Day Hike Off Bowman Road

I love camping. I like being adventurous and try new places. But at the same time, I loath doing it with Abby. I like to know exactly what to expect so that I can bring all the right gear when I'm lugging her around. For example, are we camping somewhere where there is no running water to wash out pots? Are we going somewhere with no shade? Will there be heavy duty bugs there? Will there be no campfires allowed? Can we reasonably expect bears in the area? Do I pack 3 hats or one? Bring 4 extra gallons of water? Do I pack three bottles of bug spray or one? Bring certain kinds of food and extra rope to tie off the coolers? See, I NEED to know these things before I go. But when you try somewhere new, there will always be something you are unprepared for. If it was just me to worry about, then no problem. But with Abby? I tend to worry a lot more. (Alright, maybe I worry more than I should. I'll accept that...)

So anyway, I was up for camping this weekend, but our plans fell through. So, I asked Shawna if she'd like to go for a day hike instead. She suggested we travel down Bowman Road, off of HWY 20 in Nevada County, and I was up for it. Mike and I had explored the area sometime ago, but it had been a while.


Though I knew the general area, I certainly didn't know all the ins and outs and Shawna wanted to show me some rock formations she had learned in her geology field trips because she knew I was a rock hound too. Our first stop had amazing rock flows as well as a flume with a service walk above it.


Abby was being super brave and we decided to walk the flume for a bit too. It was pretty cool. (I'll spare you the photos I took of just rocks - yes, I AM that weird.)


Then we went further up the road. We never got as far was we wanted to, but oh well, we made do with the light we had and went for a hike. There were pleasantly few people in the area, and our hike was blissfully quiet. Abby explored nature, while she wasn't complaining about the hike, oy! And Shawna and I indulged in some nice conversations that drifted from intellectual speculations to pure gossip. Ahhhh, that was nice.


Abby discovered a beautiful blue beetle in some flowers.


Shawna found some wildflowers that she had never seen in her numerous wildflower hikes, and I enjoyed the air.


While I was out there, it suddenly occurred to me that I need to do this more. Just pick a trail, wander down it, and enjoy the company I'm with. Too often when I'm with Mike, it seems that the destination is the most important thing. Maybe it's our natural competitiveness? Who can hike this trail fastest? Though I do enjoy my brother's company, I usually find I'm too busy focused on how far we can get down a trail. That's a shame. I'm gonna try to relax more.


When we returned to the car I let Abby take 20 minutes to build a fairy house (something she's obsessed with lately) by the creek, and I got more time to stare at the trees, cool my feet in the cold mountain stream, and chit chat with Shawna.

All in all, it was a nice day. Bonus = Abby fell asleep on the car ride home. She never does that!


Awwww, what a delightful day.