A Break in the Action

 

And thankfully it was not my foot which ended up suffering just a sprain, albeit a very aggravated one due to the constant use I put it through on my way to Yosemite.

I laid up for two days at Yosemite Lakes, another Thousand Trails campground, until I was able to head back to my current home base in SoCal. I used the cruise control instead of the gas pedal to navigate my way south on US 395 and then onto Interstate 15, etc.

First, however, I had to drive the 120 through Yosemite National Park. I was very surprised at how crowded it was after Labor Day. There is a pullout that offers views of Half Dome down in the valley. I was not the only one who thought it was nice.

There was 50 cars and at least 150 people checking it out.

Let me zoom in a little bit.

That’s what glaciers can do to granite. if you are so inclined you can go to the top. I would probably fall off and really hurt my foot. I stopped twice to take photos from outside the car until it became too painful.

Next I passed through Tuolumne Meadows. Very crowded.

I still cannot get over the amount of people here at this time of the year. I think it is great. Every day you spend spend camping is not subtracted from your lifespan. I am 117 years old and don’t look a day over 50…

Before you exit the park heading east you pass by Tenaya Lake. I hobbled out of the car to take this photo.

Photography-wise I don’t like clear blue skies. They are boring. I like the drama, tension, and foreboding that a broken sky brings. (Broken sky is a term that photographers use to describe clouds. We are silly that way)

The foreboding part became reality as I travelled down the 395.

One last chance for mother nature to show who is in charge.

I got the last laugh because I wasn’t pitching my tent that night.

I don’t quit, however. After giving my foot two weeks to heal I am heading back to Yosemite. I want to do it right. I will be staying in Tuolumne Meadows until it closes on 9/26, arriving on 9/23. Then I will sleep in dumpsters (bear-proof thankfully) until my other reservations kick in at Upper Pines in the valley from 10/1 until 10/4. I snagged the last campsite available for those dates. Seriously, the valley campgrounds are fully booked for the best time to visit in my opinion.

I am going to take tons of photos while I’m in the area for two weeks. We will be adding an HD slideshow to our Yosemite National Park page showcasing the photos I will take of all the wonders that are here.

So bear with me while I heal. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.

Regards,

Greg

Dancing With Myself

 

That’s what a couple of campers told me it looked like I was doing Monday morning as I tried desperately to keep my balance while exiting the shower house at Ponderosa.

I am always thinking about safety while camping. When I walk the campgrounds I wear a good pair of hiking shoes. On trails a sturdy pair of hiking boots adorn my feet.

I do wear flip-flops around the campsite sometimes and always in the shower. They are only a few years old and still in good condition but the straps have stretched a bit. That probably contributed to what happened next.

I walked away from the shower house on a slightly down-sloping asphalt path. There must have been a bit of sand there because my right foot started to slide. I did the aforementioned dance but my wet foot slid laterally across my wet sandal and over the edge. The net result was my foot twisting in a way that it was not meant to be bent. I went down.

I waved off the other campers who came over to help and walked gingerly back to my campsite. I kept my foot elevated for the rest of the day and slept fine Monday night.

There were some campgrounds I wanted to visit in the Crystal Basin area and since my foot felt about 80% I gave it a go on Tuesday.

From Coloma/Lotus I drove north-east on Marshall road and then east on Wentworth Springs road. First stop was at Stumpy Meadows.

It has 40 campsites and a lake with a boat ramp.

The host told me that it was packed over the long weekend. A 5 mph speed limit makes it very popular for canoeing and kayaking. My foot was down to 70% but I kept going.

15 miles further east brings us to the big lake in the basin called Union Valley. First, a brief aside. I know that they are called reservoirs, not lakes, because they have dams. But I can write lake twice instead of reservoir and still have a letter left over. It also sounds nicer. Plus, let me ask you this. Have you heard of Powell, Mead, or Havasu reservoirs? I thought not. Put the word lake in front and I bet it rings a bell.

The first two campgrounds I stopped at were closed, Yellow Jacket and Wolf Creek.

Normally I would just go around the gate and walk it. I bring a trash bag with me to closed campgrounds in case any left over trash is laying around. I did not do that in this case for two reasons. First, the road that loops around the lake is about a mile or two from the lakeside campgrounds, leading to quite a bit of walking. Secondly, the past hour of driving and using my right foot constantly for the brake and gas pedals has gotten it down to 60%.

I caught a break with the two big campgrounds. The main gates were open. 2 of 3 loops were closed at each one but I was able to park within walking distance to check them out.

Being a pirate born 200 years too late I love the name of this campground. Wench Creek’s 100 campsites are located on the north shore of the lake. It’s a pretty spot with many of the campsites having water views.

Walking is starting to hurt. I am down to 45% in my right foot.

About four miles away is Sunset campground.

That is site 98, the best there.

This campground is aptly named (unlike Crater Lake which should be called Caldera Lake). A two mile long peninsula juts out from the east side of the lake. Several of it’s 131 sites are on or near the tip and campers enjoy marvelous sunsets. There is also a boat ramp nearby and after launching you can tie it up along the shoreline. Bring the water toys because this lake is not speed restricted like Stumpy.

Public showers are available at Fashoda, a walk-in tent campground adjacent to it. Go figure.

I almost didn’t finish the last 30 campsite photos there. I was limping badly and my right foot was throbbing. Then I thought, WWLaCD. (What Would Lewis and Clark Do). They would gut it out and I did the same. I hobbled back to my car with about 15% left on my right lower paw.

Now comes the easy part I thought. Just a four hour drive through the mountains to the Yosemite area. Boy was I wrong.

Anyone with half a brain would have realized that I needed to take a break and elevate my foot for a while. Since I have a full brain and I'm Canadian to boot I ventured onward. The issue was time.

I left Ponderosa at 9:00am. Started taking photos at Stumpy at 10:00am and finished up Sunset at 2:00pm. I did not want to arrive at my destination in the dark. The first part was easy. Coasted down Ice House road to US 50 and then west to Placerville. The pain started to get serious when I turned left on CA 49 and headed south.

100 miles of twisting roads and my right foot was in agony from using the pedals. Gas Brake Gas Brake. Then I got on the 120 east and the first sign I saw was “curvy roads next 8 miles”. Dante had nothing on this inferno. I had to keep going. I had no where else to go. I finally arrived at Yosemite Lakes with a tear stained face that I was going to claim was simply sweat. The red eyes were from allergies.

I did not want to step out of the car so I honked my horn at the registration booth. I was shown a map where the tent areas were and found a decent campsite. Turning off the ignition I realized that I was not done yet. I still had to set up my tent.

Let me say at this point that a twisted/broken foot should not hurt like this. I have had both previously. I also know many people have experienced much greater pain than I was currently enjoying. But what followed was the most ongoing physical pain I have ever experienced.

I set up my campsite. Pitched my tent so that my feet would be elevated. What would normally take 10-15 minutes took one hour. I just kept walking back and forth and by 7:30pm with the sun already set I was done.

I peeled off my hiking shoes and was surprised to see not much swelling.

I should be a foot model.

Maybe not.

The ankle was a bit puffy but most of the pain was coming from the top of my foot.

I downed a couple of Advil. Never slept.

Dawn arrived without Ginger. I guess that’s mixing screen names with real names. I always liked Mary Ann the best. She looked like a camper.

At this point I cannot walk or drive. I’ll spend a couple of days here to heal and see what happens.

Regards,

Greg

Rocky and Bullwinkle

 

I left Oregon House on Monday and drove about 80 miles south east to Yuba Gap. This is right off Interstate 80, 75 miles east of Sacramento. There were 6 campgrounds I wanted to photograph in this area.

The first two I visited on Tuesday were Whitecloud and Skillman Horse Camp. They are 15 miles north east on CA 20.

Both of these campgrounds are on the Pioneer Trail, which is extremely popular for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

From the web: “The Pioneer Trail is a twenty-five mile long non-motorized trail that parallels the route of State Highway 20 from the western edge of the Tahoe National Forest to near the center of the Forest. At the eastern terminus the trail links to the Spaulding Lake Trail providing access to the Grouse Lakes Area and a 41-mile non-motorized trail system.”

Skillman also has two group sites.

Next up were two PG&E campgrounds within three miles of Yuba Gap. I went there on Wednesday.

The lake is very beautiful when it is full. By late August it had been drawn down and the boat ramp was almost high and dry.

The other PG&E campground in the area is called Lodgepole, one of the prettiest campgrounds you will find.

It is very well kept up and has a delightful stream meandering through the campground. There is also a nice big green meadow to play in.

I spoke with a gal who told me she has been going there for 50 years. I completely understand that.

The last two campgrounds are located about 5 miles east of Yuba Gap right next to Interstate 80. I checked them out on Thursday. You can hear and sometimes see the traffic whizzing by. So why are they so popular you ask?  It’s the water, baby. An hour and a half’s drive east let’s you escape the summer heat of Sacramento and swim in the cool clear water of the South Yuba River.

Several campsites are right on the river and have their own beach area. Numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8 to be precise. The photos below were taken from #5.

My friend Marilyn is probably drooling while looking at those photos. She loves swimming holes. Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

This place has the best swimming hole I have seen so far. I spoke with the camp host and he said the same thing as the gal from Lodgepole. He knows people who have been coming here for decades. Every regular campsite was reserved for the holiday weekend. Only a couple of walk-ins were available as of Thursday.

Oh, I almost forgot to post the swimming hole photos. Check these out Marilyn.

Yeah.

Friday I drove 80 miles south to Colma on CA 49. It’s 15 miles south of Auburn, a little farther north of Placerville. I didn’t much care for the  Thousand Trails campground I just left at Yuba Gap which is why there are no photos from there. Their Ponderosa campground is another story. It is situated on the South Fork of the American River which is the most commercially rafter river west of the Rockies.. There is so much to see and do in this area that a weekend would just scratch the service.

Here is some information about the Coloma-Lotus Valley that you might find interesting. It’s the birthplace of the California gold rush. On January 24, 1848, James Marshall saw something gleaming in the tailrace of the sawmill he was building for Sacramento land baron John Sutter. That little glitter turned out to be gold and in the next few years over 300,000 people showed up looking to strike it rich. This resulted in California becoming a state two years later in 1850. At least that is what I remember from school.

Back to Ponderosa. Little Joe is complaining to Ben that Hoss is…wait, wrong Ponderosa. I set up my tent next to the river and wound up having two great families camping next to me.

There is a beach a few hundred feet away where I took this photo Saturday morning.

The water level fluctuates. High during the day and varies at night. This is what the beach looked like Saturday afternoon.

Going back to my stay at Yuba Gap, there was two interesting things that happened and that is why I called this post Rocky and Bullwinkle. Old people like me remember the cartoon. Rocky was a squirrel and Bullwinkle a moose. My Rocky was a psycho squirrel that seemed intent on killing me. I came to this realization on Wednesday while walking to the bathroom. I heard a crashing sound in the pine tree above me.  An unripe giant green pine cone was falling like a plinko ball through the limbs and heading my way. I ducked and covered. It hit the ground with a big thump two feet away.

I had been hearing these sounds for the past few days, thinking they were some dead tree limbs falling down. Nope, it was psycho Rocky chewing on the stems of these five pound bombs so he and his cohorts could feast on the seeds they contained. I swear I could hear that squirrel laugh every time he sent one my way. This is what I am talking about.

Once it hits the ground the squirrels try to drag it into the bushes.

If they can’t they will just eat it where it falls.

Here is one that has started to be nibbled on.

This is what’s left when they are done.

They should offer hard hats to people that camp here. A neighbor told me that their friend’s sunroof was broken by the cones. I know Rocky had a hand in it.

Bullwinkle was simply the biggest ground squirrel I have ever seen. After a long hard day in the office on Thursday I was relaxing in my chair and reading a book on my Nook. Cracking and eating some unshelled peanuts.

I saw a small dog approaching, at least that is what I thought at first. Nope, it was Bullwinkle. I said hello as he waddled towards me. I am still not sure if it was a bite or a scratch but he did something to the big toe on my right foot and I dropped the peanut I was about to open. He sauntered over to it, picked it up and ate it. Then he glared at me, asking for more.

No, I did not give him another peanut. With a dirty look and a flick of his tail he left.

Saturday afternoon some kids passed by, one of them holding something.

13 lizards.

I’ve had beef tacos, chicken tacos and pork tacos. Possibly some dog tacos in Ensenada in the 80’s. So what the heck.

Very tasty. Kinda chewy with some crunchy bits. The tails worked great as toothpicks.

My neighbors loved them.

Regards,

Greg