Back in early September 2023 I spent a week with the Big Guy next to Eagle Lake, in Lassen County. We were 45 minutes away from Susanville, in an area called Spaulding that was basically a grid of dirt and gravel streets lined with cabins, modular homes, and a few mobile homes — nothing too fancy, but we fell in […]
Every recent memory is extra precious to me now after losing the Big Guy in late July. There were so many beautiful places he introduced me to — places I never would have learned to love if not for him. Here are just a few of the scenes from our most recent visits to Lake Berryessa in May of this […]
The Rio de Flag rises from central Arizona’s San Francisco Mountains, passing through the city of Flagstaff and ultimately draining into the Little Colorado River. Athough human intervention has made alterations to the river’s nature and course, restoration efforts are now working to restore some of the historic wetlands.
Hiking to the shore of Grapevine Lake on a warm day in early June proved a bit of an adventure. With a couple of different paths to choose from after parking the car, the Big Guy ignored the map and headed off on a trail that plunged into the woods and meandered through brush and knee-high weeds before eventually emerging […]
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 […]
I don’t like to make excuses for my photographic failures — most of the time I understand that the fault lies with me. But sometimes no matter how hard you try, it just doesn’t happen. Take for example the red larkspur I found near the Joe Riley Day Use Area on Lake Mendocino’s southwest shore. I was the only person […]
We spent a day exploring portions of the western shoreline of Lake Berryessa on a breezy day in May. The water level is still very high, and some public areas are still closed. But there are always beautiful views and the peaceful sounds of the California oak woodlands in spring.
In my next post in this short series I’ll be focusing on the farmhouse located in the same general area near Manchester Beach; but for today I have more shots from both of the empty houses sitting perched on the bluff above the 5-mile-long beach, near Alder Creek. I can only try to imagine the luxury and comfort that once […]