Rush Ranch's Marsh Trail: overlooking and approaching Suisun Slough

Suisun Slough winding through marshland

The Suisunes were a tribe of Native Americans living in and around a marsh area in what is now Solano County in Northern California. Suisun City is named for the Suisunes. Other geographic names also refer to the people who once resided in the land next to the estuary of the northwestern section of San Francisco Bay: Suisun Bay, Suisun Slough, Suisun Marsh and Suisun Hill. The Bed Rock Mortars (Indian grinding rocks) along the South Pasture Trail on Rush Ranch give evidence of Native American activities around the tidal marsh with plenty of fish, ducks and other wetland species.

Marsh Trail west of Rush Ranch's visitor center leads to a nearby overlook with vistas of Suisun Slough, Suisun Marsh to the south and Goat Island Marsh to the north. An overlook panel underlines that this is a rare sight today:

A huge wetland, like the one before you, is a rare sight in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of the wetlands that surrounded the San Francisco estuary have been drained or filled for agriculture or development. Suisun Marsh was saved from filling and development, in part, by duck hunters who valued the wetland for the hundreds of thousands of ducks it attracts each year.

Bulrushes growing in the shallow marsh water

Marsh Trail loops around the Goat Island Marsh. The Marsh Trail Guide hand-out—available at the visitor center—points out local plant and animal life as well as constructions made by man over time to manage the wetlands. Cattails and tules (see picture above) grow abundantly where the depth of the water is less than four feet. River otters and hawks hunt for fish and rodents in the Suisun Marsh. Grizzly bears that once roamed the marsh are now gone.

Rush Ranch's South Pasture Trail

Bed Rock Mortars along South Pasture Trail

Rush Ranch's blacksmith shop

The South Pasture Trail mostly traverses Rush Ranch grassland east of the Suisun Marsh. The trail begins south of the barn between the blacksmith shop and the antique farm equipment. First, you will pass an Aermotor Windmill (702 Model); or, maybe, you want to spend some time at the windmill and read about its history and technical details. This farm windmill was made by Aeromotor, a manufacturer in Kansas in 1932. The structure is moderate in size, compared to a tall tower of a modern wind turbine. It actually is a windpump, employed to fill the ranch's stock water tanks. This windpump converts the rotary motion generated by the wind-blown wheel of steel blades into a steady up and down pumping stroke. An informative panel on-site explains: “The piston-pump cylinder pulls the water out of the well and pushes it through the distribution lines to the stock water tanks. The modern water-pumping windmill has gone through very little evolution in the past century and serves as a testament to its perfect design.”

A windpump south of Rush Ranch's barn complex

As you continue southbound on the trail, you will cross Spring Ranch Creek and come to an overlook. Follow the path where a sign announces that the trail is maintained by the employees of Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. to get to the Bed Rock Mortars. Soon you will stand in front of the Grinding Rock used by local Patwin Indians for food grinding. What kind of diet did they grind on this rock? According to a panel next to the mortars, Patwin Indians may have ground dried meat, which they prepared from waterfowl and salmon they successfully trapped or speared. The Suisun Slough and its surrounding marshlands certainly must have been an excellent hunting ground.

While you are completing your South Pasture loop trail hike, you will find other points of interest described in the South Pasture Trail Guide hand-out available at the visitor center. While studying the objects next to the trail, don't miss the views of the nearby tidal march—Suisun Marsh—and Mount Diablo further south.  

A treasure house of rare biota: Rush Ranch in the Suisun Marsh

Woodcraft owl watching Rush Ranch

The Suisun Marsh is a brackish marsh in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary system, California. This ecosystem includes bays, sloughs and tidal wetland. Today, the large, open marsh space attracts visitors with interest in both natural and human history. At its center: Rush Ranch, the first property that the Solano Land Trust purchased in 1988 to serve as a hub for scientists, historians, birders, hikers and anyone who loves outdoor & community activities.

Rush Ranch horses with marshland in the background

Upon my first arrival at Rush Ranch on a hot and sunny summer day, a friendly ranger immediately introduced me to the barn owls spending their time in the dark corners underneath the barn roof. An owl crafted out of wood pieces can be found at the visitor center (top picture). There are several hiking trails—well-marked loop trails—to explore the marshland, pasture land and the open hill sites east of the ranch buildings.

Cream-bush flower cluster in summer

In front of the visitor center you will find the Native Plant Garden of Rush Ranch, dedicated by the Solano Land Trust Board of Directors to Marilyn Farley (Executive Director, 2005 to 2009).  Featured plant species include sticky monkey flower, coast live oak, white sage, toyon and cream bush. The drought-tolerant cream bush (Holodiscus discolor) is named for its creamy-white drooping flower spray. In summer, the showy flowers loose their flirty creaminess and age into stiff, brown clusters, as shown in the right-side picture.

The kiosk next to the stable area provides an overview of rare and endangered species that may be spotted in the habitats around the ranch:

The Rush Ranch is notable because of the occurrence of at least twelve rare or endangered species. Endangered animals include the salt marsh harvest mouse, the Suisun shrew, the Suisun Marsh song sparrow, the black rail, and clapper rail. The waterways of the Suisun Marsh area support populations of Delta smelt, an endangered fish species restricted to the California Delta and upper Bay. Rare plants found here include the Suisun aster, Jepson's tule pea, hispid bird's beak, Suisun thistle, Contra Costa goldfields, and Mason's lilaeopsis. In this regard Rush Ranch is a treasure house of rare biota.

Getting to Rush Ranch

The Rush Ranch is located between Suisun Slough and Suisin Hill south of  Fairfield/Suisun City. When at the intersection of Highway 12, Sunset Avenue (leading north) and Grizzly Island Road (leading south): turn south on the latter road and head south for two and a half miles to the ranch entrance (picture above) on your right, from where a gravel driveway leads to the ranch buildings.
To get to the Hwy 12 intersection from Interstate 80 in Fairfield, take the Hwy 12 East exit toward Rio Vista/Suisun City and proceed for approximately three miles.

More to explore
[1] Solano Land Trust: Rush Ranch Open Space [solanolandtrust.org/RushRanch.aspx].
[2] San Francisco Bay - National Estuarine Research Reserve: Rush Ranch [www.sfbaynerr.org/visit/rush-ranch].
[3] Trailhiker: Rush Ranch Open Space - Marsh and South Pasture Trail [trailhiker.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/rush-ranch-open-space-marsh-and-south-pasture-trails/].

Jepson Prairie Preserve in summer

Jepson Prairie Nature Trail near Olcott Lake with Mount Diablo far back

The Jepson Prairie Preserve is a National Natural Landmark at the western edge of the Central Valley in Northern California, preserving vernal-pool habitats, mima mounds, native perennial grassland and some threatened grass, insect and aquatic species [1-4]. Also called Jepson Prairie Reserve, the (P)reserve is found northwest of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. From the preserve, you will not be able to overview this inland delta, but you can see across it, for example, to spot Mount Diablo in the south—often amidst a layer of haze.

The preserve is almost treeless, as expected for prairieland. A few non-native eucalyptus trees are growing within its picnic and lecture square. Further, “tall, non-native towers” that suspend sizzling overhead power lines are part of the prairie terrain, which today is surrounded by agricultural land. A Self-Guided Nature Trail with numbered posts allows visitors to explore the grassland and the northern shore of Olcott Lake [3].

Olcott Lake and other, nearby vernal pools exist as alkaline water bodies during and shortly after the rainy winter season. Olcott Lake is larger than a typical vernal pool and is sometimes called a playa pool. When filled with water, the vernal pools teem with microscopic organisms, shrimp, salamanders, wading birds and migratory waterfowl. The bottom of Lake Olcott consists of water-impenetrable clay-like soil, such that rain runoff gets seasonally collected in the shallow pool—without seeping into the ground and maintaining a long-term water reservoir.

A lecture canvas fixed to the fence near the The Nature Conservancy plaque says that on rare occasion a coyote, racoon or beaver may be observed here. The canvas includes illustrations by Ann Ranlett showing the Fairy Shrimp. This shrimp species is legally protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, as are the Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp and the California Tiger Salamander.

Shoreline of dried-out Olcott Lake with plant distribution pattern

When I visited the area in early summer of this year, the water of Olcott Lake had evaporated completely. Since its shoreline is successively moving down into the lakebed while the water is receding, a banded shoreline pattern evolves each spring with plants distributed in dependence of the changing water level and the accumulation (precipitation) of dissolved salts. I am hoping to learn more about the interesting ecology of vernal pool plants on one of the guided tours next spring.

The preserve is named for botanist Willis Linn Jepson, who first described the vernal pool flora in 1892—80 years before enough momentum was gained to protect Olcott Lake, the surrounding prairie and its diverse plant- and wildlife [4].


Getting to the Jepson Prairie Preserve

The Jepson Prairie Preserve is located south of Dixon and east of Fairfield in Solano County, California. 

From I-80, on your way southwestbound from Sacramento, take the Dixon/Highway 113 exit and go south on Hwy 113 for about twelve miles. Where Hwy 133 turns east, continue south. Carefully cross the railroad tracks and find parking space next to the fenced eucalyptus square on your left.

From I-80, on your way northeastbound from the Bay Area, take the Suisun City/ Highway 12 exit and go east on Hwy 12. About eight miles east of Suisun City, turn left on Lambie Road. At its junction with Goose Road, turn left. At the Goose/Creed Road junction turn right and go east to the T-junction, at which Creed Rd. meets Hwy 113. Go north and then west on Hwy. 113, until you get to the point where Hwy. 113 turns north toward Dixon. Here, you want to turn left, go south, cross the railroad tracks and park at the eucalyptus square.

The Nature Trail gate is across the gravel road, west of the eucalyptus trees.
   

Gate of Nature Trail in Jepson Prairie Preserve

  
References and more to explore

[1] Katherine F. Mawdsley: Jepson Prairie Preserve Today. Fremontia January 2000, 27 (4), 52-55 [www.cnps.org/cnps/publications/fremontia/january_2000/8mawdsley.pdf].
[2] UC Davis Natural Reserve System - Jepson Prairie Reserve [nrs.ucdavis.edu/jepson.html].
[3] Jepson Prairie Self-Guided Nature Trail: nrs.ucdavis.edu/Jepson/Jepson%20Prairie%20Self-Guided%20Trail.pdf.
[4] Solano Land Trust: Jepson Prairie Preserve [www.solanolandtrust.org/JepsonPrairie.aspx]

Ice-covered Tamarack Lake with Ralston Peak

Partially ice-covered Tamarack Lake reflecting cloud-topped Ralston Peak

Lake bank with water, rock and ice

Tamarack Lake is a shallow lake in the Desolation Wilderness west of the Echo Lakes. This lake is popular with both dayhikers and backpackers [1-3]. Over the Memorial weekend (2016) Tamarack Lake's north shore turned into a little camp ground; probably, since farther-out sites in the Aloha Lake neighborhood were still too wet or icy. The rocky south-facing slopes between the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and Tamarack Lake were partially clear and dry. The lake itself was still covered by a floating sheet of soft ice—except for a narrow band of open water at the lake bank.  

To access the small Tamarack Lake—and the even smaller Ralston Lake and Cagwin Lake just south of Tamarack Lake—most visitors hike the PCT (here, coincidencing with the Tahoe Rim Trail) paralleling the Lower & Upper Echo Lakes. From the Desolation Wilderness boundary, the hiking distance to the shore of Tamarack Lake is less than a mile. Another option is via Haypress Meadows from the Ralston Peak trailhead at Highway 50 (north of Sayles Flat)—about six miles, one way.

On hot summer days, Tamarack Lake provides swimming and also fishing opportunities. When ice-covered and cold in spring, it is a serene and untouched body of water—still mosquito-free. Blue and white is the color palette, with green slowly making its appearance as the winter landscape fades away. Mike White describes the lake and its surroundings as follows [3]:

A light forest of mountain hemlocks, western white pines, and lodgepole pines rings the shoreline. A small, tree-covered island near the south end adds a bit of character to the scenic lake.

In the picture below, this small island is easily overlooked. The snow-white lake blends into its snow-covered surroundings and the imposing Ralston Peak is stealing the show. 

The small Tamarack Lake island at the center backdropped by Ralston Peak

References and more to explore
[1] Adina Marguerite: Into the Deolation Wilderness: Tamarack Lake Hike [www.adinamarguerite.com/blog/2014/3/10/into-the-desolation-wilderness-tamarack-lake-hike].
[2] Avid Backpackers: Tamarack Lake October 2008 [www.avidbackpackers.com/htm/trips_2/tam.html].
[3] Mike White: Afoot & Afield. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, Ca, 2nd printing 2008; page 219.

Echo Lake(s): one lake or two lakes?

Lower Echo Lake (Memorial Day weekend, 2016)

Eastbound hikers above Upper Echo Lake

Echo Lake is a glacial lake located in the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, California. Sometimes you'll come across its plural form as on the trail information site “Echo Lakes To Barker Pass” of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association [1]. Why is that? My hiking map also features two lakes: Lower Echo Lake and Upper Echo Lake. “Both lakes”are at the same elevation (7,414 feet). They are shown to be connected by a narrow channel, such that one plus one makes one. However, if the water level gets too low, the connection physically shrinks or disappears and Echo Lake becomes Echo Lakes. Try to find the narrow channel in the picture below!

Upper Echo Lake with granite islands which are topped with windblown conifers (Lower Echo Lake at the upper left)

A rocky peninsula south of Echo Peak (elevation 8,895 feet) divides Echo Lake into two sections. When the water level is high enough, the channel is passable by boat. Then, the Echo Chalet's water taxi [2] provides its service: shuttling hikers out-and-back between the Lower Lake's east-tip harbor and the water taxi pier on the north shore of the Upper Lake.

Whenever you are eager to speed up your trip into the granite wilderness—the Desolation Wilderness, the water taxi comes in handy. Otherwise, hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), which here coincidences with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), is a memorable experience with scenic views. The 3.2-mile-long trail section between Lower Echo Lake's dam and the Desolation Wilderness boundary stretches along the north shores of the lakes. There are only minor ups and downs. To your right (while heading west) are various granite cliffs, from which water is dripping down during the snowmelt season. To your left is the narrow, deep blue lake with strikingly well-maintained rustic cabins on the granite shore.

The trail above the Lower Lake traverses crack-marked granite slopes of open forest of junipers and Jeffrey pines. The forest and the trailside rock formations become denser while you are crossing the peninsula shoulder and are approaching the junction with the short descend to the Upper Lake's taxi pier. Farther rambling westbound and steadily climbing the rocky terrain, you'll soon arrive at a junction with a trail ascending toward a small lake called Triangle Lake. Remember that to continue on and into the wilderness you need a Desolation Wilderness Permit [3].      

Desolation Wilderness post

Getting to the Echo Chalet and the Echo Lakes Trailhead
From the junction of Johnson Pass Road with Highway 50 south of Meyers, 1.25 miles west of Echo Summit, go east on Johnson Pass Road for about half a mile. Turn northwest on Echo Lake Road. This road leads all the way down to the Chalet, Marina and Lower Echo Lake's dam. Unless you arrive very early, the chance to find parking there is small. It is recommended to park in the upper trailhead parking lot and then walk down. The map kiosk in front of the dam has a small box with permit forms applying to those travelers who plan to enter the Desolation Wilderness.

References and further information
[1] Tahoe Rim Trail: Echo Lakes To Barker Pass [www.tahoerimtrail.org/index.php/echo-lakes-barker-pass].
[2] Echo Lake Chalet's taxi service: www.echochalet.com/taxi.htm.
[3] Desolation Wilderness Permit, CA: www.recreation.gov/wildernessAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72202. 

Rhododendron worlds

Rhododendron 'Aprilmorgen'. Picture taken between rain showers on an April morning in 2016.

Each year, in April and May, Bremen's Rhododendron Park lets people dive into a colorful sea of blooms displayed by rhododendrons and azaleas from around the world. Before getting intoxicated by the rhododendron fragrance scenting the air over the many paths between the cultivated plants, I always like to walk to the rhododendron globe, a sculpture indicating the distribution of rhododendron species by numbers laid onto subcontinents, islands and rhododendron-rich regions.

Rhododendron-globe sculpture in Bremen's Rhododendron Park

Terra Europa on rhododendron-globe sculpture

On the Pacific Ocean section of the globe relief, seen in the picture above, the following text is written: Verbreitung der Rhododendron auf der Erde - In der Natur kommen etwa 1000 Arten - Species - vor. In English: Distribution of rhododendron species on Earth - There are about 1000 naturally occurring species. I never added up all the laid-on numbers. Occassionally, I pick a region I am just interested in and check its rhododendron-species-number to get an idea of how the region is doing rhododendron-wise. The numbers in the picture above give a count of four species for central Europe and five for the Caucasus region. Step clockwise around the globe to face North America: three species in the Northeast, four in the Appalachian Mountains, fifteen in the Subtropical East, four in the Northwest and three in Alaska. Japan: 41. By far the largest counts are found within the Southeast-Asia regions that cover the Himalaya, China and areas further south. At a glance, I get a sum of over 700 species there. The high density of large counts given for this area is consistent with the biogeographical recognition of the Sino-Himalayan area as the center of rhododendron diversification. Rhododendron rubiginosum is one of those species growing over a wide area of China and northeast Myanmar (Burma).

Inflorescence of Rhododendron rubiginosum

In nature, rhododendrons grow from sea level to high-elevation mountain habitats. The impressive flowering shrubs—from small to giant—are found in coastal or alpine woodlands, temperate rain forests and tropical environments. And many of them thrive in Bremen's climate—inside and around the Rhdodendron Park [1-3].

The ability of rhododendrons to resist cold differs from one species to another. As a result of horticultural nursing and research, ornamental rhododendrons with various degrees of winter hardiness now exist. Further, variations in flower color, size and shape have been realized in hybrid rhododendrons. For example, the Rhododendron 'Aprilmorgen' (April morning, see top picture) is a hybrid with pink flower buds, which open up as pink-white flowers that eventually turn completely white.

The Rhododendron 'Aprilmorgen' was introduced by the nursery Baumschule H. Hachmann in 2004 [4]. It is a Yakushimanum hybride, named after the Japanese Island of Yakushima, where the purebred plant, Rh. yakushimanum, grows in mountain areas at an elevation ranging from 1200 to 1800 m (3600 to 5400 feet). An information panel in the park with the title “Und noch mehr Yakushimamum-Rhododendron” (“Yet more Yakushimanum-Rhododendron”) explains that this species is favored in deriving hybrids, because it has a compact growth, rich flower display and excellent winter hardiness.

Getting to the Rhododendron Park
Take the tram from a downtown stop: BSAG Line 4 towards Borgfeld/Lilienthal. Exit at the Bürgergmeister-Spitta-Allee stop. You'll find yourself in the middle section of Schwachhauser Heerstraße. Use the pedestrian traffic signal to cross over to the south side of the street, turn left and cross Bürgergmeister-Spitta-Allee at the signal. Continue walking eastbound and turn right on Marcusallee. Continue on this street to its intersection with Deliusweg. Here you may either want to turn left and head to the Botanika (the “Green Science Center” [3]) and Botanical Garden section of the park or continue along Marcusallee until you arrive at the left-side semicircle, the main entrance (Haupteingang, see map below) of the Rhododendron Park. Note that there also is a bus option, Line 20, to get from the Bürgergmeister-Spitta-Allee/Schwachhauser Heerstraße junction to the main entrance.

The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Admission is free. Guided group tours are available.

Map of Bremen's Rhododendron Park

Keywords: travel, Germany, Bremen, rhododendrons, heather family, Ericaceae.

References and more to explore
[1] Bremen Tourism: Rhododendron Park [www.bremen-tourism.de/rhododendron-park].
[2] Jon M. Valigorsky: Rhododendrons of North Germany. Journal American Rhododendron Society Fall 1986, 40 (4). EJournal access: scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v40n4/v40n4-valigorsky.htm.
[3] Botanika Bremen: www.botanika-bremen.de.
[4] Deutsche Genbank Rhododendron: Rhododendron 'Aprilmorgen', Hans Hachmann (1998)[www.bundessortenamt.de/rhodo/index.cfm?job=rhodo_one&rid=35603].

Grammar comment: On the rhododendron globe it says Verbreitung der Rhododendron auf der Erde. I would instinctively say Verbreitung der Rhododendren auf der Erde. Is it wright either way?


Further walking tours in Bremen

• Historic Borgfeld and the Hollerdeich with wetland vistas
• Friedrich-Bremermann-Weg alongside the Kuhgraben canal
• WWII Valentin submarine factory in Farge-Rekum
• Visiting a restored windmill in the Rekumer Geest
• Weser Rriver walk in Bremen-Vegesack