We went walking up the Mineral King valley in search of brilliant fall color. This was easy to find, so many yellows, but of course we wanted oranges and reds too. The cottonwoods are yellow; it is the aspen which turn orange and red, so for stronger colors one must walk farther up the trail […]
Random Thoughts on a Mineral King September Weekend
The weekend began with a surprise visit by a childhood friend. I knew she might be coming in the fall, but so many people tell me their potential visit dates that I don’t even try to keep track. That meant it was a wonderful surprise, and I got to spend an hour or so with […]
September in Mineral King
A recent weekend in Mineral King in photos with commentary, as usual, from your Central California artist. The hazard tree crew returned to our neighborhood. We had rain, both up and down the hill. It was overcast for a day or so after the rain. I wonder if this would make a good pencil drawing. […]
An Exciting Mineral King Hike
WARNING: very long post Just a few days ago I told you about Trail Guy hiking to the Franklin/Farewell junction and lamented my lack of hiking this summer. Last Sunday a friend and I decided to go to the Franklin/Farewell junction, because I really wanted to see it at least one more time in my […]
Learning, Working, Hanging Out in Mineral King
Learning Trail Guy and I accompanied Laile, who is an archaeologist/historian (I think those are her titles) to show her something we found. She cleared up a mystery about a rock platform that we always thought was a cabin foundation. Nope, it was a ride-by bar! George Thurman and his wife Hattie had a bar […]
Socializing in Mineral King
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL!) Some weekends in Mineral King are just action packed, all about the people. Who has time to hike? Or just sit quietly while contemplating matters of consequence? Go home if you want solitude, you delusional creature! It was the annual cabin owners meeting, which is traditionally the weekend when we see the […]
Chilly Weekend in Mineral King
Sunday morning’s temperature at our cabin was 33°. This was on the second day of SUMMER! My 7 year old neighbor and I discussed the fact that the seasons don’t always follow the calendar. Because it was unseasonably cool, we opted to walk up the usually hot and dusty trail toward Timber Gap, Monarch Lake, […]
Fridays are about Mineral King*
I have some new friends, acquaintances really, because we haven’t met in real life, but we are learning to know each other. They are bloggers like me, but with much bigger audiences, so I feel honored that they show up here from time to time. They don’t know about Mineral King so here is a […]
Mineral King—the Season has Begun
For those new to my blog, Mineral King is an area of Sequoia National Park where I spend copious amounts of time in the summer. Next Friday I will provide a more in depth explanation. Today’s post is a long one. You’ve been warned. . . The road is under construction, so it is a […]
Mineral King Road
For many years, there has been talk of repairing the Mineral King road. Talk talk talk, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah. Surveys, public meetings, emails. Fires, floods, emergency repairs, road closures. Finally, the work has begun. The road won’t be open to the public until the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend, and there is […]