Why — and how — do random cars always seem to end up in the bottom of an otherwise attractive ravine? The sight of this abandoned wreck of a pickup truck in Roseville a couple of weeks ago instantly brought back to mind a similar eyesore that rested in Orangevale’s Snipes Ravine for many years (although I suspect it may […]
I took yet another trip out to Secret Ravine the other day, and this time I brought along the Big Guy so he could check out the pond. Although there were plenty of signs of use — a little bit of trash, footprints and bike tire tracks — we had the place entirely to ourselves as we explored the trails.
Secret Ravine is not actually a river but a somewhat seasonal creek running through southern Placer County. It’s connected to Miner’s Ravine and, eventually, to Dry Creek (formerly Linda Creek), a smaller tributary of the Sacramento River. It’s not necessary to know all this, however, to be able to enjoy a quiet morning in the shade beside the creek, listening […]
Looks like the end of the road — and it is actually an extremely short section of paved bike path that comes from nowhere and leads nowhere, at least for now. But I had searched out this spot after noticing what looked like a couple of old quarries on Google Maps, and when I arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. Well, maybe […]
About a month ago, I discovered an amazing undeveloped green space along the border between Roseville and Rocklin completely by accident; and once the rainstorms finally let up I was able to get out and do some exploring. As I wandered the many trails that crisscross the area I was reminded of the pre-development landscape near Whitney Oaks in Rocklin. […]
As I write this, it seems that winter has returned for another round of rain, snow, sleet, hail, and everything in between — not only in my neck of the woods but all around the continental US. Going on vacation in the coastal redwoods may not have been the greatest idea right now, but we were eager to escape from […]
First today, a bit of housekeeping. Because of an odd and somewhat annoying WordPress quirk, the post that I published last Tuesday (21 February) is showing up as being published on Saturday 21 January; so I’m linking to it here — Victorian envy — just in case anyone would like to see it! With that out of the way, I’ve […]
The dirt trail running parallel to Hinkle Creek is roughly a half mile in length, passing through oak woodland inhabited by a variety of wildlife. The murmur of the creek is never far away even though much of its banks are crowded with prickly blackberry bushes. The location is not exactly isolated; visible just up the steep hill to the […]
My favorite part of spring-like weather this time of year is the appearance of many types of birds, each sporting unique and colorful plumage. I shot most of these images along the Hinkle Creek Trail; the bluebird, magpie and mallards were seen at Phoenix Park. Above, not a perfect capture, but I like it because this female Lesser Goldfinch seems […]