The Skunk Train

Wednesday morning was the day to take the Skunk Train--we were only going halfway, planning to return at North Spur.  We wore our special blue bracelets identifying us as the occupants of the 1st class car where we would be served a free Mimosa and then wine taste with crackers, cheese, fruit and other hor d'oeuvres on the ride.  No children would be  allowed in this winetasting car.

We arrived at the parking area and the day was already warm, with throngs of people lined to get on the train.  We moved to our gate, noting that some folks with kids in tow were lined up there also.  Soon they were told that they had to board further down the line, and we climbed into our car, which was the one gaily painted with scenes of wildlife.  It is an historic car, and of course rthere is no air conditioning--only a few of the ancient windows opened, and we were warned to watch our elbows as these might close unexpectedly.  Still, I was comfortable and a breeze passed through the nearby open window once the train began to move.

The Mimosa was delicious, and just the way to start the ride.  Laura and I also had samples of other wines as we passed along dense forests, ferns and waterways making our way inland.  We start in the Pudding Creek drainage with the creek along our left, then pass trhrough a lengthy dark tunnel (our car had no lights and it was pitch black almost), emerging into the Noyo River drainage.  Trestle bridges criss-cross the Noyo which at times is on the right and at times on  the left. One interesting area was the site of a cyclonic microburst, where winds reaching 200 mph had tossed trees every which way over a 30 minute period this past January 2010.  At the time, the rails had been blocked by fallen trees, and the shattered remains of trees everywhere across about a 5 acre area were impressive to see.  

We passed isolated ranches, scout camps, and one 1000+ year old tree, then reached North Spur, where we disembarked and had a barbecue lunch.  The train reversed the position of the engine and our car, which had been just behiund the engine, now becoming the last car in the train.  Back we came, with the heat of the day.  It was quite warm in the car, but we were happy with the beauty passing by, the camarderie of the car, and the entertaining railway songs of Greg Shandel, dressed in period costume and playing a harmonica and guitar.  Too soon we were back in Fort Bragg.

At The Beach

It was 105 inland today, so we set off for Ten Mile Beach.  The most common entry point is at Ward Avenue, north of Fort Bragg, where you park and walk through a large culvert to the dunes and the sea beyond.  But today we headed up to the new Ten Mile River bridge, just finished this summer, and planned to walk in from the parking area as Liz and Laura had said they often did.  As we parked I noticed a sign that said the closest beach access was a mile north or 3.5 miles south at McKerricker.  Hmmm. 

I drew Liz and Laura's attention to the sign, and they said "No problem, there's a short cut just this way."  Well the shortcut was overgrown and we pushed through dense vegetation, much of it three lobed leaves with a slight reddish cast.  Once through this jungle, we came out on the old haul road and walked easily to the dunes across the sand to the beach where I immediately immersed myself in the sea water scrubbing all bare skin parts.  Laura assured me she would find an easier way back without opportunity to hack through more poison oak.

It was balmy and really great weather at the beach--we walked up and back beachcombing, and plopped down with our umbrella and blanket on a nice patch of sand.  No one else was around, although later we saw two couples in the far distance and another couple passed us by within 100 feet--other than that we were all alone on the beach.  I actually fell asleep and dozed on the warm sand for awhile, lulled by the rhythmic crash of the waves while Liz walked down the beach a long ways, and Laura gathered shells and rocks up the beach to the river.

Several hours later we gathered our stuff and began to walk out--reaching the bottom of the bridge and climbing up a near vertical cliff using our hands and feet.  This "short cut" was better than the poison oak path, but a bit more dangerous.

Returning to the house, we learned from my neighbor Sue that it had reached 100 degrees in her chicken coop, and had been 96 on her back deck.  It was quite warm, with no trace of a breeze, so we had chosen the best day of the week to stay cool and comfy at the beach.

The Ecological Staircase at Jughandle Creek

On Monday, Laura, Liz and I headed up to Jughandle Creek.  The State Park here has a short bluff trail leading to the Ecological Staircase Trail (or one simply can leave the parking lot and drop down to the beach).  Dogs are not allowed on the Ecological Staircase trail, but are permitted on the bluff portion, which is the most recent terrace deposit that has been uplifted from the sea floor. 

The staircase trail winds under the Highway 1 bridge, then drops down to Jughandle Creek using several flights of stairs to reach a bridge across the stream.  The trail map has several points of interest (40) along its entire length, explaining the terrain or vegetation one is passing.  Once across the creek, you climb through second growth forest of varying types walking slowly uphill along the second terrace, heading toward the third, which is pygmy forest.  Most of this vegetation is very similar to the flats behind the Old House, except for a few dense groves of Sitka Spruce, usually found far to the north.

The trail is well maintained, and if you arrive at the trailhead early enough, no one else shares the trail with you--but don't be surprised if later in your walk, joggers run past you as the trail cuts close to a subdivision with a firetrail that has cuts into the park trail.

The trail is 2.5 miles one way, or 5 miles round trip, which was about 1 mile longer than my feet liked.  But the trail itself was an easy grade and not difficult to traverse--just long.

The final terrace is pygmy--identitical to our own.

Travels with Liz (& Laura)

. Travels with Liz (& Laura!)

We had planned to travel to Oregon, but at the last minute we decided to stay at Mendocino, and we plan to do “tourist” explorations many of which we have not done before. So many interesting and fun activities or places exist within an hour (or even two hours) of the property, and yet we never seem to get there. So, we decided we would to see as many things as we were comfortable doing in Laura’s week off.

They arrived on Saturday, and we decided not to go out to dinner on their first night. Rather, we barbecued steaks—fillet mignon!--nearly running out of propane, on the porch in the chill fog. Little did we know what was ahead for us!

But, as we barbecued, we visited and caught up on this and that. Laura and I sat outside with our wine, overseeing the BBQ, while Liz made the salad. The wild rice percolated away in the rice maker, and the table was already set and waiting. Tillie was fed, although she seemed to forget that detail as the steaks cooked.

The day had been drizzly gray, but one could ignore that with the cheery companionship, plus I had started a fire in the wood stove because I knew Laura the Lizard would be cold. Dinner was delicious, the company was good, and the evening was relaxing.

On Sunday we awoke to a sparkling bright day—sun at dawn with no trace of fog. The schedule for the day was to go to Montgomery Woods between Comptche and Ukiah on Orr Springs Road, followed by dinner at Little River Inn--not too shabby.

You head east from Comptche and the road narrows as you slowly lose the center yellow line.  The smooth fresh resurfaced paving gives way to a pothole patchwork where even the patches have been patched.  Homes become infrequent, and gravel ranch drives wind away from the road, disappearing into forests or over hills.

About thirty miles inland from Highway 1 is Montgomery Woods, a state park with a stand of old growth redwood, once home to the tallest tree in the world (but that tree was nudged out by a taller tree in Humboldt County). The trailhead is undergoing renovation, and will have a better restroom and visitor display area in the near future.  Orange plastic fencing and frames for concrete pours are all around, but you quickly leave these traces of civilization behind as you embark on the trail.

The walk to the grove starts with a short 0.3 mile segment which is uphill, fairly steeply, following a creek. Then you top a rise, and find yourself on a narrow alluvial flat with rich soils deposited by the stream.  Here, lush ferns spread across the flat, intermixed with a dense carpet of sorrel.  Other than the cascading fall of the creek, it is quiet in the forest.  The trail along the flat follows the creek as we wander upstream through large old growth trees, most clearly showing burn marks from the 2008 lightning wildfires.  The elevation gain is quite small along the flat, and we wandered through exquisite groves of redwoods.  Because of the burn, the regenerative power of the redwood is in abundant view--green tall leafy rewood sprouts are thick about the base of many trees.

Tan oak on one side of the ravine above the flats were badly burned, but new vegetation is coming back in.  Some trees look like they fell after the fire, some shattering, some not.  One large tree over the path seemed to need a hand from Liz as she played the role of Atlas.

A boardwalk takes you along one area, and on the east side of the creek (on the return), you more closely follow the stream.  Plenty of water skippers and frogs were evident, as Laura examined each pool.

We decided to find a log and spread out our simple lunch for a brief respite.  After a great lunch of crackers and cheese, we continued, often exploring on a trail that would ultimately peter out or become too difficult to traverse due to the down trees.  But the main trail is easily passable all the way around the loop. 

Besides the lush and diverse vegetation of the area, we also saw plenty of flowers (and many more would be blooming in the spring) as well as insects and other invertebrates.  An intricate spider web shaped like a magical hat caught our eye at one spot.

Eventually we found ourselves on the downhill grade leading back to the trailhead--weary but satisfied with the wonderul walk we had, exploring the many facets of an old growth redwood forest.

Tomorrow, we plan to hike along Jug Handle Creek, up the Ecological Staircase.

August in a June Gloom

It is unseasonally cool--most of the vegetables and berries are late this year.  My solitary apple is turning red, but that's because it's poor and about to drop off.  The rains came at the wrong time during the spring blossoming, and the apples did not get pollintaed this year (nor the apricots).  Cherries did okay, but then the late rains and cool weather cause premature fruit drop on those. And now the bear is here again and he'll even get those poor apples that fall off.  I'll pick up the wildlife camera tomorrow and see what it shows.

I noticed today that the poplars are starting to look a little tinged by fall, so I think it may be early this year.  And we haven't really had a summer yet!  They are promising warmer weather next weekend.  We'll see.

Gary and family (and friends) are up this week, stayng at the old house.  It is good to see everybody.  Megan was very disappointed that this Friday is a "furlough Friday" so she won't be able to go to the DMV to get her learner's permit.  She is slated to start Driver's Ed next Monday.

Travels with Liz (Last Part)

We arose early on Monday, planning the drive across the coastal hills to Cambria, then up to San Simeon. As we left, a doe and two fawns obligingly stayed in the pedestrtan crossing as they wandered through the Pinnacles campground. Deer, turkeys, and wild pigs are plentiful in the area, but apparently not bear, as the garbage containers were not bear proof and no bear food lockers were provided. The garbage disposal cans were raccoon proof, however. Mountain lions frequent the area as warning signs were posted.

The drive across the hills was easy, and we noticed the abundance of vineyards both in the valley as well as the upland areas. Wineries were common and clearly wine tasting is a large tourist draw in the Paso Robles area now. Once on the coast, we were able to camp at San Simeon State Park (no hookups), which is right on the ocean. It is a short walk on nice trails to the beach. Our campsite, number 38, is a prime location and screened with trees. At night, it is quiet, and you can hear the ocean from the campsite.

That afternoon we explored The Hearst Castle Visitor Center, picking up our tickets for the three tours we had planned for Tuesday. The gift shop beckoned us both and I helped the State out with some purchases.

Back at the camp, we relaxed with a walk on the beach. After dinner, we explored another trail around the campground which ultimately also lead to the beach. Did I mention that I have no trouble reaching my daily goal of 10000 steps when Liz is around?

Squrrels are plentiful and the crows and jays are very aggressive. In contrast to Pinnacles, the flies were few and were not the small biting type.

On Tuesday, we headed up to Hearst Castle for our first tour--which was a general tour explaining its history and including the exterior and some of the large rooms on the ground floor of Casa Grande. The second tour, which was after lunch at the visitor center, was of the Casa Grande second floor and upper floors, as well as the large kitchen. The kitchen work areas included some of the utensils and a storage bin like the ones in our Old House. These tours were very informative and the buses that transported us to the Castle from the Center were full both times.

After the second tour we returned to camp and had an early dinner, then went back for our last tour of the day at 6:30. The Center was practically empty, Liz and I were the only ones on our bus, and there were only a few others already at the Castle when we arrived. We were well outnumbered by the tour guides on this self-guided tour around the entire exterior and all of the gardens. It was by far the best tour of the day, as each tour guide we encountered was eager to impart information or provide a map, and we were free to pause as long as we wanted at any point. Too soon it was 8 o'clock and time for us to find our bus driver. Once again, we were the only ones on the bus heading down the hill, with three others still wandering around at the top (according to the intercom comments). It had a been a busy day, but full of information and the tours were all excellent. I would like to go back when they have the fall evening tour where people dress in garb from the 1930s. W. R. Hearst was quite a person, and I purchased "The Chief," a comprehensive biography of Hearst to read.

Whether you are looking at the indoor pool with its gilded tiles, the art pieces, including this gilded statue, or the vast outdoor pool (re-built three times), the place is wondrous.

The next day we proceeded up the coast after a leisurely breakfast out. We stopped at the overlook for the sealions, seeing many of the animals sleeping on the beach. One was making its way back to the ocean, and only could move 5 to 8 feet before stopping and resting. Once it hit the water, it was able to move much better with the bouyancy, but on land these giant creatures are very slow moving. Their deep bass barks are quite impressive.

Further up the road we encountered more traffic, full campgrounds, or state parks which were not friendly to trailers, so Liz and I headed home.

Travels with Liz (Continued from July Posting)

On Wednesday the 21st of July, we left Yosemite National Park, and backtracked through Manteca, cutting over to HWY5 and traveling down to the cutoff toward Pacheco Pass. Once there, we traveled south along Highway 25 to Pinnacles National Monument.


I was tired from the drive, it was hot, and I was disappointed in the campground; it seemed not very pretty, full of flies, and I was cranky about the flat, gravel area we found ourselves in with camping spots marked out with white chalk lines on the gravel. There were electrical hookups but not water, or one could choose tent places with no hookups which were more traditional campsite-looking spots. It was confusing because most of the campsites were marked "one night only" even though no one was in them and hardly anybody was at the campground. We opted for one site which did not have the one-night-only designation with an electrical hookup, and figured we would only stay one night. Still, we planned on a hike for the next morning. Much later we would find out that the "one-night-only" signs didn't mean a thing.


After a good night's sleep, we awoke to a chill, foggy morning. Energy restored, I think that the campground is about a 6 on my scale (it has a dump station and showers--more than Yosemite had) as the surrounding valley hills are pretty and nice trails surround the camp. Water was close at hand. We decided to stay for a few more nights, and use the campground as a base to explore the Monument, attend the Garlic Festival, and generally look around. We have free entrance to the Monument, and half off the campground rate of $36/night so for $18 we are comfortable and nearby commercial sites are charging $70-90 per night.

The hike on this day, now sunny, is up to the canyon to and through Bear Gulch Cave. It is uphill all of the way in--but beautiful and relatively cool under a canopy of of trees or shade of canyon rocks which have unusual shapes and colors. The cave exploration is moderately difficult, with many stairs through narrow passages and one very short area where we crawled on all fours--easily done by a moderately healthy senior. The cave is beautiful, filled with light-draped grottos and total darkness in other areas (need a flashlight). We emerged from the cave at the top of the climb to find a small reservoir pool--a beautiful setting built decades earlier when the monument was first established. The way back included an alternative loop which bypassed the cave and it was very easy all the way back to the parking area. We saw a high school- church group gathering for the walk, and were glad we had been there early (by 8:30) as we had experienced total solitude on our own exploration.

On the way back to camp we spotted a flock of turkeys--several hens and half-grown youngsters who seem to like scratching around in a recently burned area.


The next day was warmer--no fog at the start and already warm. We walked up to Balconies cave along an easy but long trail. We did not go into the cave because it had many boulders collapsed over the entry and would have been a difficult scramble. We decided that we would explore the cave by driving around the monument (one cannot drive through it) to the west side, and walking in from that direction on an upcoming day. It grew warmer and warmer on our hike out, and could be classified as hot--we sought shade and drank lots of fluids.



On Saturday, we met Gary, Nancy, and Megan at the Garlic Festival in Gilroy. We tasted the garlic ice cream (not bad; not great, but not bad), and generally shopped the many vendors and had a good time amid large crowds of visitors. Megan found the wall sign she'd been wanting, and we all bought one of the sharp, serrated knives that really do a great job on bread (and, supposedly, abalone).


That night, the campground began to fill somewhat (20% filled, maybe), including the arrival of one of the more unusual trailers that we have seen on our trip. This small, single-person trailer arrived, and by the following morning a portable shower was erected and the picnic table supported a camp stove and all the accoutrements of a comfortable camp.


On Sunday, we rose early and drove around the park to the west side, where we hiked into Balconies Cave, this time exploring the whole length of the cave. At one juncture, Liz had to hold the roof up. The rocks are colorful, the birdlife is plentiful, and the terrain is harshly beautiful. At one narrow, low ceilinged area, the rock on one slanting wall was polished by the touch of countless hands--perhaps from touches over centuries as no doubt the Native Americans used the area as well.

Many people were arriving to hike as we left, starting when the heat of the day was beginning to be way to warm for us. It is much better to begin your hikes before 9:00 in the summer in the Pinnacles.


It was again quite hot that evening, but still we enjoyed our quiet campsite--we ended up staying five nights at Pinnacles, despite my misgivings on the first night.


The last night we were camped at Pinnacles, a herd of wild pigs came through the campground, and were all around our trailer near dawn. They were actually underneath my cantilevered bed, and I awoke to their snorts only inches away. I actually thought at first it was Liz, who snores (and of course I don't...), but she was way across the trailer and these were definite snorts inches from my ear.  Anyway, I woke Liz up, too, so she could see them as they ran off, probably frightened by our voices.  When we got out of the trailer later, there were pig "chips" all around the trailer, including under my bed.

The Next Posting will continue our trip.


Copyright Susan Warner. All rights reserved.