Unintentional Writing In The Margins: Hogan Lake Trail

 

 

Today's blog post is about amazing trailblazing skills and the discovery of new and exciting wildlife creatures.  

 

Ok, maybe I built that up a little too much.  We took the wrong trail and the exciting new discovery wasn't even ours.  We took the pup out for her first hike, and she discovered horses.  

 

There are upsides to taking the wrong route, however.  The hike we planned was supposed to be only about a mile, and therefore easier on our somewhat out-of-shape bodies (it's winter, okay?).  Instead we wound up going about three miles.  So we found out that we were in better shape than we thought.  Good news, since we plan on increasing the amount of hikes we take.  When spring gets here.  When it really gets here, I mean.

 

 

I seem to be going in all sorts of wrong directions lately.  To get back on track, the hike we took led us around one of Hogan Reservoir's day use areas.  We left off from the parking lot on one of the two trailheads at the end of the parking lot, just like the directions in the book said.  They also said to take the left trailhead, but we neglected to read that part.  

 

Ohh.  THAT trail.  Whoops.

Our trail wound around the low hills, through rocky paths and old gnarled oak trees.  Nora, the pup, was going crazy over the plethora of smells and sights.  She didn't know what to do with herself and wound up doing everything, only for a very short time.  First she tried to eat the unfamiliar plants, then she sniffed something, and next she looked at the scenery. Finally, she started it all over again.  

 

This.  Is.  AWESOME.  -Nora

We enjoyed ourselves, too.  It was nice to get a little sun for a change, because despite the relatively mild winter we have been staying indoors quite a bit.  

After a while, the trail turned up another little hill, and the dam came into view.  Behind us we could see some buildings, homes in Valley Springs that we had driven past on the way there.  We continued on past the dam, and then turned.  The trail took us up a steep hill, and when we reached the top, we could see the reservoir.  We turned toward the water and as we kept going, we realized we had gone more than a mile and that we must have taken the wrong trail.  Again.

 

 

Are we...supposed to go...AROUND the lake?



Nope.



So we turned back.  After going back down the steep hill and around the turn, we heard a group approaching behind us.  Since Nora had gotten herself tangled around a signpost, it seemed like a good idea for us to let them pass.  The idea began to seem even better when we saw that "they" were a group of two people on horseback with three dogs trotting alongside.



Hehehe.  What?



As the group came into view from behind a tree, Nora lost it.  She pulled on her leash for all she was worth and tried her hardest to run to what she surely thought were two big soon-to-be best friends.  The group passed by but Nora had forgotten all of her new surroundings, her attention captured by these new giants.  

 

Racing ahead.  Well, trying to at least.

 

We set out down the trail again, but it was not the leisurely walk that we had been on just moments before.  Instead it was a battle between man and beast, as one pulled the other, one trying to speed up, the other trying to slow down.  Instead of listening to the sounds of nature, the wind blowing the grasses, birds chirping and gravel crunching under our feet, we heard Nora whining as she charged ahead toward her discovery.  

 

 

She pressed her nose to the ground to be sure that she was still on the right track, and sat only briefly when commanded so as to be ready to move again when we were ready to continue.  Soon enough, we were back to the parking lot, where her new friends were being loaded into a trailer and heading for home.  However, her pursuit wasn't entirely in vain.  As we entered the parking lot, another hiker had just arrived to start her excursion, and she had a dog.  So we let them play a bit before we, too, headed for home.

 

And a nap.  



Old Sacramento

I have been a bit of an overachiever this week and have taken two hikes, quite the change of pace from these last several months where one hike a month is more the norm.  I will be making an effort to make the time to make this trend last.  Okay, I admit that two hikes a week will likely not be a common occurrence, but it is my goal to make one-hike months just as rare. 

Old Time Photos

Carriage Rides



Lady Adams Bldg, oldest building in Sacramento



Yesterday I took a drive up to visit Old Sacramento.  This is a place that is both familiar and favored by me for many reasons.  Growing up, it was always a treat to make the drive and spend the day exploring the shops (especially the many candy shops scattered around) and pretending to be living in “olden times.”  While in school, there were countless field trips to the area, each one seen through new eyes.  And during my time attending Sac State, I worked in a small art gallery and gift shop that, by the way, is still open now (yes, I did stop in for a visit).  All of my memories of Old Sacramento are good ones.  Including the one I just made. 

While I have made many trips to and around Old Sacramento, this was the first one I took alone.  It is a different feeling to sightsee on one’s own.  What you lose in companionship you gain in independence.  People watching and exploration take center stage and you become surprised at what you find hiding in plain sight.  I saw things that I never saw until today; at least not from the same perspective with which I’ve always looked before.

 I saw the railroad museum, an imposing brick structure on the north side of Old Sacramento.  Instead of giving it a passing glance as I walked by, I stopped and watched as little families bustled in and out, the parents frazzled but happy, the kids excited and amazed.  I meandered past and walked by the Sacramento History Museum, which I had forgotten even existed.



I'm not even sure what this is, but it was fun to photograph.



I turned up Front Street and walked along the railroad tracks that are still strewn with fallen leaves.  To my right was the river, and as the sun began to set over the water a beautiful panorama appeared.  As I walked I snapped photos, and before I knew it I had arrived at Sacramento’s most unique hotel, an old paddleboat.  It is docked and has a lounge, restaurant and even a theater where performances are held regularly. 

By this time, however, the sun had sunk lower and the wind blowing off the water was becoming too chilly for me, so I turned and headed back to my car.  I crossed the cobbled street and returned to the wooden boardwalk that borders all the buildings and shops.  I noticed as I hustled along that the crowds hadn’t thinned very much.  It seems that Old Sacramento is just as bustling and busy as when, once upon a time, it was New Sacramento. 

___________________________________________________________________

Ok, I know I've never seen this in Old Sacramento before.

Natural Bridges State Park

A few months ago I would have pictured my first hike in the New Year as being cold, windy, and requiring snow boots and mittens.  Instead, I spent the day walking in rolled up jeans, sloshing through puddles of a different sort while we explored tide pools and watched the waves roll in at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. 

We had plans to go snowboarding this weekend, but when the snow never fell, we decided to make lemonade and changed directions and went west toward the Pacific Ocean for the day.  We spent time in Capitola, where we stretched our legs walking along the wharf and amongst the shops.  Then we stopped for pizza and made our way to the beach. 

Heading out on to the wharf

After paying the ten dollar fee to enter the park we stopped the car, changed our shoes, and began our walk.  A short stroll across the sand later we reached the rocks and the tide pools.  The tide wasn’t quite out yet (or was it coming in?) so our space in which to explore was a little limited.  But we barely noticed with all the interesting things there were to see already.  Staring at sea anemones, snails, barnacles, mussels, and one lone starfish, we were more than entertained.



I see something...





Hah! Got it.



In addition to looking downward at beauty, we were treated to it all around us.  It was in the waves crashing on the rocks, homes of grand stature looming above us, the sun shining across the water, and in the handful of people walking all around us, laughing, joking, and taking in the fresh air.  It seemed that everyone was enjoying the unseasonably temperate weather. 

This hike didn’t take us over much ground, but we still spent a good hour and a half checking things out and taking it all in (and taking pictures).  All in all, quite a good way to start out the year. 

Taking it all in

As an aside, we also ran across the slowest waterfall, just a single drop at a time falling from an overhang in the cliff face.  Thought I would share those pictures as well. 

Splash!