Arizona pine forest

Here are a few more images from my walk along the nature trail at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, last June. I was quite happy to have the path mostly to myself (the Big Guy had chosen to ignore the trail and set off on his own, cross country), and the clouds and cooler late afternoon temperatures were […]

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Where trees are of stone

I had managed to cover the looping half-mile Main Trail at the Petrified Forest near Calistoga, California. It was nearly time to leave, but when you find yourself in such beautiful surroundings, it can be difficult to drag yourself away! But as I approached the main building and the entrance gate once more, this amazing place still had one or […]

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Back to the valley

Today, the last series of images from my trek up Mt Konocti last May. I do still have a few photos I’m not including  because they’re very similar and/or because I would have to extend the series. And I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to move on to other topics! I’ll most likely share those images at a […]

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Forests of Flagstaff

I’ve been showing you a lot of photos from the areas of Lake, Napa, and Mendocino counties lately, so today here’s something a bit different — Flagstaff, Arizona. Last June on the second night of our road trip to Texas, we decided to treat ourselves to a stay at the 3.5 star Little America Hotel. We enjoyed the large, comfy […]

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The old North Trail

Today’s post title is actually borrowed from a recent library find that now graces my bookshelves: subtitled Life, Legends, and Religion of the Blackfeet Indians, it was written by Walter McClintock and originally published in 1910. While the North Trail at Mendocino Botanical Gardens isn’t all that old, the sign (see above) certainly looks like it’s survived a few hard […]

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Walking in Chinatown

I’m always drawn to San Francisco’s Chinatown whenever I’m in the city, partly because of its history but also because there is always so much to see just wandering the sidewalks. With my hotel located on the lower slope of Nob Hill, I’m actually within walking distance of the Stockton Tunnel, and I used this as my gateway to Chinatown […]

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Miracle groves

Walking through the two groves at Hendy Woods State Park, it’s clear that at some point in the past fire has come through and left its mark. But the giant coast redwood trees manage to survive the flames fairly easily, and fire can be beneficial to the health of the forest by clearing out the dense undergrowth. Whenever I feel […]

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Morning on the mountain

By the time I reached the first mileage marker on my way up the mountain, I was more than ready to stop for a breather. The wide dirt road may have looked flat, but the incline was obvious to my legs and hips. I think I remember wishing I had tackled Mt. Konocti at least a couple of decades earlier, […]

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In Hendy Woods

Last October we were at the Mendocino coast, and one afternoon the Big Guy decided to take a little time away from fishing to go hiking with me in the giant redwoods of Hendy Grove. From the Navarro River Bridge on Highway 1 it was less than a 30-minute drive along a beautiful stretch of Highway 128 and into the […]

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