Today I drove to Nevada County where I visited portions the Truckee Trail, part of the Overland Emigrant Trail network. The Truckee Trail opened in 1845. Those arriving to the Sacramento Valley via the Truckee Trail added to the American population in California, so the trail played a small part in the United States wresting control of California from Mexico in 1847. Three cheers for the Truckee Trail! The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad led to a steep reduction in trail traffic. I have no idea when the last wagon passed over this route..
Conestoga Road off of Highway 49 follows directly over a section of the Trail.
The Trail crosses modern sections of road in many spots. Using the Truckee Trail and Nevada City Road Driving Guide from Trails West, Inc., I drove to two Trails West markers along the Trail.
These parts of the Sierra foothills are rural and privately owned. No Trespassing signs abound. I greatly prefer poking around the National Forests, where I can get out and stretch my legs and not see a single other person.
I saw no mention in the press today of this being the anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination. Then again, I have not been online much today. But I do remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. I was in the second grade, playing marbles with my classmates during recess, when a student walked up to tell us the president had been shot. When we returned to the classroom, our teacher told us the same thing. That is all I remember of that day. It was long ago and I was very young.
Today I made a 20 meter SSB contact with an operator in Massachusetts. We discussed the usual boring things, what radios we had and the weather conditions, and then I commented that today was the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. (I had happened to read this earlier on the History.com website.) The other party said he wasn't aware of this, he didn't follow history. He lives some 30 miles from Lexington. Hopefully his comment was just about not knowing the date of the battles. I live about 25 miles as the crow flies from Coloma, and while I know that James Marshall discovered gold there in January 1848, I can never remember the exact day, the 24th. Living where I do means I should know about James Marshall and the mill site and most importantly the impact of the find. And someone from the Boston area should be familiar with the words Lexington and Concord. We Americans should have a basic understanding of our history.
Private Alyn W. Butler, Company M 110th Infantry, fell in battle in Fismes, France one hundred years ago today. He was the only Roseville resident killed in action in World War I.
His remains were returned in 1939 and interred in Roseville Cemetery. The American Legion's Alyn W. Butler Post No. 169 in Roseville is named in his honor.
On the coming September 15, the City of Fismes will dedicate a memorial to those who served defending their city. Meadville, Pennsylvania and Fismes are sister cities, as many residents of Meadville and Pennsylvania served in the defense of Fismes. Representatives from Meadville will attend the ceremony.
Post Script, September 7, 2018: I marked the anniversary on my calendar over a year ago. About two weeks prior to the anniversary, I notified the Roseville and Granite Bay Press Tribune of the upcoming anniversary, as it was only fitting that Roseville should remember. Reporter Brody Fernandez called me for details. The newspaper ran an article on August 31. However, it got Alyn's age wrong (20 years old) and his unit wrong (110th Infantry Division). It also referenced a great-grandson Harry Butler, but I have found no record of Alyn Butler being married or having any children. He was 19 when he died.
On September 5, I sent an email to the City of Fismes noting the anniversary, adding the photograph and newspaper clipping above. I ended: "God bless the City of Fismes. May the friendship between the United States and France last forever." Later that day, I received a nice response from Denis Queva, General Director of Services, City of Fismes. He mentioned the strong bond between Fismes and the United States, a bond forged from two World Wars, and that he would pass the message on to the neighboring town of Fismette and the Memorial committee. I also received an email from Andy Walker, City Manager of Meadville, Pennsylvania. He said he was part of a group that would travel to Fismes for the memorial dedication, to represent the City of Meadville, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States of America.
My email to Fismes, including headstone photo and newspaper clipping, made it to the Fismes Memorial 18 Facebook page, with my message translated to French. From there, it went into an article in the September 6 edition of the L'Hebdo de Vendridi.
I read about the folks in the far left all the time, and today I drove to Sacramento to see them up close and in action. This event was one of the several Families Belong Together demonstrations being held throughout the country. For over two hours I heard their calls to abolish ICE, end deportations, and welcome immigrants and refugees. I hope these people get plenty of media coverage, and the Democrats fully adopt their message, to help the Republicans in the coming elections.
The demonstration was held in front of the US Citizenship and Immigration Building on Capitol Mall. I have no idea of the crowd size, but people lined both sides of Capitol Mall between 5th and 7th Streets. With demonstrations in Vacaville, Stockton, and Grass Valley, this event largely drew people from the greater Sacramento area. Things kicked off at ten o'clock.
I saw two American flags and one was being flown upside down. There were plenty of red flags. Guess what they represent? And while there were banners and signs for Industrial Workers of the World, Brown Berets, and Party for Socialism and Liberation, most banners I saw were for Democratic Socialists of America. I think Democratic Socialists of America is gaining some traction.
Here is a sampling of the signs people held: Defund ICE / No US Government Child Abuse / The GOP Supports Internment Camps for Kids / No Ban. No Wall. Not Now. Not Ever. / Workers Without Borders / Abolish ICE / Fuck Trump.
Chants from a sheet handed out by organizers:
Up, up with liberation!
Down, down with deportation!
Resistance is liberation
Break the chains
No Ban! No Wall!
Sanctuary for All!
Parents protesting the treatment of illegal immigrant children in detention centers had their very young children with them in the uncomfortable heat (high 90s) and intense sunlight.
While the speakers went on about this and that, a splinter group headed up 7th Street to protest in front of the Sacramento County Main Jail on I Street. This caused much work for the police, who had to divert traffic and otherwise keep things under control. This splinter group returned as things were winding down.
By now it was 12:15. I had seen enough for one day. I headed home.
I saw the total eclipse of the sun from John Day, Oregon.
Two months earlier, I decided to go to Oregon for the eclipse, but wanting to avoid crowds, I ruled out Interstate 5, as it was close to heavy population areas. I considered Madras, near the center of the path of totality, only to find many people had already made their travel plans. Checking travel websites on July 11, I found the nearest available hotel rooms for August 20 were in Bend, 43 miles south of Madras and outside the path of totality - one room went for $487, the other for $1500. That took Madras off my list. I zeroed in on the small town of John Day in eastern Oregon.
News reports in the days leading up to the eclipse warned of heavy traffic and gas shortages. My research showed the nearest gas station from John Day on my route was in Burns, some 70 miles away. Before Burns, gas was available in Lakeview, 145 miles away. I would be traveling through remote and desolate country. Burns out of gas meant John Day out of gas, and I could not drive to John Day and expect to reach Lakeview before running out of gas. Also, I had no idea where I would be staying once I reached John Day. I had never been to this part of Oregon. I envisioned pulling off the side of the road and sleeping in the bed of my truck.
In the darkness of the morning of August 20 I commenced my journey, ascending the Sierra Nevada to Donner Summit, elevation 7227 feet, and thence down into Truckee, and onward to Reno, where I took Highway 395 north. Other than in Reno, I saw little traffic. I entered California at 4:56 AM. Fifteen minutes later there was just enough light to the east for me to make out the hills. I got gas in Susanville. From here the towns would be small and few and far between. Litchfield, population 26 - next services 70 miles. Termo, population 66. Sometimes an oncoming vehicle passed me, but mostly I had the road to myself. I crested a ridge at 5000 feet and looked out on the magnificent expanse of a valley. Entering Modoc County. Entering Likely, population 99. A remote area. The US Army fought the Modocs near here in the early 1870s, in the only campaign of the Indian wars where an Army general, Edward Canby, was killed. Gas in Alturas. Eighteen miles south of Lakeview, some eight northbound vehicles were in a line perhaps a half-mile long, a number that seemed large for these parts. The World War I Veterans Highway commenced at the Oregon border. Gas in Lakeview. Oregon law prohibits vehicle operators from pumping their own gas. I asked the attendant about the availability of gas to John Day. She said not to worry, there was plenty of gas. The road wound along the base of Abert Rim, one of the highest fault scarps in the United States, 2490 feet from rim to valley floor. Then came a stretch of some 60 miles through lava flows, fault escarpments, and sagebrush. A right turn at Riley, one last fill up in Hines (next to Burns), and then it was on to John Day. Still, little traffic. The town of Seneca was on the edge of the path of totality. Wherever I would spend the night, from this point on I would see the total eclipse.
Arriving at John Day, I saw several tents pitched in the athletic field of Grant Union Junior/Senior High School. The school was selling campsites chalked out on a grid on the grass for $100 cash. Those choosing to sleep in their vehicles in the school parking lot were charged $75 cash. Showers and bathrooms were included in the price. This was where I would spend the night, and I gladly paid the $100, knowing it was going to the high school, a good cause. It would be a long time before John Day had another total eclipse, so the school should of course take advantage of this opportunity.
I walked one-half mile to downtown John Day. Incoming traffic was far lighter than what I had expected. A few vendors were selling eclipse-themed items. I ate dinner at the Grubsteak Mining Company restaurant. Returning to the high school, I listened to Dr. James Pesavento's talk on the eclipse. I missed the first thirty minutes, where he covered the scientific aspects, but I heard his discussion of safety. Then came, for me at least, the most important take-away: if this is your first total eclipse, when it arrives, put your camera down and enjoy the experience, for no photograph can capture what is seen with the naked eye.
I awoke at 5:45 AM from a good sleep. The field had filled with tents during the night. Vehicles were still coming to town. Most campers were up and about by seven. I struck my tent and loaded my truck. By 8:30 people were starting to assemble. Some seven telescopes were set up. I talked with various people, most of them Californians.
The eclipse started at 9:08. People occasionally glanced at the sun through their safety glasses. Conversations continued and people walked about. The light still appeared normal so there was not much change in the crowd's behavior.
Minutes before the 10:22 start of the total eclipse, the light began to change, and people began paying attention.
When the total eclipse arrived, we could view the sun and moon without eye protection.
For a little over two minutes, I saw a black ball enveloped by a ring of light, with rays shooting into a dark blue sky. I saw one star - or was it a planet? The temperature dropped. Street lights came on. The crowd gasped, clapped, cheered, and laughed.
And then a bead of light showed itself, signaling the viewers to put on protective glasses. The crowd cheered as the shadows reappeared.
And that was it, the Great Total Eclipse of 2017. People said their goodbyes and prepared to leave. I was on the road within fifteen minutes. Many of us had a long drive ahead of us.
I let my GPS select the route home, and from Burns it took me to Winnemucca. There was a line of traffic to Interstate 80, particularly after we met up with the Idaho and other eastern Oregon traffic coming down Highway 95, but things proceeded smoothly. I passed through Reno, climbed the Sierra, and came down into the Sacramento Valley, arriving home around 8:30 PM, just as the last of rays of sunlight shone to the west.
2017 marks the 137th Bok Kai Festival in Marysville, honoring the water god Bok Eye of the Bok Kai Temple. The parade may date to the construction of the original temple in the 1850s. I've been to several parades, held on a Saturday, but not until today had I gone to Bomb Day, held on Sunday. On Bomb Day, which dates to the 1880s, young men compete to catch "good fortune" rings shot into the air by exploding bombs.
The general public is allowed inside the Taoist temple during the Festival. The frescoes above the entry are among the few remaining of their kind, as similar ones in China were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
