Brokeoff Mountain

Had a great end of summer hike to the summit of Brokeoff Mountain in Lassen Volcanic National Park. I love that park! Frances's friend Doug went with us.

The flowers were gorgeous. The slopes were filled with blooming coyote mint, perfuming the air with minty freshness.
This hike technically broke the day hiking rule, since it was a 6 hour round trip drive and a 5.5 hour hike, but it was well worth it. We also drove up to the Sulfur Works, so got in a little extra sight-seeing.

As luck would have it, we were hiking on the hottest day of the summer, but it was really pleasant on the hike. We started up the trail at noon, and the afternoon winds kicked in to cool us off. The summit is at 9200 ft and I was pleased that I was only a little sore the following day.

We stopped in Red Bluff for dinner. It was 104 when we pulled in at about 7.30.

Favorite location

We've worked in many areas, but the two most spectacular were Point Reyes National Seashore, and the preserves of the Midpennisula Regional Open Space District. We have been working at Russian Ridge lately, and that area is flat out Gorgeous. Enormous canyon live oaks, California bay, and views of forest covered slopes and the ocean.

Beginning to feel fallish

There is definitely something fallish in the air, even though it is only mid August. Saw these two juvenile mourning doves in the garden yesterday. Thought they looked a little nervous. I was happy to finally get a bloom on the tarweed I grew from seed I had saved from one of our field locations. Also, the black phoebe is back in our yard.
The stinkbugs are out of control in the garden this year. I am picking them off by the dozens every time I'm in the garden. I've never seen them so bad. Lots of tomatoes to freeze, I've a big basket of them on my counter, but must get some work done before I can do that. Freezing will be more laborious since I want to cut out at least some of the stinkbug damage.

At the lake

Just got back from a great trip to the lake in northern Wisconsin. Although my brother E went to Italy, the rest of us got together and had a fine time. (Although we really missed him!)
The start of the trip was marked by a power outage and a septic system malfunction. Our dinner was cooked on the grill. Luckily we weren't there for the digging up of the septic system, but there was a related problem with the drain from the north bathroom the next day that we got to fix.
The weather was mostly warm and steamy. We had many great bike rides on the snow mobile trails, many of which ended at Mad Dog Jakes. No wonder I gained two pounds!
Also had fun kayaking, canoeing, and swimming. T and I came across a family of otters on one of our kayak trips. F spent a lot of time fishing, but none of the fishing trips ended with anything we could eat. We had many good nights for star gazing and got to see Northern Lights one night! Not the most fantastic lights ever, but at least recognizable. There was also a fairly substantial lightening storm one night, which was quite fun. We slept on the porch, which means an early wakeup and view of the sunrise. I was sad to leave and look forward to a return trip soon!

So now I know

Now I understand why I never got my blackberry canes tied up properly last summer. It's because I'm busy in the summer. Not only is there all the usual work busyness, but there is the busyness caused by going on vacation, and the busyness associated with the garden (maintenance/weeding/ bumper crops of everything/canning/freezing). Right now we have tomatoes, tomatillos, and peaches that need to be made into sauce or cut up and frozen.

Biking in hot weather

Its been hot for most of this week. Ted showed me a little trick he uses to help manage the heat. Put your tanktop under the faucet! Wearing a soaking wet shirt does help, but by the time we've reached the bottom of the hill and are starting the ascent our shirts are dry. Last night I also put a wet kerchief inside my helmet and that helped some also. Ted dunked his head under the faucet before starting!

Field work

Went to Annadel today. We expected it to be cool. We didn't expect to be working in the fog until 3 pm. My pants, gaiters, and boots were soaked. A bad combination around poison oak. I hope I don't get it.
On the plus side, we saw a beautiful California Sister. It might have just emerged, as it was in perfect shape. It seemed to be too cold to fly, it just hung on a grass seedhead.