A LITTLE WEEKEND TRIP & CAMP
TO TAYLORSVILLE, CA
09-05-2020

Every year, Susan meets a bunch of her family and friends at an old historic house that's been handed down over the generations to her mother's close friend Kay.  The house usually fills up with guests and several families park their campers on the property for a weekend of catching up over a lot of great food and wine.

This year, amidst the smoke from the many wildfires that were burning up a large portion of northern California, I accompanied Susan on her annual trip and we had a great time.

The house was built in 1857 and it has so much character that only a house

of that age can have.  It's right on the main street of Taylorsville.

Just look at that beautiful wrap around porch.

We set up our little camper near the barn, alongside two big, 

fancy travel trailers.

We had a great time just relaxing on the big porch.

There was plenty of wine, beer and snacks to keep

everyone happy.

The next day, Susan and I took a walk through the little town and of course,

Dexter had to roll around in any bit of water he could find.

The temperatures were in the high 90°s during the day, which isn't that

bad, but the humidity was also very high and that, combined with

all of the smoke from the fires, made it somewhat uncomfortable in 

the middle of the day.

This is the old one room schoolhouse for Taylorsville.  When

peeking in the windows, you can still see some of the old

furniture and fixtures from yesteryear.

When you think of northern California, it's easy to imagine

wine vineyards and orchards, but this area has a lot of

ranching.  We saw lots of cattle and sheep grazing away in the

picturesque valleys of the area.

We had to cool off in the local swimming hole and although the views were

spectacular, the smoky haze gave the area a kind of surreal look.

I can't tell you how good it felt to sink into that cold water

after such hot, smoky days.  A wet Dexter in the foreground

lets you know he spent more time in the water than out of it.

Susan and Kay caught some rays and enjoyed catching up

with one another.

Back at the house, Dexter assumed his regular dog

duty on the front porch.

Sunday finally came and signified that the weekend was coming to a

close.  After one last nice breakfast on the porch, we packed up the 

camper and headed back home.

We had such a great time and it's so nice to meet the friends of someone

who's special to you and even better to realize her friends are as

wonderful as she is. 

 CAMPING ON THE PLAYA 
IN THE BLACK ROCK DESERT

08-12-2020

This weekend was just after the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, but we knew there would still be a lot of shooting stars to see and what better place to see them than on the playa in the Black Rock Desert.

We met up with friends at the Black Rock visitor's center in Gerlach and then convoyed over to our campsite on the edge of the playa.  The weather was perfect, the sunset was spectacular, the stars were shooting, the food was great and the best part of it was that we got to spend time with wonderful people.

It's always a dusty ride in.

We did our best to set up with social distancing in mind.

There were rigs and set ups of all shapes and sizes.

It was time for a ride with a beautiful sunset as the backdrop.

After the sun went down, Susan made an incredible carne asada taco dinner, which was perfect for a late summer evening in the desert.

As the evening got a little later and the meteors started to become visible, we all kind of shifted from beer and white wine to whiskey and red wine.

Steve, very generously, brought out this bottle of Old Taylor

with a Bond Mark of 1931 and he shared it with everyone!  It

was probably the smoothest bourbon I've ever tasted.  Even

those who weren't whiskey drinkers loved it.  Thanks Steve!

The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful, clear desert morning.

First things first.  We all had to get our coffee fix.

Jonathan and Stacey made a nice big breakfast for everyone and then

we all hung out and enjoyed the beauty.

It was only Susan's second time to the playa, but she's hooked now...

One more morning ride on the playa before packing up camp

to do some exploring.

A bunch of us convoyed over to check out some wild hot springs in the area.

We first stopped at Black Rock hot springs, which is a beautiful

oasis in the desert.

These hot springs were also used by some of the pioneers who were heading

west in the 1800's.  They provided much needed water for those about to

cross a very unforgiving part of the west.

Marge (R), who's very knowledgeable about the area, spoke to the group

about its history and little known facts.  It was very informative.

Next was Double Hot hot springs and with 175° water, I can see where it got its name.

Double Hot is far too hot to soak in, but is incredible looking.

After exploring the springs, it was time to head home.  As we crossed the playa on our way back to the main road, a huge plume of playa dust spewed into the air behind the truck.  This fine dust gets everywhere, but I've never minded it.  To me, it's like having a fine layer of talc on and it feels crisp and dry.

Once back home, we washed the playa off and Susan made us an incredible dinner, which was a perfect ending to an incredible weekend.

 CAMPING & HIKING IN THE 
PLUMAS NATIONAL FOREST (CA)

08-08-2020

  It's been a while since I made my last blog entry but, with the whole Covid-19 thing, I stayed closer to home than I usually do. After the dust kind of settled down, I did manage to get out and explore some, although, my trips were shorter and a little closer to home.

  Earlier this year, I met a woman (Susan), who also likes to get out and wander and together we did just that.  So, we picked up our guide book and set off for the Plumas National Forest, where we hiked the Bear Lakes Loop.  This trail is near the neat little town of Graeagle, CA, and is an easy 3.8 mile loop.  

  We arrived at the trailhead at about 10:30 AM.  we packed up a little lunch and set off.  The hike takes you past 5 beautiful little alpine lakes: Big Bear Lake, Little Bear Lake, Cub Lake, Silver Lake and Round Lake.

This was before the wildfire smoke that would roll into the area

in the weeks that follow

What a gorgeous day (and woman) to be out hiking.

Camp is set for the night in a bookdock area near the Gold Lake Lodge

Our sunset at camp

 

We broke camp and managed to make it back into

town for a late lunch and a couple of Micheladas 

(red beers), which really hit the spot after

camping in the August heat.