Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to different hikes I have taken primarily in California and around Folsom Lake region. Pictures and maps
The Knickerbocker creek and waterfalls are pretty spectacular, if, you can get to them. These seasonal waterfalls through Knickerbocker Canyon are fairly inaccessible because of the steep terrain. Located in the Auburn State Recreational Area Park in Cool, Ca, Knickerbocker waterfalls in the rock lined canyon make for a challenging hike/climb to an area few people ever visit.
The east side of the north fork of the American River is challenging to hike because of the lack of accessibility and rugged terrain along the Folsom Lake. After I discovered the abutment for a bridge on the west side of the river, I had to get to Anderson Island on the other side. Not only was I able to find the suspension bridge cables, I found the ruins of Zantgraf mine which is fairly well preserved.
The low water levels of Folsom Lake in this drought year of 2014 offer unprecedented opportunities for hiking and biking around usually water-logged historical sites. The fully exposed North Fork Ditch offers a relatively flat trail for mountain biking from Beeks Bight up to Horseshoe Bar. At certain locations, you’ll need to park the bike […]
The food bowl lamps are easy to miss as they blend in very nicely and would only arouse comment from a true interior design aficionado wanting to know the provenance of such unique lamps. Charmian incorporated many items collected on a trip that she and Jack took to the South Seas islands (Polynesia) according to a museum docent. The large wooden bowls and carved sailing vessels used to serve traditional Polynesian island foods had been fitted with a hanging system and were connected to a central hub on the ceiling.
The time spent hiking up to the Sutro Tower was far better spent than the energy wasted on the Hockney exhibit. On any day I’m in the City I tell myself I want to climb the hill the three legged TV antenna rests upon. With a trip to the De Young museum to see a David Hockney exhibition, the weather, time and energy level to hike up a hill all aligned for us to find a way to climb up to the Sutro Tower.
The peninsula was once a major thoroughfare for gold prospectors and commerce from Sacramento to the mines on the western side of the north fork of the American River. Today, the chunk of land known as the Peninsula Campground is isolated and decidedly very quiet as travel to this state park is a circuitous drive because […]
Fed by Mosquito and Butte Creek, Paradise Lake impounds irrigation and drinking water for the Town of Paradise. Hence, the portable toilets are every one-half mile to encourage their use and discourage draining your bladder into the lake.
The original transcontinental tunnels and snow sheds over Donner Summit were abandoned in 1993 for the tunnel under Mt. Judah. After hiking to the top of Mt. Judah you can walk the many miles of tunnels and cliffs blasted out by Chinese labor in the 1860’s. The concrete snow sheds that replaced the wooden coverings that were prone to fire from the steam engine embers, is now a canvass for graffiti art.
Maybe you can’t walk back in time, but you certainly can walk through part of California’s water history. Dug by hand in the side of the hill above the south fork of the Yuba River, the abandoned water canal and flumes have been transformed into a fairly easy, wheelchair accessible, hike. Named appropriately the Independence Trail, it’s more of a walk than a hike.
A short but beautiful hike will take you along Hot Creek east of Mammoth Lakes. Hot Creek cuts across the Long Valley Caldera until it empties into the Owens River. This area was once a great volcano that exploded years ago leaving a bowl. The eastern portion of Hot Creek is reminiscent of Bumpass Hell in Lassen with scalding hot geothermal springs of water.
