Two Sides of New York

In October 2013, we took our second trip to the exciting Big Apple; the first one-day visit was in 2004. Back then we did the real touristy tour of the city—arrived in Grand Central Station, saw the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square, Wall Street, New York Harbor, Ellis Island, and Brooklyn Bridge; climbed the Chrysler building; ate at an authentic Italian dive in the Bronx and in a fancy Brazilian restaurant in Manhattan; and saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Then almost 10 years later we were back, but our one-day visit in the big city was much more low key. Hooking up with my awesome relatives, we took the bus and subway from New Jersey, and spent a good few hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Had our lunch from the classic hot dog vendors on the steps of the Met. Being fans of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and the 60s folk explosion, we decided to visit Greenwich Village and Washington Square—to catch a glimpse of one of the remaining music clubs or coffee houses from that era such as the Bitter End—but mostly to just walk around and take in the local scene. There is still live music in the park, and we stopped to watch a band featuring a saxophonist in a slick gray suit and a tuba player. Then with all the hipster coffee houses on every street, I went on a mission searching out a soy decaf latté, which was surprisingly difficult to find. When I did hit the jackpot at Porto Rico Importing Company on Bleecker Street, I paid only 47 cents, and we walked out with bags of gourmet coffee to bring back to Jersey and California. For dinner we went for authentic New York “pie” at John’s Pizzeria, also on Bleecker Street, probably dining amongst NYC’s bohemian artists and celebs. Then we headed back to Port Authority, where we had to experience Carvel ice cream before returning to Jersey. 

Band in Washington Square Park

Pie from John's Pizzeria

Washington Square

After a day trip to Long Island to visit another awesome cousin, where we dined on authentic Jewish food at the Bellcrest Kosher Deli in Merrick and braved the traffic of the George Washington Bridge, we took a journey away from the Big City to see the other side of New York. That is the natural upstate, small-town New York--where the fall colors of the deciduous forests displayed all the beauty and glory portrayed by the paintings and photographs we see out west, with picturesque small towns rich with character and history. We traveled north towards the Adirondacks to visit friends in the beautiful mountain community of Madison. It would have normally been about a 6-hour drive, but we decided to avoid major freeways and toll roads and take the exploration route through the Catskills. We mostly followed Route 17, had a delicious pasta lunch in Harriman at Marina Restaurant and Pizza on 17M, and took the scenic route through Harriman State Park. Then we stopped for a little gift shopping at the Beaverkill Angler in the classic Catskills town of Roscoe, walking out of there with a little bag of locally homemade fudge. From there we took Route 206 northwest until we wound up on a variety of small and smaller county roads (thanks to Google Maps’ bizarre directions). After quite a few wrong turns and a whole lot of farmland and countryside, we made our way to Route 12N and to our friends in the vicinity of the colorful hamlet of Hamilton. There we made burritos, popped open quite a few beers, and chilled in the trees for a couple of days.

Catskills

Hamlet of Hamilton

Our route back to New Jersey was meant to be a bit more straightforward. We took I-20 east and had a classic lunch at the historic Duanesburg Diner. We picked up the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) in Albany, and thought we’d fly down that awhile, until we decided to do a “small” detour to the artsy town of Woodstock. Being 60s music fans we were just aching to walk around the town where that all happened. Except Woodstock is not where it happened. The "Woodstock" music festival was actually in the town of Bethel, in a field that is now the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. So after getting gifts and coffees from the new rich hippies of Woodstock, my husband with his not-so-great sense of distance and direction suggested we do another “small” detour to Bethel on our “way back” to Jersey. He took us hours out of our way winding through the Catskills on state and county roads. We finally gave up in the town of Grahamsville, never found Bethel, but experienced a beautiful ride through the mountains. We were late for dinner at our cousins’ in Jersey and missed turning in our rental car on time. A small price to pay for all that we saw, right through the very heart of it, New York, New York.

Woodstock

Chill in Sierraville

About once a year we take a 2-1/2-hour drive out of the city for a less-than-24-hour peaceful escape to the Sierra Hot Springs, in Sierraville, California. Sierraville is in the Sierra Valley between the Plumas and Tahoe National Forests of the Sierra Nevada range. It's about 55 miles west of Reno, Nevada, and a half-hour north of Truckee (40 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe). The coolest thing about Sierraville, and especially the hot springs, is that it is located in the foothills where the flat Sierra Valley Important Bird Area meets the conifer woodlands of the Tahoe forest. The Sierra Hot Springs is a non-profit, volunteer-run retreat nestled up Campbell Hot Springs Road just east of town, with forest on one side and grazed wetlands on the other. For a bird and wildlife enthusiast like myself, it's the best of both worlds.

In August of 2013, I was particularly anxious and stressed out. Sometimes I just get a bad case of the perpetual bad mood, and too much of life's daily pressures weigh just a little too heavy. That's when it's time to hit the road to Sierraville. We generally go on a Friday after work, have dinner in Auburn or Truckee--Java Sushi is usually our eatery of choice in Truckee--and check into the hot springs in the late evening. The lodge is open 24 hours for check-in, and $25/person plus a modest membership fee provides 24 hours of the use of the hot springs as well as camping. We have never stayed at the lodge; but it is in option, though likely requires reservations. Camping does not. Camping is not in a campground. It is a spot in the forest to pitch tents and set up some chairs. The lodge is equipped with a full kitchen, 2 refrigerators, stoves, and large public rooms with couches and tables where visitors cook, eat, socialize, read, play piano, or just lounge. The deck of the lodge overlooks the wetlands of the valley. The rules of this place and the vibe are very conducive to relaxation and meditation. There's no alcohol, people are considerate, and the atmosphere is chill. Clothing is optional in the pools, guests are urged to remain quiet, and no one gets annoying or out of hand. There are a lot of organic-meditation types of visitors, but all types of people come from all over the world. Not too many people know about the hot springs; but once they do, they keep returning.

Our routine after check-in is to set up our camp, and visit the Meditation Pool at night. This pool is near the camping area in the woods and is a natural hot spring of dirt and rock. I nicknamed it the "medicinal" pool, because its combination of hot water and minerals heal just about any physical or emotional ailment. I am also particularly fond of the forest at night. While gazing up at the amazing sky full of stars and comets, adorable little bats swoop down for a visit and catch the biting mosquitos. Screech owls or great-horn owls call to one another in the trees, and often coyotes are heard from the hills nearby. On one occasion when we visited the pool during the day, a cute little garter snake came up, kissed my arm, then joined us for a swim in the pool! Night is the most peaceful time, however, and generally has the fewest amount of people. Then after our refreshing, relaxing soak, we grab a midnight snack in the lodge before going to sleep in the forest.

In the morning, we visit the Meditation Pool again, then have breakfast in the lodge. Mid-morning to lunchtime is when we visit the other pools, which are a small hike from the lodge along a mountain ridge. These include the Warm Pool, a large swimming-pool of hot mineral water with a chair-lined deck overlooking the wetlands; the hot pool in the Temple Dome (too hot for me); and the sauna. Here, a combination of relaxing in the warm water, sunning myself on the deck, and watching birds in the meadow make it a pretty awesome day. On this particular afternoon, the grassland was providing nice foraging for quite a few ibis.

We either cook our lunch in the lodge, or order a delicious enchilada or burrito from Los Dos Hermanos in Sierraville. Then we return to our busy lives with half a weekend still left, feeling as revived as if we had been out retreating for a week. It's a magical place, and a truly spiritual and sacred experience. And it certainly does wonders curing the bad case of the bad mood.

Bordering the Desolation Wilderness

The Lake Tahoe region of the Sierra Nevada range has a lot more to offer than Lake Tahoe itself. To the west and the south of the lake on the California side are three wilderness areas surrounded by the El Dorado National Forest, the most popular being the spectacular Desolation Wilderness. This 99-square-mile area of outdoor adventure has over a hundred small lakes amidst striking peaks and mountain passes of white volcanic granite, alpine and sub-alpine forests, and glacially-formed meadows and valleys. It extends from the southeast near the Echo Lake complex (easily accessible from U.S. 50) to Loon Lake on the northwest, which is accessible from Ice House Road. Technically, these bordering lakes are in the National Forest just outside the wilderness boundary, and the beauty they offer are nothing to sneeze at either. And these lakes provide car camping, boating, hiking, fishing, and other recreational activities.

Echo Lake (2008)

Wrights Lake (2009)

I haven’t quite yet graduated to the deep wilderness backpacking excursions that would be required to hike into the Desolation Wilderness interior, but I have enjoyed visiting its edges, peering at its enticing viewshed, and hiking, birding, picnicking, and even spinning in circles on a raft in the middle of Wrights Lake. In August of 2013, we decided to visit Loon Lake. We chose to take the Wentworth Springs Road out of Georgetown, stopping for a few snapshots at Stumpy Meadows Lake (well, we had to stop there, mom’s nickname is Stump). We accessed Loon Lake from its south shore and started looking for a good spot to have lunch. The north shore Loon Lake campground provided that spot, so we paid a small day fee and grabbed a site. After our nice picnic lunch and me getting stung by a yellow jacket, we took the very short hike down to the lake. A large pile of granite rocks provided sweet couches to kick back upon on the lake’s northern shore and look across towards the Desolation Wilderness. The sun was out and I was so relaxed, I think I caught a snooze.

Loon Lake

Stumpy Meadows Reservoir

For those that are not faint-hearted about very steep, narrow, windy roads that drop very quickly in elevation, Ice House Road is the best way to drop south to U.S. 50. The views are gorgeous, particularly as the road passes right by the Union Valley and Ice House Reservoirs, and a good driver gets you to the highway safe and sound.

Trinities and Pacific Coast Redwoods

In 2012 our 4^th of July Random Ride ended in Red Bluff, in the northern Sacramento Valley of California, heading west on Highway 36, facing the Trinity Alps and Pacific coast. So on July 4, 2013 that is where we picked it back up. We launched from Red Bluff’s Comfort Inn and took Highway 36 west into the Trinities, looking for a place to camp. We found a small, steep hill to hike with a view, and then about 2 PM found the perfect spot. We spent a lovely afternoon and evening at the Forest Glenn campground, nestled along the south fork of the Trinity River in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Besides making the meals, pitching the tents, and sitting around the fire, we made several small trips down to the river; on one such trip I was greeted by a swimming garter snake.

I shared a tent with mom, our blow-up bed sunk to the ground, and we stayed up most of the night talking and laughing.

Trinity Alps

Forest Glenn

The next morning we continued west. Getting ice and lunch was a challenge in the mountains on a holiday weekend; and the Hydesville grocery finally delivered on ice and coffees. Then our journey took us to Fortuna, off Highway 101, and we found a delicious lunch spot at the Hunan Village on Main Street. From Fortuna, we wound up on the southern, windy, and most rural end of Tompkins Hill Road. Passing the farmlands and the college, our next destination landed, happily for me, at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Random riding is a travel game I invented with a set of rules, and no conscious decision-making (other than how to interpret the rules) shapes the trip. It takes us where it takes us, and on this one, we just kept getting lucky. Birding the Humboldt Bay estuary was more than I could have asked for. And what a sunny day for Humboldt County. 

Our next challenge, however, was finding a place to stay on a Friday night, 4^th of July weekend, on the California coast, without any reservations. We almost wondered if we would wind up in our truck, but we were fortunate. The campground host at the Elk Country RV Resort and Campground just south of Orick didn’t realize they were full. She sold us a campsite that didn’t exist, so we pulled up a nice spot of grass between sites, pitched our tents, and slept very coldly, listening to the sea lion choruses from across the highway. Upon striking camp the next day, we didn't see elk, but we were treated to the hospitality of an Elk Country Resort 4^th of July barbeque. For a modest donation, we feasted on ribs, chicken, beans, and coleslaw while listening to a loudly broadcasted classic rock America mix. Now that is patriotic. 

Heading north on 101, we stopped at the beach at the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center, our gateway to the Redwood National and State Parks. We took the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Our first stop was the visitor center, and we started hiking up the Prairie Creek trail. We were in sudden slow-mo as we lost ourselves in our amazement of being engulfed within the huge, majestic redwoods. I have camped, hiked, and even lived in the redwoods ever since childhood; but every time I go it’s like the first time. These woods are that awe-inspiring. Sequoia sempervirens, the coast redwood, is the world’s tallest tree (up to 377 feet high), can live up to thousands of years, and creates an incredibly diverse ecosystem for hundreds if not thousands of other species. Yet it exists only in coastal northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. The World Conservation Union lists it as Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. Its fate rests precariously within cooperation between the public, the timber and other industry, private landowners, conservation groups, and government resource agencies. Our afternoon ended with a visit to the Big Tree Wayside. The Big Tree is a mere 304 feet high, with a 68-foot circumference, estimated to be 1500 years old. Some joker in the past wanted to cut it down and turn it into a dance floor, but a public outcry saved it.

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

The Big Tree Wayside

We decided to try to start a little earlier to find a place to stay. We continued north to the town of Klamath and found lovely tent camping along the Klamath River at Cat’s RV Park. We were given a complimentary stay because of some out-of-hand camper, and I was awoken to quite the symphony of riparian birds singing above my tent. A visit to the river dock terminated the trip. 

Orick’s only coffee shop, the Palm Café, served us lunch on our way back south, and then we headed east into the busy Central Valley.

To be continued from Prairie Creek State Park in July 2014.

Lunch at Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of California’s and Nevada’s wonders of the world. Anyone visiting the western U.S. should try to take the time to visit this deep blue-green scenic treasure of a lake, 50 miles in circumference, nestled in the granite rock evergreen forests of the Lake Tahoe Basin. It is deeper than any other lake, and offers more natural beauty, geologic and historic mystery, and exciting nightlife opportunities than just about any other spot in the world. People come from around the world to marvel in its presence. I am one of the lucky ones that can run up the hill for lunch in Lake Tahoe in just one day. King’s Beach, on Tahoe’s north shore, is my spot of choice for that excursion. South Lake Tahoe is the developed hustle-bustle casino-resort area, the West Shore is mostly private but a breathtaking drive, while the East Shore is fairly remote and mostly for the outdoorsy types. The North Shore, however, has that combination of accessibility on its public beaches that is off the beaten path—meaning not too terribly crowded--and cute small towns, great scenery, and good little eateries. On one nice day in King's Beach, we grabbed sandwiches from Annie's Deli and had a picnic on the beach; on another day, nice gourmet coffee drinks at the Java Hut. But for the special occasion such as our engagement and anniversary, our North Shore choice has been Jake's on the Lake.

Geese enjoying a rainy day at Sugar Pine Point State Park

The weather, however, is unpredictable. On a hike at Sugar Pine Point State Park in June we got rain; during our evening dinner in August, we were caught in a thunderstorm; and on an afternoon picnic in May, we got the high wind. Same months, different year: intense sun. But the beauty of our surroundings prevailed over the slight inconvenience of weather extremes that shift not only day by day, but hour by hour. That is one of the delightful surprises of the Sierra Nevada. 

Thunderstorm in August at Jake's by the Lake

Windy day in May at King's Beach

Calm day in June on the east shore

Every year in June, however, I have a deeper purpose for lunch at Lake Tahoe. Each year on this day bicyclists from around the nation and even the world convene for America's "Most Beautiful Bike Ride”. Many riders are there raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. Every time I go to cheer the riders on near the top of the steepest hills by Spooner Lake, and encourage them to keep going and that they are almost to the top and the finish line, I am reminded that as a survivor of lymphoma, I struggled in a similar race for my life. I am alive partly because of the advancement of medical technology, which partly is a result of efforts like this. The cyclists thank me for the cheerleading; I thank them for helping to save my and others’ lives.
Go Team!