Milestones
- 18th county in California camped (SHOW ON MAP)
- 2nd time camping in a redwood forest (SHOW THE 1ST)
Before Camping … I Spent Time with a Friend
At the beginning of this year, I met a nice man on the bike trail near Yountville; he calls himself TC, but I call him Tommy because that’s what was written on his business card… “TommyOnBike”. (I’m too old to rewire those brain cells now😆). Tommy is a Trail Ambassador for the Napa Valley Vine Trail. We’ve been trying to get together this year, and this time we succeeded. Tommy is a kind and generous man, and I enjoyed our conversation very much. He rides a lot, has camped a lot, cares about people a lot, and believes in God a lot. He’s just my kind of guy! Here’s Tommy dressed this year as Santa:
We finished up around 4pm, and I went straight to my campground. I noticed this campground back in August when I rode on the newly opened section of the Napa Valley Vine Trail. From a brief glimpse, it looked like a beautiful location. I wasn’t disappointed.
The Campground
The portion of land that is now Bothe-Napa Valley State Park was purchased in the 1870s by Dr. and Mrs. Charles M. Hitchcock of San Francisco. Hitchcock, his wife Martha and his daughter, Lillie Hitchcock Coit, entertained San Francisco society at their second home on the property and helped popularize the sunny valley as a summer getaway from the city. Lillie had been rescued from a hotel fire by San Francisco firemen at age 7; she became an unofficial mascot and patron for San Francisco’s fire brigades. After Lillie Hitchcock Coit’s death in 1929, her bequest to the city paid for building nozzle-shaped Coit Tower, honoring San Francisco firefighters.
The Creek
As I drove to my campsite, I went past the nearby Ritchie Creek, and it was definitely running. The creek drains the steep slopes of Ritchie Canyon, flowing east through dense forests of redwood, fir, oak, madrone, and manzanita before joining the Napa River. Despite its relatively small size, Ritchie Creek supports a modest run of threatened steelhead trout. Adult spawners make their way upstream during the winter and early spring and young steelhead swim throughout the year.
The creek is named after Matthew Dill Ritchie, a settler who took up residence at the edge of this narrow, wooded canyon in 1850. However, Ritchie’s claim to fame came several years earlier in the Sierras. An immigrant from Indiana, Ritchie arrived in California in 1846 and took up residence on the ranch of William Johnson along the Bear River near Wheatland, Ca. In February 1847, William Eddy, a weary survivor from the Donner Party, staggered into the Ritchie cabin and told of the dire condition of his fellow travelers still stuck in the Sierras. Ritchie took the man in and helped organize a group of men to return to the mountains and rescue the remaining members of the Donner Party.
The Forest
Bothe-Napa Valley is the farthest inland of the coast redwood state parks. Coast redwood forests obtain at least 30 percent of their moisture from fog. Coast redwoods cannot absorb vital nutrients when less fog is present on warmer days. You can see how much forest growth there was and all the lichen/moss on the trees.
I made dinner real quick, before the storm came. I cooked bratwurst over an open flame. It was fantastic.
The Rain
During the time I was camped, it rained 0.66 inches. Fortunately, my campsite wasn’t really muddy. Before going to bed, I made sure to cover my wheelchair with a tarp, and double-checked the rainfly over my tent. My experience in Colorado taught me a lesson. Of course, I seem to learn my lessons the hard way… but, at least they stick!
By 7pm, some light rain fell but it only lasted an hour or so. I fell asleep pretty easily. But around 1am, it started to rain REAL hard. This was the radar map at that time. It lasted for a few hours.
