Trail Guy went to Timber Gap, his first hike of the season in Mineral King in 2017. (He is retired, I am not. It is okay – I love what I do!)
These photos are his.
It’s Friday, Let’s Talk About Mineral King
Fridays are for Mineral King on my blog, but sometimes every day is for Mineral King. There isn’t a lot happening with my art business right now that you will find interesting (other than the one-day drawing workshop tomorrow at Arts Visalia; call 559-739-0905 to see if any spaces remain).
So, let’s continue our photo excursion in and around Mineral King, while the trails are inaccessible due to swollen streams and deep snow.
One of the things we always do is check the water level at the bridge.
I try to stop taking the same photos over and over, but each time I am sure it is the best it has ever looked.
We look at Sawtooth and think about the amount of snow and how quickly it is melting. Neither one of us has any desire to climb it. We were speculating that Monarch Lake may be accessible via the old trail sooner than other lakes, because the old trail is south-facing.
We pay attention to water flowing in places that it normally isn’t. Or perhaps it is, but we are usually out on trails instead of poking around non-trail areas.
We discovered some itty-bitty wildflowers that we’ve never seen before. Too small to see; too small to name. Perhaps Captain Obvious would have named these Blue Dots or Blue Spots.
We have gone to Crystal Creek several times. It was roaring down the trail over Memorial Weekend, so we did some trail rescue. The water level rose again, so we had to do a bit more waterology and redirect the water off the trail again. (Did the same at Chihuahua also, just above the old pack station, which runs colder than Crystal. This is not scientific, just a report from my bare feet.)
I didn’t have to get in the water to fix the flow from Spring Creek down the trail, so I’m not sure of the relative temperature on that one. See? 57 going on 12!
Sometimes trails have obstacles that we can navigate over or around.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Or, don’t be sorry for what you have lost; instead, be grateful you had it. Or, be flexible, because it is better to bend than to break. Go with the flow. Bloom where you are planted. Et cetera. . .
When Mineral King Trails Aren’t Accessible
Happy Birthday, Rachelle! May this be the year of new lungs. . .
What do you do when the trails in Mineral King aren’t accessible?
You walk the trails as far as you can. This was heading to Spring Creek, where the water is still too high for maintenance guys to put the bridge in yet. These folks were exclaiming over the snow and the water; I was mucking about in the water, mud and rocks, diverting water off the trail. (I’m 57, going on 12).
This is Spring Creek, taken from as close as I dared get. This is the same creek in my drawing titled “Hard Water”, but that was from the bridge. I’m sure you must be able to tell it is the same creek. . .
We also went looking for things, like Five Spot wildflowers. Trail Guy had noticed large swaths of them from the road by the Tar Gap parking lot, so away we went, off trail, in search of these special little guys.
First, we found Blue Lips.
Looks like a nothing burger of white dandruff on the ground from here. Or, if you are a Heidi fan, it looks like the Alps.
Once again, this is getting to be too long. To be continued tomorrow. . .
Remember, there is a one day drawing workshop at Arts Visalia on Saturday. You may contact them at (559)739-0905 to register.
Sights along the Mineral King Road
This is how “the potholes” were running recently. It is wonderful to see all the water!
This is how Sawtooth looked on the way up the hill. (That’s flannel bush in the foreground).
This is an unnamed drainage, coming down from Empire, about 2 miles below the Mineral King Valley. Every possible drainage is flowing.
This is looking back down the road through what remains of the avalanche by the Sawtooth parking lot.
Finally, this is how it looked out the back door of our cabin. The woodpile is accessible, so I was able to swing an axe and even a hatchet. Making kindling isn’t nearly as satisfying as splitting wood for the stove, but sometimes a woman’s gotta do what she’s gotta do.
Samson isn’t dead. He was sleeping in my studio, and I took this photo in case you missed him or wanted to see the spots on his belly.
Wildflowers on Mineral King Road
A few days ago I was in Mineral King and took photos along the road of the abundant wildflowers.
But first, let’s start with my favorite subject to draw and paint, the Oak Grove Bridge.
Look at that water!!!
Wildflowers along the road continue to be prolific. The first photo isn’t technically of wildflowers: these are sweet peas planted by Mary Trauger in the late 1800s.
This post is too long. Hope you made it to the end. Tomorrow, Mineral King will be the subject matter again.
Meanwhile, remember there is a one day drawing workshop coming this Saturday in Visalia.
Mineral King Oil Paintings, Finished and Drying
These photos of six little Mineral King paintings represent a day with 3-4 tiny paintbrushes in motion. 6×6″ paintings are canvases that easily fall off the easel, so I hold them in my hand while painting. The detail is as accurate as I am able to achieve without running each painting into an irretrievable number of hours.
Let’s review.
Top photo, left to right: White Chief; Aspens along the Nature Trail
Trail through Atwell Mill Campground, lower end of the campground
Trail leaving Monarch Lake
Sawtooth as seen from the Nature Trail; Sawtooth as seen from the Nature Trail
Each of these paintings will look better when dry and scanned, and even better in person. Each painting is $60 (plus tax if you live in California. I round the number to $65 because simpler is better.)
One of the Sawtooth from the Nature Trail paintings is spoken for. (SD, which one do you prefer??)
The rest will be sold through the Silver City Store, unless you contact me before I take them up the hill.
Opening Mineral King 2017
Mineral King officially opened on Wednesday, May 24. This is remarkable, considering it was a huge winter. Most of the reason it is open is because Trail Guy borrowed a backhoe and spent 120 hours of volunteer work to fight through the avalanches. This made it possible for the Park’s road guy to do the basics in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Our cabin had a ton of snow on the front porch (and the back porch too). Trail Guy is resourceful, and after I spent an hour or more shoveling, he thought of this tool.
Day Trip to Mineral King
About 1 week ago, Trail Guy took his buddy Mike to Mineral King for the day. The idea was to take the Trackster into the valley, and then perhaps do a bit of snow-shoeing or skiing. Trail Guy wanted to see the cabin after the big winter to be sure all was well.
Lots of snow through Faculty Flat, AKA West Mineral King.
However, the daffodils are blooming at the Dixon cabin, just before reaching the Ranger Station.
Alas, there is still another large avalanche remaining at the Sawtooth Parking lot area. Looks as if the Michaels climbed to the top to cross over and then took a picture of the little snow buggy below. (That’s the Trackster.)
The bridge at the end of road is snow-free. Hi Mike!
These cabins are snow free.
And the avalanche had to be crossed over to get back to the Trackster. 
Our cabin was fine, but is always the last one to melt out. Trail Guy did not take any pictures of it; even if he had, I might not be willing to post them on the World Wide Web.
An Attempt to Get Into Mineral King
Was Trail Guy really attempting to get into Mineral King? Or was he just having a fun day with his buddy Mike? Whatever the motivation, they didn’t make it to the end of the road but they did have a good time together.
The photos aren’t in any particular order, and I can’t identify where each photo was taken. They were snow avalanches, and what shows is all the debris left behind.
The redbud is still quite beautiful on the lower part of the road. Isn’t the color brilliant after all the browns up the road?
Repainting Mineral King, Day Twelve, Part B
On Day Twelve, the final day of repainting the Mineral King mural in Exeter, I spent a lot of time staring at the wall to determine what might need a touch-up, some polishing, a minor correction. It was hot, and the longer I stood there, the less I could see to do. Fortunately, there were many interesting visitors to visit with while I contemplated matters of possible consequence.
This is an ore bucket, one of the hidden items. It still seems obvious to me, and may be obvious to other observers. Since it is one of 13 hidden items, it is okay to have a few easy ones.
I stared and stared, thinking to show you before and after photos of the polishing process. Now I can’t tell which photos are the before and which are the after.
I added what might pass for phlox and groundsel wildflowers to this hill. The heat immediately turned the paint to the consistency of toothpaste and made the brush thick and unwieldy. The flowers don’t even show in the photos!
Finally, I signed it. Had the same trouble with the heat and the paint consistency on the signature. I would have kept the old signature, but the brilliant periwinkle blue color was just too weird. Now that I see it on this photo, I wonder why I didn’t sign directly beneath the plaque. This might require another visit to the wall, on an overcast day when the brush can retain a point and the paint can retain flow.
Then, because there was shade on the other side of the parking lot, I stood back and took a few final photos, because the next time I see this, there will be cars parked alongside.
The color isn’t as good in the afternoon light as in the morning light.
I like this because Marty Weekly’s mural “Timber Trail” shows in the distance through the awning. (far right side of photo). Why didn’t Marty’s fade? I’m sure it goes back to the colors I used; in spite of the high lightfast rating, my yellow was most certainly not light fast or fade resistant. This time using different yellows, it WILL last. I insist upon it!
And with this, we conclude our Repainting Mineral King series.
Maybe.