Mineral King, Because it is Friday

After a harrowing week, most of which doesn’t not belong on a public blog on the World Wide Web, I ran away to Mineral King for a much needed respite.

It was overcast and a bit rainy. That’s fine. We have a wood stove for cooking and heat, and I always have my knitting.

In between, there were some walks around the valley floor. Strolls, really.

In gardening, it is tricky to find blue flowers. In Mineral King, that is one of the main colors of the early season flowers.

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The aptly named “Blue Lips”.
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“Sierra Bluebells” are also called “Languid Ladies”.
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Sierra Forget Me Nots look just like the Alaskan state flower, same name minus the Sierra part. Duh. Sometimes these come in pink. So do the “Languid Ladies”. Weird, but maybe they are like hydrangeas and depend upon the make up of the soil. These are also called “Sierra Stickseed” because when they go to seed, they stick to your bootlaces (or the velcro on the straps of your Tevas, if you are like me in your hiking footwear).
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Wonderful flow of water, here in the east fork of the Kaweah River next to the Honeymoon Cabin. If you are in Mineral King, you can learn about some of the history in this little building. You might need to bring glasses and a flashlight if you are over 45.
Farewell Gap
The evening is looking hopeful for a good hiking day tomorrow. This is the alpen glow on Farewell Gap.
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Oh yes, a bright clear day for hiking to White Chief!

To be continued next Friday. . .

Coloring books will be available again on July 1, 2016. You may order, but it will involve a wait. Thank you for your patience.

Mineral King in Early Summer

What do I mean “early summer”? It isn’t summer until June 21!

Oh yeah? It’s been in the high 90s and low 100s for a couple of weeks around here. That qualifies as summer, despite the calendar’s report.

Trail Guy is back out on the trails in Mineral King. I’ll get there, just hang on. Meanwhile, please enjoy his photos with my photo editing and explanations.

Mineral King
Looking upstream toward Farewell Gap with the early grasses. This is a good flow of water in the east fork of the Kaweah with much more snow to melt.
Mineral King
Just after crossing the bridge (not my favorite bridge but the Mineral King bridge – don’t get confused here) heading into the parking lot. This is the end of the road, and it’s all up from here, all on foot. 
Mineral King
This is the view from the trail to Timber Gap. Or maybe it is to the west of Timber Gap. Closies count.
Mineral King
Decent patch of snow up on the ridge that Timber Gap is part of. Nice photo, Trail Guy!
These are phlox, an early flower that comes in subtle shades of lavender, pink, white, pinkish white, whitish pink, lavenderish white, whitish lavender, pinkish whitish lavender, etc.
These are phlox, an early flower that comes in subtle shades of lavender, pink, white, pinkish white, whitish pink, lavenderish white, whitish lavender, pinkish whitish lavender, etc.
Can you pick out Sawtooth Peak from this angle?
Can you pick out Sawtooth Peak from this angle?
This is the view that the Mather party had 100 years ago. There is a photo, a book and a pencil drawing commemorating that event.
This is the view that the Mather party had 100 years ago. There is a photo, a book and a pencil drawing commemorating that event.
Mather party book cover drawing
Remember this pencil drawing? When the Park wanted to reprint the book on the Mather party (group of people on an excursion, not group of people drinking and dancing–but how would I know? I wasn’t there), they commissioned me for a cover drawing redo. That mule heiny was a challenge, but Cowboy Bert took photos of his mulz (that’s how he spells it on his license plate) to help me get it right.

 

And More Mineral King

During a mostly overcast weekend in Mineral King, we had a few moments of sun. A standard simple walk is to go down the road and back up the Nature Trail (Yes, I know it is a stupid name – “Wildflower Walk” seems more appropriate once summer arrives.)

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Manzanita in bloom near a seasonal creek coming off Timber Gap
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The appropriately named “Five Spot” wildflower, about the size of a nickel.
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An unknown little white flower. I think white flowers are boring, but any flower will do this early in the season.
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Not too many wildflowers along the nature trail this early. The aspens aren’t leafed out yet, so you can see Empire with its snow.
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Sierra Bluebells, or Languid Ladies. . . it is one of the early flowers in Mineral King.
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Great flow on the East Fork of the Kaweah!
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This is the only time I had a view of Sawtooth. It is still holding snow.
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A drawing similar to this appears in my latest coloring book, “Heart of Mineral King”
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These are a version of Chinese Houses along the Mineral King Road on the lower section. The wildflowers are still very good along the road, mostly the yellows with a few purples. Worth a drive if you are into wildflowers.

More Mineral King

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Back yard early in the season.
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Favorite cabin on Memorial Day. Nope, not my cabin!
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Farewell Gap in the sunshine.
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Learning about catch-and-release fishing from the bridge.
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Mineral King – 7807′ in elevation
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Rock outcropping of Empire, good water flow on Monarch Creek.
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Hello, Farewell (Gap)!

Summer Season in Mineral King Begins

The summer season has begun in Mineral King. Normally I post about Mineral King on Fridays. This week, I am beginning Mineral King on Wednesday.

Why? Because I am the boss of my blog.

There are formulas for “successful” blogging. I ignore most of them. I don’t know how to measure success on my blog other than by hearing from people who say they enjoy reading it. I don’t know how to find the stats and would rather blog than figure that stuff out.

Let’s just go to Mineral King and forget that techie stuff. Mineral King – Land of No Electricity or Internet (unless you pay for the password at the Silver City Store)

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Water in the East Fork of the Kaweah. A walk with friends. An overcast day. Mineral King in late May.
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Can’t see Farewell Gap behind all the clouds.
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Dandelions in bloom!
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One of the many unknown yellow flowers.
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Willows in early spring make these soft furry things – I think that is why we say “pussy willow” – soft like a kitty.
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Looking downstream toward Timber Gap, dandelions along the bank, evidence of good water flow.
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Two friends. Aw shucks.

Thus we conclude today’s tour of an overcast day in Mineral King in late May.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

Why I Am Not Painting the Oak Grove Bridge

  1. Because I am painting 5 little paintings of Farewell Gap/Mineral King.
  2. Because I am working on a new coloring book!!

Anyone want to guess the subject?

It is time for me to reorder Heart of the Hills, my original coloring book, AGAIN.

It is time for me to reorder Heart of Mineral King. WHAT?? I’ve only had it one week!

Hurry, hurry, step right up, order your copy today!

mineral king coloring book
Heart of Mineral King coloring book, $12
Heart of the Hills
Heart of the Hills coloring book, $15

More Painting Mineral King

Feeling like a factory worker or a cog in a wheel, I mixed up some sky color oil paint so I could begin painting Mineral King. Five 6×6″ paintings, on the conveyer belt. (on the stereo, if you must know. Yes, I listen to a stereo that plays CDs. I drive a manual transmission, have a flip phone, and don’t own a microwave either.)

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Okay, let’s get some other colors going. This is Farewell Gap, but not the classic scene we discussed on Monday.

(That’s the royal “we”, because as far as I know, it was a monologue rather than a dialogue.)

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Oops. Forgot to photograph the in-between stages. These 2 paintings have just the first layer, and they’ll have to dry before I continue.

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The morning sun hits that window with good intensity, so I propped them there. Meanwhile, the Oak Grove Bridge languishes in the background.

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Painting Mineral King

In the summer, the Silver City Store, 4 miles below Mineral King, sells original oil paintings for me. (For them too, because obviously they have to make money. Duh.)

The subject has to be Mineral King, (more duh, thank you Captain Obvious) and I paint the same scene over and over and over. Sometimes I paint Timber Gap, Sawtooth, or maybe a bridge or a trail. But most people just want this view, what I think of as the classic Mineral King scene:

1529 FG XVIII
Farewell Gap XVIII, 8×10, oil on wrapped canvas, $125
1563 FG XX
Farewell Gap XX, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

It sells, I paint more. It sells again, I paint it again. Lucky you, if you bought it recently, because I’ve had lots of practice. This one is #20, but I didn’t always number my paintings, so I feel fairly confident in guessing that I’ve painted it 50 times. It’s on the doors of my painting studio, on the cover of the new coloring book (drawn in ink, not painted), and on the cover of The Cabins of Mineral King (in pencil, not oil paint).

 

 

Mineral King Coloring Book Has Arrived!

Yesterday, the Mineral King coloring book arrived. Heart of Mineral King is the title, and it has 12 pages to color, plus some wildflowers on the insides of the covers. (One of the 12 pages is the title page, and 4 of the pictures are from the previous book, Heart of the Hills.)

mineral king coloring book

A friend called me when I gave her a sample page of wildflowers from Heart of the Hills, because she wanted to know what color to make each one of the flowers. This made me laugh, because she had been coloring in another book, decorating owls in purples and pinks.

It also made me think that perhaps people would appreciate a hint. So this inside back cover page has a hint on the wildflowers.

MK 27 inside colored list

Here is a peek at a brand new drawing. This is Empire Mt. (actually it is just the rock outcropping which is very visible but isn’t the peak) with some of the very charming Mineral King cabins.

Empire

Heart of Mineral King is available at the Three Rivers Mercantile and Kaweah River Trading Co. in Three Rivers. It is also available here on my website, and if you see me around, from the trunk of my car. On Memorial weekend it will be available at the Silver City Store, 21 miles up the Mineral King Road.

This one is smaller, so it is $12 rather than $15. Such a deal – a custom coloring book of everyone’s favorite mountain place in Tulare County. (Unless your favorite mountain place is Wilsonia)

 

Early Spring in Mineral King

This week Trail Guy went to Mineral King to see how things look in early spring. Yes, I know May is not “early spring” down here in Three Rivers, but things are different at 7800′.

Mineral King cabins

These folks have some melting and shoveling to do.

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The classic view of Mineral King, probably the most photographed, and definitely the most drawn and painted scene by this Central California artist. It looks wrong to me with the tall red fir gone. That remaining tall tree is a cedar juniper (Thank you, Trail Guy. The reason I mix these 2 up is that those are the names of 2 similar green colored pencils.) Farewell Gap is more visible this way.

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Daffodils are not native flowers, but they are a welcome sight.

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These folks have some melting and shoveling to do.

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They can use the door on this side of the cabin instead of fighting all the snow off their deck.

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The sunny side of the valley is where Trail Guy spent many an afternoon when he wintered in Mineral King. (I didn’t know him then.)

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There is plenty of snow in the shade and on the north facing slopes. It just makes it fun for kids to make snowballs, and slippery for adults who want to walk a bit.

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More daffodils. Thanks, Van and Mary, for planting these. Isn’t this a cute cabin?

Thanks, Trail Guy, for your early spring reconnaissance trip.

The road will be open to the public on Memorial Day weekend.