I really have mixed feelings about hiking from the Sterling Pointe trailhead at Folsom Lake. On the plus side, parking is free and the lot is usually nearly empty whenever I go. It’s also a fairly easy hike downhill to the lakeshore with great scenic views and even a bench or two along the way. Once at the bottom, you […]
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the trail known as the Ecological Staircase at Mendocino County’s Jug Handle Reserve, but it turned out to be a really great hike — not too physically demanding and yet a decent workout. All the way out to the Pygmy Forest and back, it totals about 5 miles. After taking […]
If you’re traveling along coastal Highway 1 in Mendocino County, you will probably notice there are quite a number of different bridges crossing over creeks and rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean. From south to north, the scenic artery crosses the Gualala River, Elk Creek, the Navarro River, the Albion River, the Big River, Jughandle Creek, and the Noyo […]
It’s been a long time since I last hiked at Folsom Lake. Today I was curious about the water levels, and encouraged by the cooler weather, I drove out to Sterling Point on the North Fork. I pretty much had the whole place to myself. Halfway through my walk, I sat down on a rock overlooking the water and just […]
You may have noticed I’ve been taking a break lately from Memory Monday; I haven’t been feeling too much inspiration from the material I have on hand. Maybe I’ll come back to it later on or something new will come up. In the meantime, I’ve still got loads of more recent memories that I enjoy looking back on. At the […]
During our brief stop at the Grand Canyon last June, the Big Guy and I were hoping to find a picturesque spot populated by a minimum of people; the site we chose was Shoshone Point. I think we were very lucky — it was still fairly early in the morning when we arrived, and in order to find the view, […]
I was exploring at Sailor Bar one morning last May, following a trail around to the more overgrown portion of the Turtle Pond, when I heard loud splashing sounds from up ahead. Creeping forward, I managed to catch this California Towhee in the middle of a bath. These little brown birds may be terrifically plain in color, but they are […]
Sailor Bar County Park on the American River, May 2023
I’ve hiked the trails at Anderson Marsh State Park a number of times but never realized the park included trailheads at other locations. I found this one at the end of a dead-end street in the city of Clear Lake. I parked below an osprey nest (beware of “gifts” dropped from above!) and then followed the fairly short trail through […]