Graeagle CA Vacation- Part 3 of 3

One of the most beautiful places we frequented was Salmon Lake.  The lodge there used to belong to Dave’s family, and it is a very serene and spiritual place.  We walked around it, boated on it, fished in it, viewed wildlife and joined in with the lodge guests for a barbeque on the island.  The lake, this one being Upper Salmon, is named for the color of the beautiful rocks above it.

Our fishing trip didn’t yield any fish, but it was really fun. 

Also, along the Gold Lake Highway,  there is a turnout from which you can see very old and disappearing petroglyphs. 

Near here, a lodge stood long ago that burned down and wasn’t issued a new permit.  Now just the stone steps and foundation, as well as an old swimming pool carved into the nearby stream are all that remain. 

Here is a cool PacMan rock we saw on one of our hikes. I thought it looked a little like baby godzilla.

The last day of my vacation, we went for a last adventure before I had to catch my plane.  We took the mountain bikes back out on the trails and despite the cold fierce wind, we braved hilltop after hilltop.

It was in the silent roar of the wind that we witnessed this beautiful flock of pelicans soaring over the mountains.  They floated and glided on the wind, seeming to dance in the sky. 

We looked at another mine site.  This one was very unstable and had mostly collapsed already.  I really liked the way the old rusty metal roofs melded to the contours of the rocks and ground, like a frosting of rust. 

And now for the wildlife.  We saw a lot of deer, although they seemed to have a knack for turning their backside to the camera. 

There were a lot of baby ducks and geese around too.  So cute and fuzzy.  Mostly we saw ducks with 6 or 7 ducklings, but one mother duck had 11! 

With the warm sunshine, the reptiles were out and about as well.  These lizards gave me a suspicious look as I snapped their pictures.  The first is an alligator lizard, the second I’m not so sure about. 

While we were fishing, Dave clicked these pictures of a mother beaver carrying her baby up the river.  They are almost too cute, so if you have a low cute-tolerance level, you should grab a box of tissues or a shot of rum before viewing.

 
Well, the day had to come that I returned north.  Here are the last pictures of my trip. 

Graeagle CA Vacation- Part 2 of 3

We took a few trips from our home base, and one of those was down the Feather River Canyon to Chico.  The canyon is winding and beautiful, and at times you are farther up than you would like to be.  A train track also runs up the canyon, which has required some creativity with the bridges.

Chico was much hotter and drier than the mountains. 

Another trip we took was down the Yuba River, where we panned for gold.  I found out later, my dad was looking for gold on the Yuba about 50 years ago. 

We went into Downieville, which is a cute mining town that doesn’t look like it has changed much since the miner ‘49’ers were around. 

While we were having lunch there, the wind grew stronger and stronger, threatening to lift us and our outdoor table up by the umbrella and fly us away.  We held on to the table, but the wind was not pleased.  In a flash it had ripped the umbrella from its bones, splintering the wooden umbrella parts, and leaving them shattered, while simultaneously sucking the fabric down a crack under the patio.  Never a dull moment.  : ) 

On Father's Day we went for a drive out on the logging roads with Dave's mom, uncle and aunt.  There were these cool old cabins in a mountain meadow!  It was fun to check them out.

We didn’t just explore the wilderness.  We also took an evening and played golf.  It was a beautiful course, but we were tired from fishing earlier and over-napped, so it was too dark to play all 18 holes.

On our jaunts out to poke around them there hills for gold, we went to Johnsville and checked out the waterfalls there.  This is Upper and then Lower Jamison Falls. 

It was the beginning of wildflower season, and there were flowers of every color from forest to mountain top.  I have tried to identify these, but have not been successful in some cases.  If you know a flower I don’t, or can correctly identify a flower I just took a stab at, please leave a comment! : ) 

Sitka Columbine

Possibly cornflower?

Indian Paintbrush

Phlox

More phlox

Possibly Arnica?

What is this?  It is lovely and smells delish.

More lovely plant with snow plant in the background

Snow Plant

I believe these are avalanche lilies

Larkspur

I think these are a wild onion, and are very hardy growing on cold wind-swept hilltops in the rocks.

We also visited Sardine Lake and Sand Pond.  Sand Pond was the only place I saw the white rhododendron-like flowers, so it’s possible they were planted there and not wildflowers. 

The area is not overtly volcanic, but definitely geologically active.  Dave drove out through the forest on some rough dirt roads to show me this lovely valley with its bubbling, delicious cold spring. 

I will leave you with these beautiful views.