Tuesday, December 30, 2014

December 2014



  
As I write this, I am blowing my nose and having a scratchy throat. Yet there is a sense of being well-favored this year. Isn't this true every year? Much of what we have done in 2014 is the same as 2013, but we also enjoyed new adventures and experiences.

Lets start with the same stuff; that would be hiking. In 2013, we met a father/daughter team on the John Muir Trail: the Millers. This year Andrea, Steven, Sherri and Gary joined up with the Millers to do a good part of the High Sierra Trail with a bit of rough country going up and over Colby Pass. It was 10 days and 80 miles of shear wonder, beauty, a bit of terror and a body-pounding trail. So many wonderful (and sometimes scary) moments. We just love that being 61 years old we can still enjoy the wild.

Speaking of enjoyment, we continue to enjoy Gary's parents. During the year, we have been able to have extended visits with them at their Mountain View home. This year we went on two longer trips with them. The first was in April, when we drove them to Denver. It was an uneventful trip-we were traveling in back of a storm. After dropping them off, we went to Sedona and found a new place to fall in love with. We hope to go back there soon. In September, we went with them to Kona, Hawaii for ten days. Such a time in paradise.

One of the new things we are doing is volunteering being fire lookouts. We spent several days at the Delilah Lookout (close to the Kings River), and Park Ridge Lookout (close to Grant Grove). We even got to stay in the lookouts at night-what a treat! So peaceful, looking down both towards Fresno at night or up at the High Sierra. This has been a learning and sometimes humbling experience:finding out just how much we do not know. We even got on TV for about 20 seconds. A local station did a segment on the lookouts in the area and we happened to be up there. On our last day, we saw a fire-sort of. Sherri is on a JMT Facebook site. There she noticed one hiker was driven off the trail because of a fire. We reported the fire; turned out to be a small one in the back-country.

Sherri and Steven have taken up an old favorite of ours: bicycling. Over the Summer, she went to a series of training sessions at a local church with a group called Women on Wheels (WOW). Many a Wednesday evening and Saturday morning found Sherri training with her WOW group. Her training culminated by riding 62 miles with the Valley Girls Ride in October and 50 miles in the Solvang Prelude. The latter she rode with Steven and Andrea.

So that gets us to our family. Andrea is in her second year as a full-time, permanent fifth grade teacher. Last year was a very good first year for her; this year the class is much more like a normal class experience-still enjoying teaching though. Steven is a Computer Science senior at Fresno State. The major change in our lives is that Rachel has moved back with us after working for almost two years with OpenX. She would like to obtain her Masters in Education. But until then, she is working at CARD as a behavioral therapist; there is much to learn, but she is excited about the possibilities.

Something which we ponder each year is the people God has lead into our lives-this would be YOU who are reading this newsletter. One group continues to be our long term friends in Book Group. Our group figures we have been going for over 12 years and have read over 120 books in that time. You can browse our readings on Gary's book blog. Then there is the even longer term companions in our House Group-for 27 years we have been experiencing the riches of this friendship. We are looking at Job this year and just starting to understand some of God's ways. Then we are on our second year with the our hiking group-the Central Valley Hiking Meetup Group; Gary is now leading hikes and has lead four of them. Of course, there are the family and friends who have shaped us into the people who we are.
 
Finally, we do ponder this verse: When the wise men saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. (Matthew 2:10). Our Christmas blessing to you is that you are able to share in the joy of the wise men as they followed the star to the Christ child.

If you want to read more about our adventures, see:
  • More pictures and an electronic version of our Christmas letter:

Saturday, December 6, 2014

December 6, 2014 - Various Yosemite Hikes




Title: December 6, 2014 - Various Yosemite Hikes
My brother David had sent me a link showing Yosemite's Falls after the most recent storm. You might say this wet my appetite to go up and see this rarity-Yosemite's falls actually having water in them. So Sherri and I went up for the day to enjoy the experience.
Trail head: Yosemite West, Azela Lane
Hike Info:
Type:  Hike
Trail: Hennessy Ridge Lookout service road
Destination:  Hennessy Ridge Lookout
Distance: 1.80 Miles
Start Time:  12:08
End Time:   12:59
Travel Time: 0:51 (2.11 mph)
Moving Time: 0:43 (2.51 mph)
Elevation Rise: 269'
Maximum Elevation: 5,936'
Description:
Henness Ridge Lookout
But before going to the Valley, we thought we would hit a trail we read about, which leads to a lookout. This trail starts in Yosemite West, off of Henness Ridge Road on Azela Lane. It follows a service road up to a communication installation on top of Henness Ridge. Initially the trail does a pretty good rise of about 80', then follow the twin topped ridge.

The walking is pleasant as there are trees lining the road. It has just rained during the last week so the road has puddles in places, but with the faint memory of pavement under-foot, it is solid. The trail itself lacks views, but this lack is what drives Sherri to mount up a second hill to see if there is something worthwhile looking at. But the view is obstructed by oak trees.

We do find a little path, whether human or animal made, I do not know, but it leads to two communications towers. Then at the top of the knoll is Henness Ridge Lookout. It is in the rustic park design. With age and lack of maintenance, it fulfills the rustic part. The stairs leading up to the top are missing or in danger of falling out. So there are boards preventing climbing up to the top. Still, it is fun imaging what the lookout looked like in its year day.

Us at the Lookout
From the lookout, there is an expansive view from Wawona all the way up to the Cascades. The main view is down towards the South Fork of the Merced. Hite Cove would be just on the other end of the ridge, about three miles away. But after some pictures and examination of an old heliport pad, we go back on the road.

The parking at the trail-head is limited. But As we were leaving, we met the area's postman. His name is Pierce who has walked the trail before. He and a group of friends and family do an autumn hike each year and he was telling us of some of the possible places to stay and hike in the area. After a 15 minute chat, we are off to Yosemite Valley.



Looking over the Merced River canyon







Trail head: Camp Curry-Yosemite Falls

Hike Info:
Type:  Hiking
Trail: Portion of Valley Loop
Destination: Mirror Lake
Distance: 4.95 miles
Start Time:  2:30
End Time:   4:42
Travel Time: 2:12 (2.25 mph)
Moving Time: 1:56 (2.56 mph)
Elevation Rise: 750'
Maximum Elevation: 4,197'


Yosemite Falls from Southside Drive



Description:
On the way into Yosemite Valley, we stop at Tunnel View. With the air so fresh and clear, and most of the tourists away, this view is so charged with greatness. While the better view of the Valley is up higher, for many people coming into the Valley, this is The View. As we go along Southside Dr, we come to a good view of Yosemite Falls and stop to enjoy the scene of water flowing over it. Mind you, it is only a fragment of what is to come, but it is better than the last six months of watching a dry fall.


Yosemite Falls
We park at the vacant Camp Curry parking lot and then hop the tram over to Yosemite Falls. Our starting point of the hike is the Falls and then we will head east along the northern part of the Valley Loop Trail. The Falls do not have a spray today, so it induces people to climb the boulders up to the base of the Falls. There is such an attraction in being close to greatness.




We do not doddle long here but walk along the Loop Trail, in back of the Visitor Center. Once past the Yosemite Falls area, we meet only a few people. Because of the lateness of the hour, we do not stop at the Ahwahnee either-there is more enjoyment in feeling the Autumn breath of the Valley than the stately wonder of the hotel.


Reflections
As it turns out, we have chosen wisely. The puddles in the trail reflect a constant wonder of sky, rock and trees above them, making each a mirror of wonder. Half Dome stands high up, only slightly clothed in mist. 



Ahwiyah Point and Half Dome

When we get to Tenaya Canyon, Sherri wants to go up the trail a ways. And that is how far we go, only a little ways, maybe a quarter mile. But here we get to see both Ahwiyah Point and Half Dome. As it is starting to get dark, we head back down the trail towards Mirror Lake. While no more than a small pond in some sand these days, there is just enough water to create a mirror. And that reflection is enough for us today.

We hop a tram for our ride back. But two more pieces of excitement for us before we go to Oakhurst and Todd's, which is now Alice's.
Mist on Meadow
The first, is a BASE jumper is landing. The person will probably be arrested upon landing. But the landing spot is also just amazing-with the cooling of the air, the meadow has a low-lying mist which covers the whole field. So amazing!


Mt Watkins and Mirror Lake

Half Dome


Ahwiyah Point




Happy Couple

Saturday, November 22, 2014

November 22, 2014 - Ft Monroe and Beyond

Title: November 22, 2014 - Ft Monroe and Beyond

Trail head: Bridalveil Falls parking Lot
Hike Info:
Type:  Hiking
Trail: Old Wawona Road
Destination: Ft Monroe
Distance: 5.09 miles 1
Start Time:  9:15
End Time:  2:41
Travel Time: 4:09 (1.23 mph)
Moving Time: 2:44 (1.86 mph)
Elevation Rise: 1,413' 1
Maximum Elevation: 5,391'
 1My GPS did not start picking up a signal until about 30 minutes into the hike. So the miles and elevation rise is based upon a hike we did a couple of weeks ago, as well as the map and profile. Also the start time is an approximation. The Travel and Moving Time/MPH is the actual recorded.
Description:
It is a wet day and has been predicted to be so for many days now. It is my second meetup hike as an organizer and at one time, this hike had 25 people signed up for it. But through normal attrition and the impending weather taking a toll, we are down to eight people on hike day. Still for the rain predicted that is good. Three people will meet us at the trail head, so I tell non-family to meet us at my house instead of Kohl's. It turns out this is sort of like the last meetup hike I lead: on that one we had 17 signed up and 18 returned. Today we have eight signed up and will have nine return. For you see, as we enter into Oakhurst, Dana texts us saying she is waiting at Starbucks in Oakhurst-she had decided to go at the last moment.


Our Group
We actually get to Bridalveil Falls parking lot just a tad after 9:00-about half an  hour earlier than I was expecting.   But all three of the people whom we are to meet are there: Jerry K, Mark and Jan. Mark and Jan are people I have not hiked  with before. But that is one of the good things about meetup, you get to meet new people. The rest of our group includes Carol-a friend of ours, Steven and Sherri-son and wife, Betty and Dana-meetup friends, and myself. We drive up a quarter mile, a little above the W1 sign post where we get out and start in.


Cathedral Rocks
Did I say that it was already raining? Not badly, but we do have on our rain gear. We start up the trail: me in the lead and Sherri and Jerry K being the sweeps.  A lot of times Yosemite can be spectacular with clouds: the clouds playing tag with Half Dome or creating contrast with El Capitan. But that is not today's experience: no Half Dome or El Cap in view. There is a solid blanket of clouds obscuring almost all views. In places, we can make out a bit of a nearby ridge-line. Still there are some benefits in this. For one, the trail is not dusty and the rain has rinsed off the leaves, causing them to glisten.

Gary talking
 We climb up the historic Old Wawona Road 2, with the light rain which we started with now becoming a real rain. One of my interests when I travel a trail is to understand who came here before me. In this case, the road we travel and the fort we are going to have many stories to tell, and I enjoy talking about these stories. After crossing a couple of dry creeks-Meadow and Artist-we stop at Artist Point 3. This place has inspired many a Promethean pioneer artist. But this would not be one of those days. I do stop with explaining what the artists would see here. But somehow, it is not the same.
View from Artist Point on a clear day





Clear Day View-Artist Point










Looking across the Valley



Now we continue to divide the rain waters and climb up Old Wawona Road. The rain does drive us on rather than having us stop and try to gaze at the cloud-hidden wonders surrounding us. We do some of that anyway. The rain and time of year have knocked down some of the amber and orange leaves, but we still see the immense big-leaf maple leaves underfoot. Some of the autumn leaves still dangle from their perch on the trees surrounding us. After Artist Point, we quickly pass the Pohono Trail. We then climb a coupe of switch backs before emerging onto a flatish area. I sort of thought this must be where Ft Monroe 4 is. But it does not correspond to a description which Tony Krizan has given more nor the GPS coordinates which GNIS has. So I think I am mistaken. But that does not stop me from giving background on George Monroe.

View on another day from Inspiration Point

Artist Creek

Now it is a short walk to New Inspiration Point where we were to have lunch. But it is raining harder than ever. For once, people do not want to stop and rest and enjoy a peace lunch. I wonder why? So we then head down the Pohono Trail back to the Old Wawona Road. Here some of the faster hikers want to get back to the comfort and dryness of their vehicles-I do not blame them. But I cannot get much wetter than I am, so I wait around and just make sure everybody is going in the right direction. The trail down from New Inspiration Point is pretty steep, but with water running down the trail, at least we are not choking with dust

Artist Creek


As we come back down the road, there is one aspect of the trail has changed: we now have a creek crossing at Artist Creek. There is a nice bit of runoff there, nothing too dangerous or anything, just a nice surprise. The creek also brings out the colors, so despite the rain, we stop for awhile and enjoy the view before us. But the dry cars are calling, so we march down the road for the final mile.



But we were surprised when we get down to the spot where we started: the cars are gone! It will be a long and wet walk back home if that is true. But before we have a chance to moan about this, along comes Dana. Then Steven and Jerry K is right behind her. So we slosh into our cars, trying not to flood them and agree to meet up at the Chinquapin restroom. Jerry K does say goodbye to us. But we are stopping in Oakhurst at El Cid. We eat and enjoy each other as we warm up before heading back to Fresno. I think we all agree I will need to schedule another trip up this trail this Spring, preferably not in the rain.
Leaves on the ground


Trail Lesson:
Rain is survival able. What you make of being in it depends on you, not the rain.




More Gary talking


Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves



Talking Notes:


 2Old Wawona Road
Starts at the Wawona Covered Bridge. Crosses the road around the campground. Around Misquito Creek, it drops below 41 and parallels or crosses it several times. Dr. John Taylor McLean created the road. Once only one of two ways into the valley. remarkable achievements of these pioneers using picks, shovels, black powder and sweat to achieve their goals. Their only monetary reward was a wage of $40s a month, food, and lodging.

Soon after enthusiast James Hutchings began escorting sightseers to view Yosemite Valley in 1855, Andrew, Milton and Houston Mann built a 45-mile toll horse trail from Mariposa to the already-famous Valley via the South Fork. Mainly, they followed the old Indian trails. It was opened August 1, 1856, and operated as a toll route until 1862 when Mariposa County purchased it, declaring it a “Public Highway.” Until then, tolls were: [“]Man and horse each way, $2.00; pack mule or horse, each way, $2.00; Footman, $1.00.” 31
In 1869, Galen Clark organized a stock company of eight men to build a wagon and stage road from Mariposa as far as Clark’s 22 (Wawona) which was used as a toll road from 1870 until 1917. As early as 1870, Clark had a survey made for a wagon road from his lodging at Wawona to Yosemite Valley. This road was begun by Chinese laborers, under the direction of John Conway and Edwin Moore and finished by Washburn, Chapman & Company in July, 1875. 32 Most of the 16-foot-wide road was constructed during severe winter weather. The era of the stagecoach, which was to continue, in jolting, dusty fashion for forty years, began for Yosemite-bound visitors.
By mid-April, 1875, the rough road was passable for stagecoaches except for a narrow, 300-yard section still under construction near the old Inspiration Point. To the passengers’ temporary inconvenience and amusement, they walked the unfinished stretch while their quickly-dismantled stage was carried in pieces by hand, then reassembled, harnessed up, reboarded and driven off with considerable aplomb. 32
The Yosemite Stage & Turnpike Company (Washburn brothers), ran stages from Merced to Wawona via Mariposa where they had a livery stable.
The road from Raymond to Wawona generally followed the route of present State Highway 41, while the stage route from Mariposa, called the Chowchilla Mountain Road, exists today, rutty, dusty and little-changed from its 1870 route.
The Wawona Hotel was a logical and popular overnight stop for stage travelers, and the Yosemite Stage & Turnpike Company, operating two stage schedules and 700 horses, saw to it that their passengers traveled speedily and safely, though dustily.
In 1865, 369 hardy, saddle-sore travelers visited Yosemite. In 1875, mostly in stagecoaches, the Park had 2,423 visitors; 2,590 in 1885; 8,023 in 1902; and in 1914, when automobiles were allowed on the Wawona Road, 15,154. Travel doubled in 1915 when 31,546 visitors chugged in; 209,166 came in 1925 and 498,289 in 1932, 33 the last year of Washburn ownership.
The Wawona Road accounted for a number of Yosemite “firsts.” The first automobile to enter the Valley traveled it in 1900, and 32 miles of it had the honor of being the first paved road in the Yosemite region in June, 1902 34 Mud and dust were tamed!
Soon increased automobile traffic made oiled roads a necessity and, in 1932, the new, modern Wawona Road was completed from the South (Fresno) Entrance to Yosemite Valley.


 3Artist Point
Thomas Hill is the most noted artist who worked at this point. From sketches he made here, he painted the Great Canyon of the Sierras in 1871. Also he painted Yosemite Valley. This painting gathered top honors in the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. He eventually worked out of Wawona at what is now the Ranger Station there. For paintings of his, look at the Yosemite Museum, Oakland Museum and Sacramento's Crocker Museum.

J Smeaton Chase: Yosemite Trails
The road to Fort Monroe was hot and dusty, but mitigated with cool streams and intervals of grateful forest and enlivened by many tracks of deer and bear. The afternoon sunlight was streaming full into the valley as we reached Artists’ Point. The narrowness of the gateway as it is seen from this point brings out strongly the gorge-like character of the depression, and in my opinion renders this the most striking of all the comprehensive views of the wonderful valley. When we reached Inspiration Point it lacked only an hour of sunset. The vast shadow of El Capitan lay already far across the valley, and a long purple promontory ran out from the foot of Three Brothers. I was reminded of the line of Virgil, by which, it is said, Millet was always deeply affected,—

Majoresque cadunt altis de montibus umbrae.”1

1“And the great shadows fall from the high mountains.”
Certainly it harmonizes well with his sombre and sensitive genius.

 4Ft Monroe
At the elevation around 5,600 feet we arrived at Fort Monroe. These structures were removed when the Wawona Tunnel was completed in July of 1933.

Fort Monroe was named for George F. Monroe, a stage driver for the Yosemite Stage Line. The "fort" was a stage team relay station, and a place where stage line customers and other travelers camped.
Monroe came to California with his uncle from his native Georgia in 1856 to meet his parents who had recently moved to Mariposa as part of the gold rush. George was 12 at the time. George's father Louis became a successful barber in Mariposa,[citation needed] and eventually bought and lived on a prosperous ranch south east of town.
In 1866 Monroe started working for the Wabash brothers, who ran the Yosemite Stage Line, and eventually got promoted to driver. He was said to excel at taking the team over the treacherous road, which included many sharp drop offs at the side of the road and numerous tight switch backs. He never had an accident that cost the company money nor injury to his passengers.[1] It is thought that an accident precipitated his own death at the age of 42. According to one account, he was riding as a passenger in the stage when a horse got away from the driver, and George clambered to the front horse to stop the team, in the course of which he injured himself. A few days later, after complaining of feeling ill, he died at his parents ranch. He was their only child.[2]
Monroe was said to be well known to travelers from Europe, as well as throughout the United States. Among his passengers over the years were presidents Grant, Garfield and Hayes
The location retained Monroe's name after his death. It was always a site of significance, from the stage and horse era of the late 19th century, well into the automobile era when for a time it was an entrance station, and was said to have a fine automobile camp.[3] When the Wawona Tunnel was built, the upper road was converted into part of the Pohono Trail, whose starting point is now located at the Tunnel View parking lot.


J Smeaton Chase: Yosemite Trails
We camped at Fort Monroe, and ate our supper between exclamations at the sunset color on the pines and cedars on the opposite hillside. The level light illuminated the forest with a radiance that was indescribably royal and august, and the great trees stood thoughtful and reverent, ripening their harvest in the golden air.

From just beyond our camp there opened a wonderful outlook to the west. The land here falls away almost precipitously two thousand feet to the cañon of the Merced, where it forms a sweeping amphitheatre at the point where Tamarack Creek enters from the north. Opposite, the unbroken forest rises to the high ridge that is held by the Merced Grove of Sequoias, and which here forms the watershed between the Merced and Tuolumne systems.

In the gathering dusk the myriad pinnacles of the forest rose into a pale, clear sky, down which the new moon passed musingly to sink behind the western mountains.