We decided to stick close to home for our second day of hunting. We started right at the entrance to Bear Valley. Under a rock we found this little tube.
Rolled inside was some paper to sign. Too small for trinkets.
Just up the road at the next turn out and tucked between two large rocks was this:
From the top of a boulder my son spotted a stream so we wandered over to take a peek. It was so pretty.
Back in the car and up the hill to a small campground.
We parked where it was clearly labeled "Parking" only to be told that it wasn't for us. When we told the campground person why we were there and that we wouldn't be long she relented and let us stay in the parking spot. She also said she knew where we were headed but had never in her 6 years living there actually walked up the hill to look for it. I have to wonder at someone with so little curiosity.
The hike was short but rather steep. The view over the valley was beautiful. Six years and never took the walk? Amazing.
Worth a 5 minute walk, wouldn't you say?
After a short hunt we found this under some rocks.
The trinkets always amuse me. I'm amazed at all the little toys and things that either remind me of my childhood or are something I have never even seen before. Apparently the idea is that you take a trinket to remember the site by and leave a trinket in exchange. We have yet to come up with the perfect trinket to leave so we never take anything. It looks like people leave things more often then they take them, because some boxes get quite full.
Down the road and at the edge of the lake we found a really nice bike trail. If you looked up you could see the very tall sign that labeled it as a cross country ski trail in the winter. For us, it was a nice, flat easy hiking trail.
In the hollowed out stump of a tree we found this one.
It was getting hot and we were getting hungry so we headed back home for some lunch.
After lunch we decided to venture out to one more place.
This spot was actually in the lodge area. We drove through the cabins as high as we could to the end of the road. Seriously, I cannot imagine staying way up there. The roads were steep and in the winter aren't plowed so snowmobiles are used. We walked across a lot for sale. If a home gets built there that may be the end of this spot or the owners will have to be happy about random people walking through their yard to get to the trail.
Maybe trail is too nice a word. Footpath? Narrow, rocky and really slippery whatever it was it hugged the edge of a steep hill. Oddly there was a cable that crossed our path and headed up to the top of the hill. Seriously, what could that be?
Up, up and up we went. There was a warning on the clue to stay away from the edge of the cliff. They should really skip those warnings. Why? Because people like me would never dream of getting near the edge of a cliff even without a warning and the daredevils seem to take it as a challenge. Like this one.
A few feet to his right is a drop off designed to terrify mothers who watch their child slip and slide near the edge. See how happy it makes him look? He had to scramble back on hands and feet across all those slippery stones that kept rolling off the cliff edge. First mosquitoes, then thinking you are going to watch your child plunge to his death. This is why I love camping.
Once everyone was back on reasonable ground we found this tucked in some tree branches.
The men also went up the rest of the way to the top to try and solve the cable mystery. It was attached to nothing. It looked like it could have been hooked up to a nice antenna for someone who likes ham radio. It sure was a long cable just hanging out up there. Glad I didn't have to haul it up there.
One last look out and we headed back home.
-- marcella
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