Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park

Last week, we decided to indulge in our, or should I say my, yearning for an autumn road trip.  Our destination was the Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, which is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills.  Called Chaw'se, the indigenous Miwok Indian word for "grinding rock," this small state park preserves the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America, displaying over 1,000 mortar holes.  Grinding rocks were used by American Indians to grind acorn and seeds into meal for consumption.

The day we visited was cold and rainy--otherwise known as perfect autumn weather.  Golden leaves were plentiful underfoot; a sweet arboreal scent of wet bark, dying fallen leaves, and earthy dirt mixed with the lingering foothill air, which was made salubrious with a slow, steady rain. 

Largest outcropping

Three traditional structures

Nestled among large, spindly oak trees are three-to-four small limestone outcroppings, with an additional outcropping (the largest one) in the middle of it all.  The huge mortar display spans beyond the walking distance between the three traditional structures shown above.  To give you a perspective, the structures, which were built around the 1960s when the historic site became a state park, could easily fit five people inside comfortably standing or sitting.  Interestingly enough, the inside of these traditional structures was completely waterproof beyond the entrance, but then we didn't visit during a torrential downpour.

More quaint and humble than other California State Parks, the Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park has only two hiking trails, both shorter than a mile long.  The main attraction here is, of course, the grinding rock itself.  A small American Indian museum is also on-site, but was unfortunately closed when we visited.

I could only imagine the everyday significance that this physical location held for Miwoks and perhaps other local Indian tribes.  A communal place to gather, cook, and converse, this site was an everyday cultural hub, at least for the tribe's womenfolk.  Although the place is now quiet and still, there remains a positive, flowing energy about it that unabatedly lingers steady and strong.

Feeling Nostalgic

Shop: thisisalliknow

I'm feeling a little nostalgic today, as I am writing countless drafts of a meaningful letter in support of saving a lighthouse where I felt innately at home.  The first few drafts were fact-filled and devoid of any real argument.  They lacked the fight that characterizes a thoughtful letter.  My husband went through these very drafts, pointed this issue out to me (at which point I became frustrated because I, indeed, was lost in the facts), so I let the thoughts sit in my mind for awhile.  I allowed them to form without structure, gave them breath without judgment.

And today was the day that the letter took real form, coalesced into a cohesive, coherent piece without the pulling of teeth or hair--metaphorically speaking, of course.  Writing isn't easy sometimes, especially when there is a deeper significance to the act itself, which in this case is to help save Point Cabrillo Light Station.

I can't believe that this is the same lighthouse that was slated for closure a little more than a short year ago...before California "found" $54 million in a "hidden" State Park account.   Read more about the current issue regarding Point Cabrillo Light Station here.  (FYI: Point Cabrillo is technically called a "light station" because the grounds include more than just a lighthouse.  In fact, it's one of the most complete light stations in the United States.)

Week in Photos

We took a short trip to the mountains earlier this week.  Although it was a quick jaunt there and back--the entire trip lasting no more than three full days--its brevity was fully reconciled by its quality.  Here are some images that I took during a few of our hikes/walks in the High Sierras:

Eureka Lake
(located in Plumas-Eureka State Park)

Ladybug with unique eye spots
(edge of Eureka Lake)

View of Eureka Lake from trail to Eureka Peak
(Entire hike is close to 2,000 feet in elevation gain in under 2 miles;
hike loops around the peak; we did not know about the loop, so we didn't "finish" the hike.
Instead of following the trail around the peak, we retraced our steps back after reaching the summit.)

Gold Lake
(Lakes Basin area)

Eye-catching growth
(Jamison City area)

Point Cabrillo Light Station

Recently, we took a little trip to the Point Cabrillo Light Station, which made for some otherworldly photographs:

 The light station's light pierces through the fog, and can be seen miles upon miles out to sea--the ocean is behind the lighthouse.

Fun fact #1: A "light station" is different from a "lighthouse" in that a light station encompasses the lighthouse plus the additional buildings surrounding it, such as the lightkeeper's house and blacksmith shop.  According to this book, Point Cabrillo is one of the few West Coast lighthouses that has nearly all of its original structures still intact.  Pretty good for a light station that was built in 1909.

One of the three lightkeepers' houses.

Fun fact #2: The lightkeepers were ranked.

View of the back of the light station from the inner edge of the cliff; not too far behind me is a steep drop into the icy, unpredictable waters below.  

Fun fact #3: The lightkeepers' houses are behind the barely visible dark trees on the left side of the image.

 One can easily see why a light station was needed on this stretch of coast--it is very rocky and the surf is quite intense. 

Felt innately like home.

 

I must admit, the inspiration for this trip was, appropriately, Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, which I have blogged fleetingly about here and here.

Can you believe that this California state park was at risk of closure last year?  It's a good thing that California just so happened to stumble upon nearly $54 million in hidden funds.  

We need some genuine accountability and transparency, folks.

Weaverville Joss House

This month, we are trying to make a trip to the Weaverville Joss House, a California state park in danger of closure by this summer (short video below and some history a few paragraphs down).  Over 70 state parks are on this closure list, which was instituted last year by Gov. Brown in a feeble attempt to close the state's budget gap.  As this summer nears, I fondly look back to our early autumn vacation last year, blogged about here, which included a trip to another park on the closure list.

At times like these, I get so angry and frustrated by our bureaucracy, our lack of a cohesive governmental structure.  I want to slap the hands of the greedy, in addition to desperately wanting to redistribute the wealth and the misappropriated funds.  Difference of politics or not, a viable, workable solution cannot be implemented when a bipartisanship does not fully acknowledge and own up to their respective finger-pointing.  Things must be done for the public good, rather than for individual or corporate interests--even if we are down deep in a wad of debt.  Like my pun?  I know that I am not alone in this thought.

Weaverville Joss House: History

"The Chinese population of Weaverville started to decline after the 1850s, as gold ore became scarcer, and many left to work on railroad construction. By 1931 only 16 were counted in town. In 1933 the Weaverville Chamber of Commerce went on record in support of making the Joss House a State Historic Park, but nothing came of the proposal for another 23 years. Without the efforts of Moon Lim Lee, the Weaverville Joss House probably would not have survived. Moon Lee started his business career at the age of seven, selling vegetables from a horse-drawn cart. He continually improved and extended his enterprises and became a successful grocer and merchant. He worked constantly in his later years to preserve the Joss House and get it added to the State Park System. He was appointed trustee of the temple in 1938. Moon Lee continued to promote the Joss House as a historic treasure for his own people and for all California and the world until his death in 1985, at the age of 82."  (From here)

"Moon Lim Lee, the last Chinese caretaker for the Weaverville Taoist Temple, formed the Weaverville Joss House Association in 1983. Mr. Lee and his wife Dorothy donated the "The Temple of the Forest beneath the Clouds" to the California State Parks in 1956 to preserve the structure and increase awareness of the cultural contributions made by the Chinese in California. Today the association continues to support the State Park effort in preserving the temple, built by Mr. Lee's ancestors in 1874."  (From here)

***

Politics aside, as a descendant of Gold Rush-era Chinese male immigrants to the US, I would really hate to see a part of history from that era, gone.  This video truly sums up my sentiments.

Another state park with Chinese American history, China Camp, will close in July, making it probable that two state parks with a race-based history will close this year.  There are just too many coincidences and ironies in that act alone...


5/23/12 UPDATE:
Funding goals have been met and agreements have been made--the Weaverville Joss House will stay open for the next year!