Bits and pieces
Here is a random collection of things that caught my eye over three separate visits to the same area of Folsom Lake, along the North Fork near the Narrows.
North Fork Ditch
I’m sure that one reason I find the North Fork Ditch remnants at Folsom Lake so fascinating is that their history goes all the way back to the mid 1850s. (Ditches were also constructed around the same period along both sides of the South Fork, but I’ve never seen the remains of these.) I’ve shot photos of bits and pieces […]
Shy redheads
I’m quite used to spotting Rufous-crowned Sparrows along the bike trail at Lake Natoma; and apparently they are also used to seeing people using the trail, given their fairly bold behavior and willingness to pose for pictures. Out at Folsom Lake, along the north fork of the American River, the birds are much more shy — so I was pleased […]
Stone mason aqueduct
A few days ago I posted a photo I shot at Folsom Lake showing a high curved rock wall. I took my initial pictures from a distance and didn’t have a chance to explore the wall more closely — but when I got home and started looking at the area on Google maps, something odd caught my attention. The screenshot […]
Old wood
Hitting the trail
I’ve visited this same area of Folsom Lake twice in the last two weeks, and both times the skies were mostly dull and overcast. Today, the sun came out, and I couldn’t resist going back to do some more trail exploration. There’s so much to discover along a number of different trails and plenty of cool details that I missed […]
Lake views
Fortunately, you don’t need to buy an expensive mansion overlooking Folsom Lake to take in the natural beauty found within the state park. Even on a dreary day in the middle of winter there are scenic views and colorful surprises just waiting to be discovered.
Forgotten waterways
The North Fork of the American River, now part of Folsom Lake, looks much different these days than it did prior to 1955. Now bulldozed, covered with rocks and gravel, flooded or otherwise forgotten were once homestead cabins, farms, vineyards, and mines. All of these required water, and the North Fork Ditch helped move water from the city of Auburn […]
To wander
Yesterday we spent a few hours blissfully unaware of the national chaos as we explored an unfamiliar portion of Folsom Lake shoreline. The area of the North Fork between Granite Bay and Rattlesnake Bar has always been a sort of black hole to me — with small ranches and multimillion-dollar mansions lining this portion of the lake, it didn’t seem […]