Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 23:05:12 -0800
From: Granville Pool
Subject: Mendo. Forest Recon, Pt. 2
Well, fans,

Having enjoyed the site of the lovely camp at Deer Valley (inexplicably on a
ridge) and with the taste of that first waterbarred trail still rolling
around in our mouths (unlike the dust that the trail will offer as reward
for the unwary in the dry season), we began the next leg.

Did I mention the weather?  As those readers who live in Alta California del
Norte are aware, the promised fair weather did not materialize.  Friday was
supposed to be sunny (to dry out the trails for us) and instead rained quite
steadily.  But we do count ourselves lucky, as Saturday delivered nothing
worse than intermittent drizzle.  Enough, though, to make the road surfaces
"interesting."  Together with hefty waterbars, some fairly steep grades,
fallen trees cut out of the road at Land-Rover width plus an inch or so, and
occasionally minimal visibility, we had to stay alert.

Oh, yes, and the unmarked roads, the marked roads which were not on the
maps, and other idiosyncratic workings of the great federal forest service.
We were ostensibly headed to a lovely spot called Twin Valleys and on to
Bartlett Springs, Pinnacle Rock, and Bartlett Mountain.  This route would
take us out to Highway 20 a few miles east of Upper Lake.  But I had the
only marked-up map.  Morgan and I had discussed the route and he had the
same map (minus the marked route) but there turned out to be another route
which headed to the highway sooner and, unfortunately, that's the one took.
I saw the sign, stopped to check my map, and realized the mistake.  Only I
was the last vehicle in line and had no CB (stolen out of my Land-Rover).
Now I was way behind, too.  Eventually I caught up, got Vance's attention,
and he radioed Morgan and got everybody turned around.

We went back to the fork and headed up French Ridge and on to Horse
Mountain.  Pretty enough but the clouds we were often in obscured much of
the view.  We were kept pretty busy anyway with staying on the road and
avoiding the grille bending (Jim) and mirror housing breaking (me) brush.
When we came to the [truncated!!!]