It’s been nearly five months since we were last at the coast in Mendocino County, and with all our recent trips to Texas, it seems even longer. Hopefully we’ll soon be able to plan another visit; but in the meantime, I still have a lot of photos from previous trips that I haven’t yet shared. Today, here’s a look at some of my images from one of the Russian Gulch trails which I explored back in March 2024. The ground was quite muddy, especially at the trailhead where I had to climb a steep rise from the parking area. But I had the trail to myself, and once I got past the worst of the mud, I enjoyed every minute of the experience.

Looking back toward my car

Looking ahead and having second thoughts!

Click through for a closeup of these fuzzy purple buds