Yosemite!

(note: I tried a beta feature of Blogger that automatically inserts search links. For what it's worth, most of the links herein are AI generated)

Finally! Camping!

I had planned to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in early September, but a fire ravaged the area and forced the closure of the North Rim for the season. I pivoted and made a reservation in Yosemite, but I was thwarted again when another fire in the Northern Sierras caused heavy smoke to settle in the park and made me reconsider. 

So, I rescheduled Yosemite for early October. The government shutdown threatened my plans again, but the National Parks stayed open, so I packed up Poppy and we headed out! It was an easy but all-day drive to Yosemite, and I got to Crane Flat Campground just before sunset.

DAY ONE

I got up early, knowing that just about every destination in Yosemite is popular and packed, even on weekdays in the Fall. I made a short drive to the trailhead for the Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias.

Even before I arrived to the sequoias, I was awed by the other conifers in the forest. Massive multi-hundreds-of-years-old Douglas firs, white firs, sugar pines, and ponderosa pines were all around!

I love dead and damaged trees, too. 

This guy survived a lightning strike!

I found little critters too.

And then the Sequoias. 

How does one take photos of a sequoia? Not easily, and wholly unsatisfyingly. The sight and thoughts of the story of a 3,000 year old organism gives you pause. It was deeply moving.

For what they're worth, here are my photos. Completely inadequate. You'll just have to go visit a grove to get the full experience!

"Big Red"

There were two fallen sequoias in the grove. Imagine the earthquake when they came down!

This tree was already dead when they cut a tunnel through "Dead Giant" in 1878 to make a tourist attraction. It was big enough for a wagon to get through.

The inside of "Dead Giant"

Graffiti has been around since humans could hold a tool

There's something charming about 19th century graffiti artists using a serif font!

One more look at Big Red.

Pretty dogwood

I found out today that in July, a Bay Area woman (and a swing dancer!) was killed by a falling branch on this paved trail. So tragic. 

After a bit o' lunch in Poppy, I headed next up the road a bit to White Wolf Lodge, where sits a trailhead to Lukens Lake. 

Gorgeous! I passed exactly one person on the trail, which is just how I like it. It was a pleasant walk through the forest. 

 

Douglas squirrel

We each waited for the other to go a different way when we crossed paths. Finally, mama took her two babies in a different direction.

I had to cross a little creek.

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Lukens Lake!

When I was a kid, we loved to take a magnet with us on walks through the woods to collect iron filings. When I spotted some this day, I regretted that I did not have a magnet with me, until I remembered....

I don't recommend this collection method, though. My home charger is still gathering the filings from my watch!!

After my day of hiking, I had a beer at the campground, read, ate some dinner, and went to bed early!

Tomorrow I head to Yosemite Valley!

Go here for Day Two and Two-and-a-half.

New Mexico Wrap-up

Just a few things that I wanted to include but neglected in my main posts.

Remember the photo of the prairie dog I shared?

My dear friend of 58 years, Sonya, painted it! She's good!!

Thank you for your beautiful rendering, Sonya!

I took a few videos along the way. Blogger does not like my videos, so I compiled them and put it on YouTube.

It's mostly critters. Here ya go:

I was sad that these critters that are so much of my childhood memories were nowhere to be found:

• Horned toad
• Robin redbreast
• Steller's jay
• Doodlebug

...and no snakes!

Climate change? Or just the wrong day and time?

The Pajarito Plateau has a lot of history! It is a beautiful place, and I'm always happy to be back.

For those not familiar, learn about the social history of the area (pre-colonization) here:  

A Brief History of Ancestral Pueblo Occupation on the Pajarito Plateau

New Mexico: Bandelier National Monument

and in the modern era here: 

The Eight Northern Pueblos: Eight Pueblos North of Santa Fe

Los Alamos: Britannica: Los Alamos, New Mexico

And of course, the atomic age:

The Manhattan Project

Learn about the geologic and natural history here:

Valles Caldera

Valles Caldera, Jemez Volcanic Field

Wikipedia's overview of the Pajarito Plateau: Pajarito Plateau

It was a wonderful trip! Thanks for coming along!

Northern New Mexico Part 6. A couple Last Hikes

Tuesday I visited my mother's grave at Guaje Pines Cemetery. The workers did not know how much their voices carried, and after a discussion of (literally) "13 bodies" and (literally) "6 feet under," I decided it was not the peaceful visit I had envisioned, so I moved on. 😆

This gal was on the street leading to the cemetery.

I drove the short distance to Bayo Canyon trailhead and did one more hike!  

I hope this blond furry poop wasn't related to the missing orange tabby sign at the trailhead. 😿

More trail scat. Big! Bear?

The tuff is soft and lots of traffic formed "wagon tracks" according to some trail descriptions. Not so sure they are wagon tracks, as their width varies and sometimes merges into one track. But I'm not an expert so....

I love seeing trees that have been hit by lightening. Mother Nature, she is powerful!

Looking west back toward town.

Giving side eye

I also love downed and decaying trees. This one had cool woodpecker holes. 

I love living trees, too!

That little jig detour was on the way back. I made a wrong turn on the trail. I eventually saw some horse poop, and thought, "I didn't see that on the way out.... and I didn't see any horses!" Oh, duh! I went the wrong way! I woulda made it back just the same, but I retraced my steps.

After a quick refreshment break at Sonic, I headed back down the main hill to White Rock. I had planned to end my day then, but as I approached Tsankawi, an Ancestral Puebloan village and part of Bandelier National Monument, I said, "Dang! I better go! It is my last chance!" I pulled in to the parking area with just over an hour before the park was to close.

It was a quick walk around the mile and a half loop trail. Well, as quick as it could be with going up and down a few ladders, over rock scrambles, and through some very narrow and deep walkways through the tuff. 

Pictures!

There's Poppy!

Petroglyphs in the next three pics:

I made it back to the trailhead with a few minutes to spare! Back in for the night, I decided to skip my planned trip to Santa Fe on Wednesday and just head back home.

I'll have one more post, a wrap up and a video compilation!