Changes

 

First of all, let me say that this post has been frustrating.  A couple of days ago I had it completed and was just about to hit “Publish to Blog” when my laptop gave me that big black screen.  Oh No!  Of course it was the time that I worked on getting the pictures just right and all the writing done, but forgot to save any of it.  So I lost it all.  I just gave up and let it go.  It has been too hot to do anything except what I had to do let alone Think!Yes it has been so hot that I even turned on the AC.  I usually just open the windows and turn on a fan.

On to the changes……

Last month Ted did a little bit of remodeling for me.  He installed a new faucet in the kitchen.  He also removed a couple of drawers on either side of my bed.  Both drawers didn’t work well and was a waste of prime real estate.  I have since purchased some Sterilite single drawer stacking units.  They work so much better. 

 

  I made a lawn Tic Tac Toe game out of a tarp, decorative duct tape and rubber gloves with sand in them.  When I see kids that are looking a bit bored, I let them borrow it.  They seem to enjoy it.  Even some of the parents play.  One little girl left me a note thanking me and said that she was going to make one of her own.  I can’t claim the idea.  I got the idea off of Pinterest.

 

I finally got a picture of the elusive rabbit.   A camper found this Albino Praying Mantis

 

With all this heat, this place is really popular.  I get finches and wrens, lots of blue birds and blue jays, big black crows and even the squirrels climb up for a drink.  It’s fun to see the birds actually taking baths in it.  Of course I have to fill it every day.

 

                                

Stuff going on in the park:

A week or so ago, the other Angel, not my furkid, captured this Blue Indigo snake.  Someone released it near Grant Lake.  It is not indigenous to California., so she took it to a Wildlife Rescue Center.  It was a bit dehydrated a should have been a lot bigger for it’s 6’ length.

Last weekend Theresa rescued a carrier pigeon that had broken it’s wing and delivered it to it’s owner.  ( I didn’t get a picture)

Another BIG change.

                             

                                           I have gone from this to

                                                    ***************

                                                          THIS.

The Subaru has been a great little car, except for driving up the mountain.  I can drive it all day running errands in the valley, but as soon as there is any incline, the engine would overheat and I would have to stop and let it cool off and and add coolant.  So far I like my Mini Cooper Clubman.  It now takes me the usual 20 minutes to get home instead of an hour or more.

And now to the BIGGER change.

At the end of September I will be leaving J D Grant County Park and moving to              China Camp State Park north of San Francisco.

  

It will be nice to be off the mountain and not so isolated.  As much as I like Grant, I’m looking forward to a change of scenery.  It will be a lot closer for Ted and Leslie to visit.

I hope that you all are keeping cool.

Thanks for visiting

  I’m trying to stay cool too.

Susan and Angel

Trail Tour Part 1

                               

                   Looking at the sunset in the side mirror of the Ranger’s Truck.

Ranger Theresa and I finally hit the trails yesterday.  We waited until it was a bit cooler which allowed me to get some really neat sunsets pictures.

We started out at Grant Lake.  Because of the drought, the lake is really low, although there are still fish in there and we do get fishermen there all the time.

We headed out on Halls Valley Trail.  At the beginning there is quite a bit of shade from the oak trees.  As pretty as this looks, you wouldn’t want to go tiptoeing through there or pick any.  It’s Poison Oak!!!  It not only grows like bush, but as a vine,  It is everywhere.

We continued going up the trail with magnificent views.  The camera can’t do it justice.

A lone oak tree.

The trail continues. We connected with the Canada de Pala Trail, going higher and higher, thru Deer Valley on towards the site of the Pala Seca Cabin.

That Poison Oak grows everywhere, even right out of a big rock. 

One more hill to climb before we get to the cabin site.  At the top of this hill we spotted a coyote, which disappeared as soon as it saw us.  Yes, there were deer down in Deer Valley.

The information board picturing and explaining the site.  That’s Grant on the left and President Hoover on the right.  You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

 

Views of and around the cabin site.  There is a spring nearby, so they had running water.

                                         The sun is beginning to set.

 Along our way there is a base rock that was used as a mortar with a pestle for grinding acorns and other things.

 

 

In my hand is a piece of chert. It is a piece of rock that the Indians mined to make arrowheads.  The outcrop of rock on the left is one such rock.

Below are some of the sunset.  The cloud in the second two reminded me of the surf on the ocean.

As the sun continued to set it left some beautifully lighted hills.

Here there were some California Quail on the trail that flew off as the truck approached.

If you enlarge this picture, you can see both the rising moon on the right and Licks Observatory on the left.

When people ask me how big the park is, I tell them that if they see the power lines to the east and to the west, that is the area between those two lines that is how big the park is.  It’s just a visual for them,  but the park is 11,000 acres.

We were losing light and so headed back to the campground along the highest ridge in the park.

We could now see Grant Lake where we started.

I really enjoyed going out on the trails.  Thank you Theresa,  I learned a lot that will help with advising campers as to what's out there on the trails.  If you ever get a chance to visit this park, I’m sure that you will enjoy your visit.

Thanks for visiting

As usual I had to stay at home.

Susan and Angel