dies, it is abandoned or destroyed.

 

 

 

 

 

    Wonder if you had to say the secret password to gain admittance to the Roundhouse?

 

 

 

 

 

    Valley Oaks tend to be larger than their Black Oak cousins in the Sierra foothills.

 

 

 

 

 

    And it appears as if this oak was struck by lightning sometime in the last 50-100 years.
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Links:

• California State Parks web site for Indian Grinding Rock State Historical Park
• Wikipedia article on the Eastern Red Bud

T 10 May Actual Route: Sutter Creek - Plymouth - El Dorado Fairgrounds (Placerville)

W 11 May Actual Route: Placerville - Camp Lotus (near Colma)

Th 12 May Actual Route: Camp Lotus - Marshall Gold Discovery SHP - Colfax - Bear River Campground

F 13 May Actual Route: Bear River CG - Colfax - Grass Valley - Oroville

Sa 14 May Route: Oroville

Stockton to Lake Amador + A Graduation

Lake Amador, CA

    Despite last Wednesday's hot weather, the wind picked up and it cooled down enough for me to move the much lower elevations; that is, I drove from New Hogan CG to Stockton. One of the reasons for the drive was that I was tired of squinting at my laptop's screen as I sat in the cab of my pickup in front of the Valley Springs Starbucks.

    After spending time at both the Stockton Main (Chavez) Library and the Lathrop Branch Library I drove to Dos Reis County Park; it's one of two San Joaquin County Parks which permits RV camping. [The other is Westgate Landing on the Mokulumne River which is principally a boat landing.]
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    With the sun low in the west, the shot above is of the boat landing at Dos Reis Park on the San Joaquin River; the park has about a quarter mile of river frontage.

    Recall that last December I took a photo of Mt Diablo from the west end of Eight-Mile Road, which is to the NW of Stockton. At that time the sun was setting almost exactly behind the 3000'+ peak; not so now, for the sun was behind a tree to my right; I had walked far enough down the levee to get a clear shot and at the same time put the sun behind a tree.

    A view of my rig on the other side of the two horseshoe pits. [Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in.] While the sycamore trees are messy at other times of the year, the park was very clean compared to a few county parks in adjoining counties; but it's more of urban park than some of the Sierran foothill parks in bordering counties
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    On Friday I returned to the Lathrop Library, and, as a librarian had suggested the previous aftn, I was able to do some things from the cab of my P/U while waiting for the library to open at noon on F 6 May. After forwarding some e-mail I went inside because it was getting warm in the pickup. [The library has air-conditioning.]

    I had planned to meet Ken & Jaana Lemmon at the rental their oldest son Matthew shared with some other students, including his girlfriend, while attending UOP. In fact, the graduation ceremony was this morning. Jaana had said in an e-mail that they would be at Matt's place in the early afternoon. But a more recent e-mail said that they would be at Matt's by late morning if they left Fort Bragg at 0600.

    Since I already had the route from Lathrop to Matt's place near UOP in Stockton in an Window running Mapquest on my laptop, I shut things down & headed up I-5. One of the turns on the route was from Pershing Dr to Mendocino; I saw Monterey & Mariposa Avenues, but no Mendocino Ave.

    Once I crossed the Calaveras River I assumed that I had missed the turnoff, but continued on to a street I recognized: Bengjamin Holt Dr -- and a Safeway with WiFi. A quick look at Mapquest showed that Mendocino Ave. was the next street east of Mariposa Ave.

    As I drove past Matt's place & turned around at the next intersection, everyone poured out the front door and in unison waved "Over Here!" After parking briefly on the other side of Bonnie Lane, but with the left reat corner of the camper sticking too far into the street, I parked in front of Matt's place behind Ken's large diesel pickup.

    The "live wire" of the gathering, of course, was a canine. Instead of leaving her with Loyal Jr, Ken & Jaana brought her along. She barked up a storm at me, with a tail wagging all the while; she did jump up on my leg once, but thereafter I moved my back of computer accessories and camera so that she could not repeat the greeting.

    Matt's girlfriend Shannon and Jaana made a lasagna -- and I hung around long enough to not only shrare some of it but also to "finish it off." [But, of course, I'm one of the few people in the Universe trying to gain weight. If memory serves, there were tomatoes from Kenn & Jaana's hothouse.

    Matt's degree is in civil engineering. He and his girlfriend submitted a project for the retrofitting the primary football stadium in Lodi, the "Grape Bowl," which apparently be implemented
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    Onn Sa 7 May, as Matthew's graduation took place at UOP's Stagg Memorial Stadium, I returned to the Lathrop Library, mailed something at Lathrop Post Office, which is very close to the Library, bought some things at Save-Mart, and head NE on SR88 toward Lake Amador. While passing through the town of Clements I noticed a familiar name: Athearn -- my ex-fishing buddy's surname.
    Prince Allen Athearn must have been important in the history of Clements, in the NE corner of San Joaquin County, but I can find no on-line history of the town.

    A view from the dam at Lake Amador looking up the lake in a westerly direction. The owners stock their own trout and permit 24-hour fishing all year for trout, bass, crappie, bluegills, and catfish.

    If you're interested in fishing for any of the above species, L Amador may be worth a try. But $25 for a tent/RV dry-camping site and $30 for a full hookup RV site is a bit stiff -- especially given the amount of detritus left by previous campers and the lack of recent grading on some of the dirt or dirt & gravel roads.
    A veiw of the arm next to which I parked my camper.
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Links:

• Save Lodi's Grape Bowl web site
• World Connect site for Prince Allen Athearn
• Location of Prince Allen Athearn burial

Sa 7 May Actual Route: Dos Reis Pk - Lathrop - Stockton - Clements - Lake Amador

Su 8 May Actual Route: Lake Amador - Jackson - Indian Grinding Rock State Park

M 9 May Actual Route: Indian Grinding Rock State Park - Jackson - Sutter Creek

T 10 May Route: Sutter Creek - Plymouth - El Dorado Fairgrounds (Placerville)