| Author | Message | ||
     Dino  |
I know, I know...I can't see it either, but this is one of Ferris Bueller's favorite Porterville haunts.  Looking toward the east you begin to see some advantages to living here...like the entire southern Sierra Nevada at your doorstep.  Here's a view from about five minutes outside the city limits.  | ||
| Jerry_haughton  |
...this is one of Ferris Bueller's favorite Porterville haunts. ha ha, seņor.  | ||
| Firemanjim  |
Favorite and Porterville are two words that should never be in close proximity.When my parents moved there in 1972,I drove down ,took one look,and announced my moving out.Dreaded the december drives through the blinding fog to visit for christmas. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
and if the fog don't getcha, the bandidos WILL! | ||
| Dino |
Never a dull moment!  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Dino, it's looking VERY Pacific Northwet up here today. the GOOD news is i've got the day off. er, wanna go riding???  | ||
| Dino |
Yep, I was just out in the garage doing some work and the motos were looking pretty forlorn. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
just drove up to the top of the Bostrom, expecting to bring back pix of stupendous snowfall. alas, it's raining steadily at 7000 feet, with the snow melting like crazy and combining with the rainfall to make the considerable runoff pretty ominous looking. on the bright side, maybe the Sierra's will retain some decent snowpack out of this storm? | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
btw, have you noticed that the only people proud enough of their hometown to post pix live on the West Coast? | ||
| Sandblast  |
I am going to throw one up too Ferris, soon as it stops raining and I can get some pics. | ||
| Awprior  |
Wish I had run the Bostrom... Even the cold, but decent weather in SO PA, hasn't stopped my from riding. But the stuff around Ferris's place, WOW... Makes me want to move out there for good. Dino and Jerry, post away, keep me dreaming. Your part of the world is, well, out of this world. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
not sure it's EVER going to stop raining... | ||
| Pdxs3t  |
maybe you should return to the NW? | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
hey, at least down here it's a WARM (usually...) rain. addendumb: hey, it stopped raining!!! sigh, it's snowing. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on January 11, 2005) | ||
| Pdxs3t |
I bet you have a real nice hill you could go sleding on? | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Dino can attest that the ThunderDome is much better suited for base jumping... | ||
| Pdxs3t |
now that could be fun! | ||
| Ebear  |
AAHHH...Maybe Hang Gliding!!...Ya' could land in the campground! | ||
| Dino |
"hey, at least down here it's a WARM (usually...) rain. " Yep, that's us...warm rain in the winter and dry heat in the summer! | ||
| Dino |
What the Porterville area lacks in excitement, we make up for in granite! This scene is on the north fork of the Tule, just off of the Oktoberfast route. For you Oktoberfasters out there, the north fork comes in to the middle fork at the bridge by the power station...or were you going too fast to notice the power station? You may recall that there was a sizable area burned by a wildfire above Hwy 190 and west of the powerplant that destroyed sections of the aqueduct. Or were you going too fast to notice that, too? As a result of the recent rainstorms that have hit California, a considerable amount of exposed soil has decided to relocate to the highway. It's a mess up there right now! Hwy 190 would be a good route for a dual sport bike at the moment, if you can find one that's registered and licensed!  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Hwy 190 would be a good route for a dual sport bike at the moment, if you can find one that's registered and licensed! grrrrrr................  | ||
| Dino |
 | ||
| Dino |
They say that timing is everything...and mine sucks! Yesterday early evening the sky here was filled with huge lumpy, swirling, billowing clouds of all colors and a partial double rainbow decorated the east. Today, as I drove northward out of town for a meeting, dramatic dark clouds were draped across the Sierra, a brilliant sun shone thru openings in the clouds to light the lower foothills in a shimmering green...and I had to work! I thought, "Just wait 'til I get loose this afternoon." Lo and behold, by the time I got headed back into town, the clouds were gone...naught remaining but a whisp here and there as a reminder of what I had missed out on earlier. None the less, a sunny warm late afternoon is not to be wasted, and it was too late to return to the office anyway, so I dropped of the car, grabbed a bike and headed back into the foothills. Not an epic ride by any means. Just a short jaunt up around Lake Success and back. As I left town to the northwest I came upon this field sprinkled with mustard. Not as dramatic as Spudman's canola fields...but kinda pretty, I thought.  Another mile or two along you crest a saddle created by Lewis Hill and drop down into Frazier Valley. Coming down off of the hill you pass thru some citrus groves commonly found along the base of the foothills. Minimum temps are higher up out of the valley trough where cold air collects at night, so you'll find the citrus belt above the frosts of the valley but below the lower temps of the higher foothills and mountains. These next two shots are looking east across an orange grove and toward the Sierra.   (Message edited by dino on February 23, 2005) | ||
| Dino |
After dropping down off the hill and riding past the orange groves we come to the intersection with Ave 192 heading east out of Strathmore. Turning east into the foothills we leave the croplands of the valley and head into cattle country. This first shot is looking to the south toward Ferrisville. If you've read his post of today you will have noted that he collected a bit of precip on his ride. I believe those are his clouds right there.  A bit further on, looking to the northeast into the Sierra, we see a little of this season's water supply just waiting for warmer weather to send it down into the San Joaquin Valley.  Meanwhile, on down the road and more to the east, the moon has risen. For once my timing didn't totally suck.  (Message edited by dino on February 23, 2005) (Message edited by dino on February 23, 2005) (Message edited by dino on February 23, 2005) | ||
| Dino |
Well, the moon may not be as dramatic in this wide angle shot...but this one is my pick of the day. Unfortunately, downsizing caused the white flowers sprinkling the foreground to kinda fade out so you'll have to take my word for it...it's really cool in full resolution! Wish y'all coulda been there!  Now, this may be getting repetitive, but I was having a tough time dragging myself away from the gorgeous moon over the Sierra motif. Just a couple more shots as the last rays of sun leave the higher peaks.   While I was trying to drag myself away from the moon shoot I was noticing flashes of light illuminating area. Odd, I had the auto-flash turned off. I turned to look to the south to find that my way home was about to be blocked by a HUGE looming black cloud spitting flash after flash of lightning earthward. Any smart person would have packed up immediately and headed for home. While I may not fit the description too closely, that plan of action seemed obvious even to me. So, sorry, no pictures of the lovely sunset that I rode into as I looped south and west around the lake and back home to P'ville. Perhaps another time. (Message edited by dino on February 23, 2005) | ||
| Court |
AWESOME! | ||
| Pdxs3t |
What Court said! | ||
| Dino |
Thanks much, both of ya! It can really be frustrating to be stuck down here in town when you look east a see that conditions have come together to create a light and color show in the mountains. Take a look at the second pic of this series. There's a house among those trees on top of the hill, above the orange grove. Think maybe that guy has a view to die for? (Message edited by dino on February 24, 2005) | ||
| Unibear12r |
Great pics Dino! That thunder bumper rolled over me at work and boy did it have attitude! Haven't seen one like that in many years down here. I think it's the first one I've ever seen heading due North like that. Not that big but it spit nearly constant lightning and moved fast!  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
great pix, Dino. |
