fishing for words

(and tossing out random thoughts)

Author Archives: Patrick Konoske


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At the Cabin One Warm July

After months of planning before our June wedding, we weren’t much for picking up the kids and traveling too far from home. Besides, Sean and Chris for a few years had wanted an extended stay at the cabin that would allow them to play bingo at the lake, which is held every Tuesday and Thursday. This visit to the cabin included some of the best weather I have experienced in Twain Harte. Warm enough during the day for swimming, but cool enough at night to allow for a good night’s sleep. (The lack of insulation puts one at the mercy of the weather…if it’s hot during the day, it’ll be hot that night!)

Sean, Chris, Nathan, Adam and Nicholas on the trail.

Sean, Chris, Nathan, Adam and Nicholas on the trail.

During part of our visit, my sister, her husband and my two nephews (notice, not their sons – my nephews) joined us for a few days. In the album below is a photo of the boys heading down a trail that leads along side the Lyons Canal in Twain Harte. We hiked for quite a while and never reached the end! I probably would have kept going, but Nathan had to take three strides for my one, and it was warmish. Then again, I think my sister was a bit apprehensive about the nearby shooting range.

One way to escape the heat in Tuolumne County is to head underground, and there are three or four various caverns or mines within a hour’s drive or so. We headed for Moaning Cavern, just outside of Vallecito. The cavern was first discovered in approximately 1851 by miners prospecting for gold, but they didn’t have enough vision to understand tourists might offer up gold to see this natural wonder. It was rediscovered in 1919. Legend says tourists were lowered into the huge chamber in ore buckets with only the light of candles. The cavern got its name from the sound created by drops of water that fall into holes in a flowstone formation with a bottle-like shape. This drumming sound echoes throughout the cavern, and sounded like a distant moaning to early explorers.

Some Moaning Cavern statistics:

  • In the cavern one can find stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and dripstones.
    Large enough to contain the Statue of Liberty.
  • 234 stairs descend to a depth of 165 feet below ground level.
  • Above-mentioned stairs were built from salvaged materials from a World War 1 battleship and was built in six months.
  • Bones of prehistoric people who had fallen into the cavern thousands of years ago were found on the cavern floors.
  • The cavern’s current total depth is 410 feet.

Other formations in the cavern include the “Chocolate Waterfall,” “The Meat Grinder,” “The Lasagna Factory” and “The Fruit and Vegetable Market.” Seems the early cave explorers were a bit hungry. The oddest name for a formation is probably “Godzilla’s Nostril;” though one can see it after staring for a bit.

One of the things we enjoy quite a bit while at the cabin is nearby fishing. The same irrigation ditch I mentioned earlier is also stocked with pan-sized rainbow trout (about 11-12 inches and ½-¾ pound). About a year ago we took my nephews there and lucked upon newly stocked fish, and they had a blast. Between five of us we must have pulled in 15 or so fish!

Well, figuring lighting might strike twice, Chris and I took our friends’ son to the same spot. Sure enough he hooked into a very decent size fish with a decidedly undersized pole. It was so very cool to help him reel in that first fish. And I hear that his mother enjoyed it for lunch shortly thereafter!

In between all of the above, we went swimming almost daily, hit the annual barbecue dinner at the lake on the fifth of July, visited Covers’ Apple Farm, enjoyed miniature golf, bowled (to get out of the heat) and generally just spent time as it should be when on vacation!


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Crater Lake, Mt. St. Helens & Seattle ’02

Perhaps it was a bit ambitious, but when all was said and done and visited, our trip to Crater Lake, Mt. St. Helens and the Seattle area was a fantastic trip filled with astonishing sights (photos below). We rolled out of town with the car loaded and maps marked, on a nice summer day, though there were some worries about forest fires raging throughout California and Oregon. We whizzed through most of Northern California, then veered off well-traveled I-5 onto U.S. Route 97. A few miles after our stop in Weed, Calif., the terrain and vegetation sure changed…we drove through the dry pine forests in California at this point and entered the more lush forests of Oregon.

Then WHAM!, I slammed on the brakes shortly after passing a sign for the Klamath Fish Hatchery near Chiloquin, Oregon. The boys and I enjoyed gawking at the fish in the holding ponds, but were flabbergasted when we spied some fish that had escaped to the stream adjacent to the hatchery….one would have fed a family of fifteen! Then our adventure really began…

Driving into Crater Lake from the south is quite dramatic. We rose through the forests, glimpsing smoke from distant forest fires as we crested the occasional ridge line. We arrived at the campground about mid afternoon, but after a quick look around decided to cut our stay short by one day, allowing us a full day later at Mt. St. Helens. We set up camp, just above Annie Springs Creek, and as you may see by the picture it’s deep in a lush canyon. Adam, Sean and I hiked a trail that ran along the creek and up the hills of the canyon, stopping at the guideposts and reading from a guidebook. Of course, our visit included the boys making friends with camp neighbors and marshmallows roasted over the campfire.

The next day we struck out for “The Lake.” It’s a short drive from the campground, and on the way there we stopped at the visitor center. There the boys discovered National Park trading cards…much better than Pokémon cards if you ask me! A few minutes later we crested the rim of the former Mount Mazama. Crater Lake has to be seen to be believed…the water’s blue hues are incredible, and the picture to the left only hints at the richness of these colors. We spent quite a while walking up and down the pathways of the south rim, popping into another visitor center and the every present gift shops.  Wizard Island is in the center of the lake, and on the left side on the shore line, there was some snow – at the end of July!

Of course, we had the obligatory group shot in the album. Moving from your left to right, it’s Adam, Karen with Chris sprouting out of her head, me, and Sean. Near as I can figure, the person taking the shot was leaning a bit, then I had to crop their finger out of the image, so we look as if we’re about to fall over.

The road out of Crater Lake (U.S. 97 to State Route 58) has its own charm. It’s quite a drive to reach I-5 again, but along the way you pass through a pumice desert. I thought it was an amazing sight. We passed through the Willamette Valley and watershed on Highway 58, long stands of trees and frequently the road was paralleled by a river. After this long drive (it was LONG), we stopped in Eugene at, of all places, Costco. Great place to fill up on gas and feed the kids.

The kids were incredibly well-behaved through the rest of Oregon, and we were all amazed, when we opened our doors at Seaquest State Park in Washington to the humidity that flooded in. Thank goodness we had made room to spend a full day at Mt. St. Helens, it was well worth it! After a campfire-less night (No campfires permitted in the wet woods of the Northwest?!), we left our campsite for a romp up the mountain.

Mt. St. Helens is an amazing and staggering place. Since we had all day, we drove and stopped along the way, hitting every visitor center along the way – the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake, almost across the street from our campground and well worth the visit if you don’t plan on driving up to the Coldwater Visitor Center near the caldera, as we did, and Weyerhaeuser’s Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center. At the forestry center, we spent quite a bit of time watching elk below near the riverbed.

The Coldwater Visitor Center was a fantastic place and we all enjoyed it. One of the best video presentations shows what happened through news clips and documentary footage, and at its conclusion the screen rises and curtains part to a view of Mt. St. Helens itself. (Unless it’s covered by clouds.) Later, we hiked up a vista point, where the boys “posed.” Guess we timed it just right…if you look at the picture of Mt. St. Helens above, you see nary a cloud though it was overcast until we reached the summit.

We had a great time camping our way up to the Seattle area, where we visited my folks and had a grand time, but that’s another story…and another web page.


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Yosemite Valley Camping Trip

“One of the most beautiful places on earth.” Or so I overheard said by a visitor from Europe as he viewed Yosemite from Glacier Point. I’ve not traveled the world, but would tend to agree with this assessment. Though the weather was warm (we left during one of the hottest day of the summer), the heat only made swimming in very cold water, dare I say, enjoyable?

We left the very day school let out for the summer. It was a long, HOT drive through California’s Central Valley (100º+). But we made good time – despite my old 1988 Honda Accord overheating – and arrived at this natural wonder within four hours. The photo to the right is from the south entrance to the valley, taken about mid-way through our trip during our return from Glacier Point.

Visiting Yosemite during the late spring or early summer sure can pay off with dramatic waterfalls. I think Yosemite Falls (to the left) look incredibly different every day, particularly as the wind shifted. We enjoyed a view of the falls every day as we left our campground and headed out to explore the valley floor.

All of us, on the trail to Nevada Falls.

All of us, on the trail to Nevada Falls.

Our longest hike of the trip started at the campground and ended at Vernal Falls (the second fall in the lower part of the picture. The trail to Vernal Falls was a bit rugged, but lead us through a beautiful canyon with wonderful vistas. Ground squirrels begged along the side of the ’Mist Trail,’ and we chanced upon our nextdoor campers on the trail. Thanks to them for taking this photo of “The Boys at Rest.” It is hard to say how much time we spent at the falls. Chris seems to want to stay all day if he could. Next time we go all the way to Nevada Falls!

I had forgotten how the tremendous force of the falling water at Yosemite Falls’ base threw out a wave of wind strong enough pelt one’s face with mist and give flight to unsecured hats. We all enjoyed, however, “nature’s air conditioning” this day as it was quite warm. Perhaps our next visit will include a hike to Yosemite Falls’ cascades!

Speaking of warm, can you tell from the picture that the boys were a bit ragged? (When I mentioned the hot drive above, I meant it…try 110º through the Central Valley!) The hot weather and crowds did not help their mood that day. As luck would have it, our nextdoor campers and their boys were nice enough to allow Sean and Chris to enjoy their rafts.

One of the more fascinating aspects of our visit was an up close and personal view of the damage inflicted on Yosemite Valley during the floods of 1997. Throughout the valley there are signs hinting at the magnitude of the the flooding, as Chris illustrates in a photo below. He would have been underwater! One campground was wiped out, and cement barrier remain in their final resting positions after being tossed about by the floodwaters.

One of the most dramatic days of our trip was a visit to Glacier Point. The National Park Service and volunteers have revamped the trails and visitor center, and a snack bar has been added. All-in-all, it looks great. And the views remain awe inspiring. Half Dome dominates one’s view, but just as impressive are the sweeping vistas into the Sierra Nevada high country.

Despite their looks in one picture, the boys were ’totally wowed’ by the view from Glacier Point. We spent quite a portion of the morning looking over the side, trying to find our campsite far below. We also enjoyed lunch while there, and, of course, prowled the gift shop for a spell.

Yosemite Falls shows a different side from various points in the valley. I think the varying views of the valley’s namesake falls numbered in the high hundreds. Hard to believe that only the day prior were we buffeted by the winds of Lower Yosemite Falls.


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Donner Lake ’99

August 1999 found us boys taking a chance on camping at Donner Lake. We all love the Tahoe area, but thought this less-visited campground might be a nice change of pace. And nice it was! We had our campground loop pretty much to ourselves, enjoyed fishing at Donner Lake and a pond behind the campgroud, hiked, biked, toured the visitor center and had an all-around great time. The weather was great…shorts during the day and most of the evening, as long as we warmed ’em up around the campfire. Chris and Sean are enjoying this early-evening fire, while dad, no doubt, slaves over the camp stove, perhaps frying up a freshly-caught trout.

As hinted above, we did catch fish. (Surprised?!) This was the boys’ first experience catching the ubiquitous rainbow trout. It was a great time, even if we only caught two or three fish a day. (On our return to civilization, we had the opportunity to reel in some bluegill at a friend’s pond. Way cool!)

Chris even prepared our catch for dinner one night. With Chris it was not so much as cleaning the fish, but more of a dissection. After a few attempts, he was almost an expert at gutting those trout. (Next stop for Chris: an Alaskan fishing trawler!)

Of course, no visit to Donner Pass and Donner Lake would be complete without learning of the area’s history. Sean and Chris looked like ants standing at the base of the main memorial to the Donner Party. Look carefully at the photo album. The snow at the time of the Donner Party’s ill-fated trip was as deep as the top concrete edge of the statue base! The visitor centers is to what would be the right of the statue (as you are looking at it), and there’s a great self-guided trail starting at it’s back door. Well worth a visit! That’s about it…


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Lake Tahoe ’97

On Aug. 16, 1997 we staked our temporary claim to a campsite at Eagle Point at Emerald Bay State Park.  This is probably one of the best campsites we’ve had at this campground – across from the showers, within easy walking distance of a small beach and Eagle Point, where we were able to watch ospreys feeding their young in a nest. 

One of the highlights of this trip was a 1½-mile hike to Eagle Lake, and in the photos below you can that the boys were happy to make it. (Sean is hamming it up!) Guess it shows either my age or that of the boys; they pretty much kept up with me during all of our hikes throughout the area. Eagle Lake rises about 1,000 feet above the 6,229-foot elevation of Lake Tahoe, so it was a good hike. There was still snow in some of the crevices up and to the right of the rear of the lake. BTW, Eagle Lake is where part of Star Trek: Nemesis was filmed.

Our 1¼-mile hike behind Fallen Leaf Lake was also very enjoyable, though it followed what appeared to be a goat path on the side of granite mountains. And upon reaching our destination, the boys cooled off by dipping there toes into that awfully cold water.

Another highlight I would recommend that any visitor to the Tahoe area – worth the time to visit (and find) – would be Echo Lakes.  Pay a measly $6 for a U.S. Forest Service tour of the two lakes. The lakes and surrounding mountains are incredibly beautiful. The two-hour tour, in an old U.S. Navy launch, takes in the natural and human history of the area. (There is a community of 100 or so seasonal homes on the shores of both lakes.)

As usual, Sean and Chris made some friends (from Irvine and the city of Orange, BTW). It is nice to see some things haven’t changed in the many years I have been camping! Check the album to and another friend take a few seconds to sit still by and on the neighbor’s hammock.

If you look through the photo album, you’ll see Chris standing front of Emerald Bay. Our campsite would be just to the left of his head, on the point. The photo was taken at the top of Eagle Falls, and near the trailhead for a trail leading to Eagle Lake and other destination in the Desolation Wilderness.