Central Valley Spring 2: Foothill Tours

    In these very uncertain times, we realize how privileged we are to live where we do and to be able to so enjoy our region.

Just a beautiful day in the foothills to be out and about.

    We love living at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains close to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The mountains are a summer escape to cooler temperatures (though lately we have been on the road in the summer), offer snowshoeing in winter, and are swathed in wildflowers in spring.
    We made our first foray into the foothills this year on January, driving east of town out Yokohl Dr.

Rather than trace our routes, I've tried to show the highlights. Tour 1: Yokohl Dr. & Lake Kaweah. Tour 2: Rocky Hill. Tour 3: Dry Creek—wildflowers.

    As we headed out Yokohl Dr, we passed by the cabin built by and lived in by Doug's relative. The lineage is a bit confusing; suffice it to say the builder's son helped raise Doug's mother.

Doug's mother told tales of visiting the cabin near Yokohl Creek. It's the square building in the distant center of the picture.

Close-up of cabin.

    Rain greens up California's golden hills.

Numerous contrails were stacked above the clouds that day.

Yokohl Dr climbs up to about 3,000 feet.

View from a switchback nearing the top of Yokohl Dr.

    Returning to the Valley floor, we drove by orange, mandarin, and lemon groves. Oranges and mandarins ripen in winter. Some groves had been picked; others were awaiting picking. It all depends on the packers.

Back on the valley floor. Citrus groves near Lindsay.

    Agriculture could not survive without farmworkers. Many are migrants and immigrants who follow crops up and down the West Coast.

Ladders and portapotties are delivered to the orchards that farmworkers are picking.

Farmworkers park their vehicles between the rows.

Citrus in the Valley. Rocky hills. Snow in the Sierras.    

     After cmpleting the Yokohl Dr loop, we continued our outing by heading up to Lake Kaweah.

Along Hwy 198 heading for Lake Kaweah.

We'll need a lot more snow in the Sierras to have sufficient water this summer.

We walked out the old road along the lake. It's under water when the lake is full.

The old road that followed the river before the dam was built.

Kaweah was still a river due to the ongoing drought lack of snowmelt to fill the reservoir.  But hopefully soon it will fill enough to cover this area so we can kayak.

Marilyn investigating the hillside for foundations and whatever else may be there from prior days.

    Before the dam was built to prevent flooding, folks escaped the Valley's summer heat (often 100+, but a dry heat) to picnic and swim on the Kaweah River.

Remains of a swimming pool near the original river, now filled in by nature.

    Of course long before there was a lake, Native Americans lived in the area.

Native American grinding stone near the abandoned swimming pool. 

    On another outing, we drove around Rocky Hill. It's just east of Exeter, which is where Doug's mom grew up.

Ranch on the back side of Rocky Hill.

Going down the back side of Rocky Hill. Doug used to cycle this route and now walks it frequently.

An amazing picture Doug took.

    When friends told us in mid-February the wildflowers were blooming, we headed up Dry Creek Rd into the foothills.

Kaweah River just east of Dry Creek Rd.

Sycamores and fiddleneck along Dry Creek.

Fiddleneck.

Wild mustard (I think).

Valley Oak.

California poppies paint the hillsides.

Cattle ranch. Field of fiddleneck. Poppies on hills beyond--you can tell by their golden, almost orange, color.

Bucolic valley and California poppies in golden swaths on hillsides.

Buckeye trees leaf out early and soon will have dangling clusters of blossoms. In summer, they will drop their leaves and go dormant to conserve water.

Poppies along banks above Dry Creek.

More fiddleneck. Poppies on the hillside on the right.

As prevalent as the white flower is, blanketing fields and hillsides, I have not been able to identify it. If you know, please leave a comment!

    Doug and I walked along the river a couple of times, as did Doug and our friend Kathy.

Doug on a path heading upriver along the Kaweah River. When the lake is full, this is under water and we kayak here.

Our friend Kathy exploring upriver.

The "Elephant" on Alta Peak—it's trunk is on the right.

Foundation from previous times.

Looking at the river below and wild mustard from old foundation. You can see the high water mark, the bathtub ring, above the river.

There are wildflowers to be found on these walks, too.

Blue Dicks?

Sierra Primrose.

Sierra Primrose.

Doug is very patient while waiting for Marilyn as she takes pictures, this time of wildflowers.

Sierra Wallflower?

Western blue flax?

Eruca Vesicaria, aka, Rocket, related to arugula.

Finally, lupine, with its intense purple. 

    The picture above is one of Doug's famous kayak foot pics. More on kayaking on Lake Kaweah in the next post.