What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Chapter One

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. Do you remember those terrible assignments on the first day of class in the fall (always the day after Labor Day—none of this ridiculous school attendance in August!)? I couldn’t think of a thing. Until age 11, we went to the beach for 2 weeks, but I never ever considered those other weeks to be a “vacation”. It was hang around the house time, and there was nothing to say about that uneventful sort of life. (I must have been so dull to not have told about days in the pool, trips to the library, or bikerides, and somewhat thick-headed as to have considered such unencumbered free time to be unremarkable.) 

On my recent trip to Oregon, I took photos, and I have plenty to say about it, so this will be a series. I don’t know if it was a vacation or not; I certainly had a good time, but is it a vacation if one spends 4 days driving? Is it a vacation if one spends three days working on a garage sale and one day doing farm labor?

The sale was enormous – the garage, driveway, front lawn, front walkway, all covered with merchandise from about 5 different households. We were very organized, dividing things into appropriate categories, helping customers as if it were a department store, making friends, seeing old friends. Everything was priced and labeled by owner’s initials. Day One of the sale. We continually rearranged the merchandise for better attention attraction. (Note I said “merchandise” rather than “stuff” or “junk”. Stuff is the junk you keep; junk is the stuff you throw away.)

Day Two of the sale was significantly smaller, but just as tightly arranged. If you hadn’t been aware of Day One, you might think this was the only day.We had an enormous amount of jewelry, which was enormously popular.

The most commonly heard comments were: 1. You two must be sisters! and 2. Everything is in such good condition!

This precious child fell in love with this doll, and her dad made her offer a lower price than the marked price. I told her yes but on the condition that she name the doll “Martha”.

This bumper sticker cracked me up, and the customer gave permission to photograph it.

That was two days of work, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Hiking Nowhere in Mineral King

August is a busy month for cabin folks in Mineral King. The first weekend of the month is full of meetings and reunions. 

We also got rain, lots of wonderful soaking rain. Look how green it is!!

Since all the willows were pruned for fire prevention, I noticed new rocks that had escaped me for many years. This is Big Rock, so I guess that smaller one must be Little Rock. Or Small Rock.

The asters were thick along the road as I walked down to attend a meeting.

I saw a butterfly I’ve never noticed before.

I love this view at the top of Endurance Grade but either the water or the distant peaks are overexposed in every photo. This time I chose to let the water look all white so that you can see the peaks. Farewell Gap is out of the photo, to the right.

We listened to the superintendent of Sequoia National Park at the meeting. There were many many questions about fires. There were more people behind me and also to my right, but I like to protect people’s identities here on the World Wide Web. Some of these people we only see every handful of years, which makes it difficult to recognize faces and remember names. Good thing that Trail Guy and I never change, eh?

I rode up the hill with my friend Sharon, who drives fast, and down the hill with my friend Karen, who drives slow. Driving fast meant we got there sooner; driving slow meant we spotted scarlet monkey flower, something I’ve only seen once in memory. Both trips were fun, a time to visit with dear friends, friendships based in Mineral King which have grown closer through many years of occasional visits, layer upon layer.

Next Friday I will tell you a little bit about life as part of the community of Mineral King. 

Day Two of First Road Trip Since the Plague

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. Does anyone else find it hard to sleep in a motel? I was dying to open the window, but it opened onto a walkway where other occupants passed by, and who knows it someone would crawl in?? So, that, along with the road buzz, made sleeping a bit of a challenge after my 500 mile driving day. “Road buzz” is my description of that inner vibration from being so alert for all those hours. Even my long walk around Weed didn’t completely obliterate the inner hum.

So, I was back on the road by 5:15 AM.

Holy guacamole, Oregon is so very beautiful. Even though the hills are becoming golden, the dried out look is offset by all the greenery surrounding it. Maybe it seemed extra beautiful because it wasn’t hot.

Upon arrival, my people had an appointment in downtown Salem, the capitol of Oregon. So, I went along but took a walk, in search of the capitol building. There were so many pretty parks, and beautiful old homes. No photos of the homes, because I was on a quest.

The talking lady on my phone sent me around in circles, telling me for about 3/4 of a mile, “go one quarter mile and turn right”. That right turn never arrived, so finally I shut her off and just followed my instincts. 

Instincts? This was based on a vague hand wave indicating “it’s that way”, and eventually, seeing the tip of a gold idol way above the other buildings.

Idol? A statue in gold reminds me of things mentioned in the Old Testament. It also reminded me of all those Moroni angel statues on top of Mormon temples in Utah. I’m not sure who Oregon has commemorated on their capitol.

Turns out that I walked 3-1/2 miles in the middle of an August afternoon. What a thrill to be somewhere that doesn’t cause one to just cower inside the air-conditioning! (I’m sure they do plenty of cowering indoors during the winter, because everything is a trade-off of some sort.)

Look at the scenery on the drive back. I was a passenger, so the photos aren’t quite as wonky as the ones from when  I was driving.

What a beautiful state!

The next few days will be spent in family activities, probably not photoworthy, so tomorrow (Friday) we will return to a Mineral King post. 

Next week? More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

 

First Road Trip After the Plague

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. We interrupt our regular broadcasting schedule to bring you a special report. After only leaving Tulare County 5 times in 2 years*, I drove 500 miles one day this week.

I headed straight out Highway 198 to Interstate Five, also known as “The Five” (not to be confused with a group of talking heads). For about the first 100 miles, I drove in silence. Then I tried talk radio, bouncing to music and back to talk. At about 250 miles, I put in a book on CD, Condoleeza Rice’s autobiography, read beautifully by her. Thinking I’d need more breaks, I was surprised to only stop twice for gas and once for coffee.

One of my favorite sights on that long highway is Truck Village. (My photos are better when I am a passenger than when driving.)

Suddenly, I was in Weed, my first night’s destination. This is a seedy town, dominated by Mt. Shasta, capturing traffic off The Five in addition to capitalizing on its unfortunate name (named after Mr. Abner Weed, who most likely is turning over in his grave).

The Hi-Lo Cafe has good food but a bit of trouble with spelling.

Resisting the urge to correct the sign, I took a walk around town. The elevation is about 3400′ and it was a very clear and comfortable evening to hop aboard the Zapato Express** after sitting all day long.

I went under the welcome arch (the cafe’s menu said it was built in the ’20s and then rebuilt in the ’60s), heading to downtown. There is definitely an artsy vibe, discovered several places but only photographed here on these decorated steps. Looks just like something I would do.  (Ahem. Something I may have done. Trail Guy is very tolerant of my little eccentric experiments.)

Weed has one rather worn-out looking mural. Sorry to break it to you, Weed, but a mural cannot save a village.

The town is dominated by Shasta.

Such a sad downtown. Many dispensaries, a thrift shop, a tattoo parlor, a couple of bars, a big antique mall, some souvenir places taking advantage of that unfortunate town name, a closed movie theater, a closed bowling alley, many other abandoned buildings, and some attempts to spruce things up by having nice sidewalks, a nice city hall, a couple of tiny parks. The homes I passed were full of potential for cuteness, but what would bring someone to this place besides the geography? 

Bye-bye, Weed. Maybe I’ll see you on the way back home.

*Once to Kern County, 4 times to Fresno County

**Take a walk

A Porch Kind of Weekend in Mineral King

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. When the weather isn’t favorable, we watch people trudge up the trails and think, “Nope, not us”. Instead, we stay close to the cabin, spending much time on the deck (sort of a porch, but without a roof).

There were plenty of things to do. First, we cleared out some unnecessary items from the upstairs.

I spent a little time by the creek, watching some little friends play, chatting with their dad, and photographing red clover.

Then, it rained. It rained hard without thunder and lightning. We used to enjoy thunderstorms, but now lightning makes us worry about fires. We got a little over 1/2″, always welcome.

I knit a lot. Just another green sweater that I don’t need, but I am 62 and get to do (mostly) what I want, and what I want is to knit, preferably in shades of green and blue, with natural fibers, using patterns that teach me new methods of design or construction.

A tree fell in the night. It sounded close. First I heard all sorts of debris (needles) hitting the roof, and then the crack, followed by a boom. As if I don’t have enough to be afraid of with lightning. . . now falling trees?? Off-Trail Guy went up the hillside behind the cabins and saw this newly fallen tree. It was a couple of cabins away, kind of far up the slope, and way skinnier than I expected. Why was it so loud? Why did I hear debris on our roof?

We also spent time with neighbors, read, and listened to the radio. A porch kind of weekend is fun once in awhile.

 

Ten New Things in July

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. In the last week and a half of July, I became aware of so many new pieces of knowledge, enlightenment, and information. Enjoy!

  1. Mustang Mint appeared in my wildflower book as an unknown, or an unsure. This year I discovered it along the Mineral King Road, near Wolverton Point. It wasn’t in a good place for photos, so this is blurry. But I knew right away what it was—very fragrant.
  2. Have you read the Declaration of Independence (since the 8th grade)? I didn’t remember that it is a list of grievances against King George III. It was also interesting to see that it was signed by 56 men. For fun, look at these first names: 6 Williams, 6 Georges, 6 Johns, 5 Thomases, 3 Samuels, 3 Benjamins along with one each of these unusual monikers: Carter, Button, Elbridge, and Step. (This doesn’t add up to 56—there were other names I didn’t mention.) All of them were putting their lives on the line FOR US!! I highly recommend listening to Mike Rowe’s podcast Episode #104, The One Percenters.
  3. I learned that red, white and blue stand for valor, purity, justice.
  4. What Makes This Song Great is a wonderful YouTube site (station? channel? series?) by Rick Beato. This is another great find from Mike Rowe who interviewed him on Episode #259. Rick is a music producer (I think that is what it is called) who is musically brilliant. He breaks down songs from different eras and explains why they are so endearing and enduring. His enthusiasm will make you smile, and if you are around his age (born in 1962), you will enjoy the songs he picks by groups you probably used to love. Chicago, Boston, Kansas, and Toto (what’s with the geographical group names? and then “Toto”, appropriately listed here after Kansas?) But where is the Little River Band, hunh?? And where are the Carpenters? How about Bread? (L.Mc., he has a video on Gordon Lightfoot!)
  5. A friend told me about a daily 15 minute podcast for news, Morning Wire. So far it seems pretty straightforward, just the facts ma’am, but the reporters have that trendy youthful way of speaking. What I mean is that they talk fast, begin many sentences with “well”, “yeah”, or “so”, and when the anchor thanks them for reporting, they respond with either “my pleasure” or “anytime”. Those quirks are simply distractions, not a commentary on the quality of the reporting and at least they don’t talk through their noses with that dropped growl thing at the end.
  6. If you catch a bushy-tailed wood rat in a Hav-A-Hart trap and release it far away, it will come back. We’ll have to release it even farther next time. No photos. Ick, rodents.
  7. Sacrifice: A Gold Star Widow’s Fight for the Truth showed me that upper military personnel sometimes lie, file false reports, cover up mistakes, deny responsibility, and as a result, people die. Michelle Black wrote an engrossing book about losing her husband and uncovering the truth. Scary. What a brave and determined woman! (I met Michelle’s mom, who told me about the book.)
  8. If you are bitten by one mosquito, others find you more easily. That’s why sometimes the mosquitoes go all nutso over one person and ignore the other people in the area. I don’t know specifics, and I didn’t verify this fact, but it makes sense to me. (This tool box has nothing to do with anything other than the light caught my fancy.)
  9. Class Reunion: by the time 45 years since high school arrives, people have become comfortable in their own skin, everyone feels like a true friend, people are ready for real conversations, baldly honest and authentic. I had a wonderful time wandering around the room, reading name tags, getting reacquainted or making a new acquaintance. Out of a class of about 400, only about 80 were in attendance, there was no music (the voices alone were LOUD), and no one (that I could tell) got sloppy drunk. Initially I only signed up out of guilt, because some people travel great distances, so I should have the courtesy to drive 35 miles. I’m glad I went.
  10. Over the last several decades (I don’t know the specifics), California farmers are using 14% less water and producing 31% more food! THANK YOU, FARMERS!! (Food comes from farms, not from grocery stores. And do NOT complain about farmers if you are wearing cotton, or eating food. Go ahead and complain if you are eating a Google, driving a Facebook, sleeping in a Twitter. Comfy?? Be warmed and filled.)

Hiking to Mineral King’s White Chief Canyon

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. White Chief Canyon is the favorite hiking destination for both Trail Guy and me. This summer has been full of disruption, so I hadn’t made it there yet, while Trail Guy had gone several times. First point of interest is the Spring Creek bridge, with fireweed in bloom now.

That trail is STEEP, but you reach your destination in about 2 or 2-1/2 miles. (It is about 1 mile to this sign, and no one knows exactly which point is 1.8 miles from the sign.) In order to distract myself from the difficulty, I counted wildflower varieties. Before reaching the junction sign, I counted 29 different wildflowers.

After the junction, Trail Guy insists that there are only three steep grades. I insisted that he show me where each one begins and ends. That kept our minds off the difficulty, and although I believe there are actually four steep grades, now I understand what he is referring to. However, the lack of oxygen to my brain may preclude my ability to retain or pass on that information. 


See the cones at the top of those two red firs? We both hope that it portends a heavy winter.

Hello, White Chief canyon!

Hello, little pond!

Hello, weird ugly lichen!

Almost to our destination, but no plans to cross the creek and go see the mining tunnel. (Can you spot it on the white wall?)

Hello, Seep Spring Monkey flowers!I continued counting wildflowers and found 14 more varieties after the junction.  

My feet don’t hurt in my new “hiking boots” (Crocs All Terrain model) but it always feels wonderful to put them in icy water. (my feet, not my shoes)

That jagged-top peak is Vandever, the one on the right side of Farewell Gap. It appears much rougher from this viewpoint than from the Mineral King valley floor.

A marmot was quite interested in sneaking up on Trail Guy and inspecting his lunch.

Someone has made quite a pile along the trail to indicate where to head down to the creek crossing and head up to the mining tunnel. Can you spot the tunnel in this photo?

Obviously, there is a drainage of some sort here for the Bigelow Sneezeweed to run up the hillside. People are often discussing drought, but the truth is that we had twice as much rainfall last winter as the previous one.

Farewell, White Chief.

This is “everyone’s” favorite juniper. I have painted it quite a few times.

I painted it once from this angle, which isn’t quite as impressive.

We made it home, dusty, tired, and happy to have visited our favorite Mineral King destination once again.

Do you have a favorite Mineral King destination?

Central California Artist Answers Questions About Mineral King

If you cannot see the photos through your email subscription, you can see them by going to the blog on the internet. cabinart.net/blog.

Lots of people have questions about Mineral King. I will address some today.

What is the road like?

Steep, winding, some dirt sections, potholes, no center line, no fog lines, no guard rails, wide enough for only one car in a few places, big drop-offs, and some ugly burned areas.

How long does it take to get there?

The recommended time to allow is 1-1/2 hours. If someone catches up to you, pull over and let them go by.

Do I need a 4×4?

Nope. But if your car has low clearance, pay attention to the deep hogwallows.

Why do people leave the hoods up on their cars?

Back when Trail Guy was living and working in Mineral King, he left the hood up on his pickup so he could see if any marmots were messing around. A ranger saw that and assumed that if Michael Botkin did this, then it must be a marmot deterrent. And thus the legend was born and continues to this day. Leaving the hood up can drain your battery if it turns on a light, and it gives the marmots easier access.

Why do some people wrap their cars in blue tarps?

Wrapping your car might protect it from marmot damage.

What is a marmot?

A marmot is a large rodent that used to be in the backcountry but now is a plague in Mineral King.

Why do they damage cars?

No one knows why, but it is known that lactating females do the bulk of the damage, chewing on hoses and wires. When they kick their offspring out of the nest, the vandalism almost ceases completely.

How do I get a cabin?

You can buy a cabin if you happen to know someone who is selling or you can do what I did—marry in.

Can I rent a cabin?

There are cabins for rent in Silver City either at the resort, or you might be able to find a VRBO online.

Can I camp?

There are two campgrounds, Atwell Mill and Cold Springs, and both require reservations.

Can I bring a trailer?

Sure, but they are terrible on the road, and forbidden in the campgrounds, so why would you?

Where can I see wildflowers?

Everywhere. Pay attention!

When is the best time?

May is great along the lower road; July is fantastic in Mineral King.

What is the easiest trail?

Mineral King is a valley, so all trails go up. The easiest is to follow along the stream toward Farewell Gap; the next easiest is the Nature Trail from Cold Springs campground to the valley.

What is the most popular trail?

EVERYONE wants to go to Eagle Lake.

Can I bring my dog?

If you want to, but DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE TRAILS!

Seeking Wildflowers in Mineral King

If you cannot see the photos through your email subscription, you can see them by going to the blog on the internet. cabinart.net/blog.

The trail to Franklin Lakes and Farewell Gap has terrific wildflower variety this summer.

Mariposa lilies are like polka-dots over the landscape, among the sage. Very prolific this year!
This is a juniper tree. It isn’t a wildflower. I just wanted to show you the bark.

This is the weird view of Farewell Gap with all the overlapping ravines.

Flax were plentiful along the trail, and the red ones are Indian paintbrush. The white ones? Meh. But I love seeing red, white, and blue together, so I took this shot looking down into the canyon.

There was a tremendous variety along the trail to the junction.

The pennyroyal were very thick and fragrant, as always.

I guess you had to be there to get a feel for all the variety along the trail. 

Sometimes Pride of the mountain grows on rocky ledges that don’t appear to have enough dirt for anything to grow.

Same for this penstemon, the variety which I have forgotten (did I ever know it?)

This trail junction was our destination, and it is usually solid with a zillion different flowers. This year it wasn’t special, but the trail getting to the junction was simply amazing with the variety.

This is looking back down at those overlapping ravines in the canyon.

Angelica was very impressive. It looks like cow parsnip, but its leaves are lacy rather than solid. Maybe that’s why it has a prettier name than cow parsnip.

Franklin falls is quite impressive in spite of the low water year. That is arrowleaf groundsel in the foreground.

Let’s end our tour with a rainbow.

I have about 4 copies of Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names remaining. Want one?

What Does an Artist Do in Mineral King?

If you read this blog through an email subscription and cannot see the photos, click/tap here cabinart.net/blog, and you will be able to see them on internet. WARNING: this is a long post!!

A more complete question is probably this: What does this artist do in a place without internet, email, cell service or electricity?

An incomplete list:

  1. Split wood
  2. Knit
  3. Read the Declaration of Independence (Have you read it lately?)
  4. Swat biting flies
  5. Check on the wild iris WHICH IS IN BLOOM!
  6. Meander through the parking lot and find a bungee cord
  7. Proofread a book that has been in progress for almost five years
  8. Swat mosquitos
  9. Hang out with friends
  10. Sit on the bridge
  11. Hike – and take more photos, tell other hikers about better trails, look for tiger lilies, all while swatting mosquitos
  12. Swat more mosquitos

Incomplete pile of photos from the list (minus the mosquito swatting):

This is a section of trail that I’ve been trying to paint for a couple of years without any success.

Labrador Tea, reliably found near the first switchback above Eagle Meadow.Tiger lilies are Trail Guy’s favorite wildflower and this group was the destination of our hike.


Sometimes Eagle Meadow is thick with Jeffrey Shooting Stars and Knotweed. This year is not one of those times.We did see the shooting stars a little lower down along the creek. This is so hard to paint but I will not give up. (Here is how the painting looked last December)Who photographs the trail bed? Your Central California artist, that’s who.This is the first time I have really noticed Glacier Pass, a place I never expect to see in person.There was a wide variety of wildflowers as usual right around the beginning of July, but not in great quantities.Larkspur are hard for me to photograph, so when the light is right, I keep trying.This might be bitter cherry. It is a tree. I don’t know trees very well.

Hoopes sneezeweed always looks a little bit worn out, even when it is brand new.

That wild iris, only found in one place in Mineral King, blooms at the beginning of July each year.I drew this cabin once, in pencil with the flag in colored pencil, and called it “Dawn’s Early Light”. I love this view from the bridge, especially in the evening light.
Penstemon are a close second to my favorite flower of Explorer’s gentian.