Back in Beautiful Samuel P Taylor State Park
Celebrating the eve of my 74th birthday on Limantour Beach at Sunset.
I began my 75th year on November 17, but first some pictures and accounts of arriving in Marin.
The bikes are on the car.
The food is back in the RV.
And We're ready to roll back to Samuel P. Taylor State Park.
November 1, 2024
LesThora Rolling down the driveway.
Arrived back at Camp Taylor, and it's raining!
It took us all afternoon on Friday, November 1, to get from our house in the Colfax area to Samuel P Taylor State Park in Marin County. Along the way we made several stops for propane, lunch, air check on the RV tires, gas and some groceries. We got back just before dark so there wasn't time to explore, but we did visit for a bit with Woody, our partner camp host. Heading out to explore the Redwoods had to wait until Saturday morning.
And here I am back on the trail.
First stop - the creek in Wild Cat Canyon on the Pioneer Tree Trail.
The rain Friday night, combined with rain from some days before, meant some water in the creek.
Looking into the Redwood canopy from the creek bed.
The beautiful forest across the little creek from my morning bench.
I have this morning bench at Camp Taylor and a morning spot near another bench at Lake Tahoe. Very different perspectives from each location, but both deeply beautiful. At Tahoe I watch the sun's reflection on the mountains to the West as the sun rises behind my back. And some times I see glorious, colorful sunrises there, but truth be told, every sunrise is glorious even if hidden behind clouds or Redwoods like it is here! In Wild Cat Canyon I don't ever see the sun in the early morning, but I do see its reflection.
The bench in Wild Cat Canyon on the Pioneer Tree Trail is just about a 1/2 mile from our campsite and my usual morning routine is to go there each morning before checking in at the kiosk with the results of an early morning camp check, but on Saturday, November 2, I walked the whole 2 1/2 mile loop of the Pioneer Tree Trail.
A little friend on the trail as I walked.
What is that bright light!?!
Honestly, my first reaction when I saw this light through the trees was that someone had a high powered spot light! Silly me, it was of course the sun finding a hole in the trees.
Leaves of three, let it be.
The most beautiful fall red leaves here are on the poison oak.
See the orange tape tied to the tree?
A California Conservation Corps (CCC) team has been working on the Pioneer Tree Trail clearing poison oak along the sides and hauling and spreading base rock on the parts of the trail that need it. On this morning I met members of the work team as they hauled wheelbarrows of rock up the trail and in conversation with one of them I learned that in the section where the orange tape was and the poison oak hadn't been cleared that artifacts had been found so no work could be done in that area until it was assessed by Indigenous advisors. The restoration work on this signature trail at Samuel P Taylor State Park is long over due. This is our fifth winter season here and there have been bad, muddy in wet weather, sections of the trail since we first arrived here in November 2020. I made sure to let the CCC workers know I appreciate their work.
Surprised to find some mushrooms along the trail - not enough rain yet.
I think these were pretty dried up ones left from last winter.
See the CCC slogan on the truck?
"Hard Work, Low Pay, Miserable Conditions and More."
Some of the workers I passed looked like they felt all of that, but some I talked to were delighted to be working hard outside!
Looking into Lagunitas Creek as I returned from the short hike.
My sign is FINALLY up!
I designed this Trail Head sign for the Cross Marin Trail as part of an assignment from Ranger Nick Turner in 2022. We completed orders for about 50 signs in March 2022 based on my recommendations and calculations of trail mileages. The signs finally arrived in May of 2024 just before we left here, and this sign was put up during the summer along with just a few others. Hopefully the rest will get up soon, and I'll be able to help with that. At this location on the Cross Marin Trail, a VERY popular multi-use trail in the park, there had been no sign at all designating the trail. We have had countless people ask us where the Cross Marin Trail was while standing on it. This sign will be very much appreciated by the trail's many users. It is on an old railroad bed, and is the only trail in the park that allows dogs. As you can see by the sign it is also a link to many other trails and locations.
Pretty Greens.
Back at my bench on Sunday morning, November 3.
Pretty Yellow.
Monday morning, South Creek Trail.
Pretty yellow tunnel.
Both this tunnel over the Cross Marin Trail and the yellow trees on South Creek Trail are just a few feet from our campsite. At this location, and in front of our campsite, the Cross Marin Trail is also the camp road accessing the campground, employee housing, maintenance yard and ranger office. It's multi-use includes some vehicle traffic for the middle mile of its 5.3 mile length.
Some Fall leaves up.
Some Fall leaves down.
Some Fall leaves reflected in the creek.
More creek reflections.
Leaves from last year's Trillium.
Will be looking for new ones in January.
Some of last year's dried fungus.
Shawn Dunning on election night, November 5, 2024.
Our son Shawn was running for a city council seat in Richmond, but unfortunately he didn't make it. Shawn's vision was and is to bring conflict resolution skills into the realm of politics, and while some people are wildly supportive of him, others don't get it yet.
Heading out to Wildcat Canyon on Wednesday, November 6.
I needed to spend some time walking in nature to process the National Election results!
Still some water in the little creek in Wild Cat Canyon.
After leaving my favorite little spot I headed across the campground to go to Devil's Gulch via the Madrone Group Site area and the Graveside Trail.
Look at all those pretty red leaves!
Beware! The red leaves are Poison Oak.
The site of Samuel P Taylor's Grave.
The marker in front of the fence.
I sat in front of the gravesite for awhile thinking about the complicated history of the people we name parks after and that we elect as presidents. Samuel P Taylor State Park is named for the man who bought this land and built a paper mill on it and cut down most of the nearby Redwood trees to fuel that mill. No, the trees were not used for pulp for the paper, that came from rags gathered in San Francisco. Because he had purchased a large tract of land it remained undeveloped and was eventually purchased by the state of California to be this beautiful state park. Was Samuel P Taylor a good guy or a bad guy? Just like all people he was a mixture of good and bad, but I believe he, like everyone else who has ever lived, was created good, and deep down there is goodness at the core of us all. Does it always show? Unfortunately, no. May we all do our own individual part to be light and kindness and goodness in the world!
Grave marker for Samuel Taylor.
Grave marker for his wife, Sarah Washington Irving Taylor.
Some words of wisdom from The Hobbit
Stair Step Falls, November 6, before heavy rains.
Some pretty yellow leaves in Devil's Gulch.
Pretty yellow up in a tree.
More of the pretty yellow along the Devil's Gulch Trail.
Campsite 34 in the Orchard Hill Loop.
Isn't it lovely?
The first dumpster raccoon we rescued this season.
Early afternoon, November 6, 2024
Grandson Jacob and I at the lookout on Barnabe Peak.
On November 8 and 9 Jacob, who currently is living with Shawn in Richmond and working as an EMT, came for a visit and I of course took him for a hike!
And here we are with Tomales Bay behind us.
Because of a reported sighting of a salmon in the creek on November 10 we were asked to hang signs to keep folks from going down to the creek. We headed out to put them up through out the park, including in the Devil's Gulch area.
One of the many signs we put up.
After morning camp check on November 11, I headed back to Devil's Gulch to cover some more trail, determined to cover all of Samuel P Taylor's 20 or so miles of trail in our first couple of weeks back to Camp Taylor. It of course takes many more miles of walking than 20 miles to get to them all and to come back.
A beautiful tree along my way.
Heading back on the Devil's Gulch "road" after walking along the creek.
Some deer on the path in front of me.
There used to be an orchard here.
I love the stark contrast between the grassland and the forest.
Looking at the mist rising from the forest.
These deer are curious about who I am.
Can you see the water droplets?
Here they are up close.
Barnabe Peak as seen from my climb up Deer Path.
Sunrise, November 13 in Los Altos as Katie and I head out for an early morning walk.
I was a small group leader at this retreat for currently active clergy. The work there is kind of like Camp Host "work," pretty easy and something I love doing with wonderful people, some of whom I've known a long time and some whom I've just met. Katie and I were seminary classmates, and she is the age of one of my daughters. We often walk together when we are at UMC events catching up on our respective lives.
On November 15 I headed out to hike the only trails I had remaining to cover in Samuel P Taylor State Park - the two mile east Barnabe Peak Fire Road and about 1 1/2 mile of Cross Marin Trail to get to it. Then I would also have to come back which I would do on the west end of the fire road and back through the Madrone Group Area and across the highway - about 6 or 7 miles total with an elevation gain of about 1,400 feet. It would be my second time up to Barnabe Peak in November.
New green growth showing through the dry grass.
But the green underneath is not visible yet as I looked across the brown hills.
We love watching the brown hills slowly transition to green through the winter.
The trail is steeper than it looks!
Mount Tamalpais as seen from Barnabe Peak.
Kent Lake to the right and Mount Tamalpais in distant far left.
Mount Diablo to the east.
And there's the Lookout above me.
Saturday, November 16, was granddaughter Naomi's last soccer game of the season so we headed over to watch. She's a very enthusiastic and good player and we watched her score a very well executed goal for her team.
Naomi waiting for some action on the field.
Note the brace on her left arm - she broke it at soccer practice earlier in the season.
Some weird looking mushrooms back in the park.
One of them up close.
Sun setting over Point Reyes, November 16, the night before my birthday.
I deliberately chose sunset on the beach to celebrate the completion of 74 years.
There's a salmon in there!
The first sighting reported in the park was November 10.
I saw one on November 16, but didn't get a picture until this one, November 17.
Carrot Cake that I bought at Safeway for my birthday!
We celebrated by going to our favorite Chinese Restaurant in Novato,
getting ice cream after and bringing a piece of cake home from the store.
I also shared a piece of Birthday Cake at the church, but that was for it's 80th anniversary celebration.
New mushrooms on the rim of a tree cut, November 19.
A cute little chipmunk as we were doing noon camp check.
Releasing another raccoon on our noon rounds.
Somehow it doesn't look like it's saying "Thank you."
Wild Cat Canyon's water fall, November 21 on the first day of the "Atmospheric River."
Over the course of 3 days we recorded 9.8" of rainfall at our campsite.
The creeks ran high and wide!
A tree that fell across Pioneer Tree Trail, November 23.
November 23, after the storm was over.
Wild Cat Canyon Creek.
I continued to follow Pioneer Tree Trail, curious to see how it fared in the storm.
Mist rising in front of the mountain across the creek and highway.
A tree uprooted in the newly restored trail!
Other than the other tree across the trail and some very wet spots, all was well.
Mushrooms popping up after the storm on a log near our camp site.
November 26.
More mushrooms on the same log.
On Tuesday, November 26, I headed back over to Devil's Gulch, eager to see if any salmon had come up the creek after the heavy rains. Devil's Gulch Creek runs year round, but until there is sufficient rain in the fall and winter there is not enough water for the Salmon to get up. I had taken a hike over there during the rain storm - yes, I got quite wet despite my rain gear - but the creek was too high and murky to see if there were any salmon in it. I was surprised that on November 26 the creek was almost back to it's normal late fall flow.
Site of the prettiest waterfall in the park.
I walked along Lagunitas Creek before heading to Devil's Gulch and took a picture of this across the creek. I had walked this way during the Atmospheric River event a few days earlier when the water fall was flowing heavy, but I didn't want to take my phone out to take a picture. You'll have to imagine water flowing over these beautiful roots.
A dead Salmon in the creek.
I didn't see any live Salmon on the 26th, but this large dead one was evidence they had made it up the creek and had spawned. The Salmon die soon after they spawn, but we don't see their remains often. Between the vultures and river otters, nature's "clean-up crew" takes care of them pretty quickly.
Salmon weren't the only thing to see in Devil's Gulch!
Beautiful mushrooms on a tree.
Looking closer at them.
Live Salmon in Lagunitas Creek on the way back.
Tuesday afternoon, November 26, we decided to go to a movie in Fairfax, but being Thanksgiving week we found it sold out. On the way back to Camp Taylor we stopped at the Leo T Cronin Fish Viewing area which is now the beginning of Lagunitas Creek just below the dam for Kent Lake. We were pretty sure we'd see Salmon there.
And we did.
And we saw this pretty tributary to Lagunitas Creek.
Some mushrooms hiding along the Pioneer Tree Trail the morning after Thanksgiving.
Shawn, Cheryl and granddaughters Sophia and Naomi came to camp with us for Thanksgiving. They got to experience morning temperatures of 34 and 36 degrees in their tents. But they came prepared with warm clothing and we kept a campfire going. Shawn brought the turkey and a propane turkey frier, Cheryl brought a variety of goodies, and I made our traditional won tons with the girls helping to stuff them, a lemon meringue pie and dressing. The other camp host, Woody and his friend Robbie joined us for an early dinner on Thanksgiving and then Shawn, Cheryl, Sophia, Naomi and I went to see the movie Wicked. The day after Thanksgiving Erin and Ruth with her family joined us for some leftovers around the campfire. And I managed to not get any good pictures! This pretty much concludes the month of November. More adventures at Samuel P Taylor State Park and beyond to be shared in my next post.
Animals at home in Roseville:
Ellie
Another Ellie pose.
Joy
Elsie
Daphne
And Daphne again.
Most of these Roseville animal pictures were taken by granddaughter Avienda.
Comments
Post a Comment