Shortly after our last post the COVID 19 virus struck our country and while we were at the lodge, the shelter in place orders came. Jim is over 65 and I am very close, so we decided to stay at the lodge and weather the storm. We did not realize that weathering the storm meant more about two major snow storms in the sierra. The first storm brought about 5 feet of snow over 3 days. We lost our electricity and were seriously considering heading home but PGE was able to fix the problem within 4 days. Karen and Larry came up for a visit while the electricity was out. Though they are real troupers, they decided to head home after an overnight.
One evening, (just prior to the storm) the highway patrol visited us with a report that someone was in danger at our school. They checked around the school area, around our cabin and our neighbors cabin and did not find anyone (thank goodness) and we thought that would be the end of our excitement at the lodge for a while.
As the storm was going on, the sheriffs department came to check on a report of a RV stuck in the snow - since there were no RVs in the vicinity, we prayed that no one was stuck in an RV down the hill. We now believe the RV was actually on the other side of the freeway.
Some of our neighbors down below Fulda got trapped with over 8 feet of snow at their cabin and had to hike up to the railroad to call for help (there is little phone service down the road). Their kids and friends tried their best to snowshoe back and rescue them, but in the end, the sheriff's department was called. They used snowmobiles partially back (the snow was very deep and very soft), and snow shoes the rest of the way to get our neighbors out. We were told that they had been stuck for 3 days with little more than pancakes to eat. The "rescue team" and "rescued couple" ended up sharing a spaghetti dinner with us before heading home. The actual statewide shelter order came right after they departed.
We enjoyed the massive snow - but would have enjoyed it even more if we had been able to go skiing. The ski resorts along with all entertainment and restaurants were quickly closed as part of the pandemic measures, so Jim, Quincy and I basically just stayed in the cabin, worked on small projects and took walks down our snow sided street.
It kept snowing with small amounts for about 2 weeks, and then came the second storm. This storm dropped 2 feet of snow (which may not sound like much - but we already had over 6 feet of snow standing on the side of the road and more than that next to the cabin). Our electricity was knocked out again - this time due to a line being weighted down. And it was repaired by PG&E in a much shorter wait time.
By the way, when our electricity is out, we do not have running water. The pump goes out with it. So washing dishes, flushing toilets and other water based fun things are a bit of a challenge. In these situations, we get really good at melting snow on the big stove.
Quincy started to limp between the storms and we thought he had hurt his ACLs again or possibly fractured a bone. He started to complain and limp more, so we elected to head home for treatment about 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, our vet did some X-rays and found that our boy has cancer on 1/3 of his scapula. Since Quincy is a big dog, once we talked with our fantastic nephew, we decided that he was not a candidate for invasive treatment (which would include an amputation, chemotherapy and radiation). We decided to medicate him for pain and as we shelter in place, we spend most of our waking hours with him. It is a tough time for all of our family right now. We are hoping he lasts long enough to head to the lake for some swimming (one of his favorite things to do at the lodge).
Some good news. The school has been sold to our of our Fulda neighbors. We are happy it sold to someone local. We are sure he is going to fix it up and make it nice again.
And more good news - our neighbor across the street (who has been sick) is doing much better.
As spring continues and the shelter orders also continue, we plan to complete the hardie panel on the ground floor of the lodge and work on many small projects. Due to the COVID 19 virus, we have been forced to cancel our July Family Reunion and are not able to plan any camping trips in the foreseeable future. So, we plan to spend as much time at the lodge as we can. Hopefully, things will get back to the "new normal" soon.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
February 15 - 18, 2020
It has been a long time since I have created a post for our blog. We spent Christmas with the family at the lodge and though I was out with a nasty cold, everyone had a pretty good time. As usual, we did crafts, cut down our own "Charlie Brown" style tree, ate lots of food, sledded and had a big Christmas day (though I missed it since I was pretty much out of it with the cold).
Pictures may, or may not be added later.
So up to present time. The weekend of February 15th was spent with our lovely niece Jessica and her husband and two boys and my sister Mary and her husband Lynn. On Sunday we were lucky enough to be able to attend the Nevada City Mardi Gras Parade (an event we have managed to attend for the last 4 years). The boys (ages 4 and 7) had a blast, collecting parade necklaces and watching all the floats march down main street.
On Monday, we went skiing at Sugar Bowl. The boys had an all day lesson and Jessica and Josh took a half day lesson. Lynn, Jim and I did the Jerome Hill lift and did pretty well. Lynn has not been skiing in years so it took him a bit to get his legs back. And just as things were getting back into sync, I took a fantastic fall and wonked the back of my head pretty hard. It must have looked badf from the top since a couple of kids asked if I needed help and the ski patrol stopped to check on my. The bonk left me with a headache and a stiff neck which took me out of skiing the next day. I hate ski injuries. So December 25 - January 10 I had a bad cold, then January 12 - January 24 I pulled a muscle (skiing I think) in my leg which turned into muscle spasms, medication and no skiing. Then head bonk took away one day. I am done with that. Once we get some snow. I plan to ski the rest of the season and get my money's worth out of my season ticket.
On day 2 of skiing, Jim and Lynn went back up Jerome as did Jessica, while the boys graduated up to the chair lift (beginners) and skied all day long. Since my neck was stiff, Mary and I went to Truckee and took care of grocery shopping.
The next day, Lynn had to head for home and work (not retired yet) so Jess, Mary, the boys, Jim and I went in search of a sled hill. There is not much snow on the summit (even less at the lodge) and highway 40 is open all the way from Sugar Bowl to Truckee, so we ended up sledding below the China Wall on highway 40. It was a bit ice-y but Jim and Josh brought a shovel and created a pretty decent sled run. Mary, Jess and I created a lawn chair block so that the boys would not sled over the edge of the area and into a pretty deep canyon. The view from the sled hill was amazing. Usually this part of 40 is closed in the winter - but not this year.
That night we went up to Northstar with plans for skating and pizza. We had the pizza - but only had 1 hour available for skating - so that will have to wait till next time. The boys enjoyed roasting marshmallows over the Northstar fire pits before we heading home.
Next day was a travel home day for our intrepid skiers. Jim and I stayed on at the lodge and started to do some finish work (cedar tongue and groove on the walls) in the snow room and the screened in porch. I also pulled weeds and put down some Shasta Daisy seeds for spring. And I collected fallen rocks for our retaining walls (from the side of the road). It was very weird to have 60 degree weather and no snow at the lodge. Anyone who denies global climate change should visit Emigrant Gap. We used to get record snowfall every year - now. . . . We are hoping that the snow weather is just delayed and that March will be snowy - if not, back to the dreaded drought.
Pictures may, or may not be added later.
So up to present time. The weekend of February 15th was spent with our lovely niece Jessica and her husband and two boys and my sister Mary and her husband Lynn. On Sunday we were lucky enough to be able to attend the Nevada City Mardi Gras Parade (an event we have managed to attend for the last 4 years). The boys (ages 4 and 7) had a blast, collecting parade necklaces and watching all the floats march down main street.
On Monday, we went skiing at Sugar Bowl. The boys had an all day lesson and Jessica and Josh took a half day lesson. Lynn, Jim and I did the Jerome Hill lift and did pretty well. Lynn has not been skiing in years so it took him a bit to get his legs back. And just as things were getting back into sync, I took a fantastic fall and wonked the back of my head pretty hard. It must have looked badf from the top since a couple of kids asked if I needed help and the ski patrol stopped to check on my. The bonk left me with a headache and a stiff neck which took me out of skiing the next day. I hate ski injuries. So December 25 - January 10 I had a bad cold, then January 12 - January 24 I pulled a muscle (skiing I think) in my leg which turned into muscle spasms, medication and no skiing. Then head bonk took away one day. I am done with that. Once we get some snow. I plan to ski the rest of the season and get my money's worth out of my season ticket.
On day 2 of skiing, Jim and Lynn went back up Jerome as did Jessica, while the boys graduated up to the chair lift (beginners) and skied all day long. Since my neck was stiff, Mary and I went to Truckee and took care of grocery shopping.
The next day, Lynn had to head for home and work (not retired yet) so Jess, Mary, the boys, Jim and I went in search of a sled hill. There is not much snow on the summit (even less at the lodge) and highway 40 is open all the way from Sugar Bowl to Truckee, so we ended up sledding below the China Wall on highway 40. It was a bit ice-y but Jim and Josh brought a shovel and created a pretty decent sled run. Mary, Jess and I created a lawn chair block so that the boys would not sled over the edge of the area and into a pretty deep canyon. The view from the sled hill was amazing. Usually this part of 40 is closed in the winter - but not this year.
That night we went up to Northstar with plans for skating and pizza. We had the pizza - but only had 1 hour available for skating - so that will have to wait till next time. The boys enjoyed roasting marshmallows over the Northstar fire pits before we heading home.
Next day was a travel home day for our intrepid skiers. Jim and I stayed on at the lodge and started to do some finish work (cedar tongue and groove on the walls) in the snow room and the screened in porch. I also pulled weeds and put down some Shasta Daisy seeds for spring. And I collected fallen rocks for our retaining walls (from the side of the road). It was very weird to have 60 degree weather and no snow at the lodge. Anyone who denies global climate change should visit Emigrant Gap. We used to get record snowfall every year - now. . . . We are hoping that the snow weather is just delayed and that March will be snowy - if not, back to the dreaded drought.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
November 21 - More small projects and snow
It seems like September - November have become lodge project months. This is hard to believe since we usually spend most of fall attending Cal Football games (instead of working at the lodge). But now that Jim is retired, we have more time for projects and we can still attend the Cal games (this year Cal has struggled with the loss of our first and second string Quarterbacks during the season - but that is another story).
This week Jim worked on getting the mantle for the new cast iron stove stained and continued to work on the railing on the "updated" deck steps, while I did some stone tiling in the snow entry room. Photos below.
We also had a bit of welcome snow this week. We are hoping for a lot more next week (cross your fingers and spin around 3 times while saying "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow". We are inching closer to Christmas. Expecting about 30 this year for a 4+ day celebration of Santa, Snow and Schnapps.
Oh, and since I am a bit late in posting this, there is a photo included from Big Game. We beat Stanford 24 - 20. Go Bears!
This week Jim worked on getting the mantle for the new cast iron stove stained and continued to work on the railing on the "updated" deck steps, while I did some stone tiling in the snow entry room. Photos below.
We also had a bit of welcome snow this week. We are hoping for a lot more next week (cross your fingers and spin around 3 times while saying "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow". We are inching closer to Christmas. Expecting about 30 this year for a 4+ day celebration of Santa, Snow and Schnapps.
Oh, and since I am a bit late in posting this, there is a photo included from Big Game. We beat Stanford 24 - 20. Go Bears!
Saturday, November 16, 2019
November 16 - Still Seems Like September
We had some early snow in September - but since then, no snow, no rain. This is great news for the logging companies that are taking out the burned trees from last year's forest fire. We are getting to know a lot of the loggers by name now and are planning a visit to one of the company's sawmills down in Grass Valley (we are hoping that they have cedar lumber at a good price). Plus I am hoping the sawmill is the same one used in the Hallmark Movie - the Christmas Card (one of my all time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies).
Since we have not had much snow, Jim and I have been taking a lot of drives out past North Fork campground to check out the fall colors. This year, we found 2 Sierra Maples and one Dogwood growing on our property. We had to move the dogwood and one of the maples since they were growing directly below the PG&E power lines. We are hoping they survive and we can have some additional fall colors at the lodge. With the slow loss of all of our cedars (global warming), we need something to keep the place from looking too "open" to the elements.
We have also been ferrying around a few rocks from the back of our property to the front. We are getting ready to create a rock retaining wall just below the sun deck. The area currently holds our big park picnic table and need a wall to stop snow melt erosion.
And, of course, projects. We continue to work on installing the cast iron stove in the game room. The stone hearth is done (installed, cleaned of mortar). And now we are waiting on parts for the fireplace stove pipe and for Jim to complete the mantle.
Jim has been working on the deck steps (he added a concrete step to the base and is adding the trex to the top of the steps and new railing). He asked me if I could get one of the landings in the snow room "leveled" and tiled with slate. So far, I have added the leveling concrete (the floor dropped 1 1/2 inches over 5 feet since it used to be an outside concrete landing). I also added some skis to our ski gate (next year I will remove the chain link and re-do this but I wanted Jim to see how cool a ski gate can look). It reminds me of the ski fences that they used to have in Breckenridge before that town became trendy.
And we continue to work on other "odd" projects around the lodge. All part of getting ready for Christmas rush.
New firewood holders in front landing of lodge.
Since we have not had much snow, Jim and I have been taking a lot of drives out past North Fork campground to check out the fall colors. This year, we found 2 Sierra Maples and one Dogwood growing on our property. We had to move the dogwood and one of the maples since they were growing directly below the PG&E power lines. We are hoping they survive and we can have some additional fall colors at the lodge. With the slow loss of all of our cedars (global warming), we need something to keep the place from looking too "open" to the elements.
We have also been ferrying around a few rocks from the back of our property to the front. We are getting ready to create a rock retaining wall just below the sun deck. The area currently holds our big park picnic table and need a wall to stop snow melt erosion.
And, of course, projects. We continue to work on installing the cast iron stove in the game room. The stone hearth is done (installed, cleaned of mortar). And now we are waiting on parts for the fireplace stove pipe and for Jim to complete the mantle.
Jim has been working on the deck steps (he added a concrete step to the base and is adding the trex to the top of the steps and new railing). He asked me if I could get one of the landings in the snow room "leveled" and tiled with slate. So far, I have added the leveling concrete (the floor dropped 1 1/2 inches over 5 feet since it used to be an outside concrete landing). I also added some skis to our ski gate (next year I will remove the chain link and re-do this but I wanted Jim to see how cool a ski gate can look). It reminds me of the ski fences that they used to have in Breckenridge before that town became trendy.
And we continue to work on other "odd" projects around the lodge. All part of getting ready for Christmas rush.
New firewood holders in front landing of lodge.
Snow room landing - leveled and ready for tile.
Deck steps - working on rails and steps.
Ski Gate - 12 more skis to go.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
October 26 - Finishing the Stonework on the Cast Iron Fireplace - Game Room
We have been without electricity at home for about 3 days until today so this post is a bit delayed. Last week Jim worked on the supports for the stairs that are coming off the sun deck and the firewood holders (we are getting fancy this year - no more junk wood and pallet wood, we are building 2/4 4/4 holders with slanted metal roofs and metal backs). I finished (until we install the mantle pieces) the stonework for the cast iron stove in the game room.
Excluding the pool table slate (for an even flat surface) that the fireplace is sitting on, most of the stone was collected locally from outcroppings of gray and California orange slate/sandstone. As usual - the job got pretty messy with scratch coat and mason's mortar and Mapi to hold the stone (strong stuff). Mapi is a great product but when wet it is super sticky. And then the sanded grout/mortar for between the stones was quite fun (stuffing it all into the cracks by hand). I tried to use a refillable mortar tube that goes into a hand gun - but the mortar mixture was too heavy to feed through the tube. So all hand work again. At least I was smart enough just to buy plastic tubes instead of a stainless steel gun/tube that was quite pricey. And mortar (pastry) bags are just a joke to work with.
So 15 pairs of latex gloves later, the job is just about done (when Jim installs the side and top mantle, I will need to do some mortar/grout patchwork). The mantle will be made from some old Railroad Tunnel wood we found in the basement. Here is a photo of my newest stone work.
And a few tidbits:
Drove back to the road split for Big Valley Bluff last week (since we have no snow back there yet). The dogwoods have turned a lovely color of pinkish red and since the road is not often taken, it is coated with colorful fallen leaves. The oaks and maples are a dark rich yellow. Fall is definitely here.
Tunnel Mills and Onion Valley campgrounds have closed (gate locked) but North Fork is still open.
Not much water coming down the Yuba right now. Hampshire Rocks (the falls area) currently dry.
We found the bottom of a broken vintage bottle on our property (we have lots of broken glass and pay the kids 10 cents per piece to pick it up). The bottle was labeled the Fitch. It turns out Fitch was a would be doctor in Iowa would changed professions and created a hair tonic that was sold between the late 1800s and the early 1950s. Since we know there was a barber at the old Emigrant Gap Hotel, this makes a lot of sense.
Excluding the pool table slate (for an even flat surface) that the fireplace is sitting on, most of the stone was collected locally from outcroppings of gray and California orange slate/sandstone. As usual - the job got pretty messy with scratch coat and mason's mortar and Mapi to hold the stone (strong stuff). Mapi is a great product but when wet it is super sticky. And then the sanded grout/mortar for between the stones was quite fun (stuffing it all into the cracks by hand). I tried to use a refillable mortar tube that goes into a hand gun - but the mortar mixture was too heavy to feed through the tube. So all hand work again. At least I was smart enough just to buy plastic tubes instead of a stainless steel gun/tube that was quite pricey. And mortar (pastry) bags are just a joke to work with.
So 15 pairs of latex gloves later, the job is just about done (when Jim installs the side and top mantle, I will need to do some mortar/grout patchwork). The mantle will be made from some old Railroad Tunnel wood we found in the basement. Here is a photo of my newest stone work.
And a few tidbits:
Drove back to the road split for Big Valley Bluff last week (since we have no snow back there yet). The dogwoods have turned a lovely color of pinkish red and since the road is not often taken, it is coated with colorful fallen leaves. The oaks and maples are a dark rich yellow. Fall is definitely here.
Tunnel Mills and Onion Valley campgrounds have closed (gate locked) but North Fork is still open.
Not much water coming down the Yuba right now. Hampshire Rocks (the falls area) currently dry.
We found the bottom of a broken vintage bottle on our property (we have lots of broken glass and pay the kids 10 cents per piece to pick it up). The bottle was labeled the Fitch. It turns out Fitch was a would be doctor in Iowa would changed professions and created a hair tonic that was sold between the late 1800s and the early 1950s. Since we know there was a barber at the old Emigrant Gap Hotel, this makes a lot of sense.
Monday, October 21, 2019
October 21 - Lots of Small Projects
With the surprise snowfall at the end of September and beginning of October, we have been very busy at the lodge preparing for winter. Jim cut down a few more of our dead cedars (all a casualty of global warming and the pine beetle blight) then I split most of it up for firewood for this year. Jim has been busily building new improved firewood storage since we have a HUGE stack of wood (expecting a snowy winter - fingers crossed).
We are in the process of adding a new wood burning stove in the game room. Most people would put down some fire-proof tile and a firewall, but since we like stonework, Jim built a platform that has a slab of pool table slate surrounded by random stone on the base, and I added stacked stone/rubble rock on the wall. Most of the rock was gathered over the years from the California Gold Slate/Sandstone we have in the area. I will be grouting (mortaring) when we return to the lodge this week.
Jim has also been working on fixing some steps on our sun deck. The old steps were worn out - so he is adding new treads and a new railing for this year.
He took down the old heater venting that had become a bit of a hazard (the top came off last winter and we were worried that the next storm would take down the entire stack). The old Kerosene furnace has been gone for years (it was non-working when we purchased the lodge). I would love to add the video of the collapsing tower - but I am afraid I would over whelm our blog.
And since the game room (portable) leaks on one end, I purchased some Henry's 12 year and put a few coats of that on the roof last weekend. Crossing my fingers that the Henry's will fix the problem for now. We are hoping to add a pitched roof to the building (24 by 40) sometime in the future. Flat roofs just don't cut it in our snow country.
No outdoor burning since June - so we have a bunch of tree debris waiting for the burn ban to be lifted. If we don't get some weather soon, that may be after this snow season. We also need to haul some of the old metal trash that we have collected from our "woods".
We managed to have some friends and family up between August and now. My buddies Karen, Clay and Shelia came up for a midweek visit a few weeks ago. We took a trip to Sand Harbor (over by Incline Village) and did some light hiking on the new bike/walk path that opened this summer. Sand Harbor is a gem. The water is so clear there and the rocks are amazing.
We also did a trip down to our falls. Karen and I stayed at the river (north fork of the north fork) with the dogs while Jim, Shelia and Clay hiked down to the falls.
Mom, who is now 90, came up for a visit last week. It was a work week but we headed to Reno for some Thrift Store shopping. I managed to find some good items for the lodge (nothing of great value - just replacing stuff that had worn out). One great find was an electric lawn mower. Not for the lodge - but for home. Our old inherited mower (from Jim's dad) finally had the start arm break in two. We will probably repair it by bypassing the arm with a switch, but for now the new (old ) mower is a nice add to our power tools.
We all decided that now that we are all retired, we need to make the visits more frequent - so we are planning a New Year's trip.
And a few tidbits:
We had a small forest fire last week in Fulda Canyon. Under 20 acres and quickly extinguished by Cal Fire.
Logging continues in Onion Valley (last year's bigger fire area). Hiking trails are still closed there.
Our neighbors down the road have changed from "For Sale" to "Sale Pending" so we are hoping for nice new neighbors soon.
And our neighbors across the street have added a "For Sale" sign.
We are in the process of adding a new wood burning stove in the game room. Most people would put down some fire-proof tile and a firewall, but since we like stonework, Jim built a platform that has a slab of pool table slate surrounded by random stone on the base, and I added stacked stone/rubble rock on the wall. Most of the rock was gathered over the years from the California Gold Slate/Sandstone we have in the area. I will be grouting (mortaring) when we return to the lodge this week.
Jim has also been working on fixing some steps on our sun deck. The old steps were worn out - so he is adding new treads and a new railing for this year.
He took down the old heater venting that had become a bit of a hazard (the top came off last winter and we were worried that the next storm would take down the entire stack). The old Kerosene furnace has been gone for years (it was non-working when we purchased the lodge). I would love to add the video of the collapsing tower - but I am afraid I would over whelm our blog.
And since the game room (portable) leaks on one end, I purchased some Henry's 12 year and put a few coats of that on the roof last weekend. Crossing my fingers that the Henry's will fix the problem for now. We are hoping to add a pitched roof to the building (24 by 40) sometime in the future. Flat roofs just don't cut it in our snow country.
No outdoor burning since June - so we have a bunch of tree debris waiting for the burn ban to be lifted. If we don't get some weather soon, that may be after this snow season. We also need to haul some of the old metal trash that we have collected from our "woods".
We managed to have some friends and family up between August and now. My buddies Karen, Clay and Shelia came up for a midweek visit a few weeks ago. We took a trip to Sand Harbor (over by Incline Village) and did some light hiking on the new bike/walk path that opened this summer. Sand Harbor is a gem. The water is so clear there and the rocks are amazing.
We also did a trip down to our falls. Karen and I stayed at the river (north fork of the north fork) with the dogs while Jim, Shelia and Clay hiked down to the falls.
Mom, who is now 90, came up for a visit last week. It was a work week but we headed to Reno for some Thrift Store shopping. I managed to find some good items for the lodge (nothing of great value - just replacing stuff that had worn out). One great find was an electric lawn mower. Not for the lodge - but for home. Our old inherited mower (from Jim's dad) finally had the start arm break in two. We will probably repair it by bypassing the arm with a switch, but for now the new (old ) mower is a nice add to our power tools.
We all decided that now that we are all retired, we need to make the visits more frequent - so we are planning a New Year's trip.
And a few tidbits:
We had a small forest fire last week in Fulda Canyon. Under 20 acres and quickly extinguished by Cal Fire.
Logging continues in Onion Valley (last year's bigger fire area). Hiking trails are still closed there.
Our neighbors down the road have changed from "For Sale" to "Sale Pending" so we are hoping for nice new neighbors soon.
And our neighbors across the street have added a "For Sale" sign.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
August 29, 2019 - Small Projects
There have been a few maintenance projects that I have been trying to get to since we purchased the lodge. The first - the area off the side of the living room, in front of the propane tank. That area has always been a jumble of small boulders and rocks that has been difficult to traverse to get to the "portable banquet halls". Just prior to the reunion, Jim and I pulled out most of the rocks, built a large step and backfilled the area with gravel and sand. Since the reunion, we have added wild rock stepping stone. So now, as you exit the front door to the left and head to the "flat lot", you no longer have to worry about stumbling over rocks, boulders and weeds. Photo below:
Additionally, our front stone pillars and metal post have been in very sad condition for a long time. This weekend, I started fixing the rock on the pillars and Jim added a new (non-bent) rail (the old one being bent and broken). Photos of the improved front railing:
Now for some interesting tidbits from the last week of summer at the lodge. Quincy and I were hiking around our property and found this rock that looked pretty interesting. I am thinking it is a petroglyph - but not sure. (If you are reading and you know, please send us a note). It was probably moved onto the property at some point and just became uncovered this spring. One of our helpful neighbors pointed out the the marks are probably large excavation equipment marks. They are probably right - but as far as the kids are concerned, this is a Miwok petroglyph. Here is a photo:
And I took a ride up to North Fork Place so that I could get a photo of the old forest service bridge that crosses the NFNFA River well above the campground. While driving up there, I took a wrong turn and ended up at a small group of summer cabins that are located on the north side of the river, I asked one of the cabin owners for directions, and he told me that there were two dams on the NFNFA a short hike past a locked gate on their road. I didn't have time to check it out on my first trip - but Jim and I drove back there, parked the truck and hiked about a 1/4 mile up to the dams. The first dam was easy to get to and was about 5 - 6 feet deep. We did not see an easy route to the second dam and decided to check that out next summer.
Here are photos I took of the forest service bridge once I finally got on the right road.
And finally, I took Quincy back to the campground on the NFNFA river for his usual "swim" and decided to head over to Onion Valley. I took a dirt road in back of the campground there, and within about 3 miles saw several signs. "Active Logging" and "Trees Being Felled". Just past a beautiful meadow filled with white onion flowers, I reached the burn area from last year's forest fire. It is pretty devastated. A crew of loggers have been cutting down the heavily burnt trees. The Forest Service has a contract with a logging company out of Grass Valley to clear out the burnt trees on the 5000+ acres that were burnt. They started logging about 2 weeks ago and we have seen a steady stream of log trucks and workers going in and out of the area.
My mom turned 90 yesterday - we celebrated in Manteca (lunch) just before heading up to the lodge. Pretty amazing how fast time is running. We have owned the cabin for 10 years (this December) and Jim and I are well past 60 now. We hope to spend a bit less time "working" and the lodge and a bit more time "enjoying" it. We shall see. This year is a family Christmas and next summer we are hosting yet another 4th of July reunion.
Additionally, our front stone pillars and metal post have been in very sad condition for a long time. This weekend, I started fixing the rock on the pillars and Jim added a new (non-bent) rail (the old one being bent and broken). Photos of the improved front railing:
Now for some interesting tidbits from the last week of summer at the lodge. Quincy and I were hiking around our property and found this rock that looked pretty interesting. I am thinking it is a petroglyph - but not sure. (If you are reading and you know, please send us a note). It was probably moved onto the property at some point and just became uncovered this spring. One of our helpful neighbors pointed out the the marks are probably large excavation equipment marks. They are probably right - but as far as the kids are concerned, this is a Miwok petroglyph. Here is a photo:
And I took a ride up to North Fork Place so that I could get a photo of the old forest service bridge that crosses the NFNFA River well above the campground. While driving up there, I took a wrong turn and ended up at a small group of summer cabins that are located on the north side of the river, I asked one of the cabin owners for directions, and he told me that there were two dams on the NFNFA a short hike past a locked gate on their road. I didn't have time to check it out on my first trip - but Jim and I drove back there, parked the truck and hiked about a 1/4 mile up to the dams. The first dam was easy to get to and was about 5 - 6 feet deep. We did not see an easy route to the second dam and decided to check that out next summer.
Here are photos I took of the forest service bridge once I finally got on the right road.
And finally, I took Quincy back to the campground on the NFNFA river for his usual "swim" and decided to head over to Onion Valley. I took a dirt road in back of the campground there, and within about 3 miles saw several signs. "Active Logging" and "Trees Being Felled". Just past a beautiful meadow filled with white onion flowers, I reached the burn area from last year's forest fire. It is pretty devastated. A crew of loggers have been cutting down the heavily burnt trees. The Forest Service has a contract with a logging company out of Grass Valley to clear out the burnt trees on the 5000+ acres that were burnt. They started logging about 2 weeks ago and we have seen a steady stream of log trucks and workers going in and out of the area.
My mom turned 90 yesterday - we celebrated in Manteca (lunch) just before heading up to the lodge. Pretty amazing how fast time is running. We have owned the cabin for 10 years (this December) and Jim and I are well past 60 now. We hope to spend a bit less time "working" and the lodge and a bit more time "enjoying" it. We shall see. This year is a family Christmas and next summer we are hosting yet another 4th of July reunion.
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