Los Vaqueros Watershed On a Stormy Day

I was disappointed to get into the preserve pretty late, but this was kind of cancelled out by the 60+ mph winds at the tops of the ridges (by the ranger's estimate.) The reservoir had whitecaps in it. The only trail I've done worse than this was Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand, and that was during an Antarctic storm when the ranger told me "This is a stupid idea." Plus, that East Bay clay is nasty (slippery and clingy) when it's wet, and makes going up and down the steep trails more like skiing than I would've liked. The drive there was kind of cool, since you're in the central valley but then will cross a small drawbridge next to a marina and realize that all these rivers and sloughs and lakes are contiguous with the Bay (you don't expect to see a marina somewhere like Stockton, but in fact there's a US Navy base there.) Los Vaqueros is interesting partly because it's right at the eastern edge of the hills and an ecosystem boundary runs through it, transitioning from scrub oak to Central Valley prairie on the eastern side. In the last few pictures there's some very clear cattle terracing going on. Always interesting that they can draw contour lines in reality rather than just on a map. Obscure joke of the day - chalk up one for instrumental over epistemic rationality!
























Above and below: cows are standing roughly inside the red circle. See? They've drawn higher-resolution contour lines on the actual Earth than Caltopo did on the map. Outstanding!

Blue Ridge/Fiske Peak and the Ohlone Wilderness Trail

That oak is in Ohlone Wilderness, but I did want to document my little trips out to the Capay Valley this spring. Northern California's spring is underrated, and it's already rated pretty highly. I abandoned my initial attempt to get up on the ridge in mid-March in the first quarter mile because the river was out of control, after 2 solid weeks of rain. A few weeks later I came back and it was easily wade-able. Fiske Peak is the northernmost prominent high point along the Blue Ridge, a steep and interesting formation which is little-known to many Bay Area hikers. In some ways it reminds me of Southern California's preserves, even around Stebbins Cold Canyon (very steep eroded sandy ridges, hot in the summer, and inland=drier vegetation). Looking north along the east edge of the coast range you can see that the mountains are a row of several thousand-foot upturned blocks, and this view is hard to appreciate anywhere but up on the ridge. I'd wondered about the complex geology of northern California before. I wish I'd taken my camera!

Fortunately I did take my camera to Ohlone Wilderness. I wanted to get to Rose Peak and back from Del Valle, despite having come down with a cough and fever two days before. Results were predictable. I gave up and turned around at Schlieper Rock, and still feel fried the next day. I are not smrt. At least I got some nice shots.


Above: the trail along the ridge at Fiske Peak. See what I mean? You could be in Orange County. From yolocounty.org. Below: Ohlone Wilderness in May.




Above: mariposa lily, which I had never seen (or noticed). California Native Plant Society on Facebook ID'd it in minutes of posting the picture. Below: Mt. Diablo to the north.