South fork and Sweetwater
Just because summer is over and the water levels at Folsom Lake are low doesn’t mean there is no life or color along the shoreline. There is always plenty of both, if you can take the time to slow down and look around.
Miniature world (mostly slugs)
Although I’m not really that great at it, I do love macro photography. And for whatever reason, I get pretty excited any time I spot a banana slug — now formally designated California’s Official State Slug — along the California coast in Sonoma or Mendocino counties. I had always assumed this was a normal reaction until my most recent trip; […]
Summer monsoon
The final instalment of my images from Southlake, Texas, in June 2023. The Kirkwood Branch was swollen and muddy, and although I could see a trail on the other bank, I had no temptation to wade across. I knew if I stayed on this side and kept walking, I would eventually find the Big Guy at whatever spot along the […]
Tehachapi
Per Alton Pryor’s book Historic California: Its Colorful Names and How It Got Them, the word Tehachapi is “the Indian name for a creek … recorded in 1853.” After the railroad was built across the mountains in 1876, “Southern Pacific Railroad transferred the name from the old wagon route to the railroad pass.” Several train tunnel openings are visible from […]
A secret garden
Well, the Otis R. Johnson Wilderness Park is not really a “secret garden,” but it’s still an amazing hidden gem tucked away in the middle of the historic seaside town of Fort Bragg, California. It’s not listed in my hikers guide to the Mendocino Coast, but this city park does have a number of trails that wind through tall stands […]
Mendocino meandering
When I arrived at my chosen trailhead on this mid November morning, the “steam” vapor was still rising at 10:30 a.m. I was eagerly looking forward to exploring an unknown path; I’d actually checked this spot out on an earlier trip but only managed to get a short way before time forced me to turn back. Today I had plenty […]
An unexpected detour
How is it possible that it’s been nearly three years since I last hiked at Doton’s Point, on Folsom Lake’s north fork? I can’t believe so much time could have passed already — but it was high time for me to get back out there. Or at least I thought so, until I arrived at Granite Bay and found Park […]
Nice in September
I didn’t shoot a great many photos when we visited Clear Lake last September, but I did take the time to stroll along the lake shore in Nice one morning and found some gorgeous flowers and waterfowl.
Conjuring spring
I do love the season of autumn; but for right now I’m finding comfort in memories of last spring, a season of hope and optimism, when wildflowers sprang up all around and I was able to go out to the Phoenix Park vernal ponds in between rain showers to breathe the fresh air and practice my macro photography skills with […]