Pictures by: Elly, Maureen, Clarence
Glorious sunshine!! After many weeks of various forms of precipitation and repeated power outages, 18 of us decided getting out and exercising was exactly what we needed! The usual group plus a guest: Margaret, and the return of Susan and Rob. Even Kim! But Frank and Ellen, where are you? and Marilyn Shulman, recuperate. Wanting sun and possible wildflowers, we parked at the American River confluence, crossed the bridge, and went right (west) around the point and up the middle fork. You can see this trail across from the Quarry Trail, across the river. The water was wild although we climbed away from it as we went up river. A few flowers were out, buttercups, lupine and a lovely red flower: some kind of paintbrush (Applegate?). I stand corrected - somehow I thought it wasn't paintbrush because it was woody but apparently members of the figwort family (Scrophulariacae) can be either way. Maureen says she saw a shooting star, too. They are usually in boggy areas. After passing under the Foresthill Bridge* we saw some really showy flowers just stuck in the ground They turned out to be red carnations and Hawaiin Ti Plant (according to Susan) and must have been a memorial.
* From Maureen...about the bridge:
height-730 ft. above riverbed highest bridge in calif. 4th highest in united states--(was 3rd till 2010) fabricated in japan in 1971--completed 1973 original cost ---13 million retrofit cost--- approx. 65 million-(started this year as we saw yesterday)
We decided not to stop on the Lake Clementine Rd. but to walk another 2 miles to Lake Clementine to eat lunch. We ate next to the river, across from a waterfall. The water was flowing quickly, having been fed by the spillways at Lake Clementine.
TABLE MOUNTAIN: April 13th...don't know about next week: Stevens? Buttermilk?
Oops -- that was Elizabeth, not Margaret who joined us on Wednesday.
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