NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – While working on an Earth Day American River Cleanup story (see page A1), it was necessary to venture into the canyon with two volunteers so I could see firsthand some of what they will be cleaning on Saturday. I met retired PG&E worker Rex Maynard and his neighbor Ron Blair at the curved bridge at the Confluence early last Saturday morning. The area was teeming with activity. Two State Parks employees, clipboards in hand, were busy conducting a survey of those at the Confluence to find out what their plans were, how much they planned to spend in town (and on what) and where they were from. Judging by the cars parked along the sides of the road, they were from just about everywhere. License plates from Nevada and even New Jersey could be spotted mixed in with all the California motorists. A cyclist told us there were actually two groups that morning. One was a bicycle company test riding their new line with some extreme sports pros. The other was a group of cyclists competing in races of various lengths. With notebook and camera in hand, we bid adieu to the cyclists and headed on our way. We walked for a bit along the trail on the east side of the North Fork of the American River and stopped near the Foresthill Bridge, the highest bridge in California. From the trail, we could spot a few shopping carts in the river, but not much else. “We’ll take this trail,” Ron said, as he slowly made his way down the steep embankment. Trail? I didn’t see a trail, but I followed Ron’s lead anyway. Once we reached the banks of the river, the trash was visible. Into sports? Golf balls are plentiful. Bowling balls, dropped 730 feet from the bridge above, are in pieces. Television sets, computers, monitors, tires and who knows what else are scattered among the rocks. Burned out glow sticks crunch underfoot. From what I’m told, teens love to go to the bridge at night and drop them over the side, watching them glow on the way down. Eric Peach said that this is where the bulk of the cleanup will happen on Saturday, under the bridge. His group, Protect American River Canyons, is lobbying for a barrier to be installed along the sides of the bridge to help prevent all this trash from ending up in the river, but so far the requests have fallen on deaf ears. Others have requested just such a barrier, but for different reasons. The Foresthill Bridge is also known as “Suicide Bridge.” While the bridge area will boast the most activity on Saturday, you won’t find Rex and Ron there. The duo is responsible for cutting up the abandoned cars discarded in the canyons. Ron has helped Rex with the last five vehicles. Rex has cut up a total of seven. The California Highway Patrol helicopter helps lift the pieces out of the canyon. “It’s hard to believe,” Ron said. “We clean this river every six months and we haul so much garbage out of here. It’s unbelievable how much trash gets tossed in this river in just six months.” To lend a hand with the cleanup, see the story on page A1.

WARM WEATHER – Thursday’s Auburn Art Walk officially kicks off the warm weather events in the area. ... Harvey Roper will be recognized as the McCann Award winner on April 18 at the State of the Community Dinner. Other awards will be handed out also, but I’m very happy that Harvey will be recognized for all that he does in the community. It couldn’t have gone to a nicer guy. ... The Wild West Rodeo is rolling into town beginning April 23 with the big events happening the weekend of April 25 and 26. ... The annual Auburn Karfluki Festival will be May 3 and 4 while Old Town should be kicking up its heels with Cinco de Mayo (that’s on May 5, of course). ... The first Auburn Cruise Nite will be May 9 but it will have some competition with another street party planned for the front of the State Theater building at the same time. Dr. Bill Kirby said the dance party would include a small street closure, music and food. ... May 10 will be the 8th annual Auburn Rotary Community Day and Fun Run at Placer High.  For more info, call 530-305-1112.

NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – Trying to squeeze in a hike between work and the Auburn City Council meeting the Monday after Easter, the kids and I loaded the backpack with water, trail mix and granola bars and decided to hike from the American River Confluence (shown here in my snapshot as we got underway) to the dam. Parking, as always, was at a premium. My hiking guidebook lists the trail as easy to moderate, 1.9 miles each way. We’ve taken the trail about halfway many times to reach Clark’s Hole, a popular swimming spot during the summer. The kids were grumbling about the heat and the fact that we were going to be passing the swimming hole anyway, so they didn’t understand why we couldn’t stop for a quick dip. I rattled off the list of dangers such as swift moving water this time of year and frigid water temperature (not to mention a lack of swimsuits). Along the hike we passed cyclists, runners, a couple of young ladies walking a dog, and a few families. It’s a nice trail but lack of shade is an issue and while it was a breezy day, the air in the canyon was hot and still. As we reached the swim hole area, my oldest daughter, Madison, began complaining that she felt sick to her stomach. Maybe we shouldn’t have eaten leftover ham for lunch just before we left the house. At about a mile in, we cut the hike short (which caused my son to go into conniptions as he was prepared to view the dam with his new binoculars). It’s a nice hike for those who don’t mind the heat. We plan to return soon to make the entire hike.

NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – Hidden Falls Regional Park has been criticized by some as being too remote to be of use to the average resident of Placer County. Someone should tell the residents. When I arrived on a recent Saturday afternoon, the parking lot was full. This was my first trip to the park that opened in October 2006 and I dragged my three children along to test the severity of the hiking conditions before returning at a later date with my wife. Beginning our hike, we passed a mother pushing a stroller as she walked with friends, a large group of children being supervised by a few adults, a legless man in a wheel chair rolling along with a caregiver, two equestrians and numerous hikers ranging in age from teens to blue hairs. There is a map posted at the beginning of the trails so you can plan your course. We chose the unpaved path that led straight down from the parking lot (not the winding one to the right or the paved one to the left). The trail was wide, recently graded, and in superb condition. The views were quite different from those found on the Western States Trail. Even my 9-year-old son Cian, who didn’t really want to come along in the first place, said it was beautiful. Rolling hills dotted with oak trees and hawks circling against a blue sky sure makes one appreciate living in this area. We made our way along the gently descending hillside, checking the many maps posted along the way. There is a footbridge crossing Deadman Creek (a name my son thought was “cool”) located about halfway between the parking lot and the waterfall. Unfortunately, the falls viewing area was closed to the public, but we were determined to get as close as possible so we could have a small picnic. The trail eventually narrows and winds its way to the creek. A small waterfall produced by a few boulders in the creek was good enough for us as Parker, my 8-year-old daughter, was complaining that she was about the expire from lack of food. We found places to sit beside the babbling brook and partook of our string cheese, trail mix and granola bars (and plenty of bottled water). Another hiker went on by us to the true waterfall area, and on his return, I asked if there was anything worth seeing up ahead. “No,” he said. “This is as good as it gets. I’m going to bring my family back here for lunch.” We finished, packed up our trash and began hiking out, passing the hiker on his way back down. With him were his wife and a very young child of probably no more than four years of age. We also passed that group of kids and adults that I mentioned earlier. One of the adults told me the group was on a field trip. The hike back up is steep in places, with roots ready to trip the unwary. Careful footing and an even pace will get you back to the main trail system. We chose to return using a different trail, turning left after the bridge. This trail follows along a creek, was much narrower than the one we came down on originally, and used a few switchbacks to get us to the parking area. We hiked close to three miles that day and we plan to return often. The 221-acre park was acquired as part of the Placer Legacy Open Space and Agricultural Conservation program and is located at 7587 Mears Place, off Mount Vernon Road, in Auburn.

NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – With a new baby on the way, my wife and I are trying to get into better shape by taking advantage of the local trails. Armed with “American River Canyon Hikes,” a guide by Jim Ferris, Mike Lynch and Sheila Toner, we’ve been learning more about the fantastic trails in our area. A few weeks ago, we hiked from the staging area at Overlook Park to about 1.5 miles down along the Western States Trail, then turned around and hiked back uphill. Along the way, we ran into Jo Gennuso, of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, and her niece. This particular stretch of trail offers great views of the canyon, the dam site, the river and plenty of trees (as you can see in this week’s snapshot). It becomes very narrow in certain areas and you have to share the trail with horses and runners, which can be problematic in some spots. I took my kids on this hike the weekend before so we could scout the difficulty level before dragging my pregnant wife along. If my eight-year-old daughter can handle the trail, then I figure Rachel will be just fine. In next week’s column, we’ll look at the new Hidden Falls Regional Park trails.

Farhina Family Plot

PLOTS – The Farinha family’s issues regarding the Lincoln Cemetery have caught the attention of Sacramento’s CBS TV station. Channel 13 news went out to the gravesite, interviewed cemetery manager Sandra Calise and has spoken with the family. The problem stems from the transfer of ownership from the Catholic Church to Placer County for the cemetery back in 1954. Frank Farinha passed away in 1947 and a double headstone was placed over his grave at the time, with the right side blank (for those from the old country, it was considered taboo to put the name of a living person on a headstone prior to his or her passing). When his wife Mary passed away at 105 on Jan. 25 of this year, the family naturally assumed there was a place reserved for their mom. 

Crystal Kerzel

PLACER POLITICS – With the races for the June primary election underway, 4th Congressional District GOP hopeful Doug Ose landed the endorsement of the California Farm Bureau Federation. “Doug Ose is a proven champion for family farmers and ranchers,” Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said in a press release. “He shares our goals for lower taxes and reduced regulation on the farm, and for improved markets for California-grown products. He has been a key partner in our effort to secure private property rights for all Californians.” Ose’s campaign contributors, dating from the late 1990s through 2001, include plenty of agricultural interests. Other contributors included Wal-Mart, UPS and a certain jailed lobbyist by the name of Jack Abramoff (for $1,000). It should be noted that Mr. Abramoff contributed loads of cash to many campaigns, including Democrats, before he was thrown behind bars. ... Theodore Terbolizard, who is trying to secure the GOP nomination for the 4th Congressional District, opened his mouth and inserted his foot following his arrest for DUI in Nevada County. Trying to make light of the situation, he said his DUI bust would get him more name recognition with the voters and since he didn’t harm anyone or damage any property, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Well, he’s changed his tune in a recent statement sent to local media outlets. “I am asking for your forgiveness and understanding,” he wrote. He also expects to spend more time in jail. “Be reminded that I am the only victim in this matter; I did no damage to any other person or property.” Terbolizard vowed to continue his campaign and deal with the consequences of his actions. ... I hear Jimmy Carroll will seek re-election to the Auburn Recreation District Board of Directors. There is no word yet on Jim Gray or Gordon Ainsleigh.

OLD TOWN TALK – To quash rumors that rambunctious youngsters are taking over Old Town, a meeting of that district’s business association was held in the back room of Marybelle’s on Thursday morning last week. For an association that was on the brink of bankruptcy a few years ago, conservative money management (which included some controversial decisions, such as canceling the group’s contract for the billboard on Interstate 80, which used to cost them about $24 grand annually) has brought the organization into the black. Auburn City Manager Bob Richardson had high praise for the merchants. “You’re on a real successful track right now,” he said. “You’ve completely turned the train around.” Setting up committees that handle issues separately from the general membership (returning to them with proposals for approval), closely watching expenses and trying to turn decades-old festivals into vibrant revenue-generating events for the association and its members has been difficult. One of the “apparent” wedge-driving issues was the decision to move Country Christmas from Saturday to a weeknight. I say apparent, because when it was brought up at the general membership meeting, 16 of the 17 voting members in attendance were in favor of the change. Gary Lord pointed out that Country Christmas used to be held on Tuesday evenings and was only moved about a dozen years ago to Saturdays so the new Holiday Inn could market the event for weekend packages. When the whole thing was said and done, only one member voted against changing the day of Country Christmas to a weeknight. The committee will be meeting to discuss the new day of the week, how many times the event should be held (once, twice, thrice?) and how close it should be to Christmas. They will then report back to the general membership in two weeks.