Ashland, Kentucky Day 1 (GA491)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.

Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 23rd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

---

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in Seaside, Oregon. I’m scheduled to depart October 22nd.

 

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

  In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

This entry was posted May 15, 2013…

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the about 125 miles from Lexington to Ashland Kentucky.

 

 

Before I talk of that further…I want to talk about the day before yesterday…our last full day at Keeneland Horse Racing Track. Once again we had breakfast at the track kitchen, then walked through the stable area and then to watch the horses at their morning exercise runs on the track. Here are some of the photos I took…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are in the aura of these beautiful animals…you cannot seem to get enough photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay…it was time to move on. I stared yesterday with the intent of driving on U.S. Highway 60 all the way. But after only about 25 miles…it proved too narrow, windy up and down with too many low overhanging tree branches…

 

 

 

 

 

Since it had nothing spectacular to offer…I abandoned it and as much as I dislike them…got on Interstate Highway 64…

 

 

 

 

 

About 100 miles later we ended up parked at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Airee #2329 in Ashland, Kentucky…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the dinette window photo…

 

 

We expect to depart from here tomorrow.

 

 

Enjoying beautiful thoroughbred horses is another joy of the full-timing lifestyle!

 

 

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Kentucky. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

 

 

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

 

 

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

 

 

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/ashland-kentucky/

 

 

 

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

Forecast for today is sunny and 59 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Oregon. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

 

 

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

 

 

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

 

 

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

 

 

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

 

 

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

 

 

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2018

More Photos Of Bluewater State Park – Prewitt, New Mexico (GA116)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 22nd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

---

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in La Connor, Washington. I’ll depart here July 24th.

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

 

 

In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

 

 

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

 

 

 

This entry was posted May 19, 2012…

 

 

The motorhome has been parked here for the last three days. In my last Blog entry, I showed some photos of here at Bluewater State Park.
http://wp.me/pDCku-4vT

 

 

During the last two days Mary and I took a couple of walks and took some additional photos of the park.

 

 

Here are some more of mine…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

There are some rather large Raptors around here…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This sign says you are allowed to catch only one fish and it must be OVER 40 inches long…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boat launching area…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dam that creates the lake…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Heron as taken from the motorhome…

 

 

 

 

 

At the north end of the lake looking south…

 

 

 

 

 

A reflection of the western shore…

 

 

 

 

 

A view of our motorhome from across the lake…

 

 

 

 

 

While on our walk…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dam from across the lake…

 

 

 

 

 

A wind came up raising small whitecaps on the lake…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our three days stay here the weather has been sunny with temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s. The peace and quiet here has made for a most enjoyable stay. Today we will move on to Gallup, New Mexico about 50 miles distant.

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW…!!!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/tin-can-rock-and-roll/

 

 

 

 

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

 Forecast for today is partly sunny and 64 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Washington. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2017

Bluewater State Park – Prewitt, New Mexico… (GA114)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 22nd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

---

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in La Connor, Washington. I’ll depart here July 24th.

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

 

 

In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

 

 

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

 

 

 

This entry was posted May 18, 2012…

 

 

Two days ago we drove the motorhome the about 35 miles from Grants to Prewitt, New Mexico to Bluewater State Park. 28 miles of that trip was done on old historic Route 66.

 

 

Here’s the official Bluewater State Park website link…
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/bluewater.htm

 

 

Here are some photos that I took…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

On the way to the state park…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a Google Earth view of the lake and our campsite location…

 

 

 

 

 

Our campsite…

 

 

 

 

 

The view from the back of our campsite…

 

 

 

 

 

And the view from our dinette window…

 

 

 

 

 

In the above photo, the horses roam the park freely and no one bothers them. Here are some closer views of the horses…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the last few weeks of big city noise…we are really enjoying the peace and quiet of this park. We expect to be here for three days.

 

 

Enjoying beautiful state parks is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW…!!!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/hiking-blue-lake-state-park-nm/

 

 

 

 

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

 Forecast for today is partly sunny and 67 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Washington. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2017

13th Annual Binacional Cabalgata – Columbus, New Mexico (GA46)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 22nd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

---

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails San Benito RV Resort, Paicines, California. I’ll depart from here April 19th.

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

 

 

In 2012-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

 

 

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

 

 

 

This entry was posted March 11, 2012…

 

 

 

We are still parked at the Pancho Villa State Park at Columbus, New Mexico.

 

 

Yesterday Mary and I attend the above named celebration of Mexican-American friendship held at Columbus, New Mexico.

 

 

Here’s a poster in Spanish about the Cabalgata…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the motorhome at 9:30 AM when the temperature was a bone-chilling 35 degrees coupled with a 15 miles an hour wind which made for a wind-chill effect of 25 degrees. BRRR!!! Remember me? I’m the guy who likes it between 65-75 degrees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are we having fun yet?

 

 

Part of the festivities was a bi-national Calvary horse parade. The American riders met the Mexican riders at the border 3 miles away and arrived in Columbus, New Mexico at about 10:00 AM. The festivities were held at the central plaza in the Village of Columbus, New Mexico. I estimate there were about 300 horses in the parade followed by a lot of vehicles that carried the families of the Mexican riders.

 

 

Here are some photos that I took throughout the day…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see the other 31 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/13thAnnualCabalgataBinacionalColumbusNewMexico

 

 

Finally, here’s a special treat for you. Click this link…
http://youtu.be/CrHmKksDg_c

 

 

I have spent about two years…driving well in excess 10,000 miles in Mexico. The Mexicans are wonderful and friendly people. They love to party. Find the smallest reason and they will have a party! It’s truly a shame what the drug thing has done to their country…In excess of 45,000 people killed in the last five years. So much so that we now fear to take the motorhome back into Mexico. So, in this case, the Mexicans came to us.

 

 

Well, at least I have my photos which help preserve the memories of my travels in Mexico..

 

 

Despite the bone-chilling cold, we were both happy we attended this fun event for 2.5 hours. There was also lots of great food.

 

 

Spring is about 10 days away…I can hardly wait! The weather is supposedly going to warm back up where it’s supposed to be the week…in the mid-70’s. Hooray!

 

 

In other news…

This morning we will move the motorhome about 30 miles north to the Deming, New Mexico area. We hope to get into Rockhound State Park.

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW…!!!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/traditional-cabalgata/

 

 

 

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

 Yesterday was partly sunny and 77 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny and 73 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2017

SIX HOURS ON A BUS TO NAGAUR

On our way home from our respective home hosted dinners, we spotted several weddings. Ranvir tells us he rode a white horse to his wedding. It is a tradition, a white horse, black horse or an elephant.

Revelers were waiting on the groom and his entourage. Ranvir told us anybody would be welcome to join if they just showed up.

Ranvir asks the bus driver to drive slowly so we can see, but that is a pretty tough thing to do in heavy traffic.

We catch a glimpse of this beautifully dressed groom on his way to his wedding. No flash,  a window, a moving bus, it is blurry, my apologies. But look how colorful his clothing is.

As we pass the window to our hotel, there is a wedding celebration on a lower floor. I decide sleep is more important and to bed.

In the morning, before leaving for Nagaur, we make several stops. An ATM and a drug store where I buy cough drops for Theo and batteries for my clock. Everyone it seems needs something. It is a muddy, crowded spot with a laundry next door. I was fascinated by the steam iron the laundryman was using. But, the man in the pink sweater was very curious about us.

His friend indicated he wanted his picture taken. It is one of those ever sweet moments you don’t forget as he smiled proudly at his own permanent image from my camera.

As we load into the bus, this young bull stole an eggplant off a vegetable stand. The owner physically pushed him out of the way and scolded. They have to be harsh to protect their livelihood.

From the bus window I see a wild pig that also has the run of the town we are passing through.

 

The road is bumpy in places, but it is a major highway as well. These men are digging this huge ditch by hand tools and carrying dirt and rocks away with pans on their heads. Reminds me of China.

We pass through a town that produces marble. People in the area suffer high rates of silicosis. They have masks, but don’t use them.

Another town that specializes in shoe making. Leather, in a country that does not eat beef.

I saw a large herd of obviously “owned” and cared for cattle. There must be a sect that doesn’t worry about the sacredness of the cow.

This herd of cattle crossed the busy highway and when a huge truck coming at us approached, they hustled a bit faster.

We crossed a bridge and the tariffs to cross are fairly steep.

Women with heavy loads walk with their back to traffic.

It appears to me they use their own clothing to wrap around the burden.

Ranvir guesses that these horses are headed for the Fair to be sold.

We roll into this small town and Ranvir is talking about the people here who escape taxes by building their own funky motors. They are pasted together with spare parts from here and there. No license fees to pay. The government doesn’t know they exist. They break down often but they are happy with them. He said maybe we could ride in one? I thought he was kidding.

Remember, this is a long drive. And a funky motor is quite a diversion. Theo grabbed the seat next to the driver.

The rest of us loaded into the back, and here we are, after the ride was over.

The ride attracted a lot of curious onlookers.

They seem ever fascinated by blonde hair. Kathy and Theo get a lot of attention.

Ranvir decided to get some fruit for us to snack on in the bus.

Sandy bought a bunch of veggies for the skinny looking cows nearby.

If you feed one cow…

They all come.

Back on the road again. The terrain changes. This area is moist now. But, summer monsoon, it is flooded.

I see drying dung piles all along the way and I finally get it. It is fuel and it must be dried and stored before the rains com.

And finally, Naguar, the tent city for the camel festival. More tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

HIKING-ANGELS CREEK TRAIL.

From Highway 49, Glory Hole Recreation District at New Mellones, a free hike was advertised for New Years Day, rain or shine. You can see people warmly dressed as we strangers met at the entrance station and introduced ourselves.

Dogs are allowed on the trails. We met two bikers and we saw evidence of horses using the trails. Walkers are asked to give way to horses, but we didn’t meet any.

Ranger Josh, guided the group and pointed out the growth patterns of this type of forest and explained in some detail the various flora and fauna.

At the beginning of the Angels Creek Trail, the forest has a mixture of digger pines, black oak, live oak and thick underbrush.  Ranger Josh admitted the underbrush is a fire hazard with chemise and buck brush.

I was impressed by the girth of this giant manzanita specimen and the lichens and bright, green moss growing on it. Ranger Josh noted that the east side of the hills get most of the water. He told us that manzanita burns very hot and can burn up your stove, actually melt it if you use enough of it.

Angels Creek is low, in tune with the current drought situation. The trail is a 2.5 mile hike.

I looked at just about every mushroom, hoping to find a “buckskin”. (Not it’s scientific name.) The old Italians knew their mushrooms and would pick up large delicious mushrooms under manzanita habitat. I didn’t find a one. Deer feed on these, as do various insects.

I didn’t get many pictures of the hikers. Strung out in a line, it is hard to capture everyone. The trail is narrow in most places. Looking back and forth I believe we had about 30 people on the hike. The Calaveras side of the Recreation Area has seven trails of different lengths and are rated easy, moderate, challenging and so on. This trail is moderate.

When guided, Ranger Josh makes many stops and he even played a couple games with us. He formed us into a walking caterpillar, eyes closed, to just walk and tune your ears, nose and senses to the trail. If you are a lone hiker, you get the sense of quiet that being in a natural forest gives you.

The sun didn’t come out during our 3 hour hike. This tree, etched against the overcast made a nice contrast, with the west side of the hill in the distance showing meadows; more barren than the brushy east hillside.

At the end of the trail was a pretty view of the lake with an island showing that isn’t visible when the water level is normal. Drought conditions persist here in California though the recent rains are encouraging. The Calaveras side has seven trails and the  Tuolumne County, Tuttletown Recreation area also has seven trails.  Senior Citizens, with their pass can enter the hiking trails free at anytime of year. For most, there is a day use charge.

This was my first excursion with a new social singles group  and I got to meet the seven people at the end of the hike. Cindy is the key organizer and can be reached at this phone number if you are interested in joining. I didn’t ask permission to print her phone number, (no addresses are given), but her number was published in the newspaper ad for this hike, so here goes. 209-559-8517. The only qualification, you must be 50 or older. We picked up two new members at this event.