Home can be many places, with family and friends, and of course – where the bunny is.

Basil the Bunny, despite his hatred for car rides, has traveled the country and called many places home. My parents house, 901 Houghton, Grass Valley, and of course for the majority of the past 6 years – Groveland.

Basil is a house bunny. As often as Curtis and I spend our nights in tents, we spend more time at home, sleeping on top of the mattress that covers Basil’s bunny lair. Not that the rest of the house isn’t his bunny lair too, it’s just particularly lair-ish under there. For a house location, Groveland is great. It is next to to countless adventures in the Sierra Nevada, but close enough that we can drive back in the evening for dinner time and bunny foot pettings.

The two biggest loves of my life.

Basil has passed away this week. We have laid him to rest here among the gentle rolling Sierra Nevada. Which means, that Groveland will always be a part of our home now. It sounds silly to say, of course it was always going to be a part of us after 6 years. Six years of waking up to the pinging sound of golf swings on the Pine Mountain Lake Course, the sweet scent of mountain air, the sometime dense ash filled skies, and endless nights of dangling off the side of the bed to pet Basil until one of us fell asleep.

I never really imagined myself moving to California, and god knows Basil never knew that he would have traveled so far from the Westland Michigan Humane Society. But together we have taken on this journey, and Basil has been braver than any bunny might have ever been asked to be.

Some people might think it is brave going out into the woods, solo hiking, calling off bears, avoiding rattlesnakes, swimming in frigid waters, and scaling steep granite slopes. And all these things are brave – But objectively Basil was more brave, for accepting his fate as our Michigan bunny turned California bunny. He bravely went to places no bunny had ever gone, and made it Groveland into his home one nom (those are bunny chews) at a time. He also nommed most of my other things, giving a personalized touch to my daypack, platypus water bladder, all the furniture, countless shirts, and even Sheep.

Ultimately, now I must be the one to be brave. As I lay my bunny best friend to rest here, I am accepting Groveland is not just as the “California phase” of my life – but as an integral part of my home. It is the place Basil had adopted as his own and nommed into a home. It will always be a home to us.

Rest in peace Basil, you’re the best bunny ever, and we love you more than I can ever say.

And now I had this tri-suit, which meant I had to do a triathalon. I promptly added that one to the to do list (and closet) and moved on with my life… about until this spring when it was announced that Groveland, California – my California home – was going to try to put on a triathalon. After much thought and consideration, and finally just caving to buy an overpriced membership to a gym with a pool, I was committed. Fiscally committed at least. I’ll be damned if I let both a gym membership and tri-suit both go to waste.

I am the one in the bright aqua blue suit. A little difficult to see in these photos but hard to miss in person.

Groveland Gears and Grooves Triathlon – 6/6/2015

Start: Registration started down at Mary Laveroni Park, where the organizers would shuttle your gear (bike, shoes, etc) to the transition areas, and shuttle you inside of the Pine Mountain Lake (PML) gated subdivision if you didn’t have access. I think if there is ever a race again “inside the gate” of PML, the PML security should just offer to get everyone a very temporary visitor’s passes to help smooth this out a little bit. Especially for spectators.
Distance: This was approximately an olympic distance triathlon – 1 mile swim, 5 mile run, 22 mile bike. It is a little weird they didn’t attempt to make it closer to a traditional olympic distance (1 mile swim, 10k run, 40k bike), but I feel like the whole thing was built around the splendor of Groveland, so we did whatever distance we needed to to see that ;)

Map of the Triathalon. From my GPS watch it was a 1.29 miles swim, 5.38 mile run, and 22 mile bike. Admittedly the watch isn’t super accurate with the swim, plus I zig-zaged more than necessary being blind and confused on the swim. Garmin Map. 

The website for the Groveland Grooves and Gears Triathlon very adamantly wanted me to know that the Groveland Gears and Grooves Triathlon was “a three sport event,” and also“not a race.” I think that may be code for ‘we don’t want to get your expectations up/you can do it!’ Which kind of feels like a let down, for your first triathlon to not want to admit it is a triathlon… but no matter I am going to call it my first triathlon, albeit not timed, because it was.

We started out by swimming inside of Pine Mountain Lake from the Marina Beach, to the Dunn Court Beach area, then to the Lake Lodge. This swim was the most confusing part of the race, with minimal objects to sight off of and direct a straight line of swimming. Additionally, I found out that sighting off a far muted colored object without my glasses is pretty much a lost cause. I ended up trailing some people that I thought looked like they knew what they were doing… & luckily they did! Success.

The run route was painted on the road, which was a welcome surprise after that troublesome swim. The arrows took us around a classically hilly PML route, out onto Ferretti Rd, and then over to the airport/stable area. It was SUPER HOT. But there were aid stations! This wasn’t my strongest run ever (I knew I still had to save some for the bike), but definitely my strongest point in the tri, especially because this is my typical stomping grounds. Plus, Curtis got this sweet picture of me running in past a mini-horse at I came into the 2nd transition at the stables.

I am glad Curtis decided this picture was needed. PONIES!

From the stables it was a only a hilly 22 mile bike to the Rim of the World and then back to Groveland. Thankfully there were more aid stations and some very nice traffic control by Forest Service staff at Rim of the World to make sure no crazy tourists took us out. By this point my was calf cramping more than anticipated, but the pretty ride kept it enjoyable. Also, I was almost done, so something to look forward to!

On my way to Groveland from Rim of the World. See, very pretty.

This triathlon, but “not a race,” ended at Mary Laveroni Park. I am still not sure if I needed to bike around that cone or not to complete the course… but I did! Triathlon completed.

Overall, the Groveland Triathlon was pretty hard core for not being a race. Actually, it was more like an adventure than a race: Don’t get lost in the lake, blindly follow the arrows, then bike all the hills. I am happy with it for a first triathlon, very low stress and nothing but good vibes from Groveland. Plus, after a cold Indigeny Cider I got to go home, which is a pretty big win for one tired newly minted triathlete. I will see you next year Groveland Triathlon… but could you all get some bright colored buoys for the lake in the mean time?

From what I can gather the Melones Dam Overlook used to be a vista over the (old) Melones dam, built in 1926 by the Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation Districts, and looked into the reservoir area. After the Bureau of Reclamation built the New Melones Dam, raising the height of the reservoir, this overlook simply offered a vista of the earthen dam wall. Over time it has become abandoned (which is inherently a little creepy, considering an overlook’s intent) and is now an overgrown parking lot, surprisingly nice pavilion, picnic tables, and non native trees. It’s definitely not an advertised destination, but last year the Bureau of Reclamation even opened up the road for “Customer Appreciation Day.” For now it is gated to prevent traffic, ask at the Visitor’s Center to ensure you are not breaking any restrictions.

Trailhead: Turn onto Obyrnes Ferry Rd from Hwy 120/108, the first right will be Peoria Flat Rd. Follow this road, curving right past the Conservation Camp and park at the Peoria Wildlife Area trailhead at the gate. Continue walking up the road to get to the overlook. Map
Distance: ~2 miles out and back

DamNation

After the hike I returned home to catch some football with Curtis, and then watched this documentary available now on Netflix instant. I had seen a preview of this before at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and actually realized halfway through I had caught a few minutes of it at the Localizing California Water Conference (before I decided it was late at night and I needed to drive home to go to work the next day).

I am fascinated with the dams in my local area recently because of the 2014 drought’s transformation of the reservoirs into something vaugly resembling the rivers they once were. It’s startlingly and very powerful to see the difference between a human managed mass of water and wild living river. It makes you think about how we weigh the services dams provide versus the consequences of their existence and management. This documentary is a beautiful, sad, and sometimes empowering look at those choices. I fully recommend it especially if you live in the Western US , perhaps driving past a reservoir everyday as I do.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. To celebrate we are making a homemade tofurkey, baked potato salad (from Michigan according to the NYT), vegetarian-ized sourdough stuffing (A California thanksgiving item according to the NYT), green bean casserole, some classy cranberry sauce from the can, and sweet potato pie. It my 7th year making a “traditional” tofurkey – which is made slightly different every year. I miss visiting my family back in Michigan over the holiday, but they don’t appreciate a good tofurky anyway ;)

But the real question is: What do wild turkeys eat for thanksgiving? Well I took the liberty of typing it into google and:

Wild Turkeys eat a great variety of foods, including: insects, spiders, snails, slugs, salamanders, small lizards, small frogs, millipedes, grasshoppers, very small snakes, worms, grasses, vines, flowers,acorns, buds, seeds, fruits, clovers, dogwood, blueberries, cherries, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and other vegetation.

That wasn’t a small snake – RUN!

Not my cup of tea, but whatever floats your boat wild turkeys. I hope everyone was a safe, happy, & healthy thanksgiving! I’m pulling for the turkeys today ;)

Anyhow RIPPED stands for Resistance, Intervals, Power, Plyometrics and Endurance. I think they just tacked that D on because of EnDurance – but we all probably smelled pretty RIIPE by the end of it. The intensity was was felt by all of the ladies in that room!

High intensity training is supposed to be one of the “new” big fitness trends I have seen floating around Pinterest, It allows busy people to get in a killer workout in minimal time – both burning calories and working on muscle. It also requires a good deal coordination as you are busting out punches, squats, and jumps SUPER SUPER quickly.  Then as the endorphins/adrenaline (I honestly feel like it could have been both or either) flooded me on the drive up to Groveland I had to work on my FOCUS to coordinate my normal ‘watch for deer & drive’ routine. I think what I learned tonight is I need to step up graceful-ness factor.

Actually I think I already knew that, but I will give high intensity training another try to see if it helps. Also, it was a really good workout despite the not being out!

Sorry, I had to.

Little Golden Trail, Stanislaus National Forest

Distance: 2-ish miles? We did a little off trail exploring to find a highpoint for a vista. Map
Trailhead: We started from the Pines Campground entrance, but you could also park at the Forest Service office and start near the official trail sign. Map

Walking around the trail I was joking with Curtis that we should camp out on the Little Golden Trail and call it a thru-hike. It seemed hilarious to us, but in reality we think maybe it wouldn’t be illegal to camp here? Hard to say, but I’m sure you don’t need a wilderness permit!

The Little Golden Trial was established in conjunction with money from the “Little Golden Books” company- You know the The Poky Little Puppy people? The main sign at the trailhead also calls this a “Children’s Forest,” which is cute since it is a nice little stretch of woods. I don’t know how well used it is by kids, but Curtis at ran loops around this trail all the time to prep for a half marathon we did. There is also a interpretive trail component to the whole thing, you can get brochures for in the Forest Service office when it is open.

The Little Golden Trail might not be the most exciting hike in the Groveland area, but it is a nicely maintained trail and very accessible. I think if you are in Groveland and need a quick outing (especially with kids), if you are at the Pines Campground and want little hike, or if you just need a break on the drive up to Yosemite this would be a good stop. Plus there is a restroom the Forest Service maintains next to their office, which is pretty good to note for the drive up to, or back from, Yosemite for those with small bladders.

And yes, I did thru-hike the Little Golden Trail – where is my certificate of completion? ;)

I really want to go into the forest sometime soon just for the heck of knowing I can – but I have heard a lot of rumors saying that between the forest Rim Fire loggers and the people who are now allowed to go into the forest to collect firewood for winter it might be extra dangrous for your average person without a hardhat. Also rain/snow is coming our way (Hopefully!) starting today.

Basically, the forest is open – but be careful! Which is always the plan, right? ;)

I’m thinking maybe a trip down to Preston Falls if the weather permits on the weekend. I don’t think there should be that much good firewood down there.

For more info on what exactly is and is not open now the Union Democrat has a good article.

I am not going to sit in any cold woods waiting for a deer to maybe jump out. That seems ridiculous. Not only because I am a vegitarian but also because I live in Pine Mountain Lake – the best golf course deer refuge this side of the Mississippi. (I made that up, but that doesn’t make it less true)

Typical day on the Golf Course

On any given morning there is a family of deer camping out in the patch of 10 trees next to my driveway. Consistently one is sleeping under my deck. They mass migrate from one side of the subdivision to the other by the dozens (Pro tip: a 5pm run is prime time to see this go down). The other month I stopped what I was doing to watch a battle for alpha male deer dominance. Do deer have alpha males? Pine Mountain Lake deer do!

& of course there is no shooting inside the gate – thank god, our houses are way too close together.

Admittedly it gets kind of old keeping a constant eye out for deer on the road everyday – but those spotted fawns are still pretty adorable. And sometime I feel like freaking Snow White when simply standing on my deck… until I need to shout at one eating the neighbor’s trash. Deer, can’t live with them, can’t live in Pine Mountain Lake without them.

Cute little guys.

…Of course while binge watching any TV show the last thing you want to do is stop, so this is still a far fetched ambition. Plus CriminalMindsCat.tumblr.com is already taken, so whatever…

Quotes are funny in that they can be adapted to represent a range almost anything. For example, CriminalMindsCat is probably neither what the original quoter or the writers at Criminal Minds had in mind when inserting these words. Obviously once we put something into the world we have little control over how it is used afterwards – especially in the case of inspiration.

This is why I am pulling a quote I just heard, and asking you to consider it in the wilderness/nature aspect. It is the popular Shakespeare quote:

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”

In my mind that could mean we love all nature, only trust the few we have earned the knowledge of, and respect all. Isn’t that a beautiful idea? Actually it is a beautiful idea for anywhere. Cool job Shakespeare.

I don’t do much foraging, and since I am vegetarian I don’t hunt or fish… Although for some reason I got really into Morel hunting last year (I’m thinking it is a natural reaction to find a silver lining to all the fire scarred areas around Groveland). Despite not considering myself an avid forager there are a few finds I am always down for:

1. Thimbleberries,
2. Blackberries, mullberries, raspberries – or any other berry I could find in my yard as a kid; and
3. Lettuce greens from nonchemical treated yards – I’m mostly talking dandelions in the Michigan and miners lettuce in California.

I had never heard of or seen miners lettuce growing up in Michigan, and as a result have come to associate this tasty little guy with the California foothills where I learned of it’s existence. It is afterall nicknamed after California gold miners who ate the plant to ward off scurvy.

This is the lettuce! (In case you couldn’t tell.) This photo, and a modified version at the top of the post, are used via creative commons licence from josh s jackson on flickr

I still haven’t picked a full salad worth of lettuce – instead going for just enough for a brief snack while hiking. But now that I am thinking it consider a miner’s lettuce salad officially added to-do list for next spring! Check back in for the latter ;) … & pictures, I know I have taken at least one picture of this before but I can’t seem to find any!

If you want to forage for Miners Lettuce try visiting any grassy foothills area in the spring. It pops up in people’s yards everywhere and is very easy to identify by it’s coin sized lilypad like leaves.