Road Trip - 4/26/2021 to 5/1/2021 - Part Five

 Waning Gibbous Moon

Chaw'se Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park off Hwy 88 is one of the finest state parks in California. The Chaw'se is mind boggling, the incense cedar slab structures are holy and inspiring, the nature trails are beautiful and instructional, and the Chaw'se Museum is top notch. A day spent here is way better than going to therapy or attending church.

Chaw'se is the Calaveras Miwok term for the multitude of bedrock mortars ground into the tough marbleized limestone outcrops that form the hub of a vast meadow in this peaceful, wooded park in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Jackson, CA. Approximately 1,200 mortar holes are spread across the carefully protected site, making it the largest concentration of mortars in North America. At 2,400 feet above sea level, the surrounding valley oaks, live oaks, and black oaks provide an ample supply of acorns to grind and process into flour. Standing on the observation platform or walking around the wooden enclosures, it's easy to imagine a sunny day in the meadow a few hundred years ago with people working and children playing.

A small village has been reconstructed near the Chaw'se as a model of the shelters and ceremonial structures used by the Calaveras Band over the centuries. The Chaw'se Hun'ge, or Roundhouse, is actively used for ceremony by Central California tribes, particularly during the Chaw'se Big Time celebration held every September in the park.

There are two nature trails that take you through the woods and introduce you to native plants, flowers, and trees. I walked the South Trail so I could use the park's colorful plant guide to learn about what I was seeing. I am notorious for forgetting the names of plants and flowers, so having a paper guide in my hand is useful!

I ended up my visit at the Chaw'se Regional Indian Museum, where I met the friendly and knowledgeable Ranger/Superintendent of the park named Pepper. After viewing the amazing collection of baskets and other weaving treasures on display, I had a great conversation about the hard-to-see petroglyphs that have largely weathered away on the Chaw'se. Pepper showed me a poster that detailed where they are located and she explained there are optimal conditions and times of day when you can still make some of them out. It won't be long, though, until Earth reclaims them from our sight. 

After pretty much striking out on my Ishi quest the previous day, this visit to the Chaw'se Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park was a home run. Bonus: they maintain a clean and quiet campground right next to the park, too!

Peace, Love, and Education,

Jim