Ashland May 31st. to Seattle

Sunday AM started off with a breakfast of nut granola and organic berry mix puree coupled with a cup of coffee.  After getting ourselves fueled Will and Char took me to a Sunday meditation session at their local Buddhist Temple which they have been attending for two years.  While not declaring themselves Buddhists, they do appreciate the teachings of the llamas and opportunity to meditate and improve their day to day lives through improved mental clarity.  The temple was built in a way that follows prescribed designs and layouts, has passive ventilation and has prays buried in  the foundation floors.  The assemblage was what you might anticipate in Ashland, a mix of well educated, liberal folks with open minds and a bent towards giving to others.  The lessons from the llamas that day was how to take in your own suffering and dissolve it through meditation in our heart, and then to move on to taking in suffering from others and do the same.  I donated $20 to the temple in the form of the purchase of two books on Buddhism and meditation from the Dali Llama of Tibet.

At the conclusion of the initial one-hour session, Char introduced me to one of the Llamas and then the teaching session began.  Upon completion, Will, Char and I had lunch at their local coop store which also has deli foods much like Whole Foods presents daily.  They are members of the coop, and later in the afternoon Char and I returned to purchase some staples.  All the produce is organic and GMO free, which precludes having to sort through produce like at Whole Foods for those that are organic.  There is much produced in the valley that is made available through the coop and at various farmer's markets.  The entire Ashland County voted to ban GMO crops, and Monsanto currently has a lawsuit against the county concerning this.

Ashland is an eclectic town of about 20,000, with a history in the 19th and 20th century of logging.  The railroad completion in 1874 put Ashland on the map and helped the young town grow and prosper.  Nowadays, it is the home of Southern Oregon University, Will and Char's home,

Front of Will & Char's Home- Ashland, OR

Deer Greeter at Will & Char's

Will Nuessle & Boyd in back

a famous location for Shakespeare and other plays, and has a distinctly quirky/friendly persona.  It's popularity is causing an influx of Californians with money secured through rising property values there, which in turn is causing the property values in Ashland to rise dramatically.  The town fades within a few miles to agrarian landscapes with dairy cows, goats etc. and further out into vineyards near Jacksonville

Boyd & Char at Woolridge Winery near Jacksonville, OR 5/30/2015

 I took Will and Char out for dinner at a restaurant in town called Smithfields.

Boyd, Char and Will at Smithfield's - Ashland, OR 5/31/2015

They had a great mix of barbecue pork, beef and chicken and I had warm Greek olives with blue cheese and Meyer lemon, followed by sweet potato gnocchi, black morel mushrooms and prosciutto.  We coupled our dinner with a nice Albarino from Spain, and then had deserts (orange sorbet, a baked raspberry truffle and creme' brulee.

Came home Sunday evening and finished packing up ready for an early run to Seattle.

After breakfast and an early morning yoga stretch session with Will and Char, I reluctantly left Ashland and it's multitudinous bridges and houseboats to Seattle.  The GPS unerringly took me to my friends home on Mercer Island just across the water from downtown Seattle.

Byron & Doris's Home - Mercer Is., WA

An affluent island consisting primarily of homes and some small support businesses with a population of around 22,000. Paul Allen of Microsoft fame has an enclave of 9 houses he bought to provide some privacy and Byron took me through the area so I could see how one of the richest men in the world lives.  Byron and Doris bought into Mercer Is. many years ago, and since then the popularity of the location near Seattle has continued to draw people to the island, and with this impetus, the real estate prices have continued to escalate.

Doris returned home from her work at a local elementary school, assisting  students who require additional tutoring and guidance, and we had dinner at a nice bar/restaurant on the north end of the island. Having lived on the island so long, they both greeted numerous people who were also denizens of the restaurant. Later in the evening I shared the digitized Super 8 films that my exchange student, Masashi Tachibana took while living with us in Grosse Pointe, MI fromm 1966-67.  I wanted to show Byron a short clip of his mom Martha.  Byron loved the clip and identified several other relatives in some film Masashi took while with them at a cottage along the St. Clair River, for what Byron recalls as a 4th of July weekend.

Made contact with my cousin Carolyn, who practices Chiropractic offices in nearby West Seattle. We agreed to meet for breakfast Wednesday AM before I head to the airport to pick up my friend and erstwhile minion at Hilton Head Hospital, Beth Gasiorowski.

Following a breakfast of oatmeal and fresh blueberries Byron did some working out and I downloaded some pics and worked on the blog.  We are soon off to downtown Seattle for  lunch.

Santa Rosa Visit, Humboldt Redwoods State Park & Ashland, Oregon

From Sacramento it was an easy three hour drive up to Santa Rosa where my cousin Gordon and his wife Judy live on about five acres of what use to be an apple orchard. Got in around 11AM, had a quick lunch and then we took off for a hike not far away at Bishops Ranch. This ranch is owned by a religious sect, however they allow the public to enjoy what's left of undeveloped countryside via trails that wind their way up the property. Gordon selected a trail that led us up to a small lake that was covered in reddish small plant life. It is fed from the hills above, but there has been so little rain in CA, that the lake is slowing shrinking, and the feeder creek is dry in spots. Still it was peaceful walking the trail, viewing the Madrone trees, and coastal oaks. At the beginning of the hike there were warning signs with four discrete pictures, warning users of poison oak, ticks, rattlers and mountain lions. Couldn't decipher if this was for education purposes or to limit potential liability should those ambling about come into contact with any of these.  

Didn't think too much more about the warning signs till Judy had to have two tick removed from her that were actively burrowing into her skin. I then checked my inside pants legs and removed a miniature size tick as well. Further along the track, Gordon pointed out the poison oak, and then Judy heard the telltale rattle of a rattler off to the left side of the trail. After close examination from the trail we spotted the rattler warning us off.

Western Rattler along trail - Santa Rosa, CA

I found it interesting that the rattler would have even rattled, as if he had not we would not have known of his existence. We climbed to the top of a hill with good views all round, and could see the ubiquitous wine orchards not too far away.

Gordon & Judy Beebe with Boyd hiking Bishop's Ranch

This part of CA which originally produced hops for beer, then moved to growing apples and now the apple trees have virtually all been replaced with vineyards. The unfortunate aspect of this change is the negative impact on what is left of the underground aquifer. The vast volume of grapes require large quantities of water which is draining the aquifers fairly quickly. Since these waters were laid down millenniums ago, their ability to regenerate under current climate conditions is doubtful.  

Towards evening we went over and visited my Uncle Ced,

Boyd with his Uncle Ced

who is now 92 and living in a retirement home in Santa Rosa. I spent some time reviewing past times and camping we did together when I was 12 years of age, and asked him some questions about his childhood experiences growing up in Cambridge with my mother. He had a challenging youth growing up during the depression, to the extent that he was farmed out literally at age 14 over the summer to work on a farm in Vermont. The two months over the summer paid $40 with room and board. This was repeated during the next two summers in New Hampshire and relieved my grandmother from having to care and feed Ced during the summer when she had to work at youth camps to survive (being a school teacher and having the schools closed). After a piece we went out and had dinner at a local restaurant he valued, and we then returned him to the residence and Gordon Judy and I spent the balance of the evening at their home.

The next morning Gordon shared his DVD of their most recent birding trip to Columbia in 2013. Quite a professional endeavor with pictures and audio recordings of the birds. Gordon now get's paid to speak professionally on the subject of birding from the areas he visits. We took Ced out for lunch at the East West Restaurant, then went to Howarth Park

Boyd, Ced, Gordon & Judy at Howarth Park, Santa Rosa, CA

in Santa Rosa where we did some minimal strolling before returning Ced and heading home. It's of great value to me to reconnect with this generation that has been through so much trauma and opportunities in their lives. I often reflect on just how different my young adult life as a privileged Grosse Pointer was, compared to the hard/meager times my uncle and mother experienced. Yet through all this, they had family, as difficult as that was at times, with jobs scarce and medical care limited both by science and financial constraints.

The following morning I left Santa Rosa around 8AM and headed north up Hwy 101 towards Eureka CA.  The coastline of northern CA is rugged and awe inspiring. I kept wishing I had more time to meander along, but had reservations for camping under the redwoods and didn't want to miss out on that spectacle. I got off Hwy 101 at Avenue of the Giants and drove through a small town where the high school students were out on lunch break, spilling out over their pickup trucks.  here of Hilton Head High.  The Avenue of the Giants certainly lived up to it’s name with giant redwoods towering over the car on the route to Hidden Springs campsite.  Checked in with the Ranger, was provided some hiking maps to William and Nelson Groves then set up camp with now practiced movements.  

My campsite #3 sits across from and next to two large elaborate RVs, both of whom had their generators running to my dismay.  Seems somewhat antithetical to be out in this quiescent landscape and then populate it with the sounds of gas engines.  Hope they can overnight without their power supply.  After organizing camp, including switching out the dry goods so I have snacks in the SUV, I got my Hawaii Mountain and Trails Club bum pack set up with camera, water and snacks and headed out on the 3 mile forest walk to the William Grove of redwoods.  Took me roughly 45 minutes to traverse the trail with a couple of stops for pics and water.  Didn’t see a soul on the trail.  Hiking alone provided a few chicken skin moments as I reflected on the talk from Downieville of the woman who was stalked for three days by a Mountain Lion in the hinterlands of Yosemite, and only surviving by going into her tent, cutting a hole in the bottom and walking back to civilization over three days.  

Boyd by one of the redwoods in Williams Grove

Was a moderately difficult trek, moving up and down across the forest floor, over a fire road, through a culvert under the Avenue of the Giants and finally down to the grove. Besides the giant redwoods there were some smaller fir trees and Madrone trees in areas where there was ample light.  William’s Grove itself is not large but has an impressive selection of large redwoods.

One of the giant Redwoods at Williams Grove

 After examining these I walked down to the river

Boyd by S. Fork of Eel River, Humboldt Redwoods State Park

which while low was still running. There were large elevated gravel areas near the river, which was crystal clear and blue, with very little algae.  Two young girls cavorted in the river prompted me to test out the temp, which was surprisingly warm, likely around 65F.  I walked along the river’s edge away from the girls, and passed a young lady sunbathing topless, who was totally nonplussed by my presence. After deciding the water was too inviting to pass up, I shed my clothes and did a quick wash up in the river. How is it that even away in nature, you have this naughty but delightfully refreshing feeling that comes by bathing au naturelle in nature?

I dried off courtesy of a warm sun on the banks of the river, donned my hiking clothes and returned to camp on the same trail, but as always appreciating the fact that I was seeing the territory from a different perspective.

Since I had had no lunch other than trail mix, I took myself off to a nearby town about two minutes down the road and got a french baguette and bottle of Apothic Red wine to go with my organic tomato/basil soup.  Started to read the book on Vegan diets Cassie left me in San Diego then went into the Go to prepare dinner. Following instructions to put pressure on the four corners of the soup container as instructed, it opened with a dramatic albeit messy red volcanic eruption all over the insides of the Go including ceiling, stove, floor, sleeping bag and pillow. What an ungodly mess I had created!  I proceed to clean up the interior spaces best I could over a half an hour then, warmed up the balance of the soup that was still left in the container for dinner. I turned out to be a delectable dinner at my private picnic table.  The Campbell's organic soup was to my surprise, outstanding.  

Some traffic noise from the Avenue of the Giants but otherwise the campsite is quite nicely situated and I anticipate a goods night sleep after the six mile plus trek that afternoon.  Am typing this offline using Google Docs, as there is no Internet amongst the redwoods! Hope it uploads OK.  

After packing up, took a short hike to Nelson's Grove across from the campsite in the AM and washed up again in the river, before starting my drive north toward Ashland, OR. The drive up the CA coast is mesmerizing with it's cloak of gray marine layer muting the colors of the ocean.  There are numerous bays and small offshore islands punctuating the roadside views.  Drove over the Klamath River and up into Oregon, where you again transect a large redwood Forest of giants. Some road work delayed me, but listening to “The Girl with the Green Dragon Tattoo” passed the time quickly and after passing through Medford, I found myself shortly afterward in Ashland, which sits comfortably nestled in a large canyon between mountains at about 2,000 feet.  The landscape is primarily agrarian, with trees covering large areas of the mountains beyond.

Our friends Will and Char

have a well kept, comfortable, single story home in Ashland, with a terraced backyard all in fruit trees and vegetables.  After a home cooked meal with some lettuce from their garden, we took off to the Southern Oregon University Campus and attended a saxophone recital by a graduating senior.  Hearing classical music by sax was interesting and the range of sounds from the alto sax was a new experience for me.  Tomorrow, we will wake up with some yoga at their home, then head out for a 5 mile hike up to a local summit overlooking Ashland.

After a hearty breakfast of Bulgar oats and fruit, we hiked up into the hills just above their home. The land has Madrone trees, Manzanita bushes, wild irises, poison oak, fir, cedar and redwoods along with rhododendrons which were in bloom with their purple flowers. We could smell the flowering lilacs as well and came upon a Madrone tree which had been scarred by a bear.

Bear Claws on Madrone Tree

We went up and over the hilltop

Boyd hiking w/ Char and Will Nuessle - Ashland, OR

to Ashland Park, which has a reservoir, multiple pathways, a rushing creek and opportunities to stop and eat at picnic tables. We did just that, consuming the remains of last night's dinner (I know, Boyd doesn't usually like leftovers, but these tasted good in the outdoors). We then walked to a tea house, called Dopra',

Will, Char and Boyd at teahouse, Dapra'

in Ashland town and thence home through the university. The tea house had hundreds of teas and gluten free bakery products. I had Jasmine tea, my favorite and a raspberry brown nut cake. There are three such Dopra' tea houses in Ashville, NC, which is where the couple that owned and operated the tea house trained for two years.

Tonight we are going to one of Ashland's many theaters to see a production of one of Eugene O'Neill's plays. More on that later.

Downieville, Lake Tahoe and on to Sacramento May 21-23

After saying our goodbyes to Donnie,

Donnie Russel & Boyd at Donnie's House - Downieville

and the eclectic apartment overlooking the Downie River,

Apt. overlooking Downie River at Donnie's

we left Downieville around 9:30 having stocked up on Entenmann's donuts and orange juice at the only grocery store in Downieville. We went back up Hwy 49 through Sierra City, on through Sierraville, to Truckee and down the mountain into N. Tahoe and it's ski oriented businesses, short-term rentals and magnificent homes.  We decided to take the northern route around Lake Tahoe as we would not be returning this way due to our impending trip to Sacramento.  Stopping at a lakeside viewing area we took in the magnificently blue/green waters of Lake Tahoe,

Boyd - N. Lake Tahoe

Two Lovebirds by Lake Tahoe

it's immensity and the snow capped peaks that make it a singularly majestic setting.

Driving around the lake we came into some fairly heavy rain showers and the temp dropped a few degrees before we found ourselves in S. Tahoe, and crossing the state line into Nevada, the world of casinos such as the Hard Rock Cafe, Hotel/Casino and Harrah's. We stopped and got a few essentials before locating Fallen Leaf Campground, which included some nice red wines, Sausalito cookies and English Muffins.  Fallen Leaf Campground was about 3.5 miles further along past the end of S. Tahoe.  While we had a break in the rain, we made camp

and then went exploring initially by car to the Mt. Tallac historic site across the road from the campsite, and then to Emerald Bay and Eagle Falls.  Emerald Bay even in the overcast conditions was quintessentially alpine and stunning to see. You view the bay from 3-400 ft. up by the road.  Eagle Falls cascades from further up the mountains and allows a close up view as it tumbles on to the bay below.  We rock hopped to the middle of the falls to get the best view.  Returning to the campsite, we drove to Fallen Leaf Lake, which was found by driving 3-4 miles inland towards the mountains.  A beautiful lake that reminded me of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, with spectacular mountain style homes nestled along the lake shore and towering snow capped peaks above.  Returning to camp, we got on our bikes and followed the path back to the lake which had taken on a somewhat ethereal quality in the late afternoon light, with lightly falling rain.  Went as far as a 1934 dam that was controlling the lake's water level then turned around to camp.  We cracked open one of the Reds, and settled into the nice warm Go, courtesy of our camp stove. Around 8PM, Andrea heated up some Trader Joe's vegetarian chilly and quinoa  for dinner.  The lights unexpectedly went out from our solar battery around 9PM so we called it a night, and crawled into our winter sleeping bags with extra blankets.

Awoke the next morning at 39 degrees and some considerable condensation inside undoubtedly from our exhalations throughout the night.  With the stove cranked up for a few minutes things started to dry out, and after a breakfast of English muffins with organic peanut butter and honey, we got into the Highlander and headed north up Hwy 89 towards Tahoe City.  Our first stop was Vikings Home,

Andrea at Vikings Home on Emerald Bay

a stone residence of some grandeur built by a woman from Santa Barbara in 1929 to be her summer residence.  She designed it to be an authentic Swedish Castle with all the stone and wood trimmings. To get to the castle, one must walk down towards the bay about a mile.  There the castle sits just up from the bay nestled within the old growth fir and cedar trees which were left intact by the original owner.

After walking  back up to the  parking lot, with some heavy breathing from the altitude of about 6,500 ft., we made our way along the highway to D.L Bliss State Park and hiked the Rubicon Trail to Rubicon Point while also taking in Hanging Rock.

Andrea at Rubicon Point

You can see some 70 ft. down into the clear waters of Lake Tahoe from it's heights above the water.

Andrea with Sugar Pine Cone on the Rubicon Trail

View from Rubicon Point to East Side of Lake Tahoe

and stopped for lunch at Sunnyside, a small community centered around the tourist trade on the west side of Lake Tahoe.  In a phone call to my mother, she recalled that she had camped at Carnelian By which is just north of Tahoe City when she was 6 years of age with her grandparents from Reno. It was a lonely park back then, but you could still find carnelian stones at the time.  After a delightful lunch at the Firesign Restaurant and a lager, Andrea kindly drove back to camp with me drifting off from the post prandial dip and slow motion swaying from the roadways curves.    I had a short nap as did Andrea, then we took off on the mountain bikes initially to the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Center just a 10 minutes ride away, then down through a riparian section of land

Andrea - riding through Riparian Section en route to beach from Visitors Center

to the long beach of sand at the cold water's edge.  Lake Tahoe at 1600 ft. deep never freezes, albeit with water temps going down to 39 degrees in the depths.  Watch an amazing acrobatic display by a Doberman Pincher jumping for a stick that his master was waving over his head before throwing far out into the crystal waters.  This dog got a good 3-4 feet in straight vertical jumps.

After a short bike down the bike path leading West around the lake, we returned to camp, changed into some decent clothes and took off to Harrah's.

Andrea at Harrah's

 The casino was a bit daunting for the neophytes, but we got a drink at the bar, got a restaurant recommendation (Friday Night) on the 18th floor overlooking Lake Tahoe and proceeded to have an outstanding albeit expensive dinner with a marvelous Spanish wine, Bierzo Vico Mencia 2010 for $66, with it's mildly spicy, rich notes.

My Andrea at Friday Nights - 18th Fl. Harrah's

 Dinner started with a wild mushroom puff pastry, followed by filet mignon, scampi with fettuccine, fresh vegetables, followed by a lemon cheesecake and coffee.  Watched a drone quad copter tool around the skies  and snooping into the hotel and restaurant windows before landing in the Hard Rock Cafe parking lot some 18 stories below.  We managed to blow through $20 on the slots without nary a thought on how stacked the odds were against us, then returned to the Go for a good nights sleep.

Broke camp in the rain on the Saturday the 23rd. which I am always loathfull to do fearing mold might grown when the tent is packed up into it's fiberglass shell. We climbed back up the mountains, nearly getting hit head on by a vehicle traveling too fast downhill around a curve.  He was a good four foot over the yellow line on my side when I corrected with  quick jog right, hoping the trailer would follow adroitly.  We survived the potential head-on crash and proceeded to make our way through the mountains west till we stopped at Placerville (old Hangtown due to the fact this is where they hung those found guilty of murder back in the gold rush days).  Found a long parking spot at Bank of America, opened the Go up and let it dry and followed this with a nice lunch at a nearby bakery/restaurant.  Rolled into Sacramento around 1:30 and found the Giustina's longing on their front porch.

Their home is a beautiful 1920 home on the east side of Sacramento, where they have lived for 30 years, with Tom working as a Dermatologist at a nearby Kaiser hospital.  They planted numerous trees in their backyard with small pool and it has created an intimate oasis.
Inside the house is tastefully decorated with artwork from Robin, very colorful and fun.  Their son, GianCarlo was a playmate of Jess's back in Ann Arbor where Tom did his residency.  He is now 34, having graduated from Stanford in engineering design, and has a successful engineering job with Google, which often find him in China.  He previously designed the Nest thermostat among other things.

The afternoon which was bright and sunny found us biking to the American River

Tom, Andrea and Robin on bridge over American River - Sacramento

and back by the the University of CA Sacramento.  Stopped and had pink lemonade at a stand two high school girls had set up roadside.  Returning to the Giustina's we had cheeses and Gin and Tonics on their front porch followed by a dinner in the backyard

Robin,Tom & Boyd in Giustina's backyard

by the fountain of ribs, salad, grilled asparagus and a nice red wine.

Andrea, Robin and Tom Giustina in their backyard - Sacramento, CA

 Shortly thereafter, we crashed in their back room and awoke this Sunday morning around 5:45 to the sound of coffee being ground. Upon exiting our room into the kitchen, Robin had a spread of fresh fruit, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt which we had with our coffee at their breakfast table.

We all got into Tom's bright red Audi and dropped Andrea off at the airport for her Southwest flight to San Diego, where she will connect with a United flight to Denver and on to Orlando.  Got a text as they wouldn't honor the free bags we supposedly get by purchasing our ticket with the United Mileage card.  She was not a happy camper, and hoping the balance of her trip goes better.

Closing this off for now, as we are headed to the Crocker Museum and thence to a jazz festival in Sacramento.

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.