A Multi-Bear Day

When traveling with our RV thru Canada and AK, we often referred to days as “a 3 bear day”  or whatever.  Well here at home yesterday, June 27 we not only had a multi-bear day, we had a multi animal day.

I was outside early, washing all the dirt off my car after that major dirt road drive a few days ago.  It was about 8:30 so I dashed into the house to get a bagel and peanut butter and returned outside, entered the shed (peanut butter/bagel in hand and munching) to get towels to dry my car when I heard something bump the shed.  Must be a pine cone dropping, but it repeated itself several times along with other movements.  After bravely exiting the shed and hiding between my car and the house, I saw this…  

As a frame of reference I was in the shed with the door open

and this is what I saw when I came around the corner...

probably caused by that mother and cub you saw a few blogs back, near the end of May.  Yes, I finished drying the car with one door always open so I could quickly get inside if need be!!!

Well someone has to do it!!!

The normal amount of squirrels were out, birds singing and turkey vultures/buzzards gliding over head as later in the day I got brave and did some yard work.  Don brought me a wine and we sat on the “East Deck” to enjoy the view.   Don looked to the right and saw

a “Carnivorous Cat” sneaking across the yard with a squirrel dinner hanging from  it’s mouth.  

He always stayed in the shadows until forced into the sunlight and

then quickly headed for the underbrush.

This is what they look like up close and personal...
Someone sent me this  photo of a bobcat taken by Curt Fonger
after a mountain lion chased it up a Saguaro Cactus in AZ last  year.

Shortly thereafter looking off in the same direction, dead center between the deck railing posts, 

I saw this face emerge from the brush line 

 The bear walked slowly and quietly

just inside the brush line and then climbed up into this very large manzanita bush which
began shaking all over as he moved around.

When the bear climbed out of the bush and started to cross the open field I heard the thunderous noise of a bear crashing thru the brush.  

 I arrived too late with my zoom lens camera...

And if that's not enough, a few days ago I saw this cute little animal.

I knew it wasn’t a fluffy kitty or puppy, but a young red fox, because of its cautious mannerisms. 

   And, to answer the question if turkey buzzards would eat a dead baby skunk, the answer is YES.   When Don returned from town, 3 buzzards were busy as they devoured the skunk, right there on our driveway.    Later I went down to get the mess off the driveway (so I wouldn’t have to drive thru it again), and there was nothing left but a few fur piles.  As I “scooped” them off the road with a long stick, I heard something “rattle”…(no not a rattlesnake-that’s a different story), and, as I looked closely I discovered a small skull about the size of the tip of your index finger, with teeth still in tact, picked clean!!!   Obviously no photos of this mess…

Well, that's a "wrap" as they say in show business.  I’ll be leaving Don home alone 

tomorrow as I head for LA with daughter Kristine, her hubby Richard and son Everett to watch 

the “Trinitii Girls” live!!!  I bet you can figure out the content of the next blog…

June Winds Down with STYLE…

With all that play during the last blog, it seemed like time for a little work.  After bears have torn the doors off our shed over the past 10 years, time to repair them - no dog, no dog food, no bears ripping off the doors.  Of course Don cheated, and hired the work out…

Now that's better...  Then it was “free dump pass day”
so we actually did do a little work and cleaned out the inside of both sheds
and hauled a full pick up bed full of misc junk and damaged
wood to the dump.

I continued to fit in some weaving (this time transparent woven hangings) to go over the glass block windows in AZ.  

Two finished, 4 to go.

The crazy rainbow cactus we purchased in AZ about 5 years ago is blooming like crazy.  Love those huge blossoms  on that spindly cactus and look close 2 more are ready to pop.

Don helped drive for this weeks hike to Mossy Pond

just past Sterling Lake.  After 25 highway miles, the 6 mile

 scary dirt road took  us about 1 and 1/4 hours

 and the hike was only 4.31 miles.

Don found some geocaches (see him in the red shirt)

And the group of 6 hikers headed out...

Our first vista...

followed by massive wild flower fields...

with an easy going trail right thru the middle...

then beautiful full "snow melt" ponds...

 and climbing over granite in search of the trail we lost...

and finding it again.  Whew!!!  We decided to take a lunch break.
Notice the large "tortoise " perched on top of the big
rock just above center... ready to launch into "turtle pond"
we just named it...

The return trip provided more beautiful flowers,
yellow arnica and indian paint brush.

Margie and Don head out for another geocache... too bad it had
been "muggled"... a geocaching term for "ripped off"!!!

The next day  when Don was "logging" his found geocaches he discovered that a new geocache had been planted at Sterling Lake yesterday, while he was sitting around waiting for us.  From this satellite photo you can see that dirt rectangle above the dirt path down to the lake.   Well, that was where the truck was parked, and, that little white box to the left of the parking area is where the geocache was placed... by 3 guys whom Don had watched set up their camp down by the lake.  To bad he didn't continue to watch them, or talk to them, because he could have logged a "first to find”.   And incidentally, he told me he wasn't going to go back this morning... or ever for that matter!!!

But, let's talk about the STYLE part of this blog...

Kristine heads off to LA because daughter Cassie (KASS) and her trio of singing gals “Trinitii Girls” qualified as part of the top 30 for the new singing competition, Rising Star.  

"Trinitii Girls"  Left to right Jessica, Cassie, Lauren

The show aired last Sunday.  This week Sunday, June 29th on ABC  “Trinitii Girls” will be among the group of 10 more of the 30 that qualified for the "live show". The program airs on Sunday nights - 9:00 p.m. on ABC.  Check your local ABC listing for the time in your area.  The last group of 10 qualifying vocalists will perform the following Sunday, July 6th.   And then the "race" continues...

Yes, we are proud grandparents!!!

T

Father's Day PLUS a Local History Lesson

After dinner out, we took the back roads home and revisited our local area which is rich in history, including  gold discovery, the transcontinental railroad and the construction of I-80 thru this area (between Sacramento and Reno) starting in 1956 for the 1960 Olympic Games at Squaw Valley CA.  Don's lived in this general area since he was 2 except for a "time-out" for college at Sacramento State. 

Happy Father's Day... once again driving Ms Nancy!!!

Only one of Clipper Gap's claims to fame...  the post office opened in 1866, changed its name to Clippergap in 1894, reverted its name to Clipper Gap in 1950, and closed for good in 1960.  It was settled by the pioneers in 1857 and the Central Pacific Railroad reached the area in 1865.  In 1897 the school was built and it served 22 students.  The link below provides further historical info...

http://www.cagenweb.com/placer/history_towns.htm

  

Between the years of 1864 and 1869 a total of 1,775 miles of rail were laid to complete the railroad link across the continent.  Along with the development of the atomic bomb, the digging of the Panama Canal, and landing the first men on the moon, the construction of a transcontinental railroad was one of the United States' greatest technological achievements. Railroad track had to be laid over extremely rugged terrain, especially in the west, including mountains of solid granite (the Sierra Nevada Mountains).  The Central Pacific was working three shifts around the clock, Chinese immigrants hand drilled holes into which they packed black powder and later nitroglycerine. The progress in the tunnels through the mountains was agonizingly slow, and the slowest part, just outside of Colfax took 3 years to complete 3 miles... an average of a foot a day.  Clipper Gap was also home to a black powder factory, the only one of its kind in 
northern California at that time.

Don's mom and dad  lived in this cute little home when he first took me home to meet the folks 44 years ago...

Then we headed down Yankee Jims Road

The 150 foot long, one lane steel cable suspension bridge, circa 1929,
Yankee Jims Bridge, was constructed to link the gold towns of Colfax, Yankee Jims and
Foresthill CA.  Cables are anchored into bedrock and supported
by short steel towers resting on stone masonry piers at each end... we've walked and
driven across it several times on hiking and geocaching adventures!!!  

I-80 (Dwight D Eisenhower Highway-completed prior to the 1960 Squaw Valley CA Olympics) is

 the Interstate Highway that most closely approximates the route of the historic

Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, and signs guide you along the original route.

More birthdays, this time a surprise party for our eldest grandson Everett (24) hosted by his beautiful girlfriend Jessica (20) - both families were present and Ev and his dad Steve put on an arm wrestling competition, which Ev won, of course.  Son-in-law Richard and Jessica cheer them on...

The beautiful "upscale residential area" overlooking Donner Lake (named for the pioneering Donner Party), is called Tahoe Donner, and if you’re ever in the area,  I-80 near Truckee, this is an easy spectacular hike to Hawks Peak.  

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/yellow%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/wyethia.htm
is a good website to compare Mule's Ear shown above, with Arrow Leaf Balsamroot which are mixed in.  It's hard to tell these 2 apart.

One fabulous kodak moment after another, all the way.

After only 3/4 of a mile you get this fabulous view over Donner Lake.

Castle Peak framed up nicely 9102'... yes, we've had lunch on top of that one too!!!

As we look southwest, the ski hut windows frame beautifully frame the scene.

Only 4 of us this week, sometimes we're 12... must be summer!!!  
 Margie, Nancy, Shiomi and Pat.

We had another “floral” discovery during this high elevation hike 7078’-7729’.  Hope you’ll enjoy seeing this rare Sierran Sculpted Puffball  mushroom.  The one in my photo was about 4” in diameter but they can get basketball size!!!  Wouldn't that be a thrill... and I wouldn't have seen this one had I not stopped and bent over (nose to the ground) to retie my boot!!!

Approaching Hawks Peak...

Margie enjoyed the southern view and other peaks we've hiked to the top of for "Tuesday Lunch", while I checked the distance and elevation!!!

The final panorama before we headed back...   a 180 degree view, swinging from the
south toward the west and then north.  AHHHHHHHH...