Although I’m not really that great at it, I do love macro photography. And for whatever reason, I get pretty excited any time I spot a banana slug — now formally designated California’s Official State Slug — along the California coast in Sonoma or Mendocino counties. I had always assumed this was a normal reaction until my most recent trip; […]
During our coastal trip in mid November, our rented house was just off Highway 1 in Mendocino County, and we had been told that Manchester Beach was only “a short walk” away. I could see the ocean from our front window, so even though it was already 4:30 in the afternoon I decided to take a stroll and discover whatever […]
Back in mid June 2023 I shared a few photos from a day hike along the Bluestem Trail in Southlake, Texas. Despite wet weather and warm, humid conditions, I really enjoyed the trek because, although I had visited that part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area many times, I had never had the chance to do much exploring or hiking. As […]
Per Alton Pryor’s book Historic California: Its Colorful Names and How It Got Them, the word Tehachapi is “the Indian name for a creek … recorded in 1853.” After the railroad was built across the mountains in 1876, “Southern Pacific Railroad transferred the name from the old wagon route to the railroad pass.” Several train tunnel openings are visible from […]
Arizona’s Kaibab National Forest comprises 1.6 million acres of land that stretches from the Grand Canyon south to Williams on Route 66. Kaibab is a Paiute word that means “mountain lying down.” Although the incredible scenery of the Grand Canyon is the big tourist draw in the area, it would be a mistake to overlook the hiking trails closer to […]
When I arrived at my chosen trailhead on this mid November morning, the “steam” vapor was still rising at 10:30 a.m. I was eagerly looking forward to exploring an unknown path; I’d actually checked this spot out on an earlier trip but only managed to get a short way before time forced me to turn back. Today I had plenty […]
How is it possible that it’s been nearly three years since I last hiked at Doton’s Point, on Folsom Lake’s north fork? I can’t believe so much time could have passed already — but it was high time for me to get back out there. Or at least I thought so, until I arrived at Granite Bay and found Park […]
Standing atop the hill some half mile from the Falcon Crest parking area, I can look down toward Folsom Lake and see another path (Brown’s Ravine Trail) that meanders through a stand of pine trees. I’ve visited this spot several times over the past few years and it remains one of my favorite viewpoints; with impressive ridges rising 1200ft/365m both […]
I found so many amazing sights during my visit to Mission Dolores in San Francisco. Although I did have some trouble finding my way to the site of this landmark in the Mission District, once I arrived all that was forgotten; I wandered through the original mission, the “new” basilica — completed in 1918 — and the attached cemetery. Although […]