Mountain Misery

On our drive back to the Bay Area from the JMT/PCT, we stopped several times along the road, smelling this and looking for that. (This is what you do when your friends/hiking companions run a wildcrafted soap/incense/perfume etc. company.) One of the most aromatic plants in the area - one that you could instantly smell as soon as you rolled down the windows - is Chamaebatia foliolosa, more commonly known as Mountain Misery. It gets its name for the wildly resinous and sticky leaves that adhere to just about anything. It's scent is unpleasant to some, but a few of us (including me), were absolutely transfixed by the somewhat innocuous fern-looking plant.In any case, look for Mountain Misery next time you're out in the Sierras. Kitkiddizze, Gary Snyder's famous homestead built in the early 70s, is named after the local Wintun Indian word for Bear Clover, also known as - yes, you guessed it - Mountain Misery.

Bigfoot Museum

God only knows what's going to come up in conversation when you're hiking 15 or so miles a day, and one of the topics that kept popping up on a recent adventure was Bigfoot. For those of you living in the PNW, I'd imagine this comes up a lot more than on the Appalachian Trail, so it was good to listen to all the good stories that my friends from Portland have come up with over the years."What would happen if he was found?"- It'd crush the logging industry. Everything would be shut down."Is he real?"- What do you mean? Of course.."Why haven't you been to the museum in Felton, CA before?"- There's a museum? Where is Felton?Not sure if I believe in the big guy, BUT, if you want an interesting take on the history of the Yeti in Tibetan culture, read Matthiessen's Snow Leopard. One of our favorites in these parts.MP3: Ted Lucas - Now That I Know

Yuba River State Park

The Yuba River, a tributary of the Feather River in California, is located about 2 hours outside of San Francisco in Sacramento Valley. The main stem of the river is about 40 miles long and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South forks; the confluence of the former two is considered the beginning of the Yuba.South Yuba River State Park stretches from Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park to the Bridgeport Covered Bridge, which has the longest clear span of any surviving covered bridge in the world.CS and friends spent the day swimming and hiking in the park this last weekend, and despite a pretty brutal fall by yours truly that left some cuts and bruises on face, ribs and hand, it was a pretty beautiful (and hot as hell) day.

Redwood Bowmen

Over the weekend, I spent a wonderful morning shooting arrows at cougar, turkey and rabbit targets at the Redwood Bowmen Archery Club in Oakland, CA. The course is in the woods, and the club, which has been around since 1939, owns an equally impressive (from the outside, at least) clubhouse adjacent to the practice range. California, I tell you...MP3: Grateful Dead - Hell In A BucketMore photos after the jump.

R.I.P. Cookie Lady

For over 30 years, Jane Curry, also known as the "Cookie Lady," welcomed bikers into her Afton, VA home to clean up and eat, well, yes, cookies. Curry was 91 years old. From The Hook's obituary:

"I asked how much for a dozen cookies?" Parker recalls. "She said, 'Oh, honey, the cookies are free, but you need a bath. Go on up and take a shower,  and then come down for some cookies."

Cold Splinters wrote about the Cookie Lady back in January, so if you happened to miss it, click here for more info. She was a pretty amazing woman.MP3: múm - Slow Bicycle

Agate

On the night of July 4th, I drove 30 minutes to a ranch somewhere between Marfa and Fort Davis, TX, all while staring at two West Texas agate bracelets I had made by Paul at Moonlight Gemstones for my friends' wedding. I was listening to - no, rather blasting - John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" on Marfa Public Radio while eating Ak-Mak from a box on the passenger side seat. That moment, needless to say, has stuck with me for the last couple of days, though I suppose whenever I get back from Texas I have AGATE on my mind. Have a quick read here about where that handsome rock gets its name and how it's formed.And that's all for my recent trip to Texas on this rag. Until next time...Watch: John Coltrane - My Favorite Things