Stone Wall in the Woods

A waist-high wall of greyish green

lichen-stained stones appears as

I walk in deep woods. Flat slabs

of shale, placed in orderly rows,

wind half a mile next to towering

maples then stones fall into disarray.

I admire the artistry and wonder

about the wall’s strange location.

My  forefathers crowbarred these

stones from glaciated fields;

strained as they piled them on a

cumbersome wooden sled hauled

a mile or more by dapple greys.

Plenty of rocks on this farm—

cheaper than barbed wire—horse

and human sweat the only cost.

And why this wall in the woods?

Maybe a century ago cattle

grazed here or the stones set

a boundary keeping neighbor’s

cows out. My fingers caress the

carefully placed slabs that callused

hands put here with no thought of

folk art.              

                                                Norma Wightman

Inspired by visits to the farm in Sullivan County, New York, where I grew up. 

 Mineral King (Sequoia National Park) in July

Spent a few days hiking with friends here and enjoyed a six + mile hike to Eagle Lake--warm enough to swim in! The flowers were still lovely at 8,000'.
We enjoyed views of distant
Sawtooth Mountain (far light colored peak).

50 Fantastic years to celebrate!

 Wedding day in Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1965. Note trees growing out of Peter's head--I soon had those knocked off. Nine years in the country before politics got too dangerous and then off to California, first Berkeley and later a move to the Sacramento Valley for 9 years while our two sons grew up in the country. Then in 1988 a move to Morro Bay and the chance to live by the ocean at last--a long time dream.

We think 50 years deserves more than a small celebration, so we took off for Kauai in early March to visit with friends and then took the family to Florida in later March in time to celebrate our first-born son, Paul's 47th birthday at the beach on Anna Maria Island. Glen and Elaine came from Ireland and Paul, Katie and the grandkids, Niko and Savannah, from Calif. Wonderful times and so thankful to have such a great family

Well, there are a few wrinkles, gray hair and sagging bodies, but we're holding up pretty well and are never bored with life. Travel plans will take us back to Norma's family farm in New York State later in the summer. So lucky to still have the property in the family due to dear Brother Bob buying it years ago.

Rocky Mountain High

Our excuse to go to Colorado in September was to attend the Jazz Festival in Vail, joining up with California friends there. We went early to tour through Rocky Mountain National Park after the summer crowds simmered down. The elk were enjoying browsing the local golf course and even some of Estes' Park municipal landscaping. One male bugled his harem across a local bike path I happened to be on early one morning.

Rocky Mountain National Park was splendid--still some alpine flowers out and not totally frosty, but suggestions of fall in the air. We drove to the top of Mt. Evans and took it slow at 14,130' on a cool, but  bright day. Mountain goats and mountain sheep greeted us along the roads. We also passed the northern most grove of Bristlecone Pines at about 13,000'.





After the splendid jazz festival, we headed south to another national park, less well know--Black Canyon of the Gunnison. A 2,000' deep ditch was carved over eons by the Gunnison River through metamorphic rock with dramatic diking running through the rock. The canyon bottom is very impenetrable even today. Driving up a mesa in pinyon pine country, one suddenly comes upon the edge of this canyon for a jaw-dropping experience. Worth a visit!

Springtime in the Pinnacles

Yesterday I spent a glorious day with friends hiking in Pinnacles National Park, San Benito County (east of Monterey County). Shooting Stars (left) were at their peak along with my favorite spring flower, Baby Blue Eyes. Don't miss a moment to get out and explore California's beauty. We saw 40 flowering species in 6 miles of strolling in the park. Chocolate lilies are also at their peak in Morro Bay State Park on the eastside's Crespi Trail. Montana de Oro State Park has a splendid display of  Sticky Phacelia in the burn area off Coon Creek Trail along with more than 50 species in bloom now along Rattlesnake/Coon Creek trails. Get Out!

Basque Adventures

Breakfast with Agnes in large farm kitchen

A Basque adventure was a highlight of September 2014. Using Bayonne as a first stop, Peter started to practice his schoolboy French (dated 60 years ago!). Detailed map in hand and the smallest Ford on the road in Peter's hands we set off for La Rhune, a short distance from Bayonne. The petit train with vintage 1924 cars took us to the top of the mountain for a view of the coast and the beginning of the Pyrenees. We followed our noses to St. Etienne de Baigarry and found a lovely Basque farmhouse for a farm visit. Agnes had spent some months in Scotland in her youth and her English proved better than Peter's French. The house was huge with bedrooms enough for her 3-generations and visitors. The home has been in her family for generations and her husband moved in with her and she keeps her maiden name. Even her husband is known by her surname in the village.

A few miles down the small rural roads we came to Larrau. A beautiful mountain village. Nearby we walked a steep trail to the Holzarte gorge. A suspension bridge over an  850' gorge was impressive. Beautiful wildflowers like cranaesbill, gential and a purple bell-shaped flower were still in bloom. A sharp shower released a deluge later in the day, but luckily we had just entered our hotel and were secure and dry with magnificent views of
the heavy downpour.

We followed roads with more cows on the highway than cars and made our way over Port de Larrau into Spain passing through lovely beech forests. Slowly we descended onto the Spanish plains of Rioja country where we planned to taste the fine red wines. Spend a night in Laguardia which has historic wine cellars tunneled underneath the city. Toured one cellar and tasted two local wines. a Crianza and Tempranillo--both a bit tannic for me and served very cold. I was using all 40 words in my Spanish vocabulary to order dinner and get around in this town. We also saw quite a few pilgrims walking during the day.

Several nights later we reached a small, but exquisite mountain range called Picos de Europa and took a cable car up to the top from the town of Potes. The limestone peaks are not super high--maybe 8,000' at the top, but because of their ruggedness, they are dramatic. We drove a semicircular route around the range in order to get into it from different angles, spending several nights at the base. We walked a short way into the most famous 12-mile walk through the mountains along the Garganta de Cares, a trail following a river that cuts through the range. Spectacular cuts through rock lead you along a fairly level path along the base of the gorge. We met many European hikers, but  few Americans.

Heading back toward the coast we night stopped in Santillana del Mar, a really lovely medieval village. Woke early in the morning and Peter said, "I hear a lion.!" Well, he was right. A zoo is located about 3 miles out of town and it was indeed a lion's roar he heard.  The Altamira Cave museum was a highlight nearby.

Back to the coast where we followed a larger highway up and down over the rugged, pine covered hills, dropping down into red-tile covered villages and some high-rise hotel resorts. Saturday night in Lekeito was an adventure. We patiently waited until 8:30 p.m. to order dinner and were still the earliest to order. Locals lingered over coffee or a glass of wine for two hours chatting with friends before ordering. As we walked through town on our way back to our car after 10 p.m. the streets were jammed with folks chatting and laughing out on the streets, wine glasses in hand, kids running around through the crowded streets--the night was young for them!

Glacier National Park Is Stunning

Alaska Airlines had great fares to Kalispell from San Jose so off we went to revisit Glacier National Park. Our last trip there was 25 years ago and the park has held up well, although it's predicted that there will be no glaciers by 2030.So don't delay--go now!

Slushy snow and 40oF. greeted us on June 17 when we arrived, but by the time we left temperatures were up to a balmy 80o and sunny--that's Montana weather. Going to the Sun highway was not open due to the unusual storm that dumped 20" of snow on the road which was almost totally plowed.

Twenty-four avalanches later with subsequent delays in plowing means the road may not open until July 4th this year!

We toured the East side driving around the bottom of the park on Highway 2 and we still find Many Glaciers area the most awesome surpassing St. Mary area and even Waterton in Canada. No, we did not stay at the lodge, but at budget accommodation nearby.

The wildflowers were absolutely at their peak at lower elevations with lupine, shooting stars, Indian paint brush, lomatium, service berry, and various composites in full display. The Mountain Lady's Slipper was one of the most spectacular flowers I saw.And there was wildlife, too! A grizzly bear near the highway at St. Mary's Lake suddenly looked up from digging out bulbs to see a host of tourists gawking and took off in a hurry right down the road. The tourists scattered faster than the bear ran.

We had a week to explore the park and Great Falls, Montana, south east of the park. The Missouri River was in almost flood stage and very impressive. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at GF featured exception exhibits that made one appreciate the 18 miles of portage the expedition had to make around five waterfalls...brutal work hauling those log boats laden with supplies, however at one stage the wind was so strong the crew hoisted sails and got a wind-assist over part of the journey.
Extraordinary beauty in the Rocky Mountains. Put this park on your bucket list!

Mountain Lady's Slipper (an orchid)

Camping at Alta Meadow, Sequoia National Park

It will be a dry year in the Sierras this summer. Five friends and I hiked into Alta Meadow June 1-4, the earliest I have ever backpacked in Sequoia. We crossed several streams along the 6-mile trail, but I think water will be scarce toward the end of the summer. There was very little snow even on Alta Peak at 11,200' There were a surprising number of wildflowers on the way up and even at 10,500'. We were early enough to see Anemones or Pasque flowers, my first view ever in the Sierras.

It was disturbing to find three Mylar balloons at 10,000 feet tangled in Willows and another two 

were found on another day. They should be banned!

Tanzanian Adventures

A 10-day safari in Tanzania  was a highlight of our year this month. Son Paul and daughter-in-law Katie met us in Amsterdam to proceed to Kilimanjaro Airport with a group of 10 others on an Overseas Adventure Trip (OAT). It was Katie's first strip to Africa and a blockbuster event for us all.

We wanted to see cats and we did--big time--lion kills, lion sex, cheetah chases, leopards lunching (on a Thompson's gazelle),etc. It was the closest we have ever gotten to game in any of our African trips. The cats just ignore the safari vans. A highlight was to see three leopards in one tree (mom and two youngsters) feasting on a gazelle right by a picnic area where tourists usually get out for a stand up break. Needless to say, no one was stepping out for a picnic on this particular day! At one point one of the youngsters lept out of the tree right on to a picnic table--definitely a Kodak moment.

We saw all of the Big Five and Norma added up about 110 bird sightings, many of them new species for her. The two guides, George and Samson, had fonts of knowledge about all the game and added much depth to our observations. The plains of the Serengeti allow for easy game viewing compared to the bush of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The only negative may be the number of tourists. The day we saw the leopards at the picnic site, more than 30 vans pulled up over the course of the hour! However, most of the time we traveled in our own two-van group with only an occasional sight of another van. We stayed in a tent camp in the Serengeti with the comforts of a 5-gallon bucket warm shower, great beds and good food.

There were cultural experiences in a Maasai village.
Katie and I had trouble balancing thatching grass on our heads, so I'm not sure we'd make it as good wives in the Maasai culture. A school visit to a 5th grade class was memorable as kids shared one or more of their text books with us and practiced their English. We even attended part of an evengelical church service in a small village. Katie and Paul even learned a few words of Swahili.

For more photos go to

https://plus.google.com/photos/117619508186210444760/albums/5947025522365037073?sort=1

That's it for now!

Summer Backpacking Adventures

Summer 2013 was a dry year for backpacking in the Sierras. A mid-July trip to Alta Meadow and Peak with friends went well with little water in the creeks, but some marvelous garden displays. We counted 21 species by the Alta Meadow creek along including Lewis' Monkey Flower and Monkshood.

 August 7 began a 9-day backpack via Sequoia Natural History Association with "groupies" I have hiked with for 10+ seasons. We headed to the Middle Fork of the Kings River in Kings Canyon National Park on a little used, unmaintained trail--how true! Hiking around fallen trees, slipping on slippery oak leaves and brushy obstacles were the name of the game as we descended 3,700' in four miles. Chuck actually broke a rib when he fell getting around a fallen tree. So we learned about Sequoia/Kings medical evacuation services the next morning as a yellow wasp of a helicopter flew into the canyon next to Tehipite Dome with two EMTs to evacuate Chuck.                                                                      photo courtesy of Bob Early

We carried on the next day following the Middle Fork but up and down the mountain side past avalanche chutes. After 12 miles we made a hasty camp at 6 p.m. since we couldn't seem to find the Simpson Meadow campsite--next morning we learned it was right across the river and idyllic!  A day of rest and then up out of the river valley, climbing up 4,000' in 6 miles and then the real fun began going cross-country past Volcano Lakes. What looked like an easy route on the topo maps suddenly took on new dimensions. A tough climb up 800' in two miles, then the descent from hell to E. Kennedy Lake only made possible because we took our backpacks off twice, passed them down a 6' boulder to the guys and then carefully slipped down ourselves. Well, we survived and here's a photo of the group on top of Kennedy Pass (just under 11,000') to prove it! (I'm third from the right.) Photo courtesy of Lu Plauzoles

We'll pick an easier trail next summer.

Pinnacles National Park in Spring

The newest National Park--Pinnacles is an old friend (a National Monument) with a new name. I have made a  trek there with friends to look at spring wildflowers for more than a decade. This year was a bit dry, but still enabled us to find 40+ species  in two days. A favorite hard-to-spot flower is Bitterroot. It hides in gravelly soil in full sun and with almost no basal leaves it strains the eyes to find it. One was in full bloom (see left). Once we found that one our eyes suddenly found a dozen plants with tightly closed buds.

If you have never been to Pinnacles be prepared to climb to the High Peaks which are part of an ancient volcano, that slowly rode the Pacific Plate about 195 north, leaving a trace of the same rock behind in Los Angeles County near Lancaster. The Civilian Conservaton Corps (CCC) built trails, tunnels and a dam in the 1930s that are still in use today. The staircase shown at left with steps blasted out of the distinctive rhyolite rock aids your ascent to the  High Peaks.

With a little luck you may see adult condors warming up to start their day's gliding as thermals rise in the late morning. We saw four adults on a ledge as we hiked up Condor Gulch trail and then suddenly they rose at once, spreading their 9' wings to circle above us and take off over the peaks. All 30+ condors now in the Pinnacles wear tracking devices. We ran into a biologist with his signal receiving gear who told us that the Pinnacles group and the Ventana group of Condors visit each other regularly. No sweat to travel more than 100 miles when you have a 9' wingspan!

Our visit was over the spring vacation break so there were many  students rock climbing and hiking. It was great to see young people enjoying the outdoors. If you're anywhere in the area of San Benito County--not far from San Jose or Monterey--stop to visit this incredible jewel in the National Park system.

Nature's Treasures in Kaua'i

Peter and I enjoyed eight days in Kaua'i recently...great weather..good birding and hiking and more. We headquartered in Kapaa on the eastside coconut coast and enjoyed the hometown atmosphere and less crowded conditions compared to Poipu. There is a beautiful seaside paved path from Kapaa toward Anahola Beach that is wonderful for cycling and walking. A three mile hike up the east trail to the top of Sleeping Giant afforded great views of the coastal plain from Lihue north. For more photos go to the link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/117619508186210444760/Kauai2013

Birding at Kauai's National Wildlife Refuges at Kilauea Point showed the Red-footed Boobies looking for nesting material while the Laysan Albatross were busy courting. At  the Hanalei wetlands native NeNe geese were gathered in great numbers along with lots of waterfowl.

Limahuli Gardens (left) near Ha'ena are part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG) focusing on native Hawaiian agricultural practices. Original terracing for taro-growing and native plants are featured in part of the garden. Another section includes plantation-era plants and an archaeological site. Threatened and endangered species feature in another section--less than 50 specimens of some species exist in the world, so the NTBG is doing its part to preserve these rare plants.The garden is on 17 acres, but a total of 985 acres is in the preserve and continues to be studied for cultural sites and rare plants. Don't miss this learning experience if you are on Kaua'i!

Nova Scotia in September

A two week trip to Nova Scotia to scout Peter's great, great grandfather who vanished there in 1874 gave us plenty of opportunity for beach walking, hiking, golfing, eating seafood and enjoying Celtic Music on Cape Breton.

Miles and miles of forest reminded me of my childhood home growing up in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. Hiking afforded lots of view of trees, bogs and some birds, but few view spots until you reached a solitary rocky promontory.

One exception was the Skyline Trail on the west side of Cape Breton. Because of the fragile habitat national parks constructed long plank paths that gave spectacular views of the coast and distant Prince Edward Island. Part of the path went through more open meadows and I saw two moose feeding on luscious spruce tips. Celtic music is a feature of this land settled by Scots and Irish people and the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou on a Sunday afternon offered the best of entertainment, food and drink. Don't miss it if you visit Cape Breton!

 

 

Nine Days Backpacking in Mineral King

 

Mid- August saw me on Sequoia trails with six fellow hikers on a Sequoia Natural History Association trip led by Rick Mitchell. The first day's hike to Franklin Lake was over a Cadillac trail. Day # 2 we gained another 2,000+' going over Franklin Pass.(Photo right at 11,800'). Then down hill under threatening rain to No Name Lake for two nights, going up to Shotgun pass (also 11,000+' ) for a pleasant day hike.  Weather conditions were "iffy" with rain threatening at several times. The rain clouds made for some fantastic sunsets.


Franklin Lake View

Heading for Little Claire Lake we passed through marvelous Foxtail Pine forest with gnarly, lightening-split trunks that looked tortured, and probably are hundreds of years old. On to Big Five Lakes, then Little Five Lakes with distant views of Whitney and it's neighbors and up close views of the Kaweah mountains. Watching the colors change on the mounains at sunset was a spectacular light show. That night I woke to the loudest thunder I've ever heard with lightening striking just a bit too close for comfort.
Out over Black Rock Pass (another 11,000+'), down to the junction and then finally Timber Gap pass on our last day and back into Mineral King. Life doesn't get much better than this!

Panama Adventures in April 2012

An 11 day trip to Panama included not only the incredible canal passage, but a ride on the Panama Railway to Colon, kayaking on Lake Gatun, a walk in the rain forest at Gamboa and a side trip to the beautiful cloud forest of El Valle de Anton and to an Embera village where I'm sure at least some beaded clothing was doffed the moment the last tourist left!
We went through the canal on a 120' catamaran which looked insect-size compared to the biggest cargo container ships that were going through at the same time. The canal is an incredible piece of engineering as it celebrates its 100th anniversary next year and is still going strong. New larger locks are being built adjacent to the original ones and are on schedule to open in 2014.

Panama City is a booming town. Even Donald Trump has invested in building a towering skyscraper.The skyline looks like Miami and it is the banking capital of Latin America. The canal, of course, has spurred much of this development. The Caribbean side is another story and looks totally third world. We were told that 10,000 people from Panama City commute to the Caribbean side each day (50 miles) to work in the trade free zone in Colon. Why not employ locals?

"Red Devil" buses sport vivid colors

It seemed strange to use U.S. $$ everywhere yet hear Spanish spoken. Occasionally we'd receive balboas as change, but all the coins are the same size as US coinage. The old Canal  Zone housing which was exclusively for Americans working in the Zone has been sold to locals and the great network of roads is a legacy of the US era. We didn't get far from the old Canal Zone, but Panama offers a wealth of countryside to explore for birders, beachcombers and general tourism. We went on to visit friends in Costa Rica and found most items more expensive there. My friend said that Ticos now go to Panama City for shopping splurges as it's closer than Miami, requires no visa and has a vast array of goods.

See more photos  on my Picasa website: https://picasaweb.google.com/117619508186210444760/Panama?authkey=Gv1sRgCLz42Z2P6b-R8gE#

County Kerry Adventures, August/Sept. 2011

West Coast Scenes

Ireland is great in fall...no crowds, good weather and plenty of Guinness as always. From Ancient ring stones (left) to fresh seafood, colorful towns and Celtic music, there is lots to explore and experience. Aren't we lucky that we have a son and daughter-in-law living in Ballybunion? This time we explored the Beara and Iveragh Peninsulas using Kenmare as our headquarters. A highlight on the Beara Peninsula was the cable car journey of about 10 minutes over to Dursey Island. The car carries six people or one cow! There is a small village with perhaps 10 houses as well as acres of sheep and fine cattle. The one tarred road didn't have too much traffic, but then we were not walking during commute hour. The last cable car leaves the island at 4 p.m.

Son Glen found plenty of back roads for us to travel and we admired heather, St. Joseph's lilies and fuchsia bushes lining many of the roads. The sea is seldom far away on any West Coast road, so take time for a pub lunch of seafood chowder or mussels--always washed down with a Guinness, of course. Slainte!

New Adventures in Africa

Early September found us exploring wildlife and humanity in Zambia and Malawi. We spent time in the remarkable Wildlife Camp on the Luangwa River just outside of S. Luangwa National Park. For selected pictures of our adventures go to https://picasaweb.google.com/norma.wightman/SouthernAfrica2011 . Elephant, giraffe, zebra, numerous species of antelope and birds highlighted our visit. Big cats remained elusive. We loved the view across the river as the sun set and the hippo came out of the water for their evening grazing.

The elephants even came to visit us in our rustic chalet, one rubbing up against the roof thatch one night as it reached for succulent leaves in the tree next to our verandah. It was exciting to wake up to a large black sihouette visible through the netting. Then on our last morning in camp an elephant family visited the delicious bushes just behind our chalet (photo above).

The humanity story is less exciting. The women of Africa work harder than one can imagine. The load carried by this woman through the bush (photo above), miles from town, is indicative of how part of each day is spent gathering fuel and water. Deforestation is rampant in both Zambia and Malawi, as in much of Africa. As we drove to the park, sacks of charcoal awaited pick up along side the road. It is the only resource rural people can sell for a few kwatcha at the expense of the environment.

Record Snowfall at Crater Lake

Winter was a harsh one at Crater Lake National Park with more than 56 feet of snowfall. The rim drive is not fully open and the popular boat trip to Wizard Island only opens at the end of July. When we drove to the park on July 18 and arrived at an overlook at 8,000' the temperature was 39oF. Wooly caps and gloves were very welcome! Record snow assures that the lake will be at a good capacity this year.

Yosemite is Gushing

Father's Day was not the best time to visit Yosemite, but we were in Fresno and made a day trip to view the splendor of the falls. Yes, the crowds were bad in the valley, but Glacier Point provided a magnificent vantage point without being too crowded.

Down in the valley we tried to walk to Bridal Veil Falls, but got drenched on the way to its base so were content to admire it from afar. At Lower Yosemite Falls we got pretty wet crossing the bridge, but it was a warm day and kind of fun to get a shower from the terrific volume of water coming down. Looks like this year there will be falls well into autumn as there is still significant snow pack in the Sierras. Don't miss this marvelous spectacle!