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 […]
As we headed over to Lake Berryessa on Tuesday morning, we were fully expecting to hit some kind of traffic delay on Highway 128 just beyond the town of Winters. I already knew that Cal Fire crews were conducting a controlled burn along the hillsides above Cache Creek on Monday and Tuesday; so it wasn’t a bit surprising to find […]
It was a bit chilly when I started my hike from the parking area at Anderson Marsh SHP (Lower Lake) a bit after 10 AM, but as the afternoon wore on, staying warm was no problem at all. In fact, I was grateful for any shade I could find and wishing I had brought along just a bit more drinking […]
This week, I have a little bit of everything — springtime wildflowers, garden-grown roses, airplane whirligigs, and power pylons. And of course, plenty of color!