Hiking the Pioneer Express Trail from the parking lot at Sterling Pointe Equestrian Staging Area is a seriously up-and-down experience. There are some great views of Folsom Lake — but this time of the year, you’ll be too busy avoiding poison oak, watching swallowtail butterflies, and navigating up and down the horse-sized changes in altitude to notice the view. No […]
I got the chance to learn something about the all-too-brief lives of California Pipevine Swallowtails last Friday while hiking along the south fork of the American River at Folsom Lake. It was amazing how these beautiful butterflies were literally everywhere around me, on just about every wildflower. The California Pipevine is a rare subspecies of the Pipevine Swallowtail, found only […]
It’s hard not to fall in love with the gorgeous blue-sky spring weather we’ve had for the last couple of days — but I’m also sorry to say goodbye to those cool, grey days, or the ones with ever-changing gray and white cloud formations keeping the sky interesting and unpredictable. It was on such a gray, overcast mornings that I […]
A couple of days ago, I described the dramatic weather changes we experienced on our recent trip to Clear Lake. As always, the time seemed to fly by, and much too soon we were packing up to head home. I had arrived at the lake separately from the Big Guy; he rode along with a buddy who was towing our […]
Even though our recent trip to Clear Lake was only three days long, we experienced so many different kinds of weather it made for a very memorable time. The day we arrived was windy, with dark clouds threatening — not exactly ideal for a fishing trip. It rained off and on all night, and we woke to yet more black […]
It’s been nearly two years since I was able to visit Anderson Marsh at Clear Lake and walk the trails, and my visit last week offered a stark example of how even a slight change in weather patterns affects the plant and animal life in vital habitats like creeks and marshes. It looks like we may be heading back into another drought year — although I’m still remaining hopeful that our latest round of storms will help. On my previous visit, in May 2019, everything was fresh and green. The inlets of Cache Creek were full; I photographed turtles sunning themselves on logs and crawdads scurrying around underwater. This time, I found evidence of a recent prescribed burn and the inlets were parched and bare. I did see a good number of birds as I hiked along — including a pair of Valley Quail foraging along the sides of the dry creek bed.
I’ve visited Anderson Marsh State Historic Park a few times now, usually during our springtime visits to Clear Lake. The park is located just off Highway 53 near the city of Clearlake. The old farmhouse was once part of a working ranch, and during normal times is often the scene of historic re-enactments and other events. Even though it was […]
We just returned home after spending the last few days at Clear Lake, California’s largest freshwater lake. There are so many beautiful hiking trails in the area, most of which I’ve never visited yet; I also enjoy revisiting favorite spots like Anderson Marsh State Historic Park at the south end of the lake and Rodman Slough, at the north end. […]