July 31 - Connections


By the day's end, there will be at least three alternate plans -- and even these don't go exactly as planned, but there is much interest in all,


beginning with engaging discourse with


Dr. John Browning,


first chez toi,


then


out


in


plein



air to


White


Rabbit,


taking leave for adventures,


initially


I-


10


east


to


south


79,


through


the


broken lands that extend down


to


Hemet.


Picking


up


79


east,


it's


a


long incline


steadily gaining elevation through


San Jacinto Canyon,


to the heights of Garner Valley, looking even higher to the San Jacintos, but, as suspected, many areas are restricted, due to last week's fire, with amazingly burned slopes in the Desert Range, south to Fobes and beyond.


Morris


Ranch


Road,


however,


is


open,







so, hoping for the best, proceed upward east to the


Cedar Springs Trailhead, but -- alas -- no,


the way is closed here, too,


despite


the


untouched chaparral on either side of the slopes.


Backtracking,


heading


north,


west of the ridge front,


past


Lake Hemet,


over


Keen Camp


Summit,


the flames perhaps started just north of the


Mountain Center intersection, 


though,


continuing beyond on 242 through


Idyllwild,


most of the settled areas seem unscathed,


if perhaps underutilized.


Opting for Plan B,


the next idea is to finish the roadwalk from


Indian Mountain to Vista Grande Fire Station.


With high hopes


(the clock strikes noon --


the psycological half-way point of the year),


first divert for views,


then


proceed


towards


the


surreally


deserted


Lake


Fulmor,


noticing


that


cars


are


only


arriving


in


groups


from


either direction. 



As there had been a traffic control area south of the starting point,


realize


that there must be one ahead as well,


and,


sure enough,


there is... 





And there's nothing to do but take the car through this one,


which is long enough such that the


walking


distance remaining is minimal back to


the Station.


Well,


another time...


With the day still


relatively young,


tourist-


divert


down


Poppet


Flat


(with


campgrounds,


residences, and


surprisingly bucolic atmospheres)


and,


subsequently


via


the


McMullen-


area


woodlands,


Twin


Pines


Roads


(heroic


views


and


the


surreal


Ranch


Boys


Probation


Camp).


Retrograde,


down,


down


the


Banning-


Idyllwild


Grade,


in


markedly


different


light


than


yesterday,


across the high


Gorgonio country


and


lower


still


into


the


relatedly


unreal



San


Timoteo


Badlands


(or


should


it


be


called


the


Wonderfullands?


or


Wonderland of


Rockish Angles?)


on Route 60 to Moreno Valley, the Box Springs and


Jurupa


Mountains,


out of


Riverside (north 15) and back in


San Bernardino,


10 east again (though farther west) to Yucaipa Grade


and


Boulevard,


casting about


Crafton Hills College,

until happening on the Zanja Trailhead.


Uncharacteristically


without


benefit of map,


charge


up


the


trail,


with


a few


detours,



mounting


the


steep,


phantasmagorical


slopes


to at last arrive on the 


Ridgecrest, within sight of the highest Peak, which must wait for another auspicious time to be surmounted.


Down


again


the


precipitous


planes,


contouring


around,


re-


charging


and


reversing


course


to


the


Brownings'.


Again, with excellent conversation,


out to


Black Angus (visiting briefly with Lisa and company),


then return for more libations and 


wisdom into


darkness...


High back home, 91 (48th 90+), on the 130th day of summer, and



locally, 86...