Big Sur - The Best CA has to Offer

We had breakfast at the Colton Inn in Monterey and got underway about 10:30 after all the assembled had done their various internet activities.  Dane, Anna and Andrea were doing work work and I organized some of my picks and posted the last blog posting.  The drive out of Monterey past Carmel by the Sea is spectacular.  Traveling along Highway 1 with the multitude of succulents with their hues of red and orange on the hillsides in selected microclimates, coupled with the take your breath away drops to the ocean below was a real treat.  The water is the aquamarine of Hawaii but with kelp beds interspersed along the shoreline.

First stop was Bixby Bridge.

Dane, Anna, Cassie & Andrea at Bixby Bridge

We stopped again at the Bakery for lunch in their side garden eating area, then drinks on the hilltop restaurant called Nepenthe whose popularity with those traveling the highway was evident by the lack of parking.  I ended up parking the SUV and Go on the side of the entrance road and put my flashers on.  We had drinks sitting on pillows which are strategically placed on elevated cement steps that overlook the expanse of shoreline below.  Next stop was Julia Pfeiffer State Park, and a beautiful waterfall dropping from the cliffs to the sandy beach below.

Sea Otters were scrounging for food in the bay below.

Around 4PM we pulled into Campground and located our campsite nestled amongst a throng of SUVs, pickups and the like but overlooking the beach which was only 300 feet away down the small canyon.  We we actually under a bridge that is part of Highway 1.  Walking down to the beach after setting up camp we found two rivers that converge at the waters edge.  With drinks in hand, we watched the last of the sun duck down below the northern hills, and returned to camp and a dinner of vegetarian.  Cassie now made three in the Go, but rather than making a full platform for sleeping inside, we chose to set up the table, leave room for maneuvering inside and Andrea went to sleep under the table.  This configuration worked admirably well and we all had a pretty good nights sleep.

The morning of the 16th was bright and beautiful.  Andrea and I got up early and coffee in hand walked down to the deserted beach to watch the sunrise.  Saw a whale breaching in the waters behind two small islands offshore, likely a Humpback, and Sea Otters were diving for food in the waters just beyond the breakers.  Brown bellied swallows darted above us providing themselves with edibles in the form of whatever flying insects were about.  After a quick breakfast the crew decided to explore the nearby trails, and we hiked up through the canyon part of the campsite to trails which took us to a waterfall

The crew on hike above Limekiln Campsite, Big Sur

Andrea & Boyd crossing the stream above Limekiln Campsite

and then to the site of the old lime kilns which were used to create lime from the rock above and shipped to San Fransisco for use in making cement.

Looking through bottom of kiln to Andrea and Cassie

With hiking still in mind we traveled 2.3 miles south to Kirk campsite which was a picturesque grouping of campsites on the beachside of Highway 1.  Note: select campsite 22 by the ocean if available in the future. We found a trail that wound it's way up through the bush 7 miles to a primitive campsite atop the hills.

Boyd on hike above Kirk Campground 

View above Kirk Campsite long Highway 1, Big Sur

Needless to say, we didn't do the full 7 miles, but did get up high enough to take in all the spring flowers made lush through some recent rains we came through enroute to Monterey a couple of days before, and to see the cliffs and shores of Big Sur winding north.  Had a restful afternoon lounging on the beach followed by an early dinner and smores by the fire.

We broke camp and exited Limekiln by 10:30 with Dane, Anna and Cassie turning left and South on Highway 1 and Andrea and I turning right and north.  Stopped in Carmel by the Sea to see the town Clint Eastwood was mayor of and the 30-50 million dollar homes.  Nice beach, cutsie shops and a multitude of tourists.

Andrea with Go at Carmel Beach

We had an uneventful drive north to Concord where our friend from Ann Arbor, Rosa, greeted us at here home.  Concord is a well put-together town with what looks like some modern corporate offices.  The BART goes through town allowing easy access to Silicon Valley and S.F.  Rosa put on a great spread in her background, having grilled fish, corn, pineapple and vegetables.  Another friend (Cathy) from days working at the University of Michigan Medical Center arrived as we were starting dinner and we had a great time reminiscing and going through five bottles of various CA red wines.  Cathy stayed the night at Rosa's and we all took off in the AM, with Andrea and I heading for Downieville and the high Sierras.

My iconoclastic, curmudgeon friend of old from Grosse Pointe, Donnie Russel, had called in the morning and confirmed he would meet us at the offices of the Mountain Messenger, California's oldest newspaper which he is half owner and editor of.  The drive up to Downieville is classic northern CA, winding up and down over the foothills, into the valleys and back up, incrementing altitude as you progress.  We spied Downieville laid out below us by the North Yuba river, which was scintillating in the late afternoon sun.  While not running high due to limited snowpack this past winter, it yet was showing off it's aqua majesty, as it cascaded over the rocks on it's journey west.

Found Donnie at his usual perch in the Mountain Messenger office.

Donnie Russel, Editor, Mtn. Messenger Newspaper at Office in Downieville

  Mark Twain who once wrote for the paper would have immediately recognized the surroundings, albeit with a few touches of today's world in the way of computer screens.  The offices are overrun with the detritus of newspaper equipment of old that has passed their useful lives but are too much trouble to remove.  Donnie's office and desk seems to have been frozen in time back to 2003 when I last had the pleasure of visiting with my son Dane.  Donnie was finishing up some wtork on the weekly paper which was next due to be published in two days, so we made out way down to the St. Charles, a saloon that steps you back to the 1800s.  As one would expect, it was also populated by characters fitting of a historic town nestled against the mountains that is at once removed from the everyday world of CA that we traditionally envision.  We introduced ourselves to Scot and his dog Brutus, a mix of German Shepard and wolf.  Scot had been forewarned of our arrival and greeted us with gustow.  Sidling up to the bar we ordered a beer and one for Scott and proceeded to exit to the back which overlooks the river and is the smoking section so to speak.  Scot wanted to finish the balance of his "Backwoods" cigar and after a short time, Donnie joined us for more beer and smokes.  Andrea and I enjoyed a "Backwoods" and we retired as the sun went down to Donnie's home perched above the Downie River. His assistant Jill took some photos of us all (which later became the plot of a practical joke on the townspeople and one Liz in particular). Donnie slew some Texas hash together and we retired to his backyard, with its' carefully tended gardens (those having been created and maintained by Irene, his significant other) and shots of bourbon coupled with Anchor Steam beer.

Donnie was off to work before we arose in the AM and Andrea and I took ourselves downhill a 1/4 of a mile to Coyoteville Cafe for breakfast, and then extracted the bikes from their roosting place on top of the Go for a rigorous, and I do mean rigorous bike up Ravine Trail road.  The elevation gain kicked our ass with me breathing like an old coal locomotive on an uphill line.  We had fun on the downhills and ventured across hospital bridge to the other side of the river past a curious shack that was perched above the river on railroad wheels.  We later found out that this was once the pump house that was   lowered to the river's edge and sucked water in which fed the town of Downieville. We explored the balance of Downieville, which didn't take long (with a full-time population of 250), stopped at the local library, which was housed in an old Odd Fellows building from the 19th century.  We met Carl, semi recluse who spoke to the E Clampus Vitus signs we saw populating the historic sites throughout Downieville.  This "fraternal" order was founded in the mid 19th century as a counterpoint to the traditional fraternal orders like the Masons.  More of a drinking organization than anything else, but they also helped disabled miners and their widows over the years.  Hiked the N. Yuba River from a trail down near the courthouse that leads up to Slug Canyon.

Boyd with Rabbit Ears by pool on N. Yuba River

The hike was spectacular in it's green ethereal way, with burbling brooks, moss covered stones, dogwood trees in bloom and of coarse some big ass slugs, deemed to be banana slugs for some unknown reason, since we are well away from the nearest banana tree.

7' Banana Slug in Slug Canyon, Downieville

Along the way we came across signage that again points to the humor exhibited by the locals in various forms.

Andrea by "No Parking" Sign on hike

Met Donnie again at the St. Charles followed by a nice Chinese wok dinner prepared by Andrea, some more Bulleit Bourbon and to be by 9PM.

Awoke to another fine morning view from the eclectic apartment above the garage, with no aches or pains from the previous days exertions (thanks to workouts in Sun City Hilton Head?).  You are lulled to sleep from the sound of the rushing waters below in the Downie River and awake to the pines across the road.  Shower is something to behold, being maxed out in height at 5'4", is angled and virtually impossible to use by Boyd, though Andrea fits just fine.  We headed out towards Sierra City after another breakfast at the Coyoteville Cafe, winding 12 miles up Highway 49 along the N. Yuba River. Sierra City is another sleepy, 19th century looking mining town,  similar in appearance to Downieville but a little smaller at a population of 225.  We made our way to the trailhead of the trail that takes you to Sierra Butte, at about 6500 feet elevation.  It was raining slightly as we climbed with the SUV up the narrow road.  At the trailhead, the sky darkened considerably, lightning and thunder could be heard and the summit was enshrouded in clouds.  Andrea was persistent in getting our things ready for the four mile hike, and wouldn't let go of the idea of hiking in the rain, till it started to sleet then hail on the SUV, at which time, Boyd simply said "no" we aren't hiking under these conditions and turned the SUV around and down the mountain.  Andrea joking said I pulled the big bear card in making the decision but concurred we would have put ourselves in jeopardy to have attempted the hike.

We stopped in Sierra City at the grocery recommended by Carol, at lady we met down by the Coyoteville Cafe.  The grocery ended up having the best deli sandwiches for miles around, and we eagerly engulfed a toasted pastrami sandwich, while washing it down with some beer from my cooler in the SUV.  Larry, the owner of the grocery, said he was sorry I was staying with Don Russel and that I should inform him of such, after which he showed me pics of a solid gold nugget the size of his hand that was found under a large boulder in front of his uncles resort, "Lure" on the N. Yuba River. Returning to Downieville, we headed West to Goodyear's Bar, a small community of houses near the N. Yuba river, picked up the N. Yuba trail and had a nice walk along the river, albeit at a height of some 100-200 feet above the river's floor.  Wild yellow irises dotted the landscape along with some monstrous trees that had fallen over roots and all.

Back in Downieville, we ran into William, owner of the 49 Wines who knew of us as well and encouraged us to look up Liz, the docent for the Downieville Museum.  The museum had remained closed and padlocked.  She greeted us as Joe and Joan Arc, to our quizzical surprise.  She insisted Don Russel had introduced us as such and had pictures in her online blog (www.sierracountyprospect.org) to prove it (from the pics taken the first night at the St. Charles Saloon).  Sure enough, he had played a great practical joke on her and a number of the townspeople by introducing his friends from Hilton Head as Joe Hill and Joan Arc. We had to explain that we were actually Boyd and Andrea at which point she gracefully smiled and said that was typical of Don. She gave me a book on Juanita, the mexican woman hanged in Downieville during the goldrush days as I had expressed an interest in this particular topic. Here is her blog: "

Mountain Messenger (Don has a friend) 5/20/15

FEATURED

Posted on May 20, 2015

Don Russell has friends, and I have proof… here is a picture of Don and a guy he went to high school with back in the middle of the country somewhere, maybe Detroit. His friend Joe Hill who brought his beloved, Joan Arc, to visit Don. I wonder if Joan knew Don before, she is most likely surprised that Joe, being a retired school administrator knows someone like Don. Astounded probably.

Scott McDermid, Joe Hill, Joan Arc talking to an unknown person (probably the real friend) while Don is at the table it is not at all clear they are there because of Don.

Here Joe and Joan actually appear to be with Don but still not clear if they actually know him.

Well Joe is talking to Don so he may really know him and Don insists they are good friends, however everyone who has met them say that Joan and Joe are really super nice people and this makes one wonder if they could have a friend like Don.