Coastal mood
Below, just a few of the things I’ve noticed recently alongside of or near Highway 1 in Mendocino County — specifically, in the small town of Point Arena.
Age of sail
I’ve been fascinated with the history of sailing ships ever since the summer of 1979, when I was at a KOA campground near Victoria, B.C. and found a paperback in their small store written by Alexander Kent. The book was called “Form Line of Battle,” and it sent me on a search for more books by the same author. Actually, […]
October hike
I really have mixed feelings about hiking from the Sterling Pointe trailhead at Folsom Lake. On the plus side, parking is free and the lot is usually nearly empty whenever I go. It’s also a fairly easy hike downhill to the lakeshore with great scenic views and even a bench or two along the way. Once at the bottom, you […]
Driving over water
Last June we went on quite a long road trip, driving from Northern California to Fort Worth, Texas, to visit the Big Guy’s parents. It was the second time we’d done this drive, and we figured we were getting to be old hands at this type of travel. So much so that the Big Guy decided on an extra side […]
In the Perennial Garden
Since I was visiting Fort Bragg’s Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in late October, I was surprised at how many brilliant flowers were blooming in the Perennial Garden. And even though shooting flowers wasn’t my main purpose for being there, it was impossible to walk past these beauties without stopping to check them out. I couldn’t always find signs to identify […]
Riparian habitat
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the trail known as the Ecological Staircase at Mendocino County’s Jug Handle Reserve, but it turned out to be a really great hike — not too physically demanding and yet a decent workout. All the way out to the Pygmy Forest and back, it totals about 5 miles. After taking […]
Peelings, oh, peelings
My apologies for the punning reference to a song from 1974, but that was pretty much what popped into my head this morning after I spent nearly an hour laboring over my backyard project. I bought this small shed last spring with every intention of assembling it by myself; and I have done most of the work thus far, with […]
Fuchsia
At the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, I was surprised to find so many different varieties of fuchsia, and each one of them more beautiful than the last!
Bridges and boardwalks
If you’re traveling along coastal Highway 1 in Mendocino County, you will probably notice there are quite a number of different bridges crossing over creeks and rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean. From south to north, the scenic artery crosses the Gualala River, Elk Creek, the Navarro River, the Albion River, the Big River, Jughandle Creek, and the Noyo […]