TOUR OF CALIFORNIA 2012.

There was a time when  the Motherlode made national or statewide news only when something sensational happened, such as the Valley Springs rancher who  got arrested for drunk driving on his horse;  or the time a guy swallowed his bar mate’s gold nugget at the Murphys Hotel Bar.
Shoot, things have changed. Yesterday, the Capitol Christmas tree started its trip to the White House.  And, Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen unveiled a sign surrounded by about one-hundred  bikers that the Amgen Tour of California, a major biking event, is scheduled to have its fourth leg start in Sonora.  Mayor Canning, with city and county leaders, planned  to bring the tour to Sonora  for several months. They just learned they’ve been accepted this week.
The fourth leg will begin in Sonora and end in the City of Clovis in Fresno County.  The start for Sonora is expected to be mid-May.  Not only bikers, and their entourage, but friends follow this event all over the state.  A local member of the Gold Chain Cycling Club, David Bowman, expressed his opinion that cycling is a way of life, not just a sport. The ride will begin in Santa Rosa, followed by a ride across the famous Golden Gate Bridge, through San Francisco and on to Santa Cruz.  Third stage will begin in San Jose and end in Livermore.  It is a competition. The time trial will be held in Bakersfield, then on to Palmdale,  Big Bear Lake, Ontario and Mt. Baldy.  The race will finish in Los Angeles on May 20th.
I’d love to follow that event. What fun. It would even be better if I could bike it, but that is not in the cards. Not only would I not be capable, but it  is an elite competition regarded as a testing ground for top-tier riders who plan to compete in the Tour de France in June.  Wow!
I wonder how an extreme biker would do in an event like this?  Fascinating to watch You have to watch a 30 second ad to see this amazing video.  check it out on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw&vq=medium

LOGGING TRUCKS ARE ROLLIN'

At one time, gigantic logging trucks like this one rumbled right through downtown Murphys. Officially rerouted in the 1990′s,  they can no longer do that. They roll down the mountain and keep to Highway 4 on their way to the mill. Loggers can still plow right through  downtown  Angels Camp on Highway 49.  I must admit to a bit of joy at seeing them. In the 80′s I rode with a logger to the woods and photographed  the complete operation from cutting, skidding,  loading, chaining up and delivering them to the mill. In fact, the driver pulled over to tighten his chains once we left  the rugged logging road and I got out  to take the big behemoth’s picture.  A guy backing out of his driveway, without looking, backed into me with his pick-up. I was unhurt, thankfully.  I wish I had those pictures in digital format.

Today’s logs, compared to logging in the seventies and eighties look like toothpicks. I’ve seen two or three or four logs fill one of these trucks. A tree trunk riding high half above the cab made you fear a slipping chain would allow a log to  smash through the cab and kill anybody inside.  The weight of the load was especially noticeable on Murphys Grade from Forest Meadows to Murphys with the driver managing the winding road, his jake brake scudding.  The memories, the sights and smells are great and I’m glad for the truck owners and loggers who have work again. Standard recently opened their mill in Sonora and I followed three trucks down to the river, and across the other side over Parrots Ferry Bridge on my way to the dentist. I returned by way of Stevenot Bridge on 49 through Angels Camp. I counted, coming toward me, four logging trucks which means a full truck was moving through town every five minutes on both highways.  As I did some errands,  I saw two more pass. Sure enough, I waited and caught this one moving through town.  While the jobs are great, they are most likely clear cutting for Sierra Pacific. SP refuses to compromise and do select cuts. They clear huge swaths of land and destroy the beauty and ecology of our area in the Sierra Nevadas. SP owns over a million acres above us, and young trees are falling to the axe.  A local group, Forest Watch, has photographed and protested their business practices, but the best way to make them accountable to the local community is to refuse to buy Sierra Pacific Lumber. I recommend you  buy certified lumber that is sustainably cut. It is stamped on the end of each board. It is possible to log without desecrating the land and habitat, but the bottom line for corporations  is people, nature, and animals last and money first. When I saw that logging had resumed, I speculated on the recent appearance of bear and feral pigs at our elevation and wonder if clear cutting could be upsetting the balance?

FREE SPEECH AND YOUR OWN BACKYARD

Sue, my CPA's assistant, handed back my tax  package and told me that when she first moved to California, she picked a California Wild Poppy and a friend told her it was against the law to pick that flower since it is the California State flower. We both chuckled because I had had the exact same experience when I first moved to California. I've yet to hear of anyone getting arrested, but given what has happened to Michigan's arbutus, Florida's corals, Louisiana's Cypress and thousands of other natural treasures, maybe our law makers had the right idea. We respect this beauty.

 

 I don't know what flower covers these hillsides on the grapevine, but how can one not be thrilled at this gorgeous show of tiny plants so numerous they form acres of carpet. Obviously, someone is tired of wild flowers in my blog since I received a sarcastic anonymous comment. I'm a true believer in free speech and I might have published it if the writer had had guts enough to leave a name. 

 Spectacular wild flowers are a treat that make us temporarily forget those long, wet, cold days of rain it took to bring them out. I saw the desert in bloom for the first time, but in my own backyard, there is plenty of beauty. On the way home from my tax appointment I took pictures of  the redbuds that put on a show every year on the side of the road. 

Lupines in some places were much thicker than this patch, but these were closer to the road. They are tall and full this year.

The white ceanothus is often referred to as wild white lilac around here. It contrasts beautifully with the redbud and is plentiful right now.

Poppies and deep purple vetch make a good show from a distance even in this snarl of grass. Filieree blooms, bright yellow monkey flowers, some indian paint brush and  another bright orange plant scaling the steep canyon walls where the road was too narrow to stop, made my drive such pleasure. I hope this inspires you drive slowly and enjoy the show instead of hurrying by without appreciating the beauty in your own back yard.

BIRDS, BATS, FEEDERS, OSPREYS...

There was a time when birds of all types flew and sounded in and about the yard, on the road, and wherever we moved about. Its getting harder and harder to find them now. These finches crowding the bird feeder are a welcome sight. Audubon once observed that song birds were so numerous when he caught birds to paint, flocks taking flight could blacken the summer sky in front of him. We've come a long way down since then. I keep that in mind when I see a bird in the wild or those attracted to a feeder. Efforts to save bird habitat are working. We now see ospreys nesting in the mother lode. Neighbors are putting up western blue bird boxes. Saturday, in Sonora, the Audubon Society is selling various sized birdhouses, bat houses and bird feeders at the West America Bank parking lot 14729 Mono Way, East Sonora. The American Native Plant Society is also having its annual sale at the same time. No time was given but you can check www.centralsierraaudubon.org. on line.