It’s a tough life as I try to make the most of my handful of days on the Mendocino coast. While I’m having a blast shooting the profusion of wildflowers and spotting new (to me) butterflies, I’m missing out on the chance to just sit and gaze at the ocean for hours at a time. Difficult choices, but I’ll try […]
There is so much room to roam over the Stornetta Public Lands near Point Arena that during our three separate visits I’ve only managed to scratch the surface of this beautiful coastal hiking area. In September 2021 I thought I was doing pretty well when I managed to walk from the northern gate to the private road running from Highway […]
I always especially enjoy those episodes of Huell’s shows where he finds himself exploring historic airplanes, trains, or ships — so of course this visit to the USS Potomac was a must-see. This ship had quite a fascinating history even before, and especially beyond, its glory days as a presidential yacht. After being rescued from a sorrowful fate in the […]
Osprey nests seen March 2022 at Rodman Slough, Clear Lake, and April 2022 at Steele Canyon Campground, Lake Berryessa.
The last time I was in this part of Lake Berryessa, around Steele Canyon, was back in October 2004,when the Big Guy was fishing in a two-day bass tournament that launched here. Although I only have vague memories of how different everything looked back then, I do recall the date because his second-place trophy is hanging on our livingroom wall! […]
I always enjoy driving through the small coastal towns along Highway 1 in Sonoma and Mendocino counties; you can often spot weathered old houses and other cool details without even getting out of the car. But on this occasion, a foggy midmorning in September, I had the chance to walk along a back road parallel to the main highway. There […]
Neither of these two flowering shrubs are native to the areas where I found them; the snowbells originate in China, Korea, and Japan, so I can’t help wondering how this one came to be in bloom above the shores of Folsom Lake. The Pipevine Swallowtails don’t seem to mind the taste of something exotic! Although these shrubs are actually native […]
A nesting pair of ospreys and a gaggle of acorn woodpeckers, seen at Lake Berryessa’s Steele Canyon Campground, April 2022.
When I first noticed these yellow-and-white irises growing wild at Lake Berryessa’s Steele Canyon Campground, I had no idea that ladybugs had already moved in and were making themselves at home. It was difficult for me to get close enough to see precisely how many of these bright red insects were there; but I did also spot at least a […]