Last month as I was heading home from Clear Lake, I decided to explore a completely different route. This took me to Middletown, in the southern end of Lake County, via highway 29, and then southeast through Napa County, along the back side of Lake Berryessa. These were small two-lane roads, completely new to me, and I stopped several times […]
I’ve forgotten how and when I became the proud owner of this vintage aluminum tackle box — complete with a previous owner’s fishing license and a decal from the State of Oregon. I’m sure I had some idea of cleaning it up and using it to store some of my own doodads. But instead it’s been just sitting around my […]
Here are a some of my favorite images from our walk along Point Arena, just north of the lighthouse, in November 2022. You can click any of the images for a closer view.
It was easy enough for me to find this brightly painted (and lovingly cared for) historic site along Albion Street in the village of Mendocino. According to The Hiker’s Hip Pocket Guide to the Mendocino Coast by Bob Lorentzen, the first Chinese arrived in this area when their boat, headed for the gold rush, was shipwrecked on the Mendocino coast. […]
One day during our stay in Nice last month, the Big Guy suggested that I drive around to the opposite side of Clear Lake and explore the trails at Clear Lake State Park. I’d been to the state park a few times in the past but only to launch the boat and go fishing. He was convinced that I’d find […]
I took yet another trip out to Secret Ravine the other day, and this time I brought along the Big Guy so he could check out the pond. Although there were plenty of signs of use — a little bit of trash, footprints and bike tire tracks — we had the place entirely to ourselves as we explored the trails.
Each spring when I visit Clear Lake I normally can’t wait to head out to Rodman Slough Park for a look at the ospreys there. This year, for a change, I decided I’d focus less on ospreys in favor of other stuff. Yet somehow this year I ended up with more osprey photos than ever before. I’m still not quite […]
Secret Ravine is not actually a river but a somewhat seasonal creek running through southern Placer County. It’s connected to Miner’s Ravine and, eventually, to Dry Creek (formerly Linda Creek), a smaller tributary of the Sacramento River. It’s not necessary to know all this, however, to be able to enjoy a quiet morning in the shade beside the creek, listening […]
I’ve driven past Berryessa’s Monticello Dam quite a few times on the way to other destinations and often wished I could take the time to stop. Finally, driving home from Clear Lake and on my own, I pulled over and took a look around. It was a beautiful but breezy Friday afternoon. While I still intend to go back some […]