Another one of those famous late spring cold, shitty Cali weekends. Even LA is cloudy and cold. The only escape towards warmth is to the Central Valley, and indeed, this is where the wolf and I decided to go. We took our trusty dog-lover's guide to Cali out to check out some of the doins in the Central Valley, and a stellar weekend was had...
Truth be told, the southern part of the Central Valley isn't all that great for off-leash dog frolic. No state parks allow it, almost no cities have dog-centric stuff, and for the most part, the only real choices are the odd regional park, Bureau Of Land Management (BLM) parcels, and National Parks. Since we weren't really equipped for a big mountain weekend, National Parks were out of the question.
Aside from a few town dog runs, our options between Oakland & Fresno were basically the Little Panoche Hills (BLM lands) and Lake Hensley (Army Corps of Engineers) if we wanted to have an off-leash good time. We did want to have an off-leash good time, so we hit the hills on the way down and the lake coming back the next day.
I have long loved the Panoche Valley. It is super remote, awesomely beautiful, and is the gateway to the totally bizarro-ville of New Idria. I have driven through the area many times, but I hadn't done any exploring of the Bureau Of Land Management parcels. I needed very little prompting to head out, but knowing the area, I couldn't imagine exactly what it was that the kid and I would exactly do when we got there.
It was hot, and even though it wasn't quite June, the whole area was already tinderbox dry and as golden as it will be come October. While it wasn't hot in the extreme - and in any case, it was better than the arctic Bay temps - it was warm enough that I knew we wouldn't make it too long exposed to the sun as one necessarily is in that treeless area. It is worth putting up with for lots of reasons, not the least of which is the birds.
I always see loads of exotics out in this part of the state. I haven't looked this grey one up yet, but the real highlight of the visit was seeing a Roadrunner! I love the Roadrunner, and the only place I have seen them in California was out in the Panoche valley, which I think is one of the furthest north areas the bird is found. That is a big payout for a Midwestern lad.
While it didn't get much over 90 degrees, it was plenty warm, especially for the little Chihuahua. While this one was born in Texas and bred in much hotter conditions back in the day down in Ol' Mexico, the kid just doesn't groove on direct sunlight. First chance he got, he made a dash for a bush. Keep in mind - I am quite worried some hawk or eagle is gonna see him out there and think it hit the f'n lotto! I constantly look back to make sure he is still with me and hasn't been plucked away by some hungry raptor. Then there is the whole thing where he seems interested in going down rodent holes whenever he sees one (he weighs 5lbs., it would be no trouble for him...) I take the boy into nature with great fear tugging at me. To have him disappear into some bush to avoid the sun is what happened, but it definitely was not my first thought.
I am not sure if he does it on purpose, but he also doesn't answer my calls by barking - and lord knows he wouldn't run! I can call him, even in a panic, but he isn't all that motivated to reply and let me know he is ok. I have to run around and look for him. Keep in mind too that he is seeking shade, and when he finds it, he will be black fur against a black background. He is quite hard to see.
Thankfully, he eventually jumped out and came up to me to let me know he was still around.
We walked around a little bit, and were having a nice time, and then I heard the first (of many hundred) reports from the Constitutional Scholars and virtuous sportspersons who were out in the Panoche Hills to blow shit up and fire their guns off.
I am sure that there are skeet shooters and marksmen who can make a legit claim to a skilled use of guns, but I suspect that an overwhelming percentage of gun ownership is based on (huh huh) making it go "boom" and seeing stuff get wrecked. It is just a pre-pubescent fantasy played out fer real. I can't prove this mind you, but everywhere there are gun enthusiasts, no sign is safe. In fact, shot-up signs usually are proof-positive that one is in pig-fucker habitat.
While I love the birds, the views (we reached a spot where we could see down onto the fruited plain of the Central Valley), and the time out with the kid, none of it is worth being shot by a bubba over.
Eventually, the constant gunfire and hot sun seemed to be driving the kid batty. We had to leave for a more sane environment. Damn shame too.
We made our way back to the auto and made the descent back down, passing through some awesome canyons and over some long stretches of prime Kit Fox habitat.
I know earthquakes bring a lot of misery to many who feel their wrath, but I have to admit, I am glad that this part of the state is so lousy with earthquakes since it keeps the development pressure down. Add to that the fact that it is bone dry and hot as Hades most of the year, and I have to think it is not as endangered as lots of other spots. The fact that there is oil out there, as well as some rare elements and mineral, so there will always be some loser wanting to grind it up to make that quarter's numbers - but for now, even if it means handing it over to hillbillies who want to shoot off their prosthetic peni, I suppose it is better than seeing it become Palmdale pt. II.
Next stop - Fresno.
Our guide pointed out 2 4-paw (4-star) dog parks in Fresno, and I thought at first we would hit them both that night, but the first one was so much to our liking, we didn't make it to the other one til the next morning.
At first, there was a handful of small fry and one Great Dane. I imagine that provided deep psychological scarring for the poor Dane, almost like a living nightmare I am sure. I always look for that one shot where Boom-Boom and a Great Dane meet nose-to-nose so I can start producing greeting cards and motivational posters, but it is yet to happen (what successory could one make of Boomie attempting to hump a Great Dane I wonder...)
I let the kid run wild awhile and did some reading. I did some bird watching too. I saw an amazingly beautiful Scrub Jay in his perfect new spring feathers. Really wonderful.
Then I realized he had just raided a nest and was eating some other poor bird's eggs. Bastard!
The kid does lots of sleeping, so I don't mind if he gets bored at the dog park. I wanted to finish my book (I did) and he can sleep there as well as in the car or in the hotel. Moreover, no matter what boredom may come, it is soon to end as different dogs cycle their way through the park. Indeed, no lull lasted long at the El Capitan doggie park, especially when the Min Pin Brothers arrived.
I don't know how Booms decides which dogs to hump and which ones to chase and bark at. For whatever reason, the Min Pins were in the chase/bark category at first site.
They seemed very much to enjoy winding Boom Boom up, and then taking off at top speed. I have to give them credit - I enjoyed it very much too. I really liked it because it totally tired him out. He slept like a baby and woke up ready to go for our visit to Lake Hensley, which is up in the next entry...
Posted by rudayday at May 31, 2009 10:16 PM