Wouldn't you like to be here?

This is Silver Lake, one of the three lakes in the June Lake loop.  There's June Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake.  All of these lakes are back off Highway 395, above Mammoth, CA.  This area has its own microsystem.  It gets a lot of shade, even in summer, and in winter it gets a LOT of snow.  We were here one year about mid-October.  It was the last weekend that the Silver Lake Resort (across from Silver Lake) was open.  The aspen along the lakes were gorgeous, but right after that weekend, the winter storms hit.  This area is pretty much closed down from October 15 through April 15 each year.The roads are impassable.  I honestly don't know how the locals survive!  But, in the summer, THIS is the place to be!  We've had wonderful mid-70 degree days and the nights have been in the low 40's.  Unfortunately, I've come down with a nasty summer cold and we had a "zero" day yesterday (i.e. we didn't go anywhere, except to Mammoth so that I could stock up on zinc and vitamin C!)  We're going to have to get out today, however, cold or not (yes, I STILL have it...)

Horseshoe Lake

Horseshoe Lake has always been an eerie place to me.  First, there are signs all around warning that this is an area of extreme carbon dioxide concentration!  Don't stay too long!  Fortunately yesterday there was a nice breeze!  Second, the dead trees, from a fire, give it a ghost-like look.  The Mammoth Trail goes up to the Pacific Crest Trail here and it was like a moonscape...everything was dead.  It's also bear country and cannisters for food are a requirement.  On another note, our "unwanted" guest showed up after dinner last night and pushed open the cabin door!  We were both inside, eating dinner.  I thought it was a bear.  Nope.  It was only the neighborhood dog (the one without manners), begging for some leftover steak!  Of course, hubby obliged her and she stuck around for about an hour.  I saw her at 5:00 a.m. today, out chasing birds and who-knows-what!  She's a hoot!

June Lake

Sorry I've been AWOL for a few days!  I had to finish school on Friday, get checked out, rush home to do laundry and pack for our trip to the Sierra.  We rented a cabin between June Lake and Silver Lake.  It's back off the road and there are squirrels and blue jays all around it.  I've discovered that they both love the black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts!  There is a neighborhood dog who loves to come bounding up the porch steps after them.  She has no manners.  Her owner came looking for her yesterday and she was out playing with two boys in the cabin below us.  This morning, after scaring away the jays and squirrels, she went bounding up the little stream next to the cabin and returned 2 hours later, totally wet!   I tried to lead her to her house, but she went running after one of the boys who had a bowl of cheerios!  She reminds me of my black lab, Ripley...absolutely carefree and without manners!  It was cold and windy here this morning.  In fact, Silver Lake had whitecaps!  Here are some pics from yesterday.  We're heading down to Mammoth to buy another package of fresh corn.  Last night, for dinner, we had steak, chicken, baked potatoes, and fresh corn.  Everything was delicious!  It's nice to be able to sit outdoors and enjoy the evenings up here.

Heron and turtles

One morning last week I was at the park before school and I spotted a heron making a beeline toward three turtles who were sunning themselves at the edge of the lagoon.  Yes, the park calls it a "lagoon".  I was anxious to see what happened next.  Here are the photos.

Sprinklers and ducks

More ducks and sprinklers at the park.  I was lucky in that the sprinklers came on while I was there a couple of days ago.  The ducks sure enjoyed them!  And, the goose is hidden somewhere in a couple of the photos!  She appears to be doing okay.  I noticed three geese at one of the resorts in town also, so she isn't the only goose left in the valley.

Date palms~Nature Notes~061412

The open area at my school is lined with palm trees and I've been meaning to bring my camera for some time.  Yesterday I went to the park early before school and took some photos of the ducks, pigeons, and a turtle doing something strange with a floating bottle!  I've been fascinated by the date palms, however, as one day I looked up and spotted a lot of bees.  And, not just honeybees, but the big bumblebees!  So, since I got to school early yesterday, I took these photos.  The bees were all over the blooms and were very busy.  Yes, these are date palms.  A family of orioles also visits them.  In fact, a few years ago they had a nest up in one of these trees, but the gardeners came and chopped it down along with one of the branches.  So sad.  They disappeared for a few years after that, but I saw one of them swoop down yesterday morning after a moth!  Amazing!  I hear them all the time now and I just hope the gardeners will stay away!  However, I have a feeling they will return to cut off these blossoms on the palms, since I'm sure they don't want dates growing on them.  Nature Notes for June 14, 2012.  To visit Nature Notes, please go to:   http://ramblingwoods.com/

More smoke trees~Outdoor Wednesday~061312

My dad loved smoke trees.  We used to drive out to Cathedral City when I was growing up because my godparents lived out there and so did my dad's aunt.  He and I used to take long walks in the wash up in the cove in Cathedral City.  He tried for many years to transplant a smoke tree for my godmother.  He finally realized that for every inch above ground, there is a FOOT of roots below ground and he was finally able to successfully transplant one for her.  As to how the smoke tree got its name...I really don't know, but, in a wash, they do look smoky.  Oh, and you know there is water below the ground when you see them clumped in a wash.  Their seeds have to be roughed up, during a storm, in order for their seed coat to be scratched and broken and opened.  They are hardy trees and right now, as I posted earlier, they are blooming.  I love seeing their blossoms along Highway 74 as it leads up to the mountains above Palm Desert.  Here are some examples.  To visit Outdoor Wednesday, please go to:   http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/