The first day of spring turned out to be cloudy and cool, with a few showers and the threat of a thunderstorm in the area. Nevertheless, I couldn’t resist the urge to get outside and maybe climb another hill or two, hoping to photograph some of the cloud formations.

I did manage a nice hike (a 4-mile round-trip from Folsom Dam Road to the south end of the old olive orchard that sits between the American River and Folsom-Auburn Road), but climbing to the top of a treeless hill with thunder rumbling above my head didn’t seem like a very clever idea. I hid beneath an overpass and waited until things quieted down before heading back to my car.

Folsom Prison is just visible through the trees and across the river

After seeing this, I ran down the hill and took cover for awhile!

I saw only a handful of cyclists and had the trails mostly to myself