All Things Geography

Post-gression

2012-03-05T23:59:00.001-08:00

So I have recently been investigating Postgres and PostGIS. I am not a DBA, nor claim to be one, but I am interested in this database, because one of our departments at the city is using it. I have also been interested in it for personal reasons and to tie with other open source software such as GeoServer for web GIS and QGIS (or uDIG) for general GIS work. It was easy enough to download. I installed the latest version, 9.1 and PostGIS 1.5. There is a one-click install for Windows and for Linux and you have the option to install PostGIS and the drivers for connecting with other environments such as ArcGIS. In addition, there is pgAdminIII, a GUI for managing the various instances of Postgres databases and a shapefile loader to "import" shapefiles into Postgres.

Nothing real new here, especially if you have an aptitude to look in stuff like this. I am really hoping to get the Postgres DB working with ArcGIS10, so I can create some table views to work with so they can reduce the data formatting tasks they are currently doing. The Dept using Postgres would need to "see" tables using ArcView (no ArcSDE) available for this group, so I am trying to take this angle.

So I was able to create a simple table (non-spatial) and I was able to import shapefiles into Postgres. I have also been able to make a connection to my new databases via OLE connections through ArcCatalog, however, I cannot get the contents of the data to show up, so something is amiss....

To the ESRI forums I went and quickly found a similar problem, posted 2011.

http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/46395-Accessing-PostgreSQL-public-schema-tables-from-ArcCatalog-Python-scripts

Looks like the default 'public' schema that is provided by PostGIS cannot be "seen" by ArcGIS10 and the recommendation is to create the data using a different schema (i.e. one other than 'public'). So, I did this and with no-avail, this did not seem to work for either a plain table or with the spatial data I created from importing a shapefile. I poked around the net some more and have not come up with anything too useful to help me with my ArcGIS plights.

I then tried to view the data in a different GIS, so I installed uDIG. With a little finagling, I was able to get my imported shapefile to PostGIS to show up in uDIG. Good news on one front, just not the ArcGIS front. So my Postgres (PostGIS) data seems to be in-tact, but something is still going on with ArcGIS.

One thing I did not check is the supported PostGres version for ArcGIS. I believe it is PostGres 8.4 and PostGIS 1.4 for a Windows 32- bit OS.

http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/6968-Arcgis-with-PostGis-and-Postgre

http://forums.argis.com/threads/18016-ArcSDE-10-PostGres-8.4.1-and-PostGIS-1.4.0-near-impossible-to-findc!

Looking at the forums, I may need to run the PostGres version from the ArcGIS media and then separately install PostGIS 1.4.

I also found this post too saying ArcGIS 10.1 supports Postgres 9.0 and PostGIS 1.4 for 32- bit OS and 1.5 for 64-bit OS.

http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/6968-Arcgis-with-PostGis-and-Postgre

My gut feeling is there are still going to be some additional "configuration" pieces in order for this to work.

Creating a Query Layer in ArcMap

I suppose this is really what I want to do. (There may be an issue in ArcCatalog, but this might work in ArcMap). I will see...

http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#/Preparing_to_use_query_layers/00s500000032000000/

I guess some of my own words of wisdom.

1. Check the supported version of the software before installing and investigate what you are trying to accomplish beforehand.

2. Read through some of the numerous documentation ArcGIS has to provide some kind of overview of the process. There are a number of related documents that provide information, but you may still be scratching your head until you delve into it on your own....and then re-consult the ArcGIS documentation.

3. Ask questions to the forum and provide a well thought out response and provide supporting information such as screen shots, error messages, examples of work that you are trying to accomplish.

4. If you are fortunate enough to have DBAs and other experienced staff, in-house, use them as resources too!

More to come...

A Python Primer for ArcGIS is Finally Out!

2011-12-21T15:24:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time coming, but I am finally finished. The Primer came out on December 5, 2011. I must say, this was one of the hardest things I have done. You can get a copy here or through my website at JenningsPlanet.

The American River College online Spring course (Geog 375) is already completely filled, but the book can get you productive.

Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers.

Redistricting in Sacramento City and County

2011-05-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a public radio program that discusses the efforts of redistricting using GIS!

Insight - Capital Public Radio, 90.9 FM, May 17, 2011

The City of Sacramento GIS staff is help supporting a public effort using a web based application. The period is now closed, but we have received a number of groups to propose their Council District Boundaries. The County is doing all of the work in house for vote on by the County Supervisors.

City of Sacramento Redistricting Website

County of Sacramento Redistricting Website

State of California Redistricting Website

Ubuntu and GIS...attempt 2

2011-02-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have a renewed vision for running and using Ubuntu open source OS and various GIS packages, etc. Luckily, I have a nice IT friend that has given me a little push, so I am in the midst of doing this again, with the hope of offering others the same encouragement. See Mark Perry's blog in the subject a couple of years ago...this is where I first heard about it.

So I currently have the latest versions of Ubuntu and the following GIS packages on a system. Do internet searches on these to obtain the download info. These work on Ubuntu and Windows...

QGIS - open source GIS with a good interface, pretty easy to use and has GRASS embedded in it. QGIS also has some capability to do GPS to shapefile and vice versa for GPS.

GRASS - open source image processing. Been around for a long time, but not very easy to use. I am taking a look at this again and seeing what QGIS can/can't do with it.

Anyone out there that would like to share/collaborate with me, drop me a line...Students of mine...feel free to get it going as well (even on Windows) and let me know. I would genuinely like to know more, but the Earth Day is only 24 hrs long. You might even be able to work on it for credit in the Work Experience class at American River College.....

PostgreSQL - open source relational database

PostGIS - PostgreSQL spatial add on

GPS Babel- open source GPS converted to dozens of GPS formats, manufacturers.

Opticks - open source remote sensing software. Solaris 32 and 64 bit are supported. I am looking into see if Ubuntu version is supported. It may be limited. I strongly suggest this software, I use it in my remote sensing classes, and I have developed algorithms for them as well.

I encourage discussion and collaboration on it, so keep me in the loop and feel free to post on this.
As for me I hope to create some GIS data in the various supported formats and be able to use them in ArcGIS, since ArcGIS will accept shapefile, postgreSQL, and a variety of raster data formats.

I am also looking into putting a virtual machine on my system as well so I can function in both worlds unless I find out I can function well in one.

Yours in Open Source NMC

Weislander Vegetation Type Mapping

2010-12-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

A student of mine happened upon the Weislander Vegetation Type Mapping data set while conducting some of his thesis research. This is a very great find of historical vegetation cover mapping for California. This method was well ahead of it's time (being compiled in the 1920's and 30's). This data set is now GIS enabled as a result of work conducted by UC Berkley and UC Davis. I hope you find this data set useful in your work. At least check it out. Historical photos are available as well.

My student explained to me that some of the trees in the Sierras are not as near as big now as they used to be, especially of some species.

What a great data set that is available for other ecological research!

Thanks Jim!

Winter Downtime?

2010-12-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

With my busy schedule, I don't often to post much of anything, but thought I might provides some info on a variety of topics.

Python Programming - Geog 375 at American River College

I teach an online Python class at American River College. It is completely full for the Spring and I am working on having the class offered more often. I am also working on a text that I hope will become a book the provides the bridge between Python and ArcGIS. A draft version of this will be offered in my class for the Spring. Check out my blog and JenningsPlanet links for more information.

American River College GIS Program

GIS and the Community

I am working with Soil Born Farms to possibly provide an Internship opportunity that can help Soil Born with their mission while using GIS to deliver the "local food message" and showcasing some of the utility of GIS.

I have also created a GIS of my home property that focuses on how I am using my property for gardening. I hope to develop the data and generate some web services that I can showcase to students about what GIS can be used for and as potential project ideas for some of my classes.

GIS and Renewable Energy/Environmental Management

Renewable energy is an important interest to me and as almost all sectors of industry, GIS is being used to communicate the messages. ESRI has posted some interesting show cases of how GIS is being used in environmental management.

Earth Policy Institute

I came across this organization by chance in a book store. It turns out it is run by the same person who put out EarthWatch and published scientific papers on the state of the World. Check it out and read through Plan B 4.0 and get involved.

JenningsPlanet Urban Farm

My little patch of garden is in nitrogen and soil replenishing mode. I have planted a wheat, vetch, fava bean mix in two of my plots as well as my back fence. Luckily my neighbor cut is "evil privet" bush down, so I now have a little more sun light. I am trying to remediate some soil on my back fence and have dug up a little patch near my shed (aka future green house) for something. Compost bins are near full with my trees leaves and grass clippings, not to mention my home food waste. At some point I need to seriously prune my wonderful seedless mulberry weeds (I mean trees) so that my little garden can benefit from the sun. This will all come in time, since I need to fix my roof.

Energy Production

I have been thinking about how to implement (relatively cheaply) solar arrays on my property, better use water (hmmm...maybe I should be capturing this water for use later)....Note to Self: Buy bins to collect rain water, then use on garden. The solar arrays are not going to sustain my energy use for my home, but it will offset something. The search goes on.

Hiking

I now have some snow shoes, but of course the challenge is finding that time and obtaining winter clothes for my kids so we can go play. I am also thinking of investing in a pretty good GPS for my treks. I also plan to create GIS data sets/web services to also show case the use of GPS (yet, another one of my classes at American River College).

This is the update from JenningsPlanet Urban Farm. If I could just shift the Earth's orbit or slow it down, I would have time to do these things.

If you want to call this downtime, so be it.

Be Productive, Get Involved

Bonsai Rock at Lake Tahoe

2010-08-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Bonsai Rock - Lake Tahoe

I finally made it to the Bonsai Rock at Lake Tahoe. I was a little disappointed when I saw the rock, since it looked like the trees had been cut down. I checked other posts and realized that they were ok. I am glad these have not been further cut down. I hope to go back at other times of the year to see how it is doing.

JenningsPlanet Organic Family Urban Farm EarthDate - 07.31.2010

2010-07-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

Bed 1

I have been harvesting cherry and large tomatoes from the garden. I also have 3 poblanos almost ready. I have started a new batch of lettuce and carrots that I put in 2 weeks ago. First real leave are appearing.


Bed 2

Started 12 bush bean seeds. Currently 3 are coming up. I realized that one of the potato pieces I planted a couple of months ago is growing leaves. Maybe I will get a batch of potatoes. I also started 3 sweet potato cuts to see if these will start. My Japanese Eggplant which did have at least 4 flowers only has one developing eggplant. We will see if this survives.


Bed 3

My mandarin tree that I thought was dead, looks to be alive. It is producing flowers and buds and leaves, so hopefully, my little tree will make it. The pear tree did not make it. The fig tree has 7 developing figs. The cherry that I thought wouldn't make it has good leaves, but no flowers. I will probably need to wait until next year to see if I get any production.

Mandarin

One amazing thing this growing season, is I have been able to successfully start at least 6 tomato plants that actually started from seed in my developed compost pile. This (accidental) method was more successful than trying to start them from seed in seed trays. I know it had a lot to do with the soil temperature. Some even came up in a bed that I just threw compost on and mixed in with the soil.

Tomatoes

I also built 2 starter boxes from recycled cedar boards I picked up in my neighborhood from a fence remodel.

I am planning on starting onions and brussel sprouts in these boxes and then transplanting them into my garden once sprouted.

Python and ArcGIS 10

2010-05-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

I just completed a webinar produced by ESRI on Python and the new release of ArcGIS 10. Some very cool tools/functions coming out, especially with being able to access the map document, layers, table of contents, extents, etc., being able to create PDF map books, etc. Looks like one can write some code within ArcMap to run some simple processes such as a tool or any other process. The same thing can be done with a script attached to a custom tool. In either case the output can be automatically added to the Table of Contents.
Here are some highlights from the webinar.

Comments welcome. For those in the Sacramento Region (or not), I teach a class at American River College, Geog 375, Introduction to GIS programming. Completely Python and ArcGIS and on-line.

1. Can build Python code in Field Calculator

2. arcpy is now the primary module for ArcGIS (replaces arcgisscritping)

3. Script within ArcMap. Have a Python Script tool within ArcMap. Brings up a Python script window at the bottom of the map interface. Can run in the background and do other map work while script is running. The script results add the output to the table of contents.

4. can import extension modules (e.g. spatial analyst [sa])

5. Type commands from ArcGIS (Python script window at bottom of ArcMap window.

6. Python 2.6.5 will be supported on ArcGIS 10. Previous Python scripts and syntax should work with ArcGIS 10

7. Import arcpy into Python IDE to see geoprocessor code completion

8. Mapping Module:

              arcpy.mapping, automate map workflows, update/repair data sources (use a loop to do this!)

              access layers, create reports

              create PDF map books

              add/remove layers from table of contents

              definition query, transparency, rotation, scale, etc

              turn on/off labels

9. OS Support - Windows XP, Vista, 7

JenningsPlanet Organic Family Urban Farm EarthDate - 05.09.2010

2010-05-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

The second weekend in May, Mother's Day.

Starting Seeds...

of any sort, pitiful. I do have a couple of prospects of

Brussel Sprouts
Beans
Cilantro
Lettuce

but only a few out of the dozens I attempted to start (tomatoes, peppers, tomatoes, okra, peas, squash, zucchini, etc) are atually making it. I think my biggest challenge was keeping the seeds warm and with enough light during the starting phase. I really didn't have any place in my house to really do this.

So a project over the summer in preparation for the fall is to convert my shed into a greenhouse!

As a result of my seed propagation failure, I bought plants:

Cherry Tomato (1)
Hot House (1)
Japanese Egg Plant (1)
Basil (2)
Poblano Peppers (3)
Round Red (1)
Okra (2)

Strawberries (1 bag)

Onions were coming up from the bulbs I started earlier in the year. The spacing could have been a little better, but they are coming up.

I transplanted Rosemary and Oregano from a pot I had.

Box 1

Tomato, Poblano, Eggplant, Garlic

Box 2

Lettuce, Basil, Okra, Garlic

Box 3

Started Sunflower, Palm seeds
I found in downtown Sacramento,
Onions

Compost

Is going well. This is the most successful part of my garden, since all I have to do is through my food waste and yard waste in there and turn once in awhile :)

My First Lettuce Salad

I managed to clip enough lettuce I started from seed in my garden for a salad.

My son planted a couple of pumpkin seeds in the garden. We will see if they come up. I also (re) planted a couple of zucchini and squash seeds. Hopefully, these will come up.

Here is a picture of a succulent garden I have that I keep adding to from time to time.

A Happy Accident

I noticed when I was watering my blue berries that I have two small tomato plants underneath my blue berries!! What a surprise. I will try and transplant it to my tomato garden.

Front Yard Orchard

The cherry has some new viable buds on it, so my transplant did not kill it :)

I managed to transplant the pear from a pot to the yard. I am still not sure if it will make it. I did give it some organic fertilizer in the soil and some good watering.

The lemon and lime tree had flower buds on it, but I think the bugs ate them. We will see if any fruit comes to fruition.

The mandarin is still a twig, but I am still hopeful. Some set of leaves are coming out of the ground, but I think it is a privit seedling. If so, it will go.

The fig is the most vigorous. Leaves are growing well. A new bud looks like it is appearing down at the base of the tree. I will see what comes of this.

Flowers

Flowers seem to be growing well. The flowers from last year are coming back, the roses are in bloom, however with a bit of leaf rust. The lilacs are doing well and the little bushes in front are producing more leaves each day!

The lone lily is about 4 feet tall! I can't wait for the blooms to appear.

I threw some flax seeds in the spot where my lemon tree is.

BioInensive Garden Class

2010-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

I was able to attend the biointensive gardening class yesterday at SoilBorn Farms. Julie and Alison from Peas and Harmony gave the class. It was a great introduction to biointensive gardening and the basics to work the soil, perform close planting, and keep the soil healthy and your garden functional all year around! Thank you Julie and Alison!

As a result of the class, I was thinking about my back and side fences in my back yard that are now overgrown with grass and still has the clay soil since I have not put any amendments in it. I did manage to clean them out last year and dig up the dirt, but not much else at this point. I do get a bit of shade on both fences, however the side fence does get some afternoon sun, especially in the summer.

Back Fence (South side of property)

South side somewhat shady most of the day. Probably good for flowering shrubs. I have a Japanese Maple (~4 yrs old) in foreground.

Backyard Side Fence (West side of property)

2 lilacs present in foreground. Potato tree by the telephone box in the far corner.

So I was thinking of planting wheat, rye, and/or oats here in the fall, which will serve as my brown material in the winter for my compost. The plan is not to grow grains for eating, but for keeping my compost and soil maintained....so I will try this out.

BioIntensive Gardening

2010-05-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

One of the more well known methods of organic gardening, BioIntensive Gardening lends itself to take a small plot of land (garden space) and turn it into a productive area for growing food. With the latest downturn in the economy and people needing to "be creative" in being able to get by with much less, turning an a small "urban space" into an area where a family can offset some of their food cost while being more gentle to the environment as well as know where their food comes from and to care for it, BioIntensive Gardening is one option.

Coined by John Jeavons in the early 1970's, he is a world wide proponent of productive organic gardening in small spaces and to help the soil be more "alive" and productive. His working farm is in Willits, CA.

This is one area I am spending a good portion of my time learning and trying as part of my own Urban Garden. Luckily, I live near a working organic urban farm, Soil Born Farms, where I can gain on-site information and knowledge that I can translate into my own experience.

Come back to see how my experience expands my own backyard geography.

Creating the Palisades Creek Lost Google Map (GPS/Digital Camera)

2010-04-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

The following describes how I created the map above (from my Oct 2009 Palisade Creek "Lost" hike) - See my Palisade Creek Lost blogpost from Nov 1, 2009.

To create the Google Map post from Nov 1, 2009, I used a basic Garmin 76S and a plain digital camera - Cannon with 5 Mp that does not have GPS capability.

One can create a map like this without any special software other than the Free GPS Babel software to do GPS to other format conversions (one of which is KML) and a free Google (gmail) account.

Pre-Requisites

1. Download the GPSBabel software.

2. Obtain a free Gmail account if you don't already have one.

3. If you want to view your Google KML file in Google Earth, then you will need to download this program. If you want to see you KML file in Google Maps, then you just need to save the KML files.

Create the Map

1. Collect GPS Data

Go collect some GPS locations, routes, tracks. At some point this post will be outdated, but for those of us who don't own the latest and greatest toys, this will be helpful to those who want to create free and easy maps for some basic location GPS data and digital photos.

2. Download/Convert GPS Data using GPS Babel to KML Format

Download the GPS Babel software (if needed). Note where the GPSBabelGUI.exe file is located so you can start the program. The GPSBabelGUI.exe is the GPSBabel program that has a grapical user interface (GUI), which makes it simpler to download/upload/change GPS formats.

Download your data using the GPS babel software and save it out to a KML format. Save the KML file somewhere on your computer.

3. Download your photos to you computer

Once you download your pictures go to the Photos link and create a new photo album and upload the pictures you downloaded to this album. This creates a "Web Album" on your Google account.

4. Add the pictures to a Google Map.

Add a caption if you choose

5. Create a KML file of your photo map

Go back to the Photo Album of your photos, and then click on "View in Google Earth" to generate a KML file.

Instead of "Open in Google Earth," choose "Save." Note the long number. You will need to remember where you save this file, since you will "Import" it into your custom map you will create later (see the next steps).

6. Create a Google Map of your GPS data

Click on the "more" drop down list in you Gmail account andselect Maps from the list to bring up a window to create your own Google Maps.

Click "My Maps" to create a custom Google Map. This map will contain both the GPS data and your photos.

Click "Create a new map" to create a custom map. Give it a name and a description if you choose, and then choose "Import" to import your KML files.

You will need to import your KML files of both your GPS data (exported from GPS Babel) and your photos (that you created in the above steps) into this new map.

7. Import the KML file of your GPS data and photos to your custom map.

You should now have a custom map of your GPS data and photos.

From here you can edit the captions and add text about the locations or photos.

Happy Map Making!

NMC

Urban Garden

2010-04-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Spring is trying to get here and I am trying to get my garden going as well. For the last few years of creating and planting raised beds, my what should be "green thumb" is rather brown or gray. I thought I might start out this year with actually testing my soil. My son made this his science project, which actually got him to a District science fair. Turns out my soil is basically depleted of Nitrogen and Phosphorus, but ok with Potassium. pH is neutral.

So a few weeks ago (early March), I added the following:

Chicken Manure - 1 bag over all three boxes
Steer Manure - 1 bag per garden box
My own Compost - a number of shovel fulls of compost

Mixed all of this in.

About 3 weeks ago, I planted my gardens:

Box 1

(all seeds)

Pasilla peppers
Carrots
Cilantro
Zucchini
Squash
Cherry Tomatoes - planted in a circle
Big Boy Tomatoes - planted in a circle

Box 2

Lettuce Mix
Garlic - from a head of garlic
Onion bulbs
Basil

Peppers:

Green
Red
Yellow
Habanero
Pasilla

Box 3

Beans - planted in circles
Brussel Sprouts
Green Onions
Carrots

Lately, the temperature has been in the high50's low 60's. Two weeks ago it was 70 in the day, 50 at night. I think it has been a little too cold for the little seeds to germinate.

In addition to planting my garden and keeping my options for planting going, I also started inside:

Starter Box 1

Tomatoes (cherry and big boy)
Pasilla Peppers
Beans

Starter Box 2

Peppers
Tomatoes (cherry and big boy)

The beans are currently in a wet paper towel and germinating

The tomatoes have germinated after 1 week. The peppers have not germinated.
I have not used any light source on them other than the light that comes through my back sliding door and kitchen table.

I have also started pepper seeds in a wet paper towel, but no germination after 1 week.

Currently, lettuce, carrots, and brussel sprouts have sprouted in the garden. Garlic tops have appeared from my planted garlic cloves. All the rest has not germinated.

I do think my soil still has too much clay. I probably should have added 2-3 bags of good topsoil and a little more steer manure. I did not add any lime, or phosphorus or other phosphorus additive. I am attempting for pure organic and trying to develop my soil. I do have plenty of earth worms moving around, so I know the soil has some good stuff in it.

Okra, Peas, Cilantro

Today, I just planted okra, peas, and cilantro in an attempt to germinate other plants indoors while it is still cold.

Berries

On the side of my yard, I do have black berry bushes with buds and one of my two blue berry bushes have buds and the other is doing ok.

Fruit Trees

I bought fig and cherry tree and have yet to install them in raised boxes in my front yard. The cherry is questionable. The leaves that were on there when I bought is are dying, but I do see some new green buds appearing. The fig is doing well. The lemon and lime have sprouted new leaves and the lemon has new buds about to open. The mandarin still has a green stem, but I am awaiting an new signs of recuperation. The pear tree has no buds on it and I am not sure the pear is going to sprout any buds.

Lunch with Llamas

2009-11-15T23:46:00.000-08:00

An excellent hike today up near the Pilot Hill area off of Salmon Falls Rd and Hwy 49 at Cronan Ranch. My kids and I hiked with the American River Conservancy group and some folks from Vacaville with Llamas. Overall, a pretty easy hike about 2-3 miles to the South Fork of the American. Water is still flowing and a few ripples. Even deep enough for a lone Kayaker today. The kids were able to lead the llamas round. Ended the hike with a view of parasailors floating off of a nearby hill.

Palisade Creek Lost

2009-11-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

View Palisade Creek Lost in a larger map

I finally got a chance to do a more difficult trail sans kids. I had this idea that I would take advantage of a neat trail I had heard and read about. I was all excited to finally get down the the Upper North Fork and explore some of the river bed in this area and witnessing some spectacular scenery.

My expectations were suddenly devastated after I lost sight of the Palisade Creek Trail that comes off the right side of a granite face. I searched all over along the creek that the trail is supposed to run down, however, I never found it. I also ended up more East than I intended when I went searching for it, so about an hour of my 4 hr hike was spent bushwhacking in the manzanita. Cursed Manzanita...evil, vile! Looking at the topos and coming off the granite face, I was not sure if I was too far West or East of the trail. I thought I might cut over East since it "looked" kind of easy to traverse and it wasn't "that far." I was only about 1-2,000 meters from the said trail and thought I might go South to pick up the junction of the Palisade Creek and Long Valley trails. There is supposed to be a little upside down "heart shaped" lake that is also just East of the trail. I am pretty sure I came upon this (completely dry and full of dead grasses this time of year), but still could not see any indication of the trail. So I decided to head back, since I was beat from traversing manzanita hidden granite. Enough of that !#@$*, said I.

Luckily, I had my GPS and my Topo maps with me, which if I did not have, I would probably still be in the "thicket" of things.

Let this be a lesson to you....who am I lecturing. I was the idiot that got lost!

I finally made it back to where I lost the trail and had some deserved lunch. I was wiped out.

I hiked down the trail a little to about a 1/3 mi out from the parking area and I came across another "Bearing Tree for Section 32 in the Township 17N, Range 14E, XXX Topo Quad. The Bearing Tree is 83 links S72N.

A link is: "a traditional unit of distance used by surveyors, equal to 0.01 chain. In Britain, one link is exactly 0.66 feet, or 7.92 inches, or approximately 20.12 centimeters. In the U.S., both 66-foot and 100-foot chains have been used; for a 100-foot chain the link is the same as the foot." University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Units of Measurement Dictionary

I did see some pretty country and an interesting geographical feature.

Next time, I will be sure and go with at least one other person, so I can't blame getting lost on myself.

Palisade and the North Fork will have to wait, yet another day.

NMC (not feeling too cartographica on this one)

Compost Bin ca. 2009

2009-11-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

My new compost bin is finally completed. It took me several weekends to complete since I deviated from my project to go hiking in the various places mentioned below. The plans came from a Lowe's site that I found in a Google search. Pretty sturdy. I did not put in a wooden bottom as per the plans, but left it open. I did put in the middle support, though. The top sides and middle are open to the elements to allow moisture and air circulate and keep the critters out. They are made from 1/4" x 36" roll of "hard ware cloth." It will likely be found in the garden section of Home Depot or Lowe's.

Iowa Hill Ditch to Tadpole Creek

2009-10-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

View Iowa Hills Ditch/Tadpole Creek in a larger map

We made it a bit further than last time. At least we made it to Tadpole Creek. The hike to this point was extraordinary, me being with my kids and all. Some parts of this section of trail (~2 mi to Tadpole Creek) have several washed out spots that are too narrow to cross and force one to bushwhack up and down hills. Luckily, a fire came through here in 2008, which made it much easier.

As one will see in the slide show, because we did bushwhack, we came across a section corner for Township 16 NRange 15 E for Section 31. Also we saw a tree with a "Bearing Marker" on it to indicate which direction and distance from the tree the section marker is located in case it is obstructed by brush.

It was a good day for to hike this section again after a couple of weeks. The fact we were out on the trail much earlier and we didn't run across the squatter again. He left is mobile homestead and must have parked somewhere else.

We came across many interesting features of the Iowa Hill Ditch (or what remains of it). We found numerous hand hammered nails from ca 1850-1880. I am not sure of the exact dates as well as wire, iron stakes sticking out of rock, and splintered wood from when the nails actually held the wood together to form the Iowa Hills Ditch. This ditch, from what I read, was built by Chinese labor and ran for 40 miles. This section is at the 5500' elevation mark and runs the contour for a number of miles from Beacroft trail head East to Iowa Hills. It also continues along West, but I am not sure how far. Consult the USGS topo for more information. This "abandoned" ditch is on the USGS maps. You can also find out more here, at Russel Towle's blog.

Iowa Hill Ditch (short)

2009-10-14T23:53:00.000-07:00

I spent more time driving here than hiking (again). With my 7yr old in tow we set off for another adventure in the North Fork. This time I was hoping for an "easy" trail that we could stroll along for a couple of miles or so. The hike didn't last long due to a washed out area that I didn't really want to take my daughter on in the middle of nowhere and the fact we passed some squatter at the trail head in his beat up trailer and truck. I will definitely come back here, since the ditch is noticeable in many places and covers several miles to the east and west of Beacroft trail head.

Fire ripped through here in 2008 as one can see from the photos.

North Fork American River - Stevens Trail (attempt) and Codfish Falls

2009-09-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Stevens Trail/Codfish Falls Trail Map

View Stevens Trail/Codfish Falls in a larger map

Stevens Trail (attempt)

This weekend, I had in mind to do a less strenuous hike with my 7yr old and I wanted to start looking over Ron Gould's North Fork Trail guide, so I settled on Steven's Trail just outside of Colfax. I even wanted to get an earlier start which I did, however, we didn't get very far on Stevens.

We reached the parking lot about 10:45am with the plan to take our time and hike as far as my 7yr old could tolerate (I was hoping most of the way 6-8 mi). We ambled down the trail about 0.5 mi just past an old road coming in from the right when we spotted a bear (sorry, no pictures on this one). Luckily, he turned our way, took a look, then headed up the hill from the trail.

I decided to turn around and leave the trail. So our all day hike on Stevens turned out to be short lived.

On our way back we ran into a couple hiking with the same idea in mind. I told them of the bear siting. They decided to turn around as well. Back at the car, they asked me about other hikes in the area. Being a new hiker in the NF and a recent contributor to the North Fork of the American River Alliance, I told them about Ron Gould's guide, the NFARA.org site and Russel Towle's North Fork blog and remembrance site and suggested that Codfish falls might be a good alternative, now that the time was approaching noon. Turns out that the woman of the pair teaches at American River College, like myself. They actually had this trail downloaded from the Internet. I told them we may meet up with them later after my daughter ate a bite.

Off we went to Codfish Falls...

Codfish Falls

Using Ron's directions and taking the easier of the two ways to get to Ponderosa Bridge, I decided to take the Foresthill Road to the Ponderosa turn off and then take the 3 mi drive down, down, to the canyon and parked at Ponderosa Bridge. We did meet up with the pair we met on Stevens and they were just getting ready to head out. The commented on the drive down that it was a lot rougher than they expected. I replied that at least they did not take the 6 mi drive from Weimer. I told them that many of my "scouting" adventures to check out trail heads along I-80 to the NF had been met with driving very "questionable" roads and that a high rise vehicle and possible 4WD would be recommended. I am glad I have one for these such adventures.

So on we went through the stifling heat and the very low NF. To me, its all good. Just getting out exploring these wonderful places with the seed planted from Russel Towle's blog posts and Ron Gould's guide. I definitely plan to revisit some of these places in the spring time when the water is high. I also plan to visit some of the more impressive adventure spots that is profusely described in Russel's blogs. They seem amazing and, checking other related posts and blogs (see above), the are truly amazing, especially earlier in the year.

The trail was not too long, but seemed longer than I would expect because of the heat and my 7yr old likes to talk more and walk less. Eventually, we reached what would have been the falls, except it is September and the falls are just a trickle, perfect for the little frog my daughter spotted and tried to catch. We hung out for a few and then did our return trip. On the side at the confluence of Codfish Creek and the NF, we pulled off to the right and dropped down to the bed of the NF to take some pictures and experience the NF right at its base. So awesome being in the canyon.

We finished off the hike with my daughter jumping in the pool just at the base of the Ponderosa bridge while I hung out on the shoreline and watched the crazy young-folk jumping in different forms off the bridge.

It was a good day. New adventure...more to come.

NMC

Loch Leven Lakes Trail

2009-09-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

View Lock Leven Lakes in a larger map

You may need to open the larger map to see the captions under the photos.

Loch Leven Lakes trailhead is just off I-80 at the Big Bend Exit. The trail is mostly an uphill climb to to the Loch Leven Lake. From there you can hike about 1/4 mi to the Middle Loch Leven or about another mi to the High Loch Leven. On the west side, you can pick up the trail for Salmon Lake which is another mi or two. Loch Leven will make for a good day hike where one can experience some or all of these lakes in a day. Water is much lower in the summer than the spring.

American River Links Added

2009-08-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have added a separate link section for the American River for links that include other "forks." The Canyon Keepers link has portions of its trail book in PDF format for download, some with pictures.

Soil Born Farms

2009-08-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Soil Born Farms is an urban organic farm that exists near my home along the American River. I didn't even know it existed until I saw a blurb in the Sunset Magazine this past month. So now I venture there occasionally and volunteer once in awhile, too. It is so nice to have such a splendid place nearby. Soil Born Farms has inspired me to continue my ventures to organic farming at my home.

North Fork Shaded Relief Topo Maps

2009-08-25T00:22:00.000-07:00

I just finished a set of 1:24,000 scale shaded relief topo mosaics (42" x 60") for the North Fork of the American River. The maps include a good portion of the Middle Fork as well to help me plan and prepare my hiking trips. Check out my website JenningsPlanet -->Gallery for PDFs of the maps and more. I will likely make some minor updates and post some pure shaded relief renditions of the area as well. I may prepare some smaller versions of these as well as post the actual 1:24,000 PDFs that come from the USGS for this area. All of the information came from the USGS National Map Viewer and can be downloaded for free. The trimmed topos without the collar can be downloaded from the Cal-Atlas (aka CASIL) site for free. I created the maps using ArcGIS 9.3.1.

If you decide to print them out, they will take about 15-20 minutes to spool to an HP Plotter 4500.

Onion Creek and Cascade Lakes

2009-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Went on another adventure with the kids to explore some more of the North Fork. Again, I didn't get too far because I have a 7yr old and the fact we did not leave until 11:30AM to drive over an hour to any trail head.

Onion Creek

Based on a recommendation from the North Fork of the American River Alliance, I took off for Soda Spring to see how far I could drive towards the Royal Gorge. We went a few miles in just past Ice Lakes Resort and were able to drive pretty much up to a precipice where I took some photos. We continued on down, down towards Onion Creek. When we reached the 1st significant hair pin, I decided to turn around. I didn't want to get much further, just in case I ran into trouble, plus I wanted to check out the trail head near Palisade Lake that would take me down to the North Fork.

Cascade Lakes

So we did make it to the Palisades Trailhead (it is now about 4pm) and I did want to get out of the suburban. We walked about 45 min to an hour. I did notice that the North Fork would be about 7 mi which I will keep in mind for another day. I definitely want to go back and will probably do so in the spring when the water is up and flowing. The Cascade Lakes are of course very dry during this time of year, very dry...

All in all, it was another good scouting adventure and will come back to fully experience the glory of this trail.

China Trail

Another post I came across in the NFARA blog was a description of a hike that Russel Towle and a friend did a couple of years ago that starts around the Emigrant Gap area and trails down the North Fork. I will need to do this on my own or maybe with my son (12), since there will be a lot of driving and hiking.

I am eager to get to the North Fork at some point in time.

I am working on an overall map of the North Fork piecing together the 1:24,000 topo maps to make a large poster size wall map. I will post pics when I get them. I also want to put together a nice hill shade of the are too from USGS DEM data.