Scenic Sunday
A peaceful oasis
The summer season at Berryessa officially opens on May 5, but during our visit nearly two weeks after that date we had no trouble finding escape to the sights and sounds of nature that we were craving.
A walk to remember
On shore fishing trips, I normally don’t get to stop and check out places like this visitor center at Lake Berryessa. We’ve passed by this sign quite a number of times without even slowing; but on this occasion, we were looking for a quiet and shady spot to eat lunch. We found what we were looking for here, and even […]
May I always remember
Today I’m digging down deep into my archives, looking back at some of my favorite May images from between 2015 and 2020. When I examine my huge collection of photographs, it’s amazing to me how far I’ve come in just the past ten years. Even now, I’m far from an expert photographer, but my equipment has certainly improved, and I’d […]
Along the boardwalk
On my most recent visit to Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Clear Lake, I had the boardwalk almost entirely to myself. The morning was already warming up, but a small group of state park workers had clearly been working for hours under a tent beside the trail leading out toward Cache Creek. At first I wasn’t sure what they […]
Scenic Sunday
Flowery guest stars
My camera finds spring wildflowers almost irresistible; and it’s always a delightful surprise for me to notice small insects going about their business among the petals. A lot of the time I don’t even realize the bugs are there until I’m going through the images on my computer at home. Most of these photos are flowers seen recently at Lake […]
Smittle Creek Trailhead
If you look at a map of Lake Berryessa, you’ll find Smittle Creek just off the Berryessa Knoxville Road, tucked into the western shore and hiding behind a couple of islands (called Small Island and Big Island). The last time I explored along this trail was back in January 2019; since then, the Spanish Fire scorched vast areas on this […]
State park gold
Golden poppies and beautiful vistas at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park at the south end of Clear Lake. This is one of my favorite spots to visit in the springtime. I only wish I lived closer so I could take part in some of the park’s guided nature walks and tours of the Ranch House.