October 9 - Once Again to the Baricades

Page 3 of The Gospel According to St. Matthew: XIX. The Twelve orchestrated, then off to the Sierra upslope in the foothills towards Newcastle,



mas rapido paper grading at Tio Pepe's in Auburn, the dash downslope



towards the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River at



Circle



Bridge and



Cliffs



ascending beyond



Mosquito Saddle, and ultimately to



Chipmunk Ridge and



French Meadows Reservoir.



The walk is a short, dark one on the gravel beyond milepost 42, lined with



radiant



pines and the distant



Mildred Ridge to



Talbot Junction (drove ahead to this spot two weeks ago). The way from here will be on



State Forest Route 53, rather than the



dangerous, illusory ascent of Red Star Ridge.



For now, there's nothing to do but reverse course past the glories of a watery sunset under



the dark star sky.

September 25 - Beyond the Edge of the Pavement

Further? Well, there's the car.

Back to the scene of last Friday's crime, walking on the continuation of the now-unpaved Mosquito Ridge Road beyond French Meadows Reservoir. This after a morning of score and parts for Elijah Ghost: VI and page 3 of The Gospel According to St. Matthew: XVI. The Tax Collector orchestration, followed by paper grading at Bootlegger's in Auburn over a shrimp po' boy (what will be thought of next?) and cabernet.



It gets a bit more rustic, between Chalk Bluff and the dwindling Middle Fork of the American River, with



Granite Chief beckoning. "There's a better shot just ahead," call out a couple of friendly-helpful bicyclists of a certain age, the first such recreationalists that I've seen in many a walk.


And the last for now, as the Chipmunk Ridge



falls behind in the deepening woods.



The moon is a distant companion, until mileage post 42 (reckoned from Foresthill), scouting out the route unfolding on route 51,



abandoning the Mosquito Ridge Road's ascent of Red Star, where the



signs are maybe no-



maybe yes- believable.



Turning around for the evening, the last light is captured at the French Meadows south boat ramp,



as the Granite



glowers, and



the glow



fades in



ghosts.



All the more reason to hasten back, not without detours, to finish Ghost: VI.

September 18 - Where the Pavement Ends

It's been several years of on-and-off dayhiking east, across the Central Valley and into the Sierras on trails and roads, and, after quite a long time on the Mosquito Ridge Road, the pavement ended today at about 7:30pm. From here, there will probably be several more gravel road hikes, then the trail to Crest, after which will reach same by the Lake Tahoe side -- additionally two long stretches need to be filled in between Drivers Flat and Foresthill.



Before that, it was beginning the orchestration of The Gospel According to St.Matthew: XII. The Would-Be Followers; paper grading al fresco at Bootlegger's Old Town Tavern over calimari, Dead Guy Ale, and



Auburn's prospects;


Foresthill Road



over the Bridge; and beyond to



French Meadows Reservoir.



There's enough light to walk from near the first campground,



past rocky prominences, by the



crossing of the



upper Middle Fork of



American River before the



straight way is lost in



darkness.



Returning below Chipmunk Ridge to complete the instrumentalizing of Would-Be Followers.

August 28 - Dance of the Straussian Sierras

Off to the Sierra on a surprisingly cloud-filled, humid day,



via Davis for a quick study of "Salomes Tanz" (a.k.a. "Dance of the Seven Veils") from Richard Strauss's Salome, then



lunch at Tio Pepe's in Auburn, beginning to grade the 70 Quiz 1's of the Music History Class (including identification-description of the RS Also Sprach Zarathustra, plus dances from Algeria and the Yuroks ["Women's Brush"]).



By now, fairly late in the day, but time enough to reach French Meadows Reservoir's



echoic Canyons ringing with chant, at the



overlook,



for a walk from the dam's



southeastern flank along



Mosquito Ridge Road to the Chipmunk Ridge Jeep Road



and beyond to an even fainter intersection, where the setting sun crashes into



rocks and



moonlight, beginning the orchestration of John and Salome: V. Salome's Dance upon return.