I arrived in downtown San Jose late last night and after getting checked into my hotel room, pretty much crashed in the bed for a few hours and now, just six or so hours later, it's time to rise and run a half-marathon. I'm pretty tired, but I set myself up for this hectic schedule of events and I'll see it through.
I walk down to the starting line, which is just a block away, to get my bib and then return to my room with a bagel and a banana that I picked up in the lobby. I've been training pretty hard through the winter, though I have slacked off a little bit in the past month or so, but I've still been running pretty regularly. I don't really have expectations of getting a personal record (PR) today, but I'd still like to show well.
About 10 minutes before start time, I head back down to the start line and get some stretching in. A crowd of a few hundred runners pack into the stall awaiting the countdown. This should be a great day for a race. The weather is very nearly perfect, with a light cloud cover and temperatures that feel to be in the low-mid fifties.
With a quick count, we're off. It always seems to take me a mile or mile-and-a-half to find my rhythm and today is no different. I'm at a good pace, but my breathing takes a few minutes to settle down. As we wind our way around the downtown area of Silicon Valley, I finally find my center and settle in for the next several miles. The city streets are mostly closed to traffic, which makes for a nice safe run. The scenery is pretty cool, as I kind of enjoy running through the towering cityscape.
In addition to the half, the event also offers a 10k, and while the two courses co-exist during some parts, they diverge in others. It's interesting to see the two groups split and then rejoin further down the route. I feel pretty strong throughout, but as I pass the ten mile mark, I can feel the fatigue starting to set in. I haven't been running long distances in quite a while and my body is reminding me of that. I continue to push on though.
Making the final turn, I head back towards the SAP center and the finish line. I cross with a time of 2:02:58, which is about four minutes off of the PR I set early last month in Napa. It's actually a little better than I had expected. I'll take it!
The primary purpose for my long drive and overnight stay in Bishop, CA was to join the California Rock Art Foundation (CRAF) on a guided tour they were offering of the Little Lake Petroglyph Site just beyond Fossil Falls along US-395. I attended a lecture series with the foundation's president, Dr. Alan Garfinkle Gold, a couple of years ago in Ridgecrest. I learned a great deal from him and the other speakers, and I was excited to be able to go into the field again with someone so knowledgeable and passionate about ancient Native American rock art.
The Little Lake site is on private property and is only accessible with the permission of the land owners. I think they try to be accommodating to research groups to demonstrate to the BLM they are good stewards of this rich archaeological site to ensure it isn't taken from them via legal means. That said though, it's still a rare opportunity to be able to visit the site and I was lucky to be able to do so.
After driving the ninety or so miles from Bishop to the site, I turned around and joined others in the group on the side of the highway. While we waited for the land-owners to come and open the gate, we got some introductions out of the way and everyone signed a legal waiver. Eventually, the gate was opened and our caravan of twenty or so cars entered the site. We drove down a dirt road to a small picnic area, where the day's schedule was covered and then we decided upon carpool arrangements. The site is pretty large, but there aren't a lot of parking spots and so it made sense to take as few cars as possible.
Jumping into one of the larger SUV's, we drove down to the southern end of the lake to what was described as one of the more extensive sites. A large cliff of columnar basalt rises out of the desert and forms a long stone wall along the eastern side of the lake. We parked near the very southern end of this wall and got out to begin exploring. Immediately, we began seeing terrific examples of both petroglyphs and pictographs. The area is covered with them. All sorts glyphs, from geometric shapes to anthropomorphs to rams to atlatls have been represented on the boulders forming this cliff.
Along with the other members in my group, we spend about an hour exploring around this area. Dr. Gold mentions that ancient fire rings were found on top of the cliff, and a couple of us decide to hike up there to see. The climb is fairly easy, but we never find any definitive signs on top. As we notice people starting to head back to the cars, we decide it would be best to come back down and rejoin the group.
I almost forgot to mention the obsidian. The ground here is strewn with chips of obsidian. Not thousands, but probably millions of little obsidian chips liter the ground in all directions for as far as you can see. Obviously, the Native Americans that lived and hunted in this area, used this area to make projectile points from the incredibly sharp glass, but to accumulate this much, it must have taken hundreds of years and many dozens of arrowhead makers. I've seen areas like this before, but nothing even close to this scale. It's amazing . . .
The next area drive to is right along the western side of the lake. Here, a small inlet from the lake has formed a marshy little canyon. The floor of the canyon seems to still be somewhat water-covered, but with a thick blanket of grasses and other water-plants providing a surface to walk on. It feels very much like walking on a sponge. As we explore, we find a small cave with some pictographs patterns painted on it's walls. In addition, there are dozens of petroglyph panels. There are also some small frogs scattering as we walk across the grassy carpet. They're cute and I hope we don't disturb them too much.
After this site, we head back to where we parked the majority of the cars to take lunch. I pull out a clif bar and a dried blueberry and nut mix, while others pull all sorts of meals from coolers. We try our best to find shade to enjoy our meals. It's pretty hot, but some cool water brings refreshment.
After our quick meal, we decide to explore around the corner a bit. Dr. Gold mentions more rock art back this way. That said though, I really wasn't prepared for quantity of barely visible pictographs we were about to find. First, I catch the faintest glimpse of some red coloration on one of the rocks under an overhang. Using a handy-dandy little app on my phone called Dstretch, I took a picture and started flipping through a few color filters to see if any images popped out of the stone. The app was designed specifically for this purpose and I've found a lot of success with it in the past. Today is no exception. The first images start to come alive under the various filters.
As I explore around the area, I discover pictographs fading away on just about every vertical surface that has some level of shelter above it. Others on the trip with me, are amazed at how many are here and how visible they come with the simple app. I'm really happy I purchased this app a couple of years ago. Its really great for anyone interested in rock art.
We spend a fair amount of time finding more and more pictographs before moving on to the next area. It's a little bit of a drive, but we eventually reach the other end of the columnar basalt wall we were exploring earlier. On this northern end though, much of the basalt has collapsed into boulder piles. These boulders seem to have provided ideal canvases for the ancient artists of the area. Atlatls, bear claws, geometric patterns, and many other glyphs adorn this crumbled hillside.
The day has escaped me and it's nearly 3:30 PM. I say my goodbyes and thank Dr. Gold for his insights and for obtaining permission for us to access the site. It's been an amazing day and I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to explore such an archaeological treasure as this. Now, I have a six or so hour drive around the southern tip of the Sierra Nevada and back up to the Bay area for a run tomorrow morning. Best hit the road.
This weekend I have a lot of driving to do. Tomorrow, I'm tour a rock art site on private property with the California Rock Art Foundation and then driving to San Jose to run a Half-Marathon on Sunday morning. To break the driving up a little bit, I decided to spend the night in Bishop, CA. After leaving the hot springs, I headed to my destination town for the evening, but as there was still several hours of daylight left, I decided to get anther hike in rather than retire so early.
I learned of the Druid Stones trail some time ago while looking for local trails on the internet. As the trail head is just few miles outside of town, I arrived and parked the jeep before heading off into the high desert along a well-cut trail. The first part of the trail is relatively flat, but offers some gorgeous views of the Sierra Nevada to the west. After about a half mile, the trail quickly begins to gain elevation as it makes it's way up the side of one of the foothills. This uphill is really relentless and very steep.
I'm making good time, but I'm really getting a work out making my way this harsh incline. All along the way, I note the sandstone rock formations, which must be the druid stones. Some jut vertically out of the ground resembling the stones the ancient Celts used to fashion Stonehenge in southern England. The stones here, though, are naturally placed. The geologic upheaval of this entire area has made a number of interesting landscapes and this is certainly one of them.
As I continue up the mountain, the trail gets even steeper in a few places . . . to the point that I'm reaching down for handholds in a couple of places. Wow . . . this trail really is kicking my butt, but I'm glad for the physical challenge. To make matters worse, the sun is now beating down on me and the temperatures have reached the low nineties. It's not even may yet . . . it's not supposed to be this hot . . .
Finally reaching the high point of the trail, I turn and head back down the other side of the loop. This side seems even more steep, but luckily, it's downhill now. Gravity forces me to run some parts, but it certainly makes the time go by faster. All along the way, I'm extremely cautious of overhanging rocks and small sagebrush along the trail. This kind of day would force any rattlesnakes in the area into the shade and the last thing I want is to get bitten.
Getting back to the jeep, I check my mileage and I've covered almost exactly 5 miles. Now that I have gotten my exercise for the day, I'm going to head back into town and enjoy some beer and a quite evening before my busy weekend continues. As for the trail, it does offer some nice views, but there are more scenic trails in the region. If you want a workout coupled with some nice views, this is a trail for you, but otherwise, I'd recommend moving along.
In the hills just southeast of Bridgeport, CA, a small valley is home to a number of hot spring vents and pools. I've visited Travertine Hot Springs a couple of times in the past, but I've never really taken the time to walk around much. The area really is amazing. In the distance, the snow-covered Sierra's provide an amazing backdrop to this little salt valley.
As I climb to the top of one of the ridges, I note that a trench has been cut to carry the hot springs water all the way down to some pools that have been fashioned at the end of the ridge. This area is very popular for those that enjoy relaxing in the naturally warmed mineral waters bubbling up from the earth below.
The Tabasco Hot Sauce factory was built by the McIlhenney family on a salt dome in south central Louisiana known as Avery Island. In addition to the factory and over the generations since the family found success with their hot sauce, the island has been fashioned into a nature preserve known as the Avery Island Jungle Garden. After taking a tour factory and sampling some of the lesser-available products, we decided to explore the island a little bit.
A 'jungle garden' is a pretty accurate description of the experience. The preserve is a combination of groomed lawns and swampy bayous, with a number of landscaped areas and even a Buddhist shrine. The first section of the slow drive takes us around a marshy lake, where we find a number of alligators, some in the water and some sunning themselves on the shore.
As we continue on, we drive past a gigantic oak tree, said to be over 300 years old and once hugged by former president Grover Cleveland during one of his visits to the island. It's a massive tree and worthy of being named after a historical figure.
Looking at the provided map, we note a couple of different walking paths available to the Buddhist Shrine. I choose the one that also takes me past a torii (a traditional Japanese Shinto arch). The shrine itself sits atop a large mound overlooking the landscape. It's sort of tucked away in a little wooded corner, but also opens up to some nice views. Within the locked shrine resides a huge bronze Buddha. A plaque affixed to the steps leading to the top of the mound explains the statue was commissioned by Chinese Emperor Hui-Tsung sometime in the early twelfth century. Sometime later, the temple where the statue was located was looted by a rebel general and later sent to New York to be sold. Friends to the McIlhenny family purchased the state and sent it as a gift and it has been housed on the island since 1936.
The final stop on the tour is an area referred to by signage as Bird City. I really didn't know what to expect, but as we turn the corner, I'm amazed at what I find. Directly in front of me sits a large lush marsh, but in the distance, the marsh opens up a bit and three large scaffolding-like platforms have been placed. On these platforms, hundreds of egrets have build their nests and now make their homes. It truly is a bird city.
Not exactly knowing what to expect when visiting Avery Island, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great experience and I would recommend anyone in the area visit this eclectic landscape and collection of wonders.
New Orleans is full of so much culture. It is a melting pot of the various societies that have inhabited and ruled the delta at various times through history. Between the Native Americans, the Spanish, the French, the Americans, and the slaves relocated from the Caribbean, an incredible mix of architecture, music, spiritual beliefs, food, and everything else that makes New Orleans what it is has come to be over the last several centuries.
No place in the city is as rich with this shared culture as the French Quarter. Originally settled by the French in the early eighteenth century, this area was is the oldest part of the city proper.
The streets of the Quarter have names like Royal, Dauphine, St. Phillip, Chartres, and of course, the famous Bourbon Street. Much like many thousands of others who have visited this area, I have partied pretty hard on these streets over the years and across multiple visits to New Orleans. Unfortunately, I've rarely taken the time to appreciate the rich diversity that lines these streets and give the Quarter that character so uniquely New Orleans.
As I wander these cobblestone streets, I'm amazed at the variety of shops and bars on each block. From French coffee shops to Pharmaceutical Museums to strip clubs, the Quarter has it all. Add to that, the towering spires of St. Louis Cathedral overlooking Jackson Square and the river beyond, and this area is a traveler's dream.
The corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip is home to another celebrated gem. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar is purported to be the oldest structure still standing within the Orleans Parish. Originally built as a blacksmith sop and still containing a forge within, the building now serves as a piano bar and common stop along many of the ghost and vampire tours that wind through the area. I have been here a few times and while the character of the old structure is worth checking out, I really wish they would clean their tap lines every few decades.
Another amazing thing in and around all of New Orleans are the random works of art, each celebrating some aspect of the city. Along the Market Area, near the river, a number of jazz-oriented sculptures and statues adorn various fountains and walkways. In addition, a golden statue of the mounted Joan of Arc overlooks the area. There is so much to take in here.
After spending an hour or so wandering around during the early morning hours, I finally decide to return to my hotel. It seems I've strolled about 2.9 miles. It's always easier to walk around during the morning, as this area is party-central and once the frat-boys wake, the streets are hard to push through. If you have never been, make sure you visit the French Quarter at some point in your life. It is an experience you will not forget.
For my second adventure into the swamps of New Orleans, I head a few miles south of the city and into Bayou Coquille, which is part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The trail starts at a visitor center and is mostly a boardwalk on stilts as it passes through the wet and wild bayou.
As I proceed through, encounter a number of fearless squirrels acrobatically bounding from one plant to the next. The seem to be immune to my presence. The landscape is amazingly lush and marshy. I attentively watch for gators on either side of the boardwalk, but I don't see one until nearly the end of the first section of the trail. The one that I do find is lying immediately next to the boardwalk. He's probably about a meter long from head to tail and while I'm within a couple of feet of him, he seems completely unshaped by my presence. To clarify, I didn't purposely approach that close to him, but his dark skin camouflages him well against the murky waters and I didn't notice him until I was already that close.
From there, the trail leaves the board walk and follows a double track along a overgrown canal. The water surface is obscured by a thick layer of plant life. I'd love to wade out into the muck, but knowing the number of snakes and alligators that are in these waters, I decide this would probably be a really bad idea and opt to stay on dry land as much as possible.
Just a bit down the trail, I take a small side trail that leads to the Monarch of the Swamp, which is a large old baldcypress tree rising high out of the swamp. An information sign indicates this tree was spared by loggers in decades past for unknown reasons. Apparently these types of trees are extremely resistant to rot and were prized by settlers of this region for canoes and other water-related purposes.
Beyond this area, I encounter a family and together, we admire another small alligator who has decided to sun himself just next to the trail in a nice grassy area. Just a bit further, I discover the trail is temporarily closed. A barricade has been installed across a small bridge and a sign indicates the closure. Below the bridge though, I see a number of alligators. One of them appears to be eating something, while another is simply sunning himself. A third one, in the distance, lazily rests on a large bank alongside the marshy canal.
I'm a bit disappointed that I can't continue further, but wanting to respect the preserve, I turn back and head for the rental car. My sightings are not yet complete yet. As I reach a turn, a couple I passed early, points out yet another alligator on the far bank of the canal. He seems to be pretty active as opposed to the other specimens I've seen. This has been pretty exciting, as seeing a few alligators in the wild was one of my primary goals for this hike. In total, I've encountered five different gators along this trail.
Alligators are not the end of it though. As I return to the first section of the trail, I find a small brown snake resting on top of a palm frond. He doesn't seem to mind me too terribly much as I snap a few pictures of him. He's gorgeous.
Finally, returning to the car, I find I've walked about 3.9 miles. Had the trail been fully accessible, I would have added another mile or so, but I got to see a few gators, which more than satisfies my appetite for adventure.
I'm in New Orleans for a few days. This is not my first time in the big easy, but it has been a few years. This time around, I decided to extend my experience beyond the party scene and get out and enjoy a completely different eco-system. The swamps of the Mississippi Delta are so diametrically opposed to the high desert in which I live, it should make these next few hikes quite an experience.
For my first hike, I chose to drive to the Bayou Sauvage Ridge Trail, which is just a few miles east of my hotel in the French Quarter. As I know the humidity here will be miserable if I wait until it gets too warm, I leave the hotel and arrive at the trail head at around 8 AM. I park the rental car at the Madere Marsh Boardwalk and explore out into the swamp along the fabricated trail. Along the way, I see a number of small lizards and birds, before finally reaching a landing at the end of the boardwalk, which overlooks a vast swamp.
Instead of driving the quarter-mile or so down the road to another unit of the reserve. The first portion of the hike is along another boardwalk, which loops around the park structures and winds through the bayou. Eventually, the boardwalk dumps out onto a double-track gravel road, which follows along the top of a small levee. I'm amazed at the amount and variety of birds here. Not just waterfowl, but all sorts of avian species call this place their home. I see a few things in the swampy waters that I suspect might be alligators, but until I get back home to review my photos, I'm unsure.
From this point, the trail simply follows the levee cutting a path between a canal on my left (west) and more marsh on the right (east). As I crank out the miles, I take note of the diverse environment surrounding me. I occasionally here a growling sound coming from the nearby murky waters. I'm unsure if alligators growl or not, but I suspect that is the source of the noise. As I proceed a little further down the trial, I see a raccoon-sized animal cross the trail in the distance. I'm unsure of what the animal is, but I think it might have been a small wild boar, which are quite common down in this part of the country. By the time I reach the area where the brown animal disappeared, it is nowhere to be found.
Eventually, the trail ends at Interstate 10 and I turn and start walking back the way I came. This trail is really flat and the miles are incredibly easy. In total, I rack up 7.8 miles on this first adventure. Not a bad morning. As this is my first trail in the bayou, it is certainly interesting, but I suspect there are better examples available and I will try to find them during my visit.
When I first learned of a trail near Auburn, CA called the Cardiac Bypass Trail, I knew it had to be added to my "to do" list. Today, I'm headed over to the Sacramento Grilled Cheese Festival and since I'm going to be in the area, I decided to first do the hike. As I would soon learn, there are a number of possible trail heads in and around this area, most of which somehow connect up to my planned trail. After a couple of false starts, I finally find myself on the correct route.
The name Cardiac Bypass Trail is a little intimidating, but is a pretty accurate description of this trail. While I started downhill first, I realize from the steep route that the climb back up is going to be a bear and might have caused someone to have a cardiac bypass at some point in the past. After climbing down a steep rock cliff, which wasn't terribly difficult, I find myself on a gravel road. Along the road, bright orange wild flowers beautify the landscape. A quarter mile or so along the road, I come across a thin waterfall slicing through the rock.
The gravel road eventually leads to another trail head and parking lot, at the other end of which, the trail returns to single track and overlooks the North Fork of the American River rushing by a few hundred feet below. The trail should take me right down to the angry spring waters.
On the way down, the trail traverses a gigantic grassy hill with a few wildflowers scattered here and there. I admit that I'm on high alert for rattlesnakes in the short grasses, as I have seen them in this area and in this type of terrain before. The temperature is hovering in the mid-sixties, which is a dangerous time in rattler country. On hot days and also on cold days, it's easy to understand the cold-blooded snake's behavior, but on days like this, hovering between the two, it's difficult to know where I might stumble across one. Luckily, the day ends up being encounter free.
Finally arriving down at the river, I take a couple of minutes just to take in the magnificence of the renewing waters flowing past me. These waters will supply local residents with both power and water for months to come, but beyond that, just understanding the cyclical nature of the seasons and life in general is a humbling thought.
After a short moment of contemplation along the rocks at the river's edge, I start the challenging climb back up the canyon's hill side. The trail is well worn, but a number of cross-trails make a for something of a confusing mess, or at least it would, if it wasn't for the excellent signage.
The climb really is quite a workout, but the scenery distracts me from my heavy breathing. Some purple and white flowers, which I think are some species of wild orchid, decorate the hillside here and as I approach the top of the hill, I come across the Shirland Canal, which the trail will follow the rest of the way back to where I left my jeep. While I couldn't find much on the history of the canal, it was obviously built some decades ago to carry water to some of the nearby communities and perhaps the mining camps before them.
Finally back at the jeep, I wipe some sweat from my brow and take a look at my tracking app. 4.2 miles on this little adventure. Not a bad day on the trails and all of the steep uphill certainly made it a great workout. Now, it's time to head off for some amazing grilled cheese!
