Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (4)

This hike started to pay-off.

The natural beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley emerged.

It really does mirror Yosemite Valley...


And when I say the "natural beauty" emerged...


I really mean it! [Black Bear @ 3:53]



Dam be damned... Hetch Hetchy is still wild, LOL!

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (3)

I took a walk across O'Shaughnessy Dam.

Historical kiosks tell the story of Hetch Hetchy Valley.

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir was (and still remains) controversial.

How do we balance preservation & conservation
of our wilderness with public use & consumption?

I explored the north side of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.


A tunnel at the end of the dam leads to a trail.


There are two waterfalls: Tucculala Falls & Wapama Falls.



Tucculala was dry.




Water levels are lowest in summer and fall.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (2)

Hetch Hetchy Valley rivaled the beauty of Yosemite Valley.

John Muir intentionally drew the boundaries of Yosemite National Park to include Hetch Hetchy.

After the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco maneuvered to dam the Tuolumne River and flood Hetch Hetchy Valley.



Muir, co-founder of the Sierra Club, fought valiantly but lost.


O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923.



It provides water and electricity to 2.5 million people.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (1)

Historic Rt. 49 parallels the Sierras.

It winds through rolling countryside.

I took Rt. 49 south, to Rt. 11o.


I crossed the Don Pedro Reservoir.


I turned on Big Oak Flat Road.

I reached the Tuolumne River.



My destination: Yosemite National Park.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park

The mountain pass on Rt. 4 was closed.

I took Rt. 88 across the Sierras.

Along Rt. 4 in the foothills is
Calaveras Big Trees State Park.



I took the loop trail.




The North Grove has several interesting features.




A walk through Giant Sequoia is always a treat.




A giant sequoia tree standing tall after thousands of years.




The Mammoth Tree was not so lucky.

It was systematically disassembled

and shipped to New York for display.

There's nothing like an afternoon stroll in a Sequoia Grove...

Indian Grinding Rock SHP

I left Black Chasm.

I continued south on Hwy 88.

Next stop:
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park.


The Native American roundhouse is a visitor center and museum.



The tribe in this area is known as the Miwok.


The exhibit diligently traces Miwok history during the period of white settlement.



The Miwok built shelters and granaries out of branches and bark.



The discovery of Yosemite by white settlers was disastrous for the Miwok.



Another element to the park are Native American petroglyphs.



A short stroll outside reveals a Miwok Village.



And, the actual grinding rock.

Black Chasm

I got back on Rt. 88.

I continued down the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

I reached the foothills and Volcano, CA.

Black Chasm National Natural Landmark is one of several private caverns in Gold Country open for guided tours.



It was the end of the season.



I had a private tour of the caves.



Black Chasm is rather deep.


It has some of the best formations I've seen.


Stalagmites (not shown) rise from the floor like dust "mites".


Stalactites cling "tight" to the ceiling.


Black Chasm has one of the largest displays of helictite crystals.



Helictite crystals form as water is pushed through rock pores.

The helictite crystal formations seem to defy gravity.


A scene from The Matrix III was shot here.



Black Chasm National Natural Landmark:

Salt Springs Reservoir

The GPS got me lost.

The destination was Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

Garmin Nuvi took me off the highway.



A winding road led me through burning forest.



I think it was some kind of controlled burn.


The road got rough...



I descended into a ravine...


The GPS kept recalculating.


Whatever...



I crossed a single lane bridge.



I passed over a working flume.

Flumes direct water over and through the mountains to communities.



I came to a camping area. The road became dirt.



I passed over a fork of the Mokelumne River.



I arrived at the Salt Springs Reservoir.


Several dams dot the Sierra Nevada Mountains.


They capture melting snow-pack.



These dams regulate water flow to farms in the Central Valley.



A nice view of the Mokelumne Valley and PG&E hydroelectric plant.


I decided to back-track to Highway 88.



Salt Springs Reservoir was an unexpected but pleasant detour.

Carson Pass

I crossed the Nevada state-line in South Lake Tahoe.

I was back in California.

My next hurdle was the Sierra Nevada Mountains.


A major winter snowstorm was coming. A few of the mountain passes were already closed.


I continued south on Rt. 89 to Grover Hot Springs State Park.



Grover Hot Springs has geothermal pools open to the public for wading.



A road crew informed me the pass on Rt. 4 was closed.


I doubled-back on Rt. 89. I reached Rt. 88 and headed west over the Sierras.



The grade to the Kit Carson Pass was steep.



Luckily, the Carson Pass was clear. Just a little ice on the road.


I entered the El Dorado National Forest.



The GPS started to let me down. It didn't label a reservoir.



I passed through some ice and slush, reaching Kirkwood Meadows.