September 22, 2007: Poker Flat OHV Trail, Day One

This trip was cursed from the beginning and pretty much stayed that way the entire time. First was the Moonlight Fire, which ended up being contained about a week before our departure. Then the Scales Road closure (more on that later!) and finally the rain. And rain. And MORE rain!

Marshan and Lola introduced Sally to trail life in his Toyota Tacoma, Mike's Toyota Tundra earned it's stripes for the first time with Doug riding shotgun and we gave the Land Rover LR3 another workout.

We left early Saturday morning and made it up about an hour later than our planned start time, but it didn't matter since the thick clouds and light rain made it impossible to determine the time of day. As we approached Downieville, we tried to find CR-509 (the trailhead for the Poker Flat OHV Trail) on the western edge of town but couldn't see any signs or turnoffs. We decided to gas up, then head back in the direction we'd come, knowing by now that sometimes the trails are poorly marked. Sure enough, there is only one sign (that even the locals didn't know about!) and it faces North. We pulled onto the trail and began the easy climb out of Downieville.

The trail is rated DR: 5, but the first half is primarily DR: 2 consisting of a relatively smooth dirt road with few rocks or ruts. The road was so smooth, in fact, I had a hard time keeping the LR3 at 'off-road' height as it attempts to lower itself to 'normal' height if you exceed 25MPH. This leg of the trail is also well marked with signs (that actually point in the right direction!) for the Fir Cap and Chimney Rock OHV Trails.

The visibility was so poor we decided to bypass these spurs and instead made the short climb to the Saddleback Mountain Fire Lookout. This spur is rated DR: 3 and is a somewhat narrow and rocky shelf road. Once at the top the view was.... nothing. We were up inside the clouds and couldn't see more than a few dozen feet in any direction! The boys were going nuts from being cooped up in the car for so long so we decided to let them stretch their legs and walk up to the lookout. Here's a tip - if you travel on this spur, park in the turnout on the right about 100 feet downhill from the tower so you won't have to back down the hill.

The lookout tower was manned and we were allowed to bring the boys up - the view would be incredible when it's clear! It was interesting to see how the lookouts live while on duty and after a little while, we climbed back down and loaded into the trucks to continue our journey.

We drove on through the mist, keeping our speed down because of the reduced visibility, until about 1PM and decided to stop in a large, exposed clearing at the top of a ridgeline for lunch. We assembled the EZ-Up and backed the three trucks up to it to keep the rain off as the adults snacked and talked, Lola ate whatever hit the ground and the boys chucked rocks at some scraggly little trees. Everyone wanted to reach camp before it got any darker, so we took down the EZ-Up and began the long descent into the canyon.



The trail becomes a DR: 3 due to steeper angles and sections of loose roadbed, but these were easily negotiated. The final stretch into Poker Flat is the most challenging on this side of the canyon - a steep, loose grade of rain-slicked 6"+ rocks that make for a lumpy and time-consuming ride. Although not technically very difficult, it would be easy to break someting important if you're not paying attention. We arrived at a fork in the road with a handmade sign pointing to the left with the word "CROSSING" scrawled on it - of course, we decided to go right. Hey, how do you think Columbus eventually found North America? At the bottom of the final steep, rocky slope are the remains of a pretty ugly campsite with various bullet-riddled appliances and more than a few broken bottles.

We could see Canyon Creek and the camp- ground on the other side of the river, but no real crossing, so Mike and Doug went back up to the sign and went down the left side. Marshan and I spoke with some people who had just come down the other direction and found out from them that the crossing was just a few dozen yards further downstream. Mike and Doug found the crossing first (which was only about 6" deep) and soon, all three trucks pulled into the Poker Flat OHV Campground.

The campground is laid out with picnic tables and fire pits along the bank of Canyon Creek (it even has a partially-obscured pit toilet....if you dare!) and is just a couple hundred yards from the ghost town of Poker Flat. Scattered among the trees are foundations and partially-collapsed stone exterior walls of the homes that once made up this town, in addition to decaying mining equipment and even an old car! Wandering in the woods here really is like taking a step back in time.

It was beginning to get dark and since the rain had let up a little, we decided to make the short hike to the ghost town and look around. As we were wandering around, I suddenly heard Sarenna screaming for me and ran around to the other side of the abandoned Scott Home where Danny was frantically crying. I could see Sarenna swatting at his clothes, and Danny was completely hysterical - probably because he was covered with bees! Apparently, he found a beehive in a spindly tree nearby and decided shake the branch it was attached to. The bees (predictably) didn't care for this much and went after him with a vengeance. When I arrived, there were about three dozen bees covering him and Sarenna (who is allergic to bee stings and still holding Jayden) was trying to brush them off as best she could. The bees were everywhere and I knew that standing there and swatting them would be an exercise in futility, so I continued knocking them off of Danny as we ran through the field and away from the hive. About halfway back to camp, just as I thought we'd made a clean escape, I suddenly notice my back, neck and shoulder are all burning from where I'd been stung but hadn't even noticed! Danny, Jayden and Sarenna all escaped without a single sting, but we were all pretty shaken up.

We decided not to push our luck by going back until the bees had calmed down, and returned to the trucks to finish setting up camp. Marshan and Sally made some fantastic chicken soft tacos and the boys (who hadn't napped all day) ate and spent the evening alternating between giggling hysterically and sobbing over not being able to watch Barney. Finally, with the rain coming down harder than ever and the prospect of a long drive ahead in the morning, we decided to call it a night.

Not so fast! Danny and Jayden became convinced there were animals lurking in the bushes so after spending the evening setting up our new family-sized tent, I then had to empty the back of the LR3, lay two rows of seats flat and create a makeshift bed for the four of us! We crawled in, the rain beating down on the roof of the truck as Sarenna and I tried to coax the boys to sleep. Then we threatened them, yelled, cried and finally gave up entirely. At 3:30AM I moved three of the sleeping bags BACK to the tent and spent the rest of night with a flashlight shining on my face so the boys could see that I was still there as they eventually fell asleep...

Entering Tahoe National Forest via the Poker Flat OHV Trail...

Climbing toward the Saddleback Mountain Fire Lookout...

The trail changes from DR: 2 to DR: 3 after Saddleback Mountain...

A rocky descent into Poker Flat...

The Canyon Creek crossing on the way into the campground...

This car DIDN'T make it out of Poker Flat!

Some abandoned mining equipment amongst the trees...

Crumbling foundations from the original homes are scattered throughout the forest...

The plaque outside the 1886 Scott Home in Poker Flat...

A view inside the 1886 Scott Home...

The Restoration Project to save this historic home...