18-30 October
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| C.J. hiking to Fresno Dome |
19 Oct, Thu – Breakfast was at 0700 so I got up at 0630 to
shower. Breakfast was quite good; there were a couple of Belgian waffle makers
and a vat of sausage patties as well as the usual cereals and oatmeal. There
was also, lots of fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs and some mini cinnamon banana
muffins. We were on the road before 0745. The fall colors were muted but
colorful as we passed over the Siskiyous. A big cloud bank covered most of
Shasta although the top and bottom were occasionally visible. Shasta Lake level
was down a bit from the last time we saw it but nothing like the lows of past
years. Some smoke was noticeable in the northern area of the state but it was
not so hazy as we got farther to the south. When I wandered off the lane for
the second time, we stopped for another McDuck’s mocha frappe in Willows. After
that I didn’t really feel like I needed any lunch. We stopped for gas near
Dunnigan at Pilot and got a 5-cent discount using our Good Sam membership card.
Then we drove on all the way to San Jose. Strangely, our GPS sent us to the
south of SJ to the Wyndham Resort. We had to backtrack up 101 to I-880 before
reaching 1350 N 1st St and the Holiday Inn-Silicon Valley. We
checked in around 1500 and went to the RRRG presentation by Mark Forbes. Around
1730 we walked a few blocks to Yamadaya, a ramen shop which had so-so ramen but
good kar-age chicken. When we got back we went to the Bay Area flying weather
presentation by Evan Cohen (and Honza via conference call).
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| Jayne and Donnita Hall |
21 Oct, Sat – Up early enough to get the breakfast buffet
again and still get to the USHPA membership meeting at 0800. At 0930 the BOD
General Session began. It looked like the
Association’s finances are looking
pretty good but our membership has dropped sharply to below 9000. I gave my
report after a long report from the AIRS committee. Afterward I found out that
I had lost a nomination somewhere for Bill Soderquist from Dan DeWeese. And
Chris Santacroce and Paul Murdoch asked me about what we could do for Frank
Gillette, the former Reg. 5 Director who recently died. I didn’t have a good
solution if they wanted something awarded this spring. Mark gave us a ride to
Goodies Ice Cream which had interesting flavors of handmade ice cream – perfect
for a decadent, traditional lunch: two sundaes. Back at the general session, I
asked the board to amend the awards comm. report by adding Bill Soderquist for
a commendation and Frank for a FAI Hang Gliding Diploma. After finishing up the
reports, Randy Leggett did a Q and A on the RRRG. The meeting ended early
around 1730 and C.J. invited Calef Letourney, a new RD from Vermont to join us
for dinner at the Smoking Pig on 4th Ave. He was a good
conversationalist and we learned a lot about flying in Vermont (and nearby
Quebec). He also has been running trips to Valle and only charges $1100 for 9
days incl. airport pickup, transportation and lodging. Dinner was BBQ pulled
pork and brisket, beans, and a corn muffin which C.J. and I shared, plus a beer
and cider. Back at the room I wrote in my journal while C.J. did another
Spanish lesson.
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| C.J. at Ed Levin 300-ft Hill |
23 Oct, Mon – After breakfast we decided to go to the local
ranger station to get info about local hikes. I thought we might do the Sierra
Vista Scenic Byway so I just threw my hiking pack in the car and wore cotton
clothes. The ranger station was closed so, after a quick look at the Mono Trail,
we drove over the ridge to Oakhurst to go to the TI. We picked up a bunch of
brochures and then decided to go to Glacier Point in Yosemite and maybe hike
somewhere. On the way we stopped at the Sugar Pine Railroad, a tourist steam
engine narrow gauge ride. There was quite a bit of recent fire damage (Railroad
Fire) on the way to the park entrance. Once there we had to wait for 15-20 min
for a one-lane construction area between the entrance and the (closed for
restoration) Mariposa Grove. We drove past Wawona on Rte. 41 and continued to
the turnoff to Glacier Point. There was a fire on the right side below the road
but fortunately the wind was from the west and was blowing the smoke away. When
we reached Sentinel Dome, the parking lot was full and we had to join other
people who had parked alongside the road. After a short wait to use the single
outhouse we started off on the 1.1 mile trail to the base of Sentinel. The
trail then went around to the NE side and steeply up for another 0.1 mi to the
summit. We had lunch on the granite slabs looking out at Half  |
| Half Dome from the base of Sentinel Dome |
Dome and the High Sierra peaks. Behind us was Yosemite Valley and Yos. Falls and El Capitan. There was a peak identifier on the summit and we were able to pick out all the mountains in the clear air. Having decided to do the whole 4.9-mile loop to Taft Point, we started down and then turned left descending through the woods to Sentinel Creek and Roosevelt Point where there was a different view of El Cap and the valley including the field in which we thought we had landed when we flew from Glacier Point on our hang gliders back in the 80’s. It was a long uphill walk to the next
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| C.J. at Taft Point, El Cap |
24 Oct, Tue – Ginny made a scramble for breakfast and there
was special bacon, orange juice and C.J.’s pumpkin spice cream cheese muffins.
Ginny had some work to do so we didn’t get started on our hike until after
noon. Then we drove the short distance to the Willow Creek trail head on the
upper road around Bass Lake. We got on the trail about 1300 and almost
immediately lost the trail since we figured that it would be along the creek. Instead
the trail climbed steeply up a rocky slope while we bushwhacked along the south
bank of the stream. Eventually we crossed over to the other side and found a
trail there while I mostly walked on the granite slabs on the side of the
stream. We reached Angel Falls and had lunch in the shade. There was a large
diameter pipe that started above the falls – probably the water source for the
community of Bass Lake. [There was a building at the trailhead noted on the map
as the Bass Lake Chlorinator.] We continued upstream on the left side and
finally climbed up far enough to hit a fire road. A quarter of a mile up the
road (or less) we took the right fork to get back to the creek. It was a good
place for Ginny and C.J. to soak their feet. A hiker showed up coming along the
right bank of the creek, crossed where we were and told us that the main trail
was along the south bank. So, when we started back down we followed the
well-trod path on the south. We were out of the woods by 1545 having covered
2.5-3 mi. We took the scenic route back going on the lower road through the
town of Bass Lake – not much to see except a lakeshore crowded with mansions
and one day-use park (USFS?). Back at the condo C.J. and I went over to the
pool and hot tub. The pool was much warmer than the creek, but enough to cool
us off. Later C.J. made chicken with pesto and served it over angel hair pasta
along with a spinach and fruit salad. Ginny gave C.J. an assortment of lotion
and creams for her birthday and served an assortment of cheese cake slices for
a birthday cake. Later I signed waivers online
and paid our day-use fee to the Central California HP Club online.
25 Oct, Wed – Wally and Ginny went out to breakfast at the
Pines (Ducey’s) while we had our usual. Since they had decided to walk, they
weren’t back until after 1130. Around 1150, Ron called to say he’d like us to
get to the LZ around 1330. We managed to get everyone out the door by 1215 and
took the KIA. Ginny had decided that her time was not best spent in long drives
and waiting around while we flew so she stayed behind. [Later she drove down
the west side of the lake through North Fork and then down to the San Joaquin
River Gorge where she had a good walk along the river and returned home just as
we arrived back at WM.] Our route took us through North Fork and across the
gorge of the San Joaquin River, then up through Auberry (spelled “Au-beary” on
their sign perhaps in honor of all the carved bears in the small town) and on
to Tollhouse. We were a bit early so had time to get our boots on and gear
arranged before Ron arrived promptly at 1330. He took us across the street from
the cemetery parking lot to the huge LZ and pointed out where the launch was
and how people usually flew the site. Then we loaded our gear onto the back
rack of his old Jeep and we headed up the many switchbacks of the old toll road
to the summit. There we turned SE onto Burroughs Mountain Road, a rough, 4WD
track, and went a couple miles to the launch. It was an excellent launch with
shade for set up and a clear, mowed grassy area for takeoff. We got more
information about possible house thermals and cross-country routes. I launched
at 1600 and immediately climbed above launch, but not too far. I was out of
shape with respect to thermal turbulence, so I didn’t get much higher than a
bit over the top of the mountain (4200). Wally and C.J. seemed to get somewhat
higher but not the thousands of feet above that we thought might be possible.
After working the area around launch for a while, I started off to the NW and
found quite a bit of sink. It wasn’t until I got almost across to a ridge
extending down from where Rte. 168 (“the four-lane”) crossed the Burroughs
ridge that I found a nice mellow thermal and was able to core it back up over
4000. Meanwhile Wally had gone out to the LZ and landed. I faded back toward
where the old toll road zig-zagged up the mountain below “Squaw Tit”, now
called “the bump” or something else innocuous. I was careful to avoid the area
to the right which was a deep canyon often with a lot of sink and a headwind
when trying to get out. I didn’t find much over the ridge below the four-lane
and had to head toward the LZ. I made a wide circle before coming in to land
into the light breeze. (0:44) C.J. followed a similar route and landed sometime
after me. Ron was already in the LZ to greet us and make sure we got down
safely. We packed up and got going around 1730 and retraced our route back to
WM Bass Lake arriving around 1835. Wally and Ginny took us out to dinner at
Ducey’s, an upscale restaurant in The Pines Resort. The soup, salad, lamb
shank, duck breast and my petite filet mignon were all excellent.
26 Oct, Thu – Wally and Ginny were leaving today so we had
only the morning to do something. We drove over to the west side of the lake
and walked the Trail of the Mono which had information about the Native
Americans who lived here before the Europeans arrived. The trail led past a
granite outcrop which had depressions that had been ground out by stone pestles
for grinding of acorns to flour, the basic food of the Mono people. When we
returned to the KIA, we continued south along the lake past Millers Landing
Resort and the rock and earthen dam to North Fork. We checked out the USFS ranger station which
was really nice and had lots of things to buy as well as some free Smokey Bear
stuff. Then we spent an hour at the Sierra Mono Indian Museum and had a really
good docent explain some of the intricacies about the basketmaking and the
materials used (like deer grass and bark of the redbud tree). We got back to
the condo around noon and Wally and Ginny got packed up and out sometime after
1300. We ate some chips and hummus for lunch and then headed off to have some
ice cream at Reimers in Oakhurst. We also browsed through the outdoor sports
and souvenir shop next door, Sierra Nevaqda Trading Post. Thinking that might
go for a drive up the Sky Ranch Road past the (closed due to cleanup from the
Railroad Fire) Nelder (Giant Sequoia) Grove, we stopped at the TI and checked
to see if the road was open as far as the Beasore Road so we could make a loop
of it. The head counsellor said that it was but that the road was very rough.
We went anyway and the pavement did stop near the entrance (2 miles down the
road) to the Nelder Grove but it wasn’t all that bad – certainly nothing like
the Burroughs Mtn Rd. We stopped at a somewhat obscured view of Fresno Dome,
then farther up the road there was a better view. Finally we took a left fork
leading to Fresno Dome CG (also closed) and got a really good view of the
granite dome (7540’). Backtracking to the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway which we
had been following we continued up and over a 7300’ high point and then down
another mile (for a total of 20 mi) to the paved Beasore Road. There was a rest
area and a 700’ trail to Cold Springs Meadow there. So, we took a break before
heading back down the very wind-y road to Bass Lake and our condo at Worldmark
(around 1730). We’re down to 5/8 of a tank so we’ll pick up gas in North Fork
before doing the rest of the SVSB on Friday. For dinner we had the leftover
lamb shank, leftover potatoes from the Newhall’s weekend, and a fresh salad.
27 Oct, Fri – After breakfast we took our hiking gear and
drove into North Fork to get gas at Vons (3.299) so that there would be no
chance of running low while we were out in the boonies. We stopped at the
ranger station to ask about identifying the trees with reddish, deeply-fissured
bark, and flattened cedar-like foliage, but they were “busy” so we looked in a
guidebook then left. Our plan was to do the whole 100 miles of the Sierra Vista
National Scenic Byway. The weather was cooperative – it was another beautiful
fall day, if a bit warm, especially in the sunshine. We skipped the chance to see
the geographical center of CA a few miles SE of North Fork down Italian Bar
Road near Redinger Lake, but we did stop at an overlook to look down at
Redinger and the San Joaquin River Gorge. The cycles were blowing up on what
looked like a perfect launch (no place to land, of course, but the TO looked
great). We stopped several miles farther up the road at a junction with a road
that went down to the river and a powerhouse. I got the binoculars and spotting
scope out so we could see the many penstocks and waterfalls. Next, we stopped
at the Jesse Ross log cabin. It was built in the 1800’s using continental
methods so, the logs were all hewed square in x-section. The inner walls were
covered with vertical boards and then those were covered with newspaper or
wallpaper. We reached about 5300 ft at the Mile High Vista where we ate lunch
while looking down at Mammoth Pool, a reservoir which was much lower than
usual, and out at the Sierra Crest (Mt Ritter, Minarets, Mammoth, et al.). In
the middle distance were several granite domes, Balloon Dome and Fuller Rock.
About 20 minutes beyond the turnoff for Mammoth Pool, we stopped at Arch Rock,
a small, granite erosion arch. Shortly afterward we ran out of pavement and the
road got rough. Thinking that we might do a hike, we drove the 1.5 mi in to
Piyau Dome Trailhead. The trail was indistinct, we didn’t know the length or
elevation gain of the trail, and it was already 1400 so we drove back to the
road. We stopped to walk a short path out to Jackass Meadow, and again at
Portugese Overlook to look up at the big granite domes above the road. All
along the route we had seen trailers and tents in dispersed camping areas, but
we didn’t see any people around, hunters maybe? One of the hits of the trip was
the stop at Globe Rock which was a huge granite boulder sitting on a pedestal,
appearing to be delicately balanced. The road was paved the rest of the way
from Globe Rock. We closed the loop (from yesterday) at Cold Springs Summit and
then headed down and down the rest of the way to the upper road at Bass Lake
and home to Worldmark. Snacks ensued and then dinner – a casserole with the
original rotisserie chicken cooked with onion, corn and beans. Later I paid the
remainder of our trip balance online to OAT for the Machu Picchu and Galapagos
trip. I also researched the hiking trail to Fresno Dome and found it was only
1.5 mi with an elevation gain of 311 ft. Sounds like a plan for Saturday.
28 Oct. Sat – Up at just after 0700 and out on the road by
shortly after 0900. We re-traced our Thursday drive up Sky Ranch Road and then
along FS 10 to Fresno Dome CG and another couple of miles to the unexpected and
impressively-signed trailhead for Fresno Dome. No one else was parked there and
a pickup pulled out through a puddle of indeterminate depth just as we arrived.
Knowing that there was a solid bottom to the puddle we pulled in and parked
near the start of the trail. It was nice and cool so we could wear long sleeve
shirts all the way to the summit, about 1.5 mi and 350 ft elev gain, at 7540
ft. The trail through the pines was well-trodden and pines themselves were
aglow with bright green lichen as the sun struck them. The back of the granite dome
was easy to ascend since it was much less steep than the south face which is
where the climbers go (although we never found a climbers path leading from the
road). After we had enjoyed the summit for a half-hour or so, more people
started to arrive. The first party of six from Montana knew two old hang glider
pilots that we also knew: Steve Aden and Ron Enck, a real coincidence. Another
party of four and a couple more followed them up as we started back down. I had
used my spotting scope with the very light tripod I usually carry for my
camera, and it wasn’t very stable. But, I could look out into the valley and
also off to the NW to a fire tower on a high ridge. At the parking lot I
considered continuing around to the Sierra Vista National Scenic Byway on FS
10, but we wanted to stop in Oakhurst so we returned the way we had come. There
were quite a few vehicles on the road now that it was the weekend and we saw
some of the people in the dispersed camps as we went by (unlike the previous
day when we saw almost no one). Also on the way in we saw our first large
mammals when three deer crossed the road ahead of us. One of the people we met
on the trail told us that this weekend was the end of the hunting season (but I
might have gotten that wrong). In Oakhurst we stopped at the Sierra Nevada Trading
Post and C.J. got a Yosemite coloring book and a black bear coaster. Then we
hit Reimers again and C.J. got a scoop of pomegranate blueberry gelato and I
got a coffee-chocolate shake. We headed right back to Worldmark and were there
in time for the annual party thrown by the management for the staff and guests.
We got free burritos from the Sonora Taco Truck, a drink and plenty of fruit
and desserts. The kids were having a good time in the inflatable bouncy house
and later when they smashed a large piñata filled with candy. We got caught up
on our journals and started to organize stuff for packing up later when we
could move the car nearer to the condo unit. Once I got the car under the
parking area covered with solar panels, we loaded our wings and some
miscellaneous stuff. We had dinner, salad and the left over burritos, around
1900. After that we watched “Sully”, a film about Chesley Sullenberger; much of
it was about the NTRB investigation of the water landing in the Hudson in
January of 2009.
29 Oct, Sun – Up at 0630 and on the road shortly after 0800.
Another beautiful day. We drove through the foothills on 47 and 120, followed
freeway 99 through the flatlands of the San Joaquin Valley and continued north
to Sacramento where we got gas at Costco (2.499). We hooked up with I-5 and
soon enough we were at Dunnigan and back on our usual route. We stopped again
in Redding to get a Costco frozen mocha for me and after that I was much more
alert, but that may have been because we were leaving the Sacramento Valley and
heading up into the hills leading to Shasta. Great views of an almost-bare
Shasta in the clear air although we could see occasional tendrils of smoke in
the valley to the west. We reached Ashland right around 1700 and checked into
The Ashland Hills for the night. After asking at the desk and looking at Yelp,
we decided to eat at the Luna Café again. I even had the same chili and Caesar salad
while C.J. had the Special, a Chef’s Burger, with a bowl of seasonal vegetables.
We shared a pear cider.
30 Oct, Mon – Got an early enough start that we
didn’t run into any traffic slowdowns even in the usual places like Portland
and near Olympia. We stopped for gas in Roseburg and Covington. I was supposed
to be on a low-fiber diet in prep for the colonoscopy on Wednesday. We got home
around 1630, early enough to pick up our mail at the post office. There were
lots of leaves covering the lawn and driveway, nice and dry, but there were
still more remaining on the trees. The house seemed cold, but that may have
been due to having been in sunny California for so long. Apparently we missed
some serious rainy weather while we were gone. It was going to be hard to adjust to the normal rainy-cold Northwest autumn.