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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Here's a couple of excerpted pages from Piece Work: Fields and Dreams from the Central Valley by Fresno author Charlie Mariano, formerly a Merced kid.
Might mention his other books, The Whole Enchilada: Recipes, Photos and Stories from Merced, CA and Tio Boogie, his latest.
This story is called "Saving Gilbert." And another tale from Charlie.
And then there is this, from the MoTown Bee, on a new craft brewery. Try the Sandude Brown Ale if you have a chance. Mmmm-mmm.
http://www.modbee.com/news/local/turlock/article3583650.html
Hey, Dingus, when are we gonna get together? Say the word.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 12, 2016 - 02:10pm PT
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 19, 2016 - 12:22am PT
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Around the Memorial Day holiday of 2013 T Hocking and I met at the Woodfest, then I followed him as we drove to his place north of Redding: this wasn't enough driving for me, as I figured I could make it back to Merced that same day, the last of the holiday weekend.
I could make some good time on I-5, and I did...until I stopped at the overcrossing that serves the dinky farming community of Maxwell, bypassed and no longer much of anything.
I was happy to rest, but was so taken by the vantage point above the flat plain with abundant rice growing in the brilliant sunshine, stretching off to forever. The air was astonishingly clear and I set up the camera and tripod and took a 360 degree pan from various spots on the overpass.
Huge semis seemed dwarfed by the space around them, and visible to my eye from a long ways down the Interstate. Their noise in passing wasn't noticeable to me, as I was more absorbed in what I could see in the lens of my Canon.
When I was done I took more time and went to the frontage road on the east side of "the 5" and parked in the shade of some walnut trees growing next to a rice pond. An irrigation ditch, filled with Sacramento River water, ran next to the walnut grove.
Someone had left a dozer to rest in the shade and it was definitely dozing. The peacefulness settled in quickly, but I was restless in spite of it, wandering around shooting the scene.
It seemed silly to me that everyone was talking about a possible drought, when here was all this green rice and plentiful water.
After a sandwich and a beer I wandered into Maxwell, took some pictures of that slumbering relic of better days and a whole highway of travelers to provide with meals, gas, and lodging. There may have been one of those Giant Orange stands there in the past, but I saw no sign of one on my way south out of town.
All of this bucolic afternoon's peaceful feeling was destroyed as I plunged into the mad holiday, post-sunset traverse through the canyons of buildings in downtown Sacramento. I'd not owned this car for more than a few weeks and hadn't really been driving for years, so this was hellish and really freaked me out. I prayed, I think.
I didn't arrive home until nearly midnight.
Part of the reason for this late arrival is because I'd gotten off the 5 to get gas around Stockton and got lost in the dark, taking at least a half-dozen wrong trails. After a long search, I found the entrance to 99 South, thank you Lord!
You don't want to get lost in the dark with no map in the Central Valley, because there are no landmarks if you are a stranger.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 14, 2016 - 10:35pm PT
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Apr 14, 2016 - 11:11pm PT
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From earlier in the winter...
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Apr 14, 2016 - 11:26pm PT
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used to take alternate routes when going to or from the sierra rivers,
one night we stumbled upon the Firebaugh old timers rodeo,
all these poor seniors gettin bucked off of wild bulls,
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 12:10pm PT
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Merry month of May in Mariposa.
Looking along Bear Creek from Merced county near the county line.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 12:46pm PT
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"The Plains" of the San Joaquin's valley.
Looking downstream on Bear Creek to the west and north.
This is one of several feeder creeks to the San Joaquin River which arise in the foothills and not in the higher peaks, like the Fresno River and the Chowchilla River. They drain a much larger area but remain low or dry in most summers, like the smaller creeks.
These locally include Dry, Rascal, Miles, Owens, Mariposa, Dutchman, and Deadman creeks.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 12:50pm PT
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"Blood Meridian/June in SoMar"
One evening looking dead west into the sun from White Rock Rd. on the slope of Ward Mtn. in beautiful, dry southern Mariposa county.
The Round Hills are in the offing,
As is the looming gloaming.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 12:58pm PT
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The south slope of Ward Mtn. from White Rock Rd., which leads over the mountain and into Bridgeport on Agua Fria Creek, a feeder of Mariposa Creek.
Fresno to left, Mother Lode to right.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 01:26pm PT
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The Merced Irrigation District's Main Canal, carrying Merced River water, flowing south into the county.
This pic was made at the Robinson Rd. bridge.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 01:50pm PT
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Dunn Creek runs into Goodwin Creek near La Grange. Shortly after that, it feeds the Tuolumne River.
This should not tilt like it does. That's my fault. Down stream is to the right!
This is south of Crimea House by Red Hills on J-59. The watercourse is possibly Big Creek, which I located on a map.
It was mis-named, if any ever any creek was. Or it was a joke.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Apr 22, 2016 - 07:00am PT
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i'm swooning over here man ... beautiful!
(it's no picnic walkin' upright with the amygdala of an ungulate)
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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View of the Sierra Nevada from north of Merced.
Fourth St. in Snelling, CA. The Oddfellows Hall and the market.
The O. Gallo building, dating to 1900, on Snelling's main drag, J16.
Snelling's maind drag.
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