The rain over the past week has brought out the worms. Birds are pecking incessantly at the upper level garden as we look out from the breakfast nook. We pulled out our Guide to Birds of Northern California to identify a bird with a red breast that we saw – either robin or rufous-sided towhee. Steve Hunt marked in the book when he had previously birds at the ranch and in the area.
MJ and Judy w indulged me with a hike up to the high hills above the Mokelumne River. East Bay MUD maintains the trails that border the river and follow down to Pardee Reservoir, located just over the hill from the ranch property. Our trail led up to Patti’s Point – no idea who Patti is or was but the promontory named for her is magnificent. The trial was just under a mile and a half with 700 feet of ascent. We old folks were a little winded, and MJ told me I would have to make the same hike seven years from now. The view from the high point liking down the river canyon was spectacular even on an overcast late winter afternoon.
A Year at the Snake 